Supporting learning about professional relationships, contracting and feedback skills

1. The Helping Role Session Three

2. Counselling and Interpersonal
Skills
Session Three
Adam Gibson and John Marsden

3. Session Aims
The aim of this session is to:
 Introduce learners to the boundaries around the
helping role and the importance of contracting
 Discuss the importance of providing effective
feedback

4. Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session you will be able to:
1. Define the limits of the helping role
2. Set boundaries for the helping relationship
3. Provide more effective feedback
4. Identify CPCAB criteria

5. Last Session
1. Identified the qualities of a good listener
2. Assessed your own listening skills
3. Described Honey and Mumford’s learning
cycle
4. Wrote an entry in your reflective journal

6. Contents of this Session
1. Ice-breaker
2. Exploring the helping role
3. In pairs – design a helping contract
4. Reflect on “When I have received effective
feedback?”
5. Discussion about giving feedback
6. Contracting and feedback practise - in groups of
three
7. Finding criteria for this session
8. Ending with a “round”

7. Ice-breaker: Name Hopper

8. Exploring The Helping Role 20
minutes
In four groups
On flipchart paper list the
characteristics of the following
three types of helping:
• A helping friend
• A professional helper
• A therapeutic counsellor
Characteristics – the
qualities, actions, beliefs and
values of a person

9. Helping Role Worksheet
Meeting Criteria 1.1

10. Contracting 15
minutes
Having established what professional
helping is, how do we contract for
a professional helping relationship?
What would you include?

11. Comfort Break

12. Feedback
Identify a time
you got good
feedback
Planning for Reflect on what
giving feedback made it useful?
Conclude: what
makes for good
feedback?

13. Feedback 15 Minutes
 Think of a time when you received effective
feedback
 Discuss with your partner how it felt to receive
effective feedback and how it helped you improve
your skills.
 What specifically was it that made the feedback
effective?
 How could you give even better feedback in the

14. Good Feedback is ...
 Timely
 Individual
 Specific
 Balanced
 Focused on behaviour
 Comes from multiple perspectives
 Constructive
 Empowering
Medals and Missions

15. Using Feedback
1. Review your feedback
What have you learnt?
What will you do differently as a result?
2. Remember it’s one perspective
3. Ask for clarification
4. Ask for more specific feedback
5. Get other perspectives
6. Uncomfortable feelings are often a gift

16. Contracting Exercise 25
Minutes
 In groups of three take turns to practise your
contracting skills
 Your aim is to establish a good professional
helper/ helpee contract
 When you have finished contracting, your
“helpee” and your “observer” will give you
feedback, practising their feedback skills using
the “medals and missions” approach we have
discussed today.

17. Criteria Achieved
Definitely
1.1 Explain the nature of helping work and how it
differs from other support
2.1 Set the boundaries of the helping interaction
including the limits of confidentiality and time
available
Possibly?
1.2 Communicate limits of ability as a helper

18. Moodle

19. Home Enjoyment
Write a journal entry, reflecting on today’s
session. What have you learnt about
giving and receiving feedback?

20. Conclusions
It is the end of this session and you are now able
to:
1. Define the limits of the helping role
2. Set boundaries for the helping relationship
3. Provide more effective feedback
4. Identify CPCAB criteria

21. Thank You
Everybody!