Welsh Assessment Project 2007

HEA Welsh Institutional Group

First Year Experience Initiatives

Title of initiative: BSc Counselling Authentic Learning Clinic

Contact Name: Kieran Vivian-Byrne Email: [email protected] Phone: 01443 483847 Institution: The Family Institute Address: University of Glamorgan, Glyntaff, Pontypridd, CF37 1DD

Theme: Communities of Practice (delete as appropriate)

Key Words: Authentic learning; collaboration; team work; practicum;

Was the initiative introduced: across the institution/throughout one Faculty/on one Scheme/on one Award? (delete as appropriate)

The initiative is being introduced with Year One students of the BSc Counselling at the Family Institute.

Aim: Please include details of your specific target audience The aim of the initiative is:

“To move towards greater ‘embodied’ awareness of ‘counselling’ as a practice within a community of practices”.

Description/approach: What is an Authentic Learning Clinic?

An authentic learning clinic is a simulated environment set up for the purpose of offering students an experience of practice which resembles and is isomorphic* with an actual clinical experience. (*Isomorphism from the Greek isos = equal and morph = form. This means that it’s parts and processes are similar in form and relation). Who is the client?

The clients are played by students who take on the role (i.e. the sociological part) and the character (i.e. the psychological presentation – or the “mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual” Oxford Dictionary) in contexts of their own choosing.

Does the student use his or her own personal material?

No. But the student in role as client draws from their own imaginations and from research, composite stories and personalities for the client they play. The student will create scenarios based on a range of sources. Research in this context might mean case studies in counselling literature of clients presenting with difficulties in relation to particular themes e.g. drug and alcohol misuse; eating problems, relationship difficulties; or stories drawn from art, literature, films and tv; or composites from life experience.

Who is the counsellor?

The counsellor is the student in training practice. Each student will have an opportunity to practice ‘live’ in an Authentic Learning clinic with the benefit of input from their Practice tutor and their team. Each session will be recorded so that the student can analyse their practice in detail after the event.

Are the ALC’s assessed?

No. The ALC is a learning workshop only. Assessments for practice are carried out within the Case Presentations, which take place at key points in the course (midpoint and end of Year One, end of Years Two and Three). However we are hopeful that the ALCs will enhance the ability of the students to complete successful case presentations.

What is the role of the consulting team?

The consulting team works to maximise the learning of the whole group. They are responsible for actively participating with what they are observing through reflections, questions, and suggestions and through making connections with the wider theoretical ideas in the field and their own understanding of the counselling process.

What is the role of the practice tutor?

The practice tutor is responsible for managing the whole learning process in general by providing opportunities for students to participate at a number of different levels in relation to the counselling scenario. This will include improvising coaching opportunities with the key role-takers; using techniques, which will help students, make links between practice and theories.

Anticipated outcomes: 1. We expect that students will have a more embodied awareness of counselling as a practice which sits within a community of practices which involve their clients, colleagues and wider significant systems. 2. We expect that students will have developed sufficient skill and confidence through participation in ALCs, to be a ‘competent and safe enough’ practitioner within the training placements which begin in Year Two. 3. We expect that students will have developed awareness, skills and confidence in taking up their roles within practice teams. 4. We expect that students will have a more thorough awareness of the importance of the relationship between theory and practice and greater ability to transfer skills within counselling practices.

Evidence of actual outcomes:

We are still in the pilot stage – reflections and evaluations to follow. At the end of each day students have an opportunity to evaluate their own experience and participation with the following guide questions: Reflect on your experience of participating in the Learning clinic using the following headings (be specific):

 What theoretical ideas did you notice you and your colleagues practice today? What theoretical ideas will you wish to explore in more depth in order to make more sense of your experience?

 What did you notice in the sessions about how clients and counsellors engaged with one another to develop a therapeutically useful relationship? What evidence of engagement did you see or experience?

 What ethical implications might need to be considered in relation to the sessions? What issues of difference and diversity were most evident to you as active in the sessions e.g. gender, race? How did these show themselves?

 What are the implications for you in what you experienced today in relation to personal self awareness? What implications might this have for your ongoing learning and development?

 What did you notice about how the team worked together today? How might the team continue to develop itself as a practice and learning team?

Reflection/impact: include reference to environmental factors such as empowerment, autonomy, approach to innovation which proved influential

Appendix A.

The Family Institute Authentic Learning Clinics Timetable

The timetable is designed to create an authentic counselling clinic and allows 6 students to be in role as either Counsellor or Client. As there are 5 clinics throughout the year this means 30 slots in all which should mean that each student will have approximately 3 hours of tape to analyse.

(Recordings are made of all stages of the process where possible)

9.15am Student clients submit their referrals to Mandy Westlake at The Family Institute. (Please indicate your Practice Development Tutor on the referral paperwork.) 9.30am Pre-session: Practice Development Teams meet to discuss referral 1 – client waits in the waiting area. 9.45am Session begins. (Tutor may sit in as counselling coach or sit with the consulting team behind the screen). 10.15am Team/Peer Consultation may be used to facilitate the student counsellors learning. 10.30am Final part of the session 10.45am Post-session takes place – includes feedback from the client.

This process will take 90 minutes approx and is repeated twice more on each day. 11.30am and 2.00pm

4.00pm Plenary discussion on themes which emerged in the learning during the day.