Students

PSYC8981 – Clinical Psychology Practical Placement 1

2022 – Session 1, In person-placement, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Carolyn Schniering
carolyn.schniering@mq.edu.au
Contact via 9850 8000
Psychology Clinic
By appointment
Placement Coordinator
Michelle Player
michelle.player@mq.edu.au
Contact via 9850 8000
Psychology Clinic
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(PSYC985 or PSYC8985) and (PSYC986 or PSYC8986)
Corequisites Corequisites
(PSYC988 or PSYC8988) and (PSYC989 or PSYC8989) and (PSYC987 or PSYC8987)
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is the first practical placement unit for the Master of Clinical Psychology program and is conducted in the Macquarie University Psychology Clinic on campus under close supervision. It provides the opportunity to put theory/techniques gained in coursework units into practice and develops the provisional psychologist's identity as a Clinical Psychologist. Activities include face-to-face assessment and treatment of genuine clients; professional administrative tasks such as risk management, note keeping and report writing; and supervision activities, both individual and group with an overall workload of approximately 500 hours. Students are required to complete at least a thousand hours across all placements in the program to meet accreditation requirements. By the time students finish this first placement unit, they will have gained basic competencies in 10 domains as identified by the accrediting body APAC as Core Competencies to become a Clinical Psychologist.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • ULO1: Apply depth and breadth of knowledge and scholarly understanding required of clinical psychologists in determining client needs and designing and implementing evidence-based interventions
  • ULO2: Demonstrate higher level critical thinking skills in their ability both to generate and evaluate new, professionally-oriented knowledge.
  • ULO3: Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, using a variety of formats to function empathically within and across cultures and life stages.
  • ULO4: Apply knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical psychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics
  • ULO5: Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical psychologists, along with the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mid-placement review (MPR) 33% Yes Mid-point of placement: 50-80 client contact hours
Weekly Supervision (WIL) 33% Yes Throughout the placement
End of placement review (EPR) 34% Yes End of placement: 120-130 client contact hours

Mid-placement review (MPR)

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Mid-point of placement: 50-80 client contact hours
Weighting: 33%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

This is a mid-placement assessment of competency, conducted In the placement setting with the supervisor using a standardised, validated competency assessment (CYPRS) tool. Feedback is on developing competency to a PASS level on each of eleven domains, with PASS ; specified as a score of 2.5 out of 5 on each domain.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply depth and breadth of knowledge and scholarly understanding required of clinical psychologists in determining client needs and designing and implementing evidence-based interventions
  • Demonstrate higher level critical thinking skills in their ability both to generate and evaluate new, professionally-oriented knowledge.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, using a variety of formats to function empathically within and across cultures and life stages.
  • Apply knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical psychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical psychologists, along with the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs

Weekly Supervision (WIL)

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 100 hours
Due: Throughout the placement
Weighting: 33%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Students participate in case management and intervention under close supervision of supervisors in the Macquarie University Psychology Clinic. Students will be assessed on several skills including formative assessment and treatment skills; professional conduct; self-reflection via log book; ethics and communication skills including professional report writing.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply depth and breadth of knowledge and scholarly understanding required of clinical psychologists in determining client needs and designing and implementing evidence-based interventions
  • Demonstrate higher level critical thinking skills in their ability both to generate and evaluate new, professionally-oriented knowledge.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, using a variety of formats to function empathically within and across cultures and life stages.
  • Apply knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical psychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical psychologists, along with the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs

End of placement review (EPR)

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: End of placement: 120-130 client contact hours
Weighting: 34%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

This is an end of placement assessment of competency, conducted In the placement setting with the supervisor using a standardised, validated competency assessment (CYPRS) tool. Feedback is on developing competency to a PASS ; level on each of eleven domains, with PASS ; specified as a score of 3 out of 5 on each domain.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply depth and breadth of knowledge and scholarly understanding required of clinical psychologists in determining client needs and designing and implementing evidence-based interventions
  • Demonstrate higher level critical thinking skills in their ability both to generate and evaluate new, professionally-oriented knowledge.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, using a variety of formats to function empathically within and across cultures and life stages.
  • Apply knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical psychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical psychologists, along with the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Delivery is in the placement setting with a range of resources including supervision, readings, and other assessment and treatment tools.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook