The assessment requires learners to engage in a formative role play with a service user in the simulation suites using a health and social care scenario. They will subsequently reflect on their performance and identify areas for improvement in the form of a 1500-word reflective essay.

If students miss the formative role play, then they can reflect upon their experiences in their job roles or on their work placement in PPDE50701.

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: (30¿hours)¿¿

You will attend lectures workshops and sessions on key¿topics.¿There will be opportunities to participate¿in small groups to explore some of the key issues raised in lectures and undertake practical and scenario-based tasks and activities.


Guided Independent Study: (170¿hours)¿¿


100¿hours: Independent reading - You will be expected to read the recommended reading, utilise the learning materials which you will have full access to via Blackboard and the library.

70¿hours: Assessment task preperation

You will be expected to have made use of the relevant library resources, research and web-based sites to identify relevant academic texts and journal articles.

1. Identify and analyse your strengths and limitations in interpersonal and counselling skills.

Learning, Analysis, Reflection

2. Demonstrate competence and critical understanding in applying interpersonal and basic counselling skills to enhance carer/client relationships and client empowerment.

Knowledge and Understanding, Analysis, Problem Solving, Communication, Application

3. Reflect on your personal thoughts and feelings with reference to a counselling interaction to enhance your future practice in health and social care.

Communication, Reflection

You will have access to a range of materials on and Blackboard VLE including articles, session slides, interactive activities. and session recordings via MS Teams. You will also be able to access a variety of digital material through our Library and specialist databases.

Egan, G. and Reese, R.G. (2019) The Skilled Helper: a problem management and opportunity development approach to helping (11th Ed), India, Cengrage. Free Download at: https://collegelearners.com/ebooks/the-skilled-helper-11th-edition-pdf-free-download/

Hough, M. (2014). Counselling Skills and Theory. (4th Ed) London. United Kingdom. Hodder Education.

McLeod, J. (2019) An Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice. (6th Ed) Buckingham, Open University Press.


Rønning,,S.B. and Bjørkly, S. (2019) The use of clinical role-play and reflection in learning therapeutic communication skills in mental health education: an integrative review.¿Advances in medical education and practice,¿10, p.415.

LinkedIn Learning Sources:

Skills for inclusive conversations

Communicating about culturally sensitive issues

Robbins, S. (2019) What If?: Short Stories to Spark Inclusion & Diversity Dialogue. (10th Ed) Nicholas Brealey Publishing

This empowering module will equip you with key counselling skills to enable you to work and practice effectively within health and social care environments. This interactive module will provide you with a framework within which you can reflect upon your own interpersonal and counselling skills and how these can be further developed and applied within health and social care settings. You will build upon the strong foundation of communication skills you obtained within the Level 4 module, Using Communication Skills in Health & Social Care.

This module meets the Care Certificate Standards: 3. Duty of Care; 5. Working in a person-centred way; 6. Communication; 14. Handling information


This 20-credit option module enables learners to gain insight into basic counselling skills within health and social care. The efficacy of counselling will be evaluated with reference to its evidence base, and core concepts of counselling theories will also be evaluated. This will provide a framework within which students can reflect upon their own counselling/helping and interpersonal skills and how these can be further developed and applied within health and social care settings. This module builds upon the knowledge and skills obtained within the Level 4 module, Using Communication Skills in Health & Social Care.


Topics that will be covered include:

Communication and counselling skills, theories and practices.

The efficacy of counselling with regard to its evidence base.

Integrating basic counselling skills to enhance the carer/client relationship.

Self-awareness and interpersonal sensitivity - empowering clients

The ethical framework for counselling

Contracting, confidentiality and referrals in counselling practice

Counselling online versus face to face

Person centred theory and skills

Working with families.

Concepts of grief and bereavement.

Motivational Interviewing.

Cognitive behavioural skills / therapy.

Mindfulness, 3rd wave self-help approaches