Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
COUN111 Contemporary Approaches to Counselling AND PSYC108 Psychological Practice: Theory and Techniques
Unit rationale, description and aim
The purpose of this unit is to provide students with the opportunity to develop practical skills that will enable them to translate counselling theory developed in earlier units into therapeutic practice. It will also introduce a competency base for a variety of counselling related experiences. The focus of this unit will include: client contact skills; conducting an intake interview; developing a working alliance; extending reflective listening skills; the use of self-disclosure; addressing requirements related to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality; risk assessment; issues around termination; the use of case notes and documentation; reflection; self-care; and awareness of ethics and professionalism.
The overall aim of the unit is for students to gain an understanding and appreciation of the complexity of the role of counsellors.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Identify and describe personal history, presenting issues and context with empathy and respect |
| LO2 | Conceptualise and describe the presenting problem (problem formulation) |
| LO3 | Evaluate possible alternatives and strategies for enabling change |
| LO4 | Reflect on therapeutic practice and identify strengths and areas for development |
Content
Topics will include:
- undertaking a risk assessment
- clarifying aims and goals of counselling with clients
- practice of counselling skills
- counsellor empathy and use of self
- spirituality and self-awareness
- the utilisation of client resources
- working with diversity including those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds
- working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- video and audio work and self-critique
- presenting in clinical supervision
- ethical issues
- case notes and file keeping
- alternative modes of working with clients (e.g. telephone and real-time internet)
- working in multidisciplinary teams
- stress, burnout and self-care practices
- referral and referral options
- building safe and supportive environments for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Learning and teaching strategies include active learning, case-based learning, individual and group activities, cooperative learning and practical skill development including simulation. This unit has the equivalent of 3 contact hours per week over a 12 weeks period which involve lectures and tutorials. This mode of delivery is designed to enhance discussion and engagement in the content delivered in the unit. The lectures are to aid students with the acquisition and understanding of knowledge while the tutorials are designed to enhance application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of that knowledge and develop practical counselling skills.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to successfully complete this unit, students will need to complete and submit all Assessment Tasks listed in the table below. In addition to this, students must obtain an aggregate mark of at least 50% to pass the unit. The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to demonstrate their acquisition of knowledge, as well as the application of that knowledge. In order to best enable students to demonstrate Learning Outcomes and develop Graduate Attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. The role play offers students the opportunity to demonstrate the initiation of the Counselling process with a client and to show an understanding of interdisciplinary working by making a referral to another health professional. The Interview provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate their practical Counselling skills including managing the logistics of an intake session. The Report and Critique provide an opportunity for students to reflect upon their recorded Counselling intake session and areas for personal improvement.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Letter and Role-play Enables students to demonstrate their ability to make a referral to another health professional and the role-play enables students to show the practical skills required to initiate the counselling process with a client. | 20% | LO1, LO2 |
Intake Interview Enables students to demonstrate practical counselling skills including managing logistics of an intake session. | 40% | LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Report and Critique Enables students to demonstrate their ability to reflect upon their counselling practice and identify areas for improvement. | 40% | LO1, LO3, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
Cully, S., & Bond, T. (2011). Integrative counselling skills in action (3rd ed.). Sage.
Egan, G. (2017). The skilled helper (11th ed.). Cengage.
Kottler, J., & Montgomery, J. (2019). Theories in counselling and therapy: An experiential approach. Boston. (3rd ed.). Sage.
Teyber, E., & McClure, F. H. (2016). Interpersonal process in therapy: An integrative model (7th ed.). Brooks/Cole.