counselling skills for trans peer supporters & mentors

Counselling Skillsfor trans peer supporters & mentors

Today’s Content

counselling v emotional support

some core micro-skills of counselling

skills practice and role-play

emotional first aid for anxiety, depression and

trauma

building a safe, supportive alliance

Self-care

further resources

Counselling skillsfor peer supporters & mentors

What is counselling?

A collaborative inquiry, in which a therapist supports, and at times challenges, a client to reach deeper understandings, to help move them towards positive change and personal fulfilment.

…professional activities that utilise an interpersonal relationship to enable people to develop self understanding and to make changes in their lives…A clearly contracted, principled relationship that enables individuals to obtain assistance in exploring and resolving issues…

- PACFA


Informal emotional support Empathy and affirmation to temporarily ease

symptoms of distress

Comes from a social not professional

relationship (each having their own rules and

conventions)

Doesn’t generally include challenge

Less structured, with no clear contract, goals or

treatment plan

Does not involve conscious use of interventions


Assumptions of the Solution-Focused approach

‘Collaborative’, ‘strengths-based’ & ‘constructivist’

The client is the expert in their own life

The client already possesses the raw materials for

their own personal growth and development

Focus in on present and future possibilities and

strengths


5 Solution-Focused micro-skills

1. Restating & Paraphrasing

2. Acknowledging & Normalising

3. Skills, Possibilities and exceptions (mining for inner resources)

4. Scaling

5. Open Questions (Broadening, not narrowing the conversation)


Activity 1: restating & paraphrasing


1. Find a partner

2. Choose a speaker and a listener

3. Take 5 minutes for the speaker to talk about significant events or experiences of the day or week

4. Listener restates and paraphrases, where appropriate, to support the expansion of the story

5. Swap roles and repeat

Phrases for acknowledging and normalising

1. I can hear how hard this is for you right now

2. With what you’ve been through, I’d be surprised if you weren’t feeling this way right now

3. I know you’re really suffering and you’re right, it’s just not fair


Scaling questions

1. On a scale of ‘1’ to ‘10’, with ‘10 representing the happiest you’ve ever felt and 1 representing the most unhappy you’ve ever felt, where would you be today?

2. What has stopped you slipping below ‘2’?

3. What’s one thing you think you could do today to take that up to a ‘4’?


Questions for uncovering hidden skills, possibilities & exceptions

1. So, even though you felt like (shutting yourself away), you still managed to (venture out and seek support). How did you manage that?

2. Can you tell me about times when you don’t feel (depressed)? What are you doing differently then?

3. You seem to have the ability to cope with a lot of obstacles and not let them defeat you. Have you always had that strength? Where did that come from?


Activity 2: micro-skills practice


1. Facilitator role-plays a peer

2. Two volunteers become peer supporters, drawing on the micro-skills to engage the peer in a supporting conversation

3. Reflect on the role-play

Emotional first aid for depression & anxiety

Healthy eating (supports the body to support us)

Satisfying sleep (restores body and mind)

Regular physical exercise (releases endorphins)

Social connectedness (we are not an island)

Meaning (a purpose helps us get out of bed)


Emotional first aid for post-trauma and panic attacks What’s my name?

What day is it today?

Look around the room and name three things that include the

colour green

Feel your feet pressing into the floor, place your hands on your

thighs and describe the texture to me

Feel how your breaths are becoming slower and deeper

You are here with me and you are safe

What’s my name?


Building a safe, supportive alliance The right place

Confidentiality

Contract / agreement

Admit to mistakes and

limitations

Be congruent, be you


The Rainbow ServiceFeel free to contact Chris Pye at the Rainbow Service from Relationships Australia, to discuss any of this presentation or to explore further support for a peer

Ph: 1300364277

counselling skills for trans peer supporters & mentors

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