Overview

This unit provides knowledge and skill-training that form the foundation of an evidence-based approach to counselling/psychotherapy. It develops the students understanding of key theories and concepts in the provision of counselling, and of high levels of counselling and core intervention skills. Specific objectives are to provide students with theory and applied training in counselling skills, case conceptualisation and time limited interventions, so that they can work effectively with clients in counselling settings.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically assess and synthesise complex information, in order to facilitate a client centred interview while applying advanced counselling micro skills
  • Integrate advanced counselling skills to elicit a description of client’s concerns
  • Effectively communicate and apply appropriate treatment decisions based on clinical evidence
  • Apply a high level of knowledge and skills including the integration of client information and established theories, to produce a provisional case formulation and treatment plan
  • Extend and define existing knowledge as applied to an area of Clinical and Forensic therapy

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class		3.00 12 weeks 36
On-campus
Workshop		3.00 2 weeks 6
Unspecified Activities
Various		6.50 12 weeks 78
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		2.50 12 weeks 30
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Assignment 1Individual 40% 1,2,3 
Assignment 2Individual 40% 3,4 
Case ReviewIndividual 20% 3,4,5 

Content

  • Evidence based practice in psychology 
  • Counselling micro skills (attending, questioning and empathic responding)
  • Solution focussed approach to counselling/psychotherapy (paying attention to what the client wants, amplifying, exploring for exceptions, formulating feedback, tracking progress, coping questions in crisis situations)
  • Interpersonal psychodynamic approach to psychotherapy (establishing a working alliance, resistance, internal focus for change, responding to conflicted emotions, familial and developmental factors, inflexible coping strategies, current interpersonal factors, termination)
  • The Egan problem solving framework
  • Developing an individual case formulation
  • Graduate Attribute - Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute - Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute - Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute - Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute - Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.