DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE - RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING
Keys to successful relationships.
There are many and varied reasons why relationships breakdown and irreconcilable differences is one of them. This occurs when two people differ in their beliefs and values and neither are willing to accept that the other person holds a different viewpoint. While agreeing to disagree would be a type of win-win in this situation, the way in which the difference is communicated and hence managed is often destructive. For example, one may continue to force the other to accept their position, through verbal attacks, or may give the ‘silent treatment’, not speaking to the other. When communication subsides into physical, verbal or emotional abuse (name calling, personal attacks, hitting, yelling, punching, pushing, verbal tirades, destroying personal items), the relationship is most often irretrievable. In fact, research has shown that once a poor or destructive communication cycle is established, it is rare that a reversal can take place as quite often, respect and trust is diminished to very low levels, and may take years of learning new skills to rebuild.
Increase your understanding of the role communication plays in creating, maintaining or destroying relationships, and develop your ability to assist others to improve their communication in relationships.
"Relationships start. Relationships develop. Relationships continue, but some relationships breakdown. To gain a greater understanding, this course will provide you with detailed insight into the processes involved in the development and sometimes, the breakdown, of relationships and how we can support the people involved." Tracey Jones, B.Sc. (Hons) (Psychology), M.Soc.Sc (social work), DipSW (social work), PGCE (Education), PGD (Learning Disability Studies), ACS Tutor
Lesson Structure
There are 6 lessons in this course:
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Communication in Emerging Relationships
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Introduction
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Problems in relationships
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Stages in relationships
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Interpersonal communication
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The communication process
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Principles of communication
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Communication filtered through perceptions
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Verbal communication
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Non verbal communication
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Communication responsibility
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Ineffective communication
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Signs of relationship breakdownEffective communication
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Abuse and violence in relationships
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Self-Awareness and Communication Goals
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Introduction
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Negative communication
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Self awareness
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Setting the stage for change
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Good communication is thoughtful
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Intent
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Awareness
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Recognising reactive patterns
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Relationship goals
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Communication Patterns in Relationships
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Negative patterns of communication
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Aggressive patterns
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Victim patterns
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Avoidance patterns
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Thought, feeling and action cycle
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Thoughts and feelings differentiated
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Emotions (feelings)
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Patterns of thought
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Behaviour (Actions)
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Action skills
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Communicating intent
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Influences on Relating Behaviour and PBL.
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Influences on communication
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Environmental influences; family, culture, social, other
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Global factors
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Communicating and changing interpersonal needs
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Changing expectations and needs
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Adult psychological development
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Erikson's psycho social stages
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PBL to create and plan a counselling intervention for a couple who are experiencing relationship difficulties.
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Communication Techniques and Skills
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Introduction
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Triads
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Listening
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Paraphrasing
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Reflective responses; emotions
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Reflective responses; content
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Guidelines to prevent inauthentic listening
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Open questions
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Message statements or requests
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Self disclosure
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Encouraging clients to learn communication
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Maintaining Relationships
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Introduction
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Kinds of, and stages in relationships
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Factors to help maintain relationships
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Agreements or contracts
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Praise and gifts for service
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Relationship nurturing communication
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Straight talk
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Explore the establishment of positive communication in emergent relationships and the various factors that influence relational processes;
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Examine perceptions of ourselves and how this affects our communication and influences our communication goals;
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To identify and examine patterns of communication in close relationships and consider the functions of thoughts, feelings and actions and how they inform our communication responses;
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Recognise the role of third party influences when communicating in relationships and the changing needs in a persons lifetime that affect their communication;
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Listen with improved empathy and respond accordingly;
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To understand constructive and destructive methods of maintaining relationships.
What You Will Do
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Determine ways in which we consciously communicate in a relationship, and ways in which we unconsciously communicate.
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Determine different negative messages that can damage relationships, and different positive messages that can nurture them.
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Determine attitudes or expectations (thoughts and beliefs) that can result in destructive communication, and describe one likely negative outcome for each.
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Identify common needs that we want to satisfy through our relationships.
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Identify cultural or social influences that affect individual and family attitudes to happiness, self-expression, and relationships.
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Explain psychological theories and terms such as attribution theory, implicit personality theory, Gestalt impression formation, inference processes, stereotyping.
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List benefits and disadvantages of ‘self-disclosure’ and ‘self-disguise or concealment’ (lying).
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Define effective communication.
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Discuss the role that judgment plays in preventing a person from understanding and/or respecting another person’s point of view and feelings.
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Discuss strategies for replacing negative communication patterns in relationships for positive patterns.
Some Sample Course Notes
Good relationships and good communication do not just happen. They are the result of sensitivity to one’s own feelings, thoughts and actions, and to others’ thoughts, feelings and actions.
Communication is the foundation of a relationship and the glue that holds a relationship together, yet research shows that relatively few of us are aware of how and what we communicate, or take time to plan our communications to ensure mutual understanding and goodwill. Rather, most of us tend to speak and act without much pre-thought or without much consideration of likely consequences. Few of us understand how communication works, and how much it contributes to either our good or our poor relations with others, which means that few of us take the time to work on improving our communication skills, or break established patterns of negative communication. Given this situation, the opportunities for communication problems and misunderstanding are enormous.
No matter who your client, what age they are at, or what background they come from, however, they can be encourage by knowing that good relating skills and communication can be learnt. At first, they may find the new skills uncomfortable, challenging, difficult to remember, or even insincere. However, as they begin to see the positive effects upon themselves and their relationships, the skills will become part of their conscious efforts to build and maintain positive relationships. Eventually, they will become second nature (habits), and your clients will enjoy the benefits and challenges of being a good communicator.
May be you are interested in other courses. What about ...
Certificate in Life Coaching
http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Certificate-In-Life-Coaching-224.aspx
Life Coaching http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Life-Coaching-33.aspx
Grief Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Grief-Counselling-148.aspx
Counselling Skills II http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Counselling-Skills-II-29.aspx
Counselling Skills I http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Counselling-Skills-L-340.aspx
Crisis Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Crisis-Counselling-342.aspx
Stress Management http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Stress-Management-295.aspx
Abnormal Psychology - http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/product.aspx?id=513
Professional Practice In Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Professional-Practice-In-Counselling-32.aspx
Professional Supervision http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Professional-Supervision-370.aspx
Diploma in Psychology and Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Diploma-In-Counselling-Psychology-334.aspx
Certificate in Counselling (Care Professionals) http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Certificate-In-Counselling-Care-Professionals-391.aspx
Or if you are not sure if psychology is for you, why not try our Introduction to Psychology - http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/product.aspx?id=359
If you would like to see our range of psychology books, please visit - http://www.acsbookshop.com/books_productcategory.aspx?id=14
For more information on the range of careers available in psychology, have a look at - http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14
We have some interesting articles on psychology and counseling at - http://www.acs.edu.au/psychol/
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