Using counselling skills — SEG Awards End-Point Assessment Health & Social Care Revision

    This element develops the practical competence to apply core counselling skills such as active listening, paraphrasing, and open questioning within an ethi

    Topic Synopsis

    This element develops the practical competence to apply core counselling skills such as active listening, paraphrasing, and open questioning within an ethical, client-centred framework. Learners learn to establish a safe, contractual relationship, manage boundaries, and conduct structured sessions that empower clients to explore their concerns autonomously. Reflective practice is integral, enabling students to critically evaluate their interventions and enhance their professional development.

    Key Concepts & Core Principles

    Exam Tips & Revision Strategies

    Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid

    Examiner Marking Points

    Using Counselling Skills

    SEG AWARDS
    vocational

    This subtopic focuses on the practical application of core counselling skills within a professional helping relationship, covering their identification, intentional use during the interaction, and appropriate closure. Learners must demonstrate how to integrate listening, questioning, and empathy to support a client effectively, while maintaining ethical boundaries and concluding sessions with clear summaries and forward planning. Mastery involves both theoretical understanding and the ability to apply these skills in real or simulated settings to reflect vocational competence.

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    Learning Outcomes
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    Assessment Guidance
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    Key Skills
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    Key Terms
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    Assessment Criteria

    Assessment criteria

    SEG Awards Level 2 Award In Counselling Skills
    SEG Awards Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills
    SEG Awards Level 2 Certificate In Counselling Skills

    Topic Overview

    The SEG Awards Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills is a vocationally-related qualification designed to equip students with the core competencies required for effective counselling practice. This qualification focuses on developing active listening, empathy, and ethical understanding within a structured framework. It is ideal for those pursuing careers in health and social care, education, or human resources, as it provides a solid foundation for further training in therapeutic communication.

    The course covers key theoretical approaches, including person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioural frameworks, alongside practical skills such as paraphrasing, summarising, and reflecting feelings. Students learn to apply these skills in simulated counselling sessions, emphasising the importance of boundaries, confidentiality, and self-awareness. This qualification is recognised by professional bodies and serves as a stepping stone towards accredited counselling courses.

    In the wider context of health and social care, counselling skills are essential for building trust and rapport with service users. Whether working in mental health support, social work, or nursing, the ability to listen non-judgmentally and respond empathetically enhances client outcomes. This certificate ensures students can integrate these skills ethically and effectively within their professional roles.

    Key Concepts

    Core ideas you must understand for this topic

    • →Active listening: Fully concentrating on the speaker, using verbal and non-verbal cues to demonstrate understanding, such as eye contact and minimal encouragers.
    • →Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, communicated through accurate reflection and validation of the client's experience.
    • →Ethical framework: Adherence to confidentiality, informed consent, and boundaries as outlined by professional bodies like the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy).
    • →Core conditions: Carl Rogers' principles of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence, which are fundamental to person-centred counselling.
    • →Stages of a counselling session: Structuring interactions into beginning, middle, and end phases, including contracting, exploration, and closure.

    Learning Objectives

    What you need to know and understand

    • Know what core counselling skills are, Know how to establish a helping relationship, Be able to use core counselling skills in a helping relationship, Know how to conclude a helping interaction
    • Understand the process of a counselling skills session, Be able to conduct a session with a client in an ethical and safe way, Reflect on own practice
    • Define core counselling skills such as active listening, paraphrasing, and reflecting feelings.
    • Describe the key components of establishing a professional helping relationship, including appropriate boundaries and confidentiality.
    • Demonstrate the use of non-verbal and verbal attending skills in a simulated helping interaction.
    • Apply paraphrasing and summarising techniques to clarify a speaker's message.
    • Explain the steps for concluding a helping interaction sensitively and ethically.

