Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jac Brown
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MClinPsych or DClinPsych or MOrgPsych or DOrgPsych
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit focuses on the skills involved in facilitating a good client-therapist relationship as a basis for psychological therapy. It involves a review of the micro skills of reflecting back content, feelings, and process within a non-directive context while exploring clients presenting problems through neutral questioning and comments. Professional skills of critical reflection are also emphasised as an important avenue of exploration for psychologists’ personal and professional development. The issue of the cultural context of clients and how that might relate to their present problems is also given special attention.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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1. Reflection on Content | 20% | No | Various weeks |
Self Assessment Schedule | 60% | No | 19/05/17 |
Demonstration of Skills | 20% | No | Before second Workshop |
Due: Various weeks
Weighting: 20%
You should try to dip into all of the readings listed. However, you may not be able to adequately read and comment on everything! So some key readings (which are starred *) Key readings from the textbook and other sources will form the basis for the unit discussion board where you will be encouraged to comment. Discussion should relate not only to readings, but may also relate to the thoughtful comments of other class participants. They should add to the overall conversation on the discussion board. Of the 8 readings selected, usually only part of the reading will be used for the online discussion. For example, do you assume that you must comment upon an entire chapter of the text, but check to see which pages are suggested for comment.You should try to dip into all of the readings listed. However, you may not be able to adequately read and comment on everything! So some key readings (which are starred *) Key readings from the textbook and other sources will form the basis for the unit discussion board where you will be encouraged to comment. Discussion should relate not only to readings, but may also relate to the thoughtful comments of other class participants. They should add to the overall conversation on the discussion board. Of the 8 readings selected, usually only part of the reading will be used for the online discussion. For example, do you assume that you must comment upon an entire chapter of the text, but check to see which pages are suggested for comment.
Due: 19/05/17
Weighting: 60%
For this major project, you will focus on key learning objectives and conduct an experiment upon yourself in terms of measuring change in your therapeutic skills using a self assessment schedule. Your self assessment schedule is a personal report of your self evaluation of how well you met the learning objectives you set for yourself which were documented in your learning journal. During the unit, you will need to do two things:
1. Select key counselling skills being taught and focus on developing these specific skills, including some assessment of your level of development.
2. Engage in a path of self reflection that will help you identify areas of your own personality or life experience that may impact on the therapeutic alliance in your work with clients. You will need to identify some issue that may require further intervention through awareness or development and include some plan for dealing with this issue. Your assessment schedule should document your path of learning of counselling skills and contain critical reflection in relation to the therapeutic alliance. It should also include the learning objectives and track the changes in these objectives over the course of the unit. You will need to think of ways of demonstrating achievement of the objectives that you set, so therefore it will be important to have criteria upon which to assess your development. In assessing you progress towards your learning objectives, you should note areas of strength and weakness as well as ways that you may address the learning deficiencies. Apart from your reading, thinking, participation and observing, you should collect evidence for achieving your learning objectives through discussion and role play with your learning partner, through role plays during unit workshops, and through any other activities that you may design to help you reach your learning objectives. Obtain whatever feedback you are able to do through fellow classmates or friends and family and incorporate this as part of your assessment. As a student in this unit (and all units) you have the dual role of being a student AND being a psychologist-in-training. Thus, for the first time in your university training, you must move beyond the student role to the psychologist role, which has ethical implications. With your assignments, you are required to practice under the ethical guidelines of a psychologist in terms of integrity and honesty.
Due: Before second Workshop
Weighting: 20%
For this assessment you will review the basic counselling skills and demonstrate these skills in a 15 minute role play situation. Following a review of these skills and practice with your learning partner, the two of you will book a time at the Psychology Clinic to demonstrate these skills to two members of staff who will be observing your sessions. At the beginning of the session, both you and your learning partner will draw a brief role play scenario and take turns role- playing the client for your partner to demonstrate these skills. Each of you will have 15 minutes in order to demonstrate these skills. The following skills will be assessed: engagement of your client, reflecting back content, reflecting the underlying feeling, asking questions to explore the presenting problem in a neutral way, exploring the problem rather than solving it, using process comments to demonstrate immediacy and authentic communication with your client.
This unit will focus on the Bennett-Levy (2006) model of building therapeutic competence, highlighting the declarative, procedural, and reflective systems. The declarative system highlights the theoretical knowledge that is necessary for becoming a good therapist. Most of this information is in your textbook and will be managed through online discussions. However there are some specific aspects of theoretical knowledge that will be enhanced through workshops in specific counselling techniques, suicide prevention, and Aboriginal awareness. The procedural system encompasses establishing and maintaining empathy in the interpersonal context, presence or mindfulness as a therapist, and finally an exploration of aspects of the personal sense of self and how that impacts on an ability to be a therapist to maintain the therapeutic relationship. This will be the main focus of the workshops as we focus on building specific skills in enhancing empathy, asking meaningful questions, managing your own anxiety while counselling, and becoming more aware of your own personal background that may interact on your ability to be a good therapist. The final system is the reflective system that will focus on the skills of reflecting objectively upon your personal performance as a therapist. This will be highlighted in your assessment tasks that require identifying your own weaknesses and articulating areas for improvement, remediating those weaknesses, and assessing your own ability to make the changes necessary to become expert therapists. Overall, the unit will highlight the importance of the therapeutic alliance and emphasise core counselling skills to optimise the therapeutic relationship. General questioning strategies for conceptualising client problems with an emphasis on the context of the presenting problem, with directions for intervention will also be emphasised.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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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.
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