Course Outline

COU201 Counselling Children and Youth

Course Coordinator:Katrina Andrews (kandrews1@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2025Semester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

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 usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This developing course is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills relevant to working with children and youth in a counselling setting. The course delves into contemporary theories and models that form the basis for ethical and evidence-based practices when dealing with this specific population. It builds upon the person-centred counselling framework and skills that were introduced in the first year of the counselling program.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online learning activities including recorded lectures, youtube clips, and interactive activities to deliver learning objectives. 1hr Week 1 10 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly 2 hour tutorial to consolidate learning and practice skills 2hrs Week 1 10 times
Seminar – Online Learning Activity, facilitated by tutor 1hr Refer to Format 3 times

Course Topics

  • Historical and contextual trends in counselling children and youth
  • Legal and Ethical Issues when working with children and youth
  • Common issues for children and youth
  • Person Centred Counselling with children and youth (establishing that relationship)
  • Strength-based interventions with children and youth
  • Cognitive-Behavioural Approaches with children and youth

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

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 Understand the historical trends that inform contemporary counselling practice with children and youth Knowledgeable
2 Demonstrate ability to generalise person centred counselling skills to children and youth populations Creative and critical thinker
3 Critique current accepted strength-based and positivist models and frameworks when counselling children and youth Creative and critical thinker
4 Demonstrate ability to integrate evidence-based practice models when working with children and youth with developed person-centred counselling skills, with goal to improve mental health and wellbeing Empowered
5 Critically apply evidence-based frameworks for counselling children and youth to diverse children and youth populations Creative and critical thinker
Ethical
6 Apply accepted written academic skills and APA 7th ed. referencing/formatting conventions to written assignments Ethical

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

COU180 and COU176

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Tutors will provide formative feedback on the early weekly reflections, that will be used to populate Task 2, due in Week 7

Assessment tasks

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 Activity Participation Individual 10%
Course duration
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) In Class
All 2 Essay Individual 25%
1000 words
Week 7 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Case Study Individual 35%
1500 words
Week 10 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 4 Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece Individual 30%
20mins plus 200-300 words
Week 13 Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Participation
Goal:
Students will actively participate for a minimum of 80% of their on-campus tutorials. Failure to meet the minimum participation requirement will result in a failed grade for this task.
Product: Activity Participation
Format:
Class Participation noted by tutor
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstrate professional dispositions through tutorial participation
4
Generic Skills:
All - Assessment Task 2:Critical Reflective Essay
Goal:
Students are to critically reflect on weekly learning objectives and reflect on their own childhood/adolescent years, reframing events during this time based on their learning in this course.
Product: Essay
Format:
Each week, students are to write atleast 100-150 words related to weekly content. At week 7, these reflections are written into a 1000 word critical reflective essay, conforming to UniSC essay structure guidelines. Submission is online, with turnitin checkers.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Reflect on how current frameworks and theories of working with children and youth may reframe events from their own background
1
2
Reflect on how they can generalise their current counselling knowledge and skills to the child/adolescent population
2
3
Demonstrate written academic skills and academic integrity skills using APA 7th ed. conventions.
6
4
Apply critical thinking to current strength-based and positivist therapeutic models and frameworks as applied to children and youth
3
Generic Skills:
Communication, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Treatment Plan
Goal:
Students will be given a video case study and tasked to create an evidence-based case conceptualisation and treatment plan for the child or adolescent case study.
Product: Case Study
Format:
Students will be randomly given one of a choice of up to 5 vignettes, depicting a hypothetical child or adolescent client. Student is to summarise a 5P case conceptualisation of the client, and design a treatment plan for the client, including all consents needed, number of sessions, goals of each session, recommended evidence-based interventions, and measures of outcome.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstrate accepted case conceptualisation skills using 5Ps framework
2 3
2
Demonstrate critical thinking in order to design an evidence-based treatment plan for the unique needs of a chosen case study, including interested stakeholders, and outcome measures for outcome assessment
4
3
Demonstrate ability to critically apply evidence-based assessment and intervention to the needs of a child/adolescent from a minority population.
5
4
Ability to apply accepted academic writing skills as well as academic integrity skills using APA 7th ed. conventions
6
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving
All - Assessment Task 4:Role Play and short critique
Goal:
Demonstrate evidence-based counselling skills when counselling children and/or youth populations. Reflect on own role play for growth.
Product: Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece
Format:
Students to demonstrate a 20 min role play with a child or adolescent, who is seeking counselling for a common complaint for this population. Role Play will be recorded. Submission will be online. If role play client is under the age of 16, parental consent to be involved in this role play will also be needed. Students will not be allowed to use own children in role play.
Students choose one skill that needs development and write a paragraph about this skill, using accepted experiential learning model guideliines.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstrate ability to establish and maintain a healthy therapeutic relationship using established person centred counselling skills
2
2
Demonstrate an evidenced-based therapeutic technique within their role play, integrating this technique seamlessly with established person centred skills
4
3
Demonstrate skills in a visually and orally clear recording
6
4
Reflect on own role play practice to increase self-awareness of ability to work with this population, as well as critical reflection skills
3
5
Demonstrate accepted academic writing skills as well as academic integrity skills, using APA 7th ed. conventions.
6
Generic Skills:
Collaboration, Problem solving

Directed study hours

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.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

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.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

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.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

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

Assessment: Submission penalties

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

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au