    Assessment Criteria

    Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio

    • Award credit for accurately identifying and defining core counselling skills (e.g., active listening, paraphrasing, summarising, open questions) with clear links to their purpose.
    • Assess the ability to demonstrate the establishment of a helping relationship through contracting, explaining confidentiality, and using non-verbal and verbal welcoming behaviours.
    • Look for evidence of applying core skills appropriately in a recorded or observed interaction, such as using silence, reflecting feelings, and checking understanding.
    • Require a clear, structured conclusion that includes summarising key points, confirming client understanding, and agreeing on next steps or signposting if needed.
    • Award credit for demonstrating an ethical and safe session, including clear contracting, informed consent, confidentiality, and appropriate referral procedures when needed.
    • Evidence of using core counselling skills (e.g., reflecting feelings, summarising, challenging appropriately) to facilitate client exploration without imposing advice or personal beliefs.
    • Assessment of reflective practice should show honest self-evaluation, identification of personal limitations, and a plan for improvement linked to a recognised reflective framework.
    • Award credit for correctly identifying and naming at least three core counselling skills.
    • Award credit for demonstrating appropriate non-verbal communication (e.g., eye contact, open posture) during a role-play.
    • Award credit for accurately paraphrasing a client's statement without adding interpretation.
    • Award credit for providing a clear summary of key points before ending the interaction.
    • Award credit for explaining the limits of confidentiality to a client.

    Assessment Guidance

    Guidance for achieving higher grades

    • 💡In coursework or observed assessments, ensure your recorded session demonstrates a clear beginning, middle, and end, with at least three distinct core counselling skills used intentionally.
    • 💡When writing about establishing a helping relationship, always reference the initial contract: what was agreed, how confidentiality and its limits were explained, and how you created a safe space.
    • 💡For concluding the interaction, show evidence of a collaborative ending—summarise together with the client, check their feelings and understanding, and discuss any follow-up actions or referrals.
    • 💡In recorded sessions, show observational skills by occasionally mentioning non-verbal cues and how you responded to them.
    • 💡Structure written reflections around a model like Gibbs or Kolb, and explicitly link theory to practice for each stage.
    • 💡Practice active listening with peers and keep a reflective journal to strengthen your understanding of different responses.
    • 💡Review your awarding body's observation criteria and ensure each skill is clearly demonstrated in your recorded sessions.
    • 💡Always begin and end role-play sessions with a clear explanation of confidentiality and session structure.
    • 💡Use a variety of counselling skills in your evidence rather than relying on one technique.
    • 💡When answering questions on core conditions, always link them to practical examples from your practice sessions. Show how you applied unconditional positive regard in a specific scenario.
    • 💡For ethical dilemmas, use the BACP Ethical Framework to structure your response. Mention key principles like autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence.
    • 💡In written assessments, demonstrate self-reflection by discussing how your own values or biases might impact the counselling relationship and how you manage this.

    Common Mistakes

    Common errors to avoid in your coursework

    • Confusing basic conversation with skilled counselling interactions, such as giving advice or personal opinions instead of using facilitative responses.
    • Overusing closed questions or interrupting the client, which undermines the helping relationship and prevents exploration of deeper issues.
    • Ending a helping interaction abruptly without a proper summary or closure, leaving the client feeling unsupported or the purpose unclear.
    • Neglecting the importance of contracting at the start, leading to confusion about the session's boundaries, duration, and confidentiality limits.
    • Failing to negotiate a working agreement at the session start, resulting in unclear roles and expectations.
    • Prematurely jumping to problem-solving or giving advice instead of staying with the client's experience through active listening.
    • Not recognising personal triggers or counter-transference reactions, which can skew the therapeutic process.
    • Offering personal advice or solutions instead of using counselling skills to facilitate client exploration.
    • Interrupting the speaker with premature questions or responses.
    • Over-disclosing personal information, blurring professional boundaries.
    • Abruptly ending an interaction without summarising or preparing the client.
    • Misconception: Counselling is about giving advice. Correction: Counselling focuses on facilitating the client's own insights and solutions, not offering direct advice.
    • Misconception: Empathy means agreeing with the client. Correction: Empathy involves understanding the client's perspective without necessarily endorsing it; it is about validating their feelings, not their actions.
    • Misconception: Confidentiality is absolute. Correction: Confidentiality must be breached if there is risk of harm to the client or others, as per ethical guidelines.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions students ask about this topic

    Before You Start

    Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

    • •Basic understanding of communication skills in health and social care, such as verbal and non-verbal communication.
    • •Familiarity with the concept of person-centred care, often covered in introductory health and social care qualifications.
    • •An awareness of professional boundaries and confidentiality in care settings.

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    • Know what core counselling skills are, Know how to establish a helping relationship, Be able to use core counselling skills in a helping relationship, Know how to conclude a helping interaction
    • Understand the process of a counselling skills session, Be able to conduct a session with a client in an ethical and safe way, Reflect on own practice
    • Active listening and attending skills
    • Establishing empathic rapport
    • Ethical boundaries and confidentiality
    • Structuring the helping interaction
    • Constructive endings

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