Unit Outline

On successfully completing this subject, students will be able to use practical skills for more effective interpersonal communication, as well as basic counselling skills. This unit examines styles of counselling with integration of theories of counselling with its practice. The unit teaches both basic skills in counselling and more advanced skills necessary in more complex counselling situations. Multicultural counselling will be addressed.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Identify basic counselling skills.
2.	Apply different models of counselling to match client presentations.
3.	Discriminate between observation and interpretation of behaviour.
4.	Describe a three-stage model of counselling.
5.	Establish and maintain a collaborative counselling relationship with clients
6.	Apply basic counselling micro-skills.
7.	Use self-reflective practice to critique your own counselling performance.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Minor alterations have been made to this unit, including increasing the online presence of teaching staff through mini-lectures and a greater integration of cultural counselling considerations throughout course content.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Written Assignment	Week 5	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO4, LO6, LO7
Assessment Task 2:	Skills Demonstration	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO3, LO5, LO6
Assessment Task 3:	Self-Evaluation	Week 13	25 %	LO1, LO4, LO6, LO7

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Written Assignment

Task Description:

Counselling is a professional practice that involves the development of a therapeutic relationship, including the use of various skills and approaches, through which to assist clients to make changes in their lives. Write an essay outlining what you believe the essential elements of the counselling process are and
why. Reflect on your own personal strengths and weaknesses - how might your own attributes or qualities affect the counselling process?

Task Length:

1400 words (max)

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify counselling skills which facilitate the counselling process.	LO1, LO4, LO6
2	Justify how the counselling skills identified facilitate the counselling process.	LO1, LO2, LO6
3	Reflect on personal strengths and weaknesses in the context of the counselling process.	LO7
4	Identify strategies to facilitate your own professional strengths and weaknesses in the context of the counselling process.	LO7

Assessment Task 2: Skills Demonstration

Task Description:

This task involves demonstrating skill acquisition in a video recorded 20 minute role-play. You and your allocated partner will each engage in a role-play in which each of you will be a “client” for the other person. The focus of the role play is on the demonstration of basic counselling micro-skills. These roleplays
should not be over-scripted, but should instead be an example of a counselling session in which the counsellor is responding to what the client is experiencing.

Task Length:

20 minutes

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate rapport building skills, congruence in verbal and non-verbal behaviour and unconditional positive regard for the client.	LO1, LO3, LO5
2	Use primary and advanced level empathy when interacting with the client.	LO1, LO3
3	Adopt verbal and non-verbal communication skills which align with and adapt to the client presentation.	LO1, LO3
4	Use counselling micro skills (e.g. active listening, minimal encouragers, questions/prompts, summarising, reflection of feelings) when interacting with the client.	LO3, LO6

Assessment Task 3: Self-Evaluation

Task Description:

Counselling requires the implementation of various skills to assist the client in developing more adaptive behaviours. Write a two-page self-evaluation of your skills demonstration (role-play) outlining what you believe your personal strengths and weaknesses were, and how these affected the counselling process. In your critique choose at least 4 counselling microskills and discuss how you used these in your role play. Provide time stamped examples of where you used these skills well and also instances where you could have improved and what you could have done differently.

Task Length:

700 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify personal strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the broader counselling process.	LO7
2	Identify counselling skills demonstrated in the role-play and explain where these were used effectively.	LO1, LO4, LO6, LO7
3	Justify areas for improvement in the role-play and provide strategies to directly facilitate improvement and maximise client outcomes.	LO1, LO7

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

It is important that you have ongoing access to this textbook, so a copy will be available for a limited loan period from the University of Tasmania Library collection.
You are, however, strongly encouraged to purchase this text as it will be a useful resource throughout your study.

Egan, G. (2014). The skilled helper: a problem-management and opportunity development approach to helping. Belmont, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, c2014. (or other edition published within the past 8 years).