Although it is often said that social workers are not counsellors, as this wonderful book shows social work uses counselling skills all the time. The book is an absolute goldmine of theoretical and practical insights into how to work with service users in skillful and humane ways that can reduce suffering and help them to change. It is essential reading for all social work students and experienced practitioners who wish to keep up with new knowledge and approaches to good practice.
Harry Ferguson, Professor of Social Work, University of Birmingham, UK
Counselling skills are rarely given the proper attention in social work education and practice. This much needed text addresses this gap by covering the three key social work counselling skills. Bridging day to day communication skills with counselling skills through case examples and reflective exercises, the reader is able to assess their level of skill and practice building effective therapeutic relationships with service users in their social work practice.
Barbra Teater, PhD, Professor of Social Work, College of Staten Island, City University of New York, USA
Here is an extensive, detailed, in-depth exploration of core counselling skills for social workers that also considers complexities set in wide ranging social and professional contexts, discussed in a thoughtful, thought provoking way and accompanied by illustrative examples and exercises. There are also useful chapters on the application of social work counselling skills to solution focused, motivational interviewing and group work approaches.
Stewart Collins, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wales, Bangor, UK, Associate Lecturer for the Open University
Counselling Skills for Social Workers
Counselling skills are very powerful. Really listening and providing compassionate empathy without judging is a core part of social work practice with service users.
This book provides a theoretically informed understanding of the core skills required to provide counselling interventions that work. It provides detailed discussion of three core skills which are identified as: talking and responding, listening and observing and thinking. Over 11 chapters these core skills are described in terms of what they mean, how they can be learned and developed, how they can be used and misused and, most importantly, how specific skills can be employed in a coherent and evidence-informed counselling approach. Loughran also looks in detail at the skills required to deliver interventions consistent with three approaches: Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Work and Group work.
Illustrative case examples and exercises offer further opportunities for reflection and exploration of self-awareness as well as for practising and enhancing skills development, thus making the book required reading for all social work students, professionals looking to develop their counselling skills and those working in the helping professions more generally.
Hilda Loughran is an Associate Professor in Social Work/Social Policy at University College Dublin. Before becoming a full-time academic she worked as a social worker in housing, a social work addiction counsellor and a relationship counsellor. During her career she has maintained her counselling social work practice through voluntary work, mostly working with service users in the substance use field. She teaches Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Work and Group work to Masters in Social Work students and is involved in participatory research with service users enhancing social work education.
Student Social Work
www.routledge.com/Student-Social-Work/book-series/SSW
This exciting new textbook series is ideal for all students studying to be qualified social workers, whether at undergraduate or masters level. Covering key elements of the social work curriculum, the books are accessible, interactive and thought-provoking.
New titles
Becoming a Social Worker, 2nd ed.
Global Narratives
Viviene E. Cree
Social Work and Social Policy, 2nd ed.
An introduction
Jonathan Dickens
Mental Health Social Work in Context 2nd ed.
Nick Gould
Social Work in a Changing Scotland
Edited by Viviene E. Cree and Mark Smith
Social Theory for Social Work
Ideas and Applications
Christopher Thorpe
Human Growth and Development
An Introduction for Social Workers
2nd Edition
John Sudbery and Andrew Whittaker
Counselling Skills for Social Workers
Hilda Loughran
Counselling Skills for Social Workers
Hilda Loughran
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2019 Hilda Loughran
The right of Hilda Loughran to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Loughran, Hilda, author.
Title: Couselling skills for social workers / Hilda Loughran.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. |
Series: Student social work | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018036709 | ISBN 9781138504158 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138504202 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315145853 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Social servicePractice. | Counseling. | Counselor and client. | Social workers.
Classification: LCC HV10.5 .L67 2019 | DDC 361/.06dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018036709
ISBN: 978-1-138-50415-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-50420-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-14585-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Helvetica
by Out of House Publishing
To the colleagues, students and service users who over my career have laughed and listened and learnt with me.
Contents
A special word of thanks to my family and friends who are always there for me and in particular my sister Gwen who was so supportive through this process.
I want to mention some of the amazing people who have taught me so much about teaching and practising counselling skills: Jill Stevens, Anhtony Donoghue, Sheila Lyons, Paula Rock, Trish Walsh, Melinda Hohman, Bill Miller, Terry Moyers, Steve de Shazer, Imelda McCarthy, Chris Iverson, Maryellen McCann, Bernie Price Gabriel Kiely, Valerie Richardson, Maryellen Lee, Pearse Barnett.
