Course

Counselling Theory and Practice I

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Social Work
Course code
SOWK 2122
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This methods course introduces students to the foundational skills of interviewing and counselling. It emphasizes the importance of versatility in working with individuals in social work settings. Students will explore and apply interviewing and counselling skills for developing relationships, goal setting, and problem solving. Using a strengths-based approach, students will reflect on their interactions with others and explore ways to promote self-determination and empowerment. The course emphasizes culturally responsive practice, including working respectfully with Indigenous people and with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and identities.
Course content

• Foundations of interviewing and counselling in social work practice
• Self-awareness, social location, and the use of self in professional relationships
• Core communication and responding skills for effective engagement
• Strengths-based and empowerment-oriented counselling approaches
• Relationship building, goal setting, and collaborative problem solving
• Culturally responsive and anti-oppressive interviewing and counselling practice
• Indigenous-informed and narrative approaches to relationship-based practice
• Critical examination of colonial and Euro-Western assumptions in counselling relationships
• Ethical decision-making in counselling, including tensions between professional codes, workplace expectations, and client interests
• Linking individual experiences to broader systems of oppression, wellbeing, and social conditions

Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, instructor demonstration, practice simulations, discussion, group work, case studies and presentations.

 

 

 

 

 

Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course. 

Typical means of assessment include the following:

  • Written papers
  • Presentations
  • Projects
  • Exams
  • Participation
  • Attendance
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate self-awareness in relation to their own social locations, identities, assumptions and how these may influence their interactions with clients;
  2. Analyze and address colonial narratives and the implications of the dominant Euro-Western worldview, as embedded in the counselling relationship;
  3. Identify and address the historical and ongoing prejudices and violence experienced by Indigenous people, and how this impacts experiences with counselling;
  4. Use Indigenous story-based approaches in interviewing practice;
  5. Describe how individual challenges and experiences of counselling are related to larger issues of oppression, particularly for members of equity-deserving groups;
  6. Examine the connection between environmental sustainability, social indicators of health, and individual well-being;
  7. Demonstrate knowledge of basic communication and responding skills and the elements of a strengths-based approach to promote the empowerment of people;
  8. Assess potential contradictions between formal codes of ethics, employment responsibilities, and the best interests of the client. 

 

  

Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. 



Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for SOWK 2122
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit

Course Offerings

Fall 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. C
Room
C1004
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. B
Room
B2320
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. B
Room
B2168
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. B
Room
B2320
Times:
Start Time
10:30
-
End Time
12:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. B
Room
B2168
Times:
Start Time
10:30
-
End Time
12:20
Section notes

SOWK 2122 001 is restricted to BSW students.