Training activity information
Details
Reflect on a range of communication and counselling skills used in independent counselling sessions with a counselling supervisor through audio and/or video recording
Type
Developmental training activity (DTA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee​.
Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.
An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.
Considerations
- Patient’s consent
- Active listening skills
- Ability to establish a good rapport with the individual/family
- Clarification skills
- Reflection and summary skills
- Appropriate use of empathic statements
- Models of grief and loss.
- Support mechanisms
- Family communication
- Recognition of different response such as guilt and shame
- AGNC code of ethics
- GCRB code of conduct
- Good scientific practice
- HCPC standards of proficiency
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- What specific communication and counselling skills are you aiming to focus on and evaluate in this session (e.g., active listening, empathy, summarising, managing difficult emotions, facilitating decision-making)?
- What specific areas of your communication and counselling skills are you hoping to receive feedback on from your supervisor? How do you anticipate the process of recording and reviewing the session will enhance your self-awareness of your strengths and areas for development? What insights do you hope to gain into the effectiveness of different communication techniques in a counselling setting?
- Will you identify specific learning objectives or areas you want to focus on during the recorded session to guide your practice? Will you discuss with your supervisor the specific aspects of your skills you would like them to observe and provide feedback on? How will you prepare yourself to be open to constructive criticism and use the feedback to enhance your future practice?
In action
- Which specific communication and counselling skills are you consciously trying to implement during this session (e.g., active listening, empathy, summarising, open-ended questioning)?
- How are you structuring the session to provide opportunities to practise these skills?
- Are you consciously monitoring your verbal and non-verbal communication?
- How effectively do you feel you are implementing the communication and counselling skills you are focusing on?
- Are you noticing any particular skills that feel more challenging to apply in the moment?
- What adjustments are you making to your technique based on the patient’s responses and the flow of the conversation?
- How does the application of these skills feel in practice compared to how you might have anticipated or practiced them?
- If the patient presents with unexpected emotional responses or challenging communication patterns, how are you adapting your skills to respond effectively?
- Are you noticing any moments where you might have used a different communication or counselling technique?
- Are you being mindful of your specific development goals you set for this session and trying to incorporate them into your practice?
On action
- What specific communication and counselling skills did you consciously attempt to use during the session?
- What were the key moments in the session where you felt you effectively applied these skills?
- Were there any moments where you felt less confident or less effective in your communication or counselling skills?
- Which communication and counselling skills felt more natural and intuitive, and which required more conscious effort?
- Were there any unexpected responses from the patient that highlighted the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of your communication techniques?
- What did you learn from these? How did your reflect-in-action (your attempts to use specific skills during the session) impact the flow and dynamics of the consultation?
- How does the application of these skills relate to the overall aim of providing high quality, compassionate, and patient-centred genetic and genomic counselling?
- What specific communication and counselling skills do you need to focus on developing further?
- How will you actively incorporate the learning from this session into your future independent counselling sessions?
- What actions will you take to improve your identified areas for development (e.g., practicing specific techniques, seeking feedback from your supervisor)?
- What support or resources could help you to refine your communication and counselling skills (e.g., reviewing recordings with your supervisor, further training)?
Beyond action
- Have you listened to or watched the audio/video recording again since your initial reflection?
- What new observations do you have about your communication and counselling skills?
- How do your communication and counselling skills in that recorded session compare to your skills in more recent consultations? Can you identify specific areas of growth?
- Have you received feedback on other recorded sessions or live observations that shed light on the skills you focused on in this training activity?
- Are you more consciously aware of the communication and counselling skills you employ in your sessions as a result of this self-reflection and supervisory feedback?
- Have you actively worked on developing specific skills identified as areas for improvement during your reflection on this training activity? Can you provide examples of how you have applied new techniques?
- How has reflecting on your communication skills in this way influenced your confidence and effectiveness in subsequent independent counselling sessions?
- Has this process enhanced your ability to critically reflect on your own professional strengths and limitations?
- What transferable skills in self-assessment, reflective practice, and seeking feedback have been strengthened through this training activity?
- What ongoing strategies will you use to continue to develop and refine your communication and counselling skills throughout your career?
- How will the ability to critically evaluate your own skills contribute to your provision of high-quality patient care and your professional development as a Genetic Counsellor?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 2 |
Outcome
Employ counselling skills to facilitate complex decision making during genetic and genomic counselling consultations. |
| # 3 |
Outcome
Apply communication skills to provide complex genomic test results in an empathic manner. |
| # 4 |
Outcome
Use counselling supervision and multidisciplinary meetings to work through ethical and cultural issues in genomic counselling practice. |