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XP9076S

Supervised Counselling Practice Integration (Practicum)

This unit allows students to build on the face-to-face counselling hours acquired during their undergraduate and/or postgraduate years of study through supervised practice in an agency setting. The real life demands of the placement setting are the context for students to further apply and integrate their counselling knowledge, skills and personal and professional development experiences under supervision. In addition to exposing students to the operations of an agency, the unit is aimed at allowing them to develop as reflective practitioners in counselling practice and requires a minimum of 70 supervised counselling hours and 18 hours of supervision (ration: 1hr s/v:4 hrs counselling). Students will cover content that includes organisational policies and procedures, professional role expectations and accountability, ethical and reflective practice, risk management, individual and group supervision, interpersonal skills demonstration, intake and assessment, client case note writing, reports and documentation.  

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Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Evaluate their own practice, including their values, beliefs and their understanding of ethical responsibilities in the context of a counselling agency setting;
2. Assess psychological theories which are compatible with their own developing worldview and articulate a systematic personal approach to counselling and psychotherapy in the context of working with an agency and in the community;
3. Demonstrate the integration of counselling theory, knowledge and skills in a counselling practice through the positive use of, and commitment to, ongoing supervision, respectful working relationships with clients, colleagues and community members, and valuing of others with an understanding of and sensitivity towards cultural diversity, gender and disability;
4. Develop and appraise their counselling practice with clients with the necessary technical knowledge and skills to innovatively design creative initiatives that match the needs of clients.

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Assessment:

Assessments graded pass / fail only and must be completed satisfactorily 

1. Learning Agreement
2. Practicum Portfolio
3. Video Recording
   (Word count equivalent for assessments 1, 2 and 3:  5000 words)
4. Reflective Essay (2000 words)

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Select Bibliography:

*Recommended reading

Bridger, F. and Atkinson, D. (2007). Counselling in context: developing a theological framework. London, Harper & Collins.  

 Cooper, M. & McLeod, J. (2010). Pluralistic counseling and psychotherapy. Sage.  

 Duncan, B. L., Miller, S. D. (2004). The heroic client. A revolutionary way to improve effectiveness through client directed, outcome informed therapy. Jossey Bass.  

 Duncan, B. L., Miller, S. D., Wampold, B. E. & Hubble, M. A. (2009). The heart and soul of change: delivering what works in therapy. (2nd ed.). APA. 

 Entwistle, D. N. (2010). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations and models of integration. Eugene, OR: Cascado. 

 Johns, C. (2009). Becoming a reflective practitioner (3rd ed). New York, Wlley.   

 Norcross, J. C. & Goldfried, M. R. (2005). Handbook of psychotherapy integration (2nd ed), Oxford University Press.   

 Palmer, S. & Woolfe, R. (Eds.). (2001). Integration and eclectic counseling and psychotherapy. UK: Sage, 

 *Russell-Chapin, L. & Chapin, T. (2012). Clinical supervision: theory and practice. Brooks/Cole Cengage. Belmont.  

 *Sweitzer, H. F. & King, M. (2014, 4th ed.) The successful internship.  Brooks/Cole Cengage. Belmont 

 *Thompson, S. & Thompson, N. (2008). The critically reflective practitioner. London. Algrave Macmillan.