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Tips
The following role-play activities can be used to assess counselling skills during counselling practice
sessions in class. Several types of portfolio evidence can be generated from these activities. For example:
Document Candidates could write a learning review or self-review following the
experience of being any or all of the participants in the triad. Questions
could include:
What did you learn about yourself?
How did you feel?
What did you discover about this type of interaction?
What impact did the feedback have on your perception/understanding of
self and others?
Tutor observation Tutors can give written feedback using the observation sheet.
Testimony Both observer and client can give written feedback using the feedback
sheet.
Activity - role-play triads
Triad work: 20 minutes, with 10 minutes feedback time as follows:
Observer feedback to counsellor – 2 minutes
Counsellor’s self-evaluative comment – 2 minutes
Tutor feedback to counsellor and observer – 4 minutes
Client comment – 2 minutes.
NB: The duration of triad sessions will increase as candidates become more
proficient i.e. from 10-15 minutes to 30 minutes each.
Three trainees practising skills:
Person A – the client
Person B – the counsellor
Person C – the observer
Each person has an opportunity to play all triad roles – therefore the activity will take at least 1½ hours.
The feedback/self-review sheets provided (which can be copied) can be completed and then filed as
coursework in portfolios.
The same members of a triad can continue to work together over a period of time so that there can be
on-going work on the same presenting concern. Over time everyone must take part in each role and be
observed in each role by the tutor.
TC-L4 Role-Play Activities – To Support the Internal
Assessment Process
