Graduate Counselling and Applied Psychology (GCAP) 671

Overview

The Responsive Counselling Relationships & Interpersonal Communication course is designed to build on the foundation of critical reflection on both counselling theory and processes, as well as appreciation for the both client and counsellor cultural identities and social locations, established in GCAP 631 and 633. In this course, the focus will shift to translating conceptual understanding into applied practice skills. The course supports critical analysis of the nature of the relationship between counsellor and client and its role in the counselling process. Students will learn how to develop and maintain a culturally-responsive and socially just client–counsellor relationship. They will also master the intentional use of counselling microskills and techniques to define client problems and identify preferred outcomes.

Outline

Spring Online Learning Processes

• Week 1: Responsive Relationships
• Week 2: The Practice of Engagement and Listening for Client Meaning
• Week 3: Responding to, and Co-constructing, Meaning
• Week 4: Describing Problems and Preferences

Summer Institute Learning Processes

The Summer Institute portion of this course includes 39 hours of direct face-to-face instruction. Please note that first year students are required to attend Summer Institute in its entirety - both courses as well as the mandatory 2-day orientation.

• Class 1: Counselling as a Relational Practice
• Class 2: Receiving and Reading Meaning
• Class 3: Privileging Client Meanings
• Class 4: Responding to Meaning
• Class 5: Tracking Meaning
• Class 6: Describing Problems and Preferences I
• Class 7: Describing Problems and Preferences II
• Class 8: Assessing Competencies
• Class 9: Attending to the Wider Context I
• Class 10: Attending to the Wider Context II
• Class 11: Pulling It All Together

Evaluation

To receive credit for GCAP 671, students must submit all of the course assignments, achieve a minimum grade of B- (70 percent) on Assignment 4, and obtain a composite grade of at least B- (70 percent) on the course. The weighing of the composite grade is as follows: