Communication
For this term assignment you will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of theoretical frameworks in counselling and behaviour change.
You will also reflect on your communication skills and create a plan to improve them. In this assignment, you will:
1) Prepare for successful interactions with future clients
2) Practice observing, reflecting, and analyzing the factors that influence client-practitioner relationships
3) Increase your understanding of how to utilize communication skills
4) Assess the value and limitations of current counselling and health behaviour change theories
5) Increase your understanding of how to use effective communication skills and apply health behavior change theories/interventions to facilitate client change/performance enhancement
Notes: There are four sections to the term assignment. You may use first person in your reflection but reference all ideas that are not your own (e.g. theory, skill definitions, slide content).
You are encouraged to go beyond class material and include information from journal articles.
For section 1, you may include diagrams in the appendices to help illustrate how the model applies to your healthy change. You must also submit your weekly activities for full marks. It is recommended that you submit them in your appendices and refer to them throughout your paper.
Section 1: Theory Discussion
Choose one of the health behaviour change or counselling theories listed below.
• Reflect on why you chose this theory or model. How does it align with your personal values and counselling philosophy from Weekly Activity 1?
• Describe the components of the model. Do not assume that I know the theories – you need to demonstrate that you know what they are, and how they work.
• Give an example of how you can apply the theory to behaviour change or goal attainment.
You can use your own experience, a dilemma faced by a client, or an imaginary example to demonstrate how the theory works.
• Explain how you can integrate this theory into your future practice with clients.
Behaviour Change and Counselling Theories
– Solution Focused Brief Counselling
– Transtheoretical model
– Social Cognitive Theory
– Health Belief Model
– Self Determination Theory
– Theory of Planned Behaviour
– Cognitive behavioural therapy
– Person Centered Counselling
Section 2: Self-Assessment
Choose two of the communication and counselling skills listed below.
For each skill:
• Assess yourself on this skill. You can use a scale of 1-10 if you would like. Give examples from your life that support your rating (Why are you above a 0? Below a 10?) If applicable, reflect on your discoveries in weekly activity 2.
• Describe a time when you showed high levels of this skill. Be specific and give details.
• Describe a time when you showed low levels of this skill. Be specific and give details.
• Discuss why you would like to improve upon this skill. What impact will it have on your
life? How has this skill negatively impacted your life or held you back in the past?
• How does your personality impact the expression of this skill? Refer back to your weekly activity 3.
Communication and Counselling Skills
– Active listening skills
– Attending Behaviours (3 V’s + B)
– Empathy
– Basic Counselling Skills (OARS)
– Questioning
– Observation
– Verbal communication
– Emotional intelligence
Section 3: Plan for Improvement
What structure(s) can you create in your life to improve your communication skills once the semester is over?
• Identify a plan for improving the two communication skills identified in section 2.
Be specific and discuss actual behaviours/actions you can engage in to improve on this skill i.e. what does it look like?
• Discuss how you will identify your progress. How will you know if you are improving?
What specific things will you look for?
Section 4: Reflection
What have you really learned in this course?
• Have you seen any improvements to your communication skills? Provide examples. If not,
why? What could you have done differently? What changes would you still like to see?
• Identify one thing you will take-away from this course for yourself and one key learning
that will help you in your future interactions with clients. Reference course material and
weekly activities.
The rubric for this project can be found on Blackboard.
