MH97 Identify models of personality and mind development in relation to the client in counselling and develop appropriate intervention

Overview

This standard is about understanding in depth, human growth and development and psychological functioning in the theoretical perspective that underpins your counselling practice.  You will need to know how psychological problems develop and how the process of counselling facilitates change.  You will also need to undertake discussion with the client to develop a formulation that summarises clearly and sensitively, their difficulties, the types of intervention that may be helpful and the evaluation of their likely outcome.  You will need to take account of the capacity of the client to recognise and understand his or her psychological functioning and to take responsibility for him/her self and future development. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. Human growth and development and psychological functioning as explained in the consistent and comprehensive theoretical perspective that underpins your counselling practice.
2. Human growth and development and psychological functioning as explained in a range of counselling therapeutic approaches.
3. The nature of psychopathology and ‘normal’ functioning
4. How psychological problems develop and how the process of counselling facilitates change
5. The origins of a client’s psychological difficulties
6. Possible uses of defences and defence mechanisms and their impact upon development
7. Emerging scientific evidence relating to human behaviour and how to access current information
8. Critical evidence-based research that underpins theories of psychological functioning.
9. Theories of personality development appropriate to your chosen theoretical approach(es) and an awareness of others
10. Consistent theoretical perspective for counselling practice
11. The critical complexity of human functioning
12. Appropriate models of the mind, including the process of development and maintenance of psychological problems
13. Psychological development theories appropriate to your chosen theoretical approach(es) and an awareness of others
14. In depth theories of human growth and development through the lifespan appropriate to your chosen theoretical approach(es) and an awareness of others
15. Theory related to development of gender and sexual identity
16. Theory related to cultural diversity, oppression and prejudice
17. Referral procedures
18. Awareness of research evidence relating to the client’s issues
19. The importance of looking at all sources of information including the client’s past psychiatric history and history of previous psychotherapeutic interventions as appropriate to your theoretical approach
20. The way in which the family, social, organisational and political systems impact on the functioning of individuals
21. How to undertake risk assessment

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. critically appraise the way in which human growth and development and psychological functioning are explained in the core theoretical perspective that underpins your practice
2. critically appraise the way in which human growth and development and psychological functioning are explained in a range of counselling approaches
3. distinguish between psychopathological and normal functioning
4. distinguish between psychopathology and cultural difference
5. articulate to the client the consistent in-depth theoretical perspective that underpins your therapeutic practice
6. explain accessibly and clearly to the client the process through which change can be achieved
7. recognise emotional and behavioural patterns that can be attributed to a particular stage of human growth and development
8. reflect on complex and sometimes contradictory information elicited from the client in order to clearly articulate core difficulties and their origins
9. in discussion with the client recognise the need for a formulation that summarises clearly and sensitively the client's difficulties, the types of interventions that may be helpful and the evaluation of their likely outcome
10. integrate information obtained from all sources into a formulation of the case into which relevant predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors are highlighted
11. sensitively reflect back to the client your understanding of the problem or difficulty they have described and check your accuracy
12. identify appropriate and achievable goals for therapy
13. include in the formulation your assessment of the likelihood of risk to self and/or others
14. incorporate into the formulation recognition of what has precipitated the search for counselling
15. include in the formulation anything that might hinder the client's capacity to engage in counselling
16. demonstrate the capacity to present the formulation accessibly, clearly, concisely and sensitively
17. make a decision in discussion with the client about appropriate counselling interventions, their length based on the formulation using relevant critical evidence-based research
18. consider what has motivated the client to reflect on a problem and engage in the process of change
19. take account of the capacity of a client to recognise and understand his or her psychological functioning and to take responsibility for him/herself and future development
20. ensure that the formulation is consistent with a coherent and in-depth theoretical understanding
21. distinguish between what can reasonably be expected to change through the counselling process and what cannot

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB6 Assessment and treatment planning