Counselling and Mentoring Approaches in Educational Settings
30 (Credit)
 
This new module has been produced in response to an increasing demand for professional development in the linked fields of counselling and mentoring. In an educational setting, it is generally recognised that knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills associated with counselling and mentoring are required of the pastoral care/guidance practitioner. Furthermore, it has now been acknowledged that a range of education professionals may require such skills. The course would benefit classroom teachers, principal teachers, heads of faculty and senior managers, whose daily work involves the counselling and mentoring and support of staff and pupils. Mentoring is gaining attention in recent studies of initial teacher education and induction. There is a growing awareness that counselling and mentoring form part of the cornerstones of high quality educational training and continuing professional development. This module is offered to those staff who wish to take on a counselling and mentoring role and who require an understanding of the central importance of such relationships and the process that is dependent on the development of certain enhanced attitudinal qualities and interpersonal skills. The module covers aspects of all areas below • learning communities and collegiality • counselling and mentoring as a forms of professional learning • counselling and mentoring roles and activities • analysis of the core theory and practice of holistic and person-centred approaches • analysis and development of the ‘core facilitative conditions’ associated with person-centred approaches to helping interventions • clarification of attitudes and values • the development of essential counselling, supporting and mentoring skills including active listening, paraphrasing, reflection of feeling, feedback, focusing, structuring, facilitative challenging, goal setting and assisting action • models of counselling and mentoring • mentoring and induction; principle-centred induction and procedural-led induction • relationships and the quality of interactions • skills, qualities and attributes • issues of power, ethics and confidentiality • analysis of personal and institutional practice on confidentiality, child protection, and ethical issues.