Unit Outline

In this unit you will learn to apply advanced counselling skills, including working with a range of client presentations and intervention strategies. You will gain skills and knowledge to help you navigate the stages of therapy, beginning with the intake interview. This unit will challenge you to extend your foundational knowledge and skills to more specific and advanced approaches to counselling, including how to tailor your approach to the specific needs of different client presentations. You will also work to deepen your reflective practice as you engage in more complex counselling interactions.

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	Apply basic and advanced counselling skills in a professional manner.
2	Engage with a variety of client presentations and tailor your approach to the specific client’s needs.
3	Discuss how culture may affect communication and describe the skills and attitudes required of a culturally sensitive counsellor.
4	Justify therapeutic decision making, supporting professional decisions with evidence from the research literature.
5	Reflect on professional skills development and constructively critique your own counselling performance.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Concurrent Pre-requisite	KHA501

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to the feedback from previous student cohorts, changes have been made which may include adjustments to assessments and workshops, and alignment of some of the timelines. As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2024, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s eVALUate surveys following your completion of the unit.

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:	Presentation	Week 5	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Skills Demonstration	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Self-critique of counselling skills	Week 13	35 %	LO2, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Presentation

Task Description:

Give a presentation discussing how the characteristics of culturally skilled counsellors can be put into practice

Task Length:

Maximum 15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Present in an informative, professional, and reflective manner.	LO1, LO3, LO5
2	Describe how you would adapt your counselling approach to your client’s cultural context and justify your rationale.	LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Describe culturally sensitive skills useful for managing counselling conversations that may not proceed as anticipated.	LO1, LO3
4	Explain your own strengths and weaknesses in the context of the multicultural counselling process, including an awareness of one’s own cultural bias and values.	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Skills Demonstration

Task Description:

Engage in a short role-play, demonstrating your skills as a counsellor.

Task Length:

Maximum 20 minute role play

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Select and apply advanced counselling skills specific to your specific client presentation	LO1, LO2, LO4
2	Engage in the counselling interaction in a professional and compassionate manner	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: Self-critique of counselling skills

Task Description:

Write a critique of the counselling interaction you demonstrated in the role play.

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Reflect on your choice of advanced counselling skills and justify your choice of therapeutic approach.	LO4, LO5
2	Critique your own personal strengths and weaknesses in the counselling interaction.	LO5
3	Identify paths not taking in the counselling interaction and discuss these in the context of future directions for therapy with your client.	LO2, LO4, LO5

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.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

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

The required readings will be posted each week in the introduction to the MyLO Module.