Health Sciences and Social Services Promotive Health and Developmental Services

Active Listening Skills For Care And Support Professionals Training

SAQA US 116987 | NQF 3 | Credits 6 | Duration 3 Days
From $967 per delegate

Description

This course equips care and support professionals with advanced active listening techniques to enhance client communication, build trust, and improve service outcomes. Participants will learn to interpret verbal and non-verbal cues, respond empathetically, and manage challenging conversations effectively.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply active listening techniques to demonstrate understanding and empathy in care interactions.
  • Analyze verbal and non-verbal communication cues to accurately interpret client needs.
  • Evaluate personal listening habits and identify areas for improvement.
  • Implement strategies to overcome barriers to effective listening in care settings.
  • Demonstrate reflective listening and paraphrasing to validate client perspectives.
  • Design a personal action plan to integrate active listening into daily professional practice.

Target Audience

Care and support professionals, including social workers, healthcare assistants, counsellors, and community health workers, who seek to strengthen their listening skills for better client engagement.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. No prior formal training required.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Active Listening in Care Contexts

Objectives:
• Define active listening and differentiate it from passive hearing.
• Identify the core elements of the active listening process.
• Recognise barriers to effective listening in care and support settings.
• Demonstrate basic verbal and non-verbal listening techniques.
• Understand the role of active listening in building trust and rapport.

Topics:
• What is active listening? Key definitions and models.
• The listening process: receiving, attending, understanding, responding, remembering.
• Barriers to listening: environmental, psychological, cultural, and personal filters.
• Non-verbal communication: eye contact, posture, facial expressions.
• Verbal techniques: paraphrasing, summarising, open-ended questions.
• Empathy vs. sympathy in care interactions.
• Ethical considerations: confidentiality and respect.
• Practical exercise: paired listening with feedback.

Day 2: Advanced Techniques and Emotional Regulation

Objectives:
• Apply reflective listening and validation strategies.
• Use questioning techniques to clarify and deepen understanding.
• Manage personal emotional responses during difficult conversations.
• Identify emotional cues and respond appropriately.
• Adapt listening style to diverse client needs and contexts.

Topics:
• Reflective listening: mirroring, paraphrasing, and reflecting feelings.
• Probing and clarifying questions: when and how to use them.
• Emotional intelligence in listening: self-awareness and self-regulation.
• Handling strong emotions: anger, grief, anxiety.
• Cultural sensitivity and active listening.
• Listening in challenging situations: conflict, trauma, resistance.
• Self-care for the listener: preventing compassion fatigue.
• Role-play: managing a distressed client.

Day 3: Integration, Application, and Assessment

Objectives:
• Integrate active listening skills into a holistic care approach.
• Demonstrate active listening in simulated care scenarios.
• Evaluate personal listening strengths and areas for growth.
• Develop an action plan for continued skill development.
• Apply active listening to support team collaboration and client outcomes.

Topics:
• The listening cycle in practice: from intake to follow-up.
• Active listening in multidisciplinary teams.
• Documenting and reporting with listening insights.
• Scenario-based assessments: one-on-one and group settings.
• Peer and facilitator feedback sessions.
• Creating a personal development plan for listening skills.
• Reflection on learning and commitment to practice.
• Final assessment: observed structured role-play.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 09 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Tue 29 Sep 2026 Thu 01 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Wed 21 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Wed 09 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Tue 12 Jan 2027 Thu 14 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Wed 17 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Wed 03 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Tue 09 Mar 2027 Thu 11 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Wed 17 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Wed 09 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Tue 29 Jun 2027 Thu 01 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Wed 21 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Sep 2027 Thu 30 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Wed 20 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Dec 2027 Thu 30 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Wed 19 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 518 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Wed 08 Jul 2026 Fri 10 Jul 2026 Kigali, Rwanda Winter 2026 $3,148 Register
Wed 08 Jul 2026 Fri 10 Jul 2026 Mbabane, Eswatini Winter 2026 $2,230 Register
Mon 13 Jul 2026 Wed 15 Jul 2026 Kampala, Uganda Winter 2026 $3,148 Register
Mon 13 Jul 2026 Wed 15 Jul 2026 Luanda, Angola Winter 2026 $3,148 Register
Tue 14 Jul 2026 Thu 16 Jul 2026 Accra, Ghana Winter 2026 $3,796 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Oct 2026 Thu 29 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Wed 16 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 20 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Feb 2027 Thu 25 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Wed 10 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 17 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Mar 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Wed 16 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Jul 2027 Thu 29 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Wed 15 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 06 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 26 Oct 2027 Thu 28 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Wed 15 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 05 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 25 Jan 2028 Thu 27 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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