Course Coordinator:Daniel Eaton (deaton@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton BayUniSC Gympie |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This foundational course introduces an overview of the development of the major psychotherapeutic theories available to contemporary counsellors. Each major theoretical approach is examined in terms of its concepts and applications to counselling. For each approach the historical context, theoretical basis, basic concepts of human development, the therapeutic process, and its research directions will be introduced. Case studies will be analysed to facilitate application of theory to practice.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Online asynchronous learning activities to deliver the learning objectives for the week | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On-campus tutorials to embed learning via experiential practice. | 2hrs | Week 1 | 10 times |
| Information session – online seminar, facilitated by tutor, to discuss upcoming assessment details. | 1hr | Not applicable | Once Only |
There are adult themes across all course topics:
Psychoanalytical therapy
Adlerian therapy
Existential therapy
Person-Centred therapy
Gestalt therapy
Behavioural therapy
Cognitive therapy
Feminist therapy
Solution & Narrative therapy
Integrative & Pluralistic therapy
100 Level (Introductory)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Apply your knowledge of theory to a particular case study. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
| 2 | Distinguish between analytic, affective, behavioural and cognitive theories and systems, and demonstrate an understanding of the historical context and theory of human development. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
| 3 | Engage with the process of self-reflection and know which of your own values supports or hinders the process of counselling. |
Empowered Ethical |
| 4 | Articulate an awareness of the ethical and cultural basis of the studied theories and the implications for counselling diverse populations. |
Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
| 5 | Demonstrate effective communication through written reports, complying with accepted APA 7th ed. guidelines. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Reflection and review of all content is encouraged in weekly interactive tutorials, and feedback will be given in class as well as in response to non-graded online quizzes via Canvas learning modules. Timely and detailed feedback is provided for each assessment. Feedback is provided both within text and general comments to build scholarly skills. Students are able to seek feedback through face-to-face discussion with the course coordinator. Tutorials will include extended discussion and review of the assessment task requirements and 'drop-in' zoom information sessions will be made available closer to the assessment due dates.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Case Study | Individual | 35% | 1500 words |
Week 7 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Essay | Individual | 35% | 2000 words |
Week 12 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 30% | 60 questions |
Exam Period | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Theoretical Case Study | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | To demonstrate critical understanding of a theoretical approach to counselling and its application to a case study. |
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| Product: | Case Study | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | You will produce a fully referenced essay demonstrating your understanding of a particular chosen therapeutic approach, through application of the theory and methods to a particular case study. You will select from approaches studied in this course during weeks 2 to 6. This critical analysis will follow essay conventions including APA7 referencing and format. You will plan, write and review your essay on Cadmus. See Canvas for details. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Organisation, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Reflective Essay | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | To develop critical and reflective thinking on activities and learning materials, and to acquire self-awareness and personal growth necessary for the counselling professional |
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| Product: | Essay | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | You will provide an individual summary of your weekly reflections related to Weeks 2 - 11. The reflective essay should be written in the first person and will follow essay conventions including APA7 referencing and format. You will plan, write and review your reflections on Cadmus. See Canvas for details. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Online Test | ||||||||||
| Goal: | To demonstrate knowledge of the major theories and techniques of counselling. |
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| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | |||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||
| Format: | Individual, open book exam 60 questions worth 1/2 mark each, covering content from weeks 2-12. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Problem solving, Applying technologies |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Gerald Corey | 2020 | Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Enhanced | 10th | Cengage Learning, Inc |
Nil
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
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