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).
108
Core unit
Year 1, Semester 2
This unit is delivered primarily online, with immersive in-person intensives held throughout the year to deepen learning and connection.
0.231
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify and apply key legal, ethical and professional requirements in their holistic counselling practice
2. Understand the role of clinical supervision in the counselling profession and utilise supervision to ensure competent and ethical counselling practice
3. Prepare and present client cases in supervision sessions to demonstrate the integration of holistic counselling knowledge and skills
4. Explore familial influences and patterns across generations in practice sessions using genograms
5. Critically reflect on professional practice areas and personal aspects of self in need of further development
6. Develop and maintain a resource and referral directory for local services
Six hours of placement and supervision preparation, including use of genograms
Six hours of ethics teaching and learning, including report writing
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.
The total unit workload is equivalent to 11.57 hours per week over the semester (185.2 hours in total).
| Topic | Essential Resources | Assessment Tasks Due |
|---|---|---|
| Importance of ethical and professional practice | PACFA Code of Ethics (2017) Corey, G., Corey, M. S., Corey, C., & Callanan, P. (2018). Issues and ethics in the helping professions, updated (10th ed., pp. 254-298). Cengage Learning. Shaw, E., and Carroll, M. (2012), Ethical Maturity in the Helping Professions: Making Difficult Life and Work Decisions. Chapter 2. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. | Assignment 1 Semester 1, Week 8 Resource and Referral Directory, 15 entries minimum |
| Preparation for placement: placement requirements and expectations; student wellbeing and safety while on placement, preparing a CV and contacting placement organisations Contracts and other professional requirements Report writing for a range of professional purposes and gaining client consent to release information Notetaking, record keeping and practice and supervision logs | Forman, S. & Andrews, K. (2021). Perceptions of Tertiary Students Counselling Experience with Intern Counsellors Within a Tertiary Education Setting: A Thematic Analysis. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3068 8/janzssa.2021.1.03 | Assignment 2: Semester 1, Week 15 Ethics Report, 2000 – 2,500 words plus/or minus 10% |
| How to present counselling cases in supervision sessions: demonstration of supervision and template for supervision presentations | Encke, J. (2008). Breaking the box: Supervision–A challenge to free ourselves. Passionate supervision, 16-32. Jessica Kinsley. | Assignment 3: Semester 2, Week 8 Reflective Journal, 1,600 words plus/or minus 10% per term. |
| Application of holistic counselling processes to practice, including use of genogram to assess and analyse familial influences Professional and personal development | Karamatsouk, M. (2019). Therapy in unsettling times. DOI: https://doi.org/10.289 63/2.2.4 Partridge, K. (2022). Wisps of smole that linger: poetry as reflexive writing and living theory, DOI: https://doi.org/10.289 63/5.1.4 Santin, C. (2018). My English therapist self lost in translation with an Italian client. DOI: https://doi.org/10.289 63/5.1.4 | Assignment 3 continued: Semester 2, Week 16 Reflective Journal, 1,600 words plus/or minus 10% per term. Assignment 4: Semester 2, Week 16 in final group supervision. Case presentation with PowerPoint slides based upon the Metavision model, 20 minutes with 10 minutes questions and answers. Assignment 5: Semester 2, Week 16 Completion of all documentation such as case reports for their placement. |
| Assessment Task | Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Resource and Referral directory 15 entries minimum | 1, 2, 5. | a, f | Hurdle requirement | Semester 1, Term 1, Week 8 |
| Assignment 2: Ethics Report, 2000 – 2,500 plus/or minus 10% words | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. | a, b, e | 40% | Semester 1, Term 2, Week 15 |
| Assignment 3: Reflective Journal, 1,600 words plus/or minus 10% per term. An entry is to be made every week starting from Semester 2, Week 1. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. | a, e | 20% | Semester 2, Term 1, Week 8 and Term 2, Week 16 |
| Assignment 4: Case presentation with PowerPoint slides based upon the Metavision model, 20 minutes with 10 minutes of questions and answers. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. | a, b, c, d, e | 40% | Semester 2, Term 2, Week 16 in the student’s final group supervision meeting |
| Assignment 5 (hurdle requirement). Completion of all documentation such as case reports for their placement. | 1, 2, 4. | a | Hurdle requirement | Semester 2, Term 2, Week 16. |
Payment plans are available enabling students pay fees in instalments.
| Attributes | Statement |
|---|---|
| Critical thinking | Our graduates will have critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate and analyse information and make informed professional judgements |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 (non-maleficence) |
| Collaboration | Our graduates will have advanced skills in collaborating respectfully with colleagues, teams and clients to enhance productive outcomes and manage conflict skilfully |
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