Unit Description
An introduction to the foundational ethical, social and legal aspects of professional counselling practice.
This 6-credit point unit introduces students to the foundational ethical, social and legal aspects of professional counselling practice. Students will learn the importance of adhering to legal requirements and ethical and professional guidelines in relation to confidentiality, privacy, record-keeping, secure storage of client records in electronic and paper form, making referrals, and writing reports. You will develop skills in using genograms to assess and analyse familial patterns across generations. The practice of clinical supervision as an essential ethical requirement for professional counselling practice is introduced. Students will present counselling clients in supervision and receive feedback on counselling practice from the supervisor. Professional documents including client contracts, consent to release information forms, and supervision and counselling logs, are introduced in this unit.
Students will a) undertake a placement of 100 hours in one or more organisations that are of professional interest to students. Students will develop their resource and referral directories during this placement (Assessment 1), observe industry practices under the guidance of the host organisation’s supervisor and maintain a reflective journal of their learning (Assessment 2); and b) undertake 15 hours of holistic counselling practice, supervised by the Metavision Institute’s clinical supervisors (minimum five timetabled hours of supervision in total).
Unit Code
108
Unit Type
Core Unit
Study Period
Year 1, Semester 2
Credit Points
6.0
Unit Coordinator
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- Identify and apply key legal, ethical and professional requirements in their holistic counselling practice
- Understand the role of clinical supervision in the counselling profession and utilise supervision to ensure competent and ethical counselling practice
- Prepare and present client cases in supervision sessions to demonstrate the integration of holistic counselling knowledge and skills
- Explore familial influences and patterns across generations in practice sessions using genograms
- Critically reflect on professional practice areas and personal aspects of self in need of further development
- Develop and maintain a resource and referral directory for local services
Graduate Attributes
| Attributes | Statement |
|---|---|
| Collaboration | Our graduates will have advanced skills in collaborating respectfully with colleagues, teams and clients to enhance productive outcomes and manage conflict skilfully |
| Ethical practice and integrity | Our graduates will demonstrate high ethical standards in their work and follow professional Codes of Ethics to do good (beneficence) and avoid harm (maleficence) |
| Professionalism | Our graduates will have a highly developed understanding of their work roles and responsibilities and uphold a high level of professional conduct in their work |
| Holistic awareness | Our graduates will have an in-depth understanding of how the physical body, the psyche and mind/ spirit/self are in constant interaction and relationship with each other and with the environment |
| Communication | Our graduates will have well-developed written and oral communication skills, including listening deeply and receiving, interpreting and transmitting complex information, on many levels of awareness with colleagues, clients and the community |
| Lifelong learning | Our graduates will have the skills necessary to successfully manage their careers and continue their personal and professional development in rapidly changing environments across their career spans |
| Critical thinking | Our graduates will have critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate and analyse information and make informed professional judgements |
Delivery Mode
Workshop intensives on-campus
On-campus workshop intensive 2:
Six hours of placement and supervision preparation, including use of genograms
Six hours of ethics teaching and learning, including report writing
On-campus workshop intensive 3:
Five hours of group supervision (maximum 12 students)
Students may request crisis supervision as needed throughout the semester, which will be provided by the unit coordinator using Zoom.
Student Workload
The total unit workload is equivalent to 11.57 hours per week over the semester (185.2 hours in total).
- On-campus workshop intensive 2: 12 hours of teaching and learning
- On-campus workshop intensive 3: Five hours of group supervision (maximum 12 students)
- 67.2 personal study hours
- Placement: 100 hours in total, including 15 client practice hours and practice administration
- Additional group supervision scheduled by the Metavision Institute throughout the semester
Available in Courses
This unit is available in the following courses:
Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Holistic Practice) Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Holistic Practice)Created: 27 Apr 2021, 4:11 p.m. • Updated: 16 Oct 2023, 2:07 p.m.