Crisis Counselling BPS304

Learn to effectively counsel clients in times of crisis. This course will help you to develop your ability to effectively counsel and assist clients in times of crisis. This course provides those already in the counselling or helping industries with knowledge and skills to give specialised counselling, and will contribute to comprehensive counselling training for those wishing to work in this field.

Crises happens to everyone, and intervention can take many forms, from family helping and support strategies to professional counselling strategies aimed at helping the individual cope with crisis in ways that reduce the negative psychological, physiological and behavioural effects of trauma on that person and his or her environment.

The purpose of crisis counselling is to deal with the person\'s current status by dealing with a crisis. Chronic exposure to stress or trauma can lead to mental illness. Therefore, it is important that counsellors have the skills and knowledge to help clients cope with their current stressors and trauma. Crisis counselling is not intended to provide psychotherapy or similar, but offers a short-term intervention to helps clients receive assistance, resources, stabilisation and support.

Course Structure This course comprises of the following nine lessons:

1. Understanding methods of crisis intervention
   What constitutes a crisis and methods of crisis intervention?
2. Ethical, professional and legal issues
   Current ethical, professional and legal implications of crisis intervention.
3. Dangers of crises and effective intervention
   Dangers posed by crisis to the individual, the counsellor, and those around them. Determining effective modes of intervention.
4. Developmental Crises
   Recognising and comprehending crises from a developmental perspective.
5. Post-traumatic stress disorder
   Symptoms, treatment options and possible outcomes of post-traumatic stress disorder.
6. Violence and sexual assault
   Effects of violence and sexual assault on the individual, and possible modes of intervention.
7. Crisis and drug addiction
   Determining the relationship between crises and drug dependence.
8. Family crises
   Major issues raises in family crises and appropriate methods of intervention.
9. Crises and cultural issues
   Cultural influences on crisis situations.

What you will do in this course

Some of the activities that you will undertake as part of this course are:

• Role play a critical incident debriefing session
• Familiarise yourself with the Australian Counselling Association Code of Conduct
• Interview a counsellor from a community mental health service in your area
• View films, read or listen to stories (where possible) about personal or family crises
• Discuss post-traumatic stress disorder with a community mental health worker
• Explore physical, emotional, cognitive and social responses to sexual assault or violence
• Examine the relationship between trauma and drugs
• Interview or observe people from other cultures to identify cultural and sub-cultural responses to crises
• Explore how sub-cultural groups may require different counselling approaches
• Consider various methods of crisis intervention.

This course will help you to develop your ability to effectively counsel and assist clients in times of crisis. This course provides those already in the counselling or helping industries with knowledge and skills to give specialised counselling, and will contribute to comprehensive counselling training for those wishing to work in this field.