Therapeutic Support Worker Course

Lesson 1 • Defining the Therapeutic Attendant Role

Clarifies the scope of practice and distinguishes the role from clinical therapists and caregivers. Anchors all subsequent learning in a clear professional identity.

Lesson 2 • Core Values and Professional Ethics

Introduces dignity, respect, confidentiality, and non-maleficence as guiding principles. Provides the ethical foundation for every client interaction covered later.

Lesson 3 • Self-Awareness and Professional Identity

Examines personal values, biases, and emotional triggers that affect professional conduct. Builds reflective capacity essential for safe therapeutic relationships.

Lesson 1 • Mental Health Literacy Essentials

Introduces common mental health conditions, their symptoms, and prevalence. Reduces stigma and prepares attendants to recognise presentations in the field.

Lesson 2 • Medication Awareness for Attendants

Provides non-prescriptive awareness of common psychiatric medications and observable side effects. Enables attendants to monitor and report relevant changes accurately.

Lesson 3 • Person-Centered Language and Attitudes

Teaches identity-first and person-first language conventions and their appropriate use. Ensures respectful communication aligned with client preferences.

Lesson 4 • Trauma and Its Impact on Behaviour

Explains trauma types, neurological effects, and trauma-informed care principles. Prepares attendants to interpret behaviour through a trauma-aware lens.

Lesson 1 • Questioning and Conversation Structure

Introduces open, closed, and Socratic questioning techniques for guiding therapeutic dialogue. Enables attendants to facilitate meaningful, goal-directed conversations.

Lesson 2 • Active Listening Techniques

Teaches reflective listening, paraphrasing, and minimal encouragers to demonstrate genuine attention. Forms the communication backbone for all client-facing interactions.

Lesson 3 • Empathy and Validation Skills

Distinguishes empathy from sympathy and teaches validation of client emotional experience. Strengthens therapeutic alliance and reduces client distress.

Lesson 4 • Non-Verbal Communication Mastery

Covers body language, proxemics, facial expression, and tone as therapeutic tools. Ensures congruence between verbal and non-verbal messages in sessions.

Lesson 1 • Professional Boundaries in Practice

Defines boundary types, common violations, and strategies for maintaining appropriate limits. Protects both client welfare and attendant professional integrity.

Lesson 2 • Navigating Relationship Ruptures

Teaches recognition and repair of alliance ruptures caused by misattunement or conflict. Restoring trust after rupture is a critical advanced relational skill.

Lesson 3 • Managing Transference and Countertransference

Introduces transference dynamics and the attendant's own countertransference reactions. Equips attendants to use supervision to process relational challenges safely.

Lesson 4 • Planned Endings and Transitions

Addresses therapeutic closure, transition planning, and managing client reactions to endings. Ensures continuity of care and minimises abandonment experiences.

Lesson 1 • Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

Covers antecedent modification, skill teaching, and reinforcement as primary PBS tools. Builds proactive rather than reactive behaviour support capacity.

Lesson 2 • Developing Behaviour Support Plans

Guides attendants through the components and documentation of a behaviour support plan. Ensures plans are individualised, measurable, and ethically grounded.

Lesson 3 • Understanding Behaviour as Communication

Frames challenging behaviour as a communicative act driven by unmet needs. Shifts attendant response from reactive to curious and analytical.

Lesson 4 • De-escalation and Crisis Prevention

Teaches early warning sign recognition and verbal de-escalation techniques. Reduces the frequency and severity of behavioural crises in the field.

Lesson 1 • Assessing Daily Living Needs

Introduces structured tools for evaluating client capacity across self-care, domestic, and community domains. Assessment informs individualised skill-building priorities.

Lesson 2 • Personal Care and Hygiene Support

Covers dignified assistance with grooming, hygiene, and personal care routines. Balances client autonomy with necessary support levels.

Lesson 3 • Community Access and Social Participation

Supports clients in navigating public spaces, transport, and social settings safely. Promotes inclusion and reduces social isolation through structured community practice.

Lesson 4 • Domestic and Home Management Skills

Teaches task analysis and chaining for cooking, cleaning, and household management. Builds client independence in the home environment progressively.

Lesson 1 • Incident Documentation and Debriefing

Teaches accurate incident reporting, root cause reflection, and structured debriefing. Documentation supports organisational learning and attendant wellbeing after crises.

Lesson 2 • Emergency Response Procedures

Covers escalation pathways, emergency service liaison, and immediate risk management actions. Ensures attendants act decisively and within their scope during emergencies.

Lesson 3 • Safety Planning with Clients

Guides attendants through collaborative safety plan development with at-risk clients. Safety plans are living documents updated as client circumstances change.

Lesson 4 • Recognising Mental Health Crises

Identifies warning signs of acute psychiatric episodes, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. Early recognition is the first step in effective crisis intervention.

Lesson 1 • Supervision and Continuing Professional Development

Establishes the role of clinical supervision and ongoing learning in professional growth. Reflective supervision is the primary mechanism for quality assurance and attendant support.

Lesson 2 • Professional Documentation Standards

Covers objective, accurate, and timely note-writing using recognised documentation formats. Quality records protect clients, attendants, and the organisation legally.

Lesson 3 • Referral and Service Coordination

Teaches identification of unmet needs and appropriate referral to specialist services. Ensures clients access the full continuum of care beyond the attendant's scope.

Lesson 4 • Person-Centered Care Planning

Teaches the structure and philosophy of person-centred care plans co-designed with clients. Plans drive all support activities and are reviewed regularly with the team.