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Course Outline

COU303 Counselling Placement and Development 1

Course Coordinator:Kelly Thomson (kthomson1@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2026Trimester 2

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 unisc.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 course explores counselling values, theories, knowledge and skills and their integration into practice in a safe, supportive and supervised setting, which will include clinical practice supervision. In preparation for practice, you will identify and develop skills appropriate to core theoretical approaches in counselling and supervision to enable you to describe, analyse and utilise these skills on placement. Counselling methods are experienced, knowledge and theories applied, and skills developed. This course has a focus on developing and applying your skills as a reflective practitioner. You will accumulate 30 hours of direct client contact supported by counselling clinical supervision, within 250 agency placement relevant hours, as per the professional association training standards.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Placement – Mandatory pre-placement workshop to attend prior to trimester commencing. 4hrs Pre-trimester/session Once Only
Placement – Accumulate 250 hours, including 20 client contact hours supported by clinical supervision 250hrs Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Once Only
Learning materials – 1 hour of online asynchronous learning activities to introduce weekly curricula to students via recorded lectures, videos, interactive activities and discussion forums. 1hr Week 1 11 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly 2 hour on campus tutorial designed to consolidate learning and provide group supervision with whole cohort, discussing ethical dilemmas that students are currently negotiating. 2hrs Week 1 11 times

Course Topics

Allocated counselling topics in relation to direct clinical practice experienced during placement focusing on the application of core counselling micro skills, client consent and confidentiality, risk assessment, client presenting issues, application of Code of Ethics and relevant legislation and development of critical reflection skills to increase counselling competency.

What level is this course?

300 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

24 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 Identify, articulate and describe beginning skills in developing a critically reflective practice including how your values, beliefs, and ethical mindedness impinge on your practice. Empowered
Ethical
2 Recognise principles and competencies required in supervision practices. Assess and identify ways of strengthening the supervisee/supervisor relationship and the relationships with colleagues in the agency and on campus. Knowledgeable
3 Begin to analyse organisational systems and processes and identify inequalities. Knowledgeable
Engaged
4 Apply the values and ethical principles of counselling according to USC Student Code of Conduct, Student Placement Agreement and ACA and PACFA Codes of Ethics, acting in a professional manner. Ethical
5 Demonstrate respect and valuing others with an understanding of and sensitivity towards the issue of cultural diversity, gender and disability. Ethical
6 Demonstrate graduate level academic reflective skills in oral and written format, and compliance with accepted APA 7th ed. conventions. Empowered

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

(COU100 or CRM101), AND COU101, COU176, COU180, COU200 AND COU265

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

COU361 and COU363

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Limited Grading (PNP)

Pass (PU), Fail (UF). All assessment tasks are required to be passed for successful completion of the course.

Details of early feedback on progress

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 scope.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Activity Participation Individual 
250 placement hours
10 min case conceptualisation presentation (with written document)
 Refer to Format SONIA
All 2 Activity Participation Individual 
Video Recording - 50 minutes
Written Critical Reflection - 1200 words
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Essay Individual 
2000 words
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Placement Portfolio
Goal: 
Undertake 250 verifiable hours of professional practice in a human services agency, including stated hours of direct client contact, complying with codes of ethics and conduct, and articulate a typical client case using accepted case conceptualisation model (e.g 5Ps) with Clinical Supervisor.

A breach of Code of Conduct will result in a fail grade for this Course.
Product: Activity Participation
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Your 250 hours to be recorded on the Hours Verification Sheet in SONIA and approved by your agency Supervisor.

Your MID trimester Learning Agreement (Week 4-6) 

Your FINAL trimester Learning Agreement Weeks 10 to 12, refer to schedule on Canvas

Internship Assessment Report (week 10-12). 

Written copy of case conceptualisation presented to Clinical Supervisor.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Behaviour that is in accordance with the professional associations code of ethics and conduct; UniSC Student code of conduct; and the agency's own code of conduct
 4 5
2 
MID trimester learning agreement is signed off by agency supervisor and field education officer
 4 5
3 
END trimester learning agreement is signed off by agency supervisor and field education officer
 4 5
4 
Internship Assessment Report completed and indicates competencies and values have been acceptable.
 4 5
5 
Written copy of the case conceptualisation, presented to clinical supervisor, is included.
 1 5
6 
A minimum of 250 hours has been logged in Sonia, and signed off by the agency supervisor
 2
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Collaboration, Applying technologies, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Role Play and Video
Goal: 
Roleplay video recording of a counselling session. Students time stamp 2 examples of implementing counselling techniques delivered competently & 2 examples of learning edges submitted with an accompanying written reflection.
Product: Activity Participation
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Submit: The role play video will be 50 minutes long. Students to submit video via canvas ensuring sound and visual clarity along with written reflection essay. Students also submit consent form to illustrate client consented to recording.

Submission will be during Weeks 6 to 10, refer to schedule on Canvas.  Critical Reflection is prepared within Cadmus, and submission is online via plagiarism checkers.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Demonstrate graduate level counselling competency and counselling skills, emphasising the graduates developing joining, microskills and counselling theory application for effective direct client practice.
 1 4 5
2 
Develop critical self-reflection skills for counselling skills growth and development
 1 5 6
3 
Develop clarity of the relationship of ethics and theories to a practice setting.
 3 5
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Collaboration
All - Assessment Task 3:Critically Reflective Essay
Goal: 
Using a reflective model describe your counselling values and beliefs (counsellor attributes, ethical and cultural considerations) and how this informs application of counselling approaches with clients during placement.
Product: Essay
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
During the duration of your placement, you are encouraged to keep a reflective journal, in which you record and reflect on your experiences in the field. Your reflections should be of knowledge, skills, their application to practice, and/or your personal journey on becoming your "Way of Being" as a counsellor. These reflections will be capturing your emerging counselling professional identity during the placement experience. 

Example topics of reflection that you MUST including are: 

Yourself as ‘student practitioner’ and the counsellor attributes that align with your emerging practice framework.
What theoretical frameworks inform your direct practice and professional practice framework. 
Critical reflection on your significant learning experiences in relation to your knowledge, skills, and values. 
Examples of experienced personal and professional congruence with your ethical values, beliefs, and behaviour during placement and direct client experiences. 
Your preferred counselling approache/s implemented in your direct client work and alignment with positive therapeutic outcomes.

Submission will be during Weeks 9 to 11, refer to schedule on Canvas. Assessment will be prepared within Cadmus, and submitted online via plagiarism checkers.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Develop critical self-reflection skills within workshops, supported by evidence
 1
2 
Develop relationships with others in a professional manner, and that comply with ACA and PACFA values.
 2 4
3 
Extend professional academic writing skills to the online discussion board format, including acceptable grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure.
 6
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving, Information literacy

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

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
Recommended Nathan Beel 2025 The Australian Counselling Placement Companion 1 Edge Publishing

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Risk assessments have been performed for all field activities and a low level of health and safety risk exists. Some risks concerns may include working in an unknown environment as well as slip and trip hazards. 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

This course will be graded as Pass in a Limited Grade Course (PU) or Fail in a Limited Grade Course (UF) as per clause 5.1.1.3 and 5.1.1.4 of the Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) - Academic Policy.

In a course eligible to use Limited Grades, all assessment items in that course are marked on a Pass/Fail basis and all assessment tasks are required to be passed for a student to successfully complete the course. Supplementary assessment is not available in courses using Limited Grades.

Assessment: Submission penalties

You must contact your Course Coordinator and provide the required documentation if you require an extension or alternate assessment.

Refer to the Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs – Procedures.

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

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: 

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