Professional Child and Youth Care: Theory and Practice

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

1. Knowledge of theories of change guides practice:
   • development of a therapeutic relationship
   • psychoanalytic perspective
   • Adlerian perspective
   • Behavioural and cognitive behavioural perspective
   • Rational emotive perspective
   • Humanistic and existential perspectives
   • Solution-focused perspective
2. Knowledge of self has an impact on professional action and clinical practice:
   • personal beliefs, values, ethics affect professional actions
   • Personality and presentation of self affect clinical practice
3. Apply change theories to CYC case management practice (4-7 below)
4. Assessment
   • systemic, ecological perspective
   • identifying needs
5. Case planning
   • goals and goal statements
   • strategies
6. Intervention
   • service actions
   • therapies
   • techniques
7. Case consultation, presentation and evaluation
   • Collaborative consultation
   • Trans-disciplinary teams
8. The origins of difficult and problem behaviour are better understood by “entering the world of the child”:
   • Building  rapport
   • Person-centred  therapeutic perspective
9. The development of a personal theory of child and youth care praxis through an integration of:
   • knowledge of theories of change theory  
   • knowledge of self
   • current child and youth care counselling practice.