Course Outline

COU705 Professional Development 2: Grief, Loss and Trauma

Course Coordinator:Trudi Flynn (tflynn@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2026Trimester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

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 is an experiential course that continues to build on the knowledge and skills you learnt in the first trimester, and is designed to be flexible and responsive to urgent issues that may arise during your Internship. Creativity and initiative for moving into new situations in your counselling practice will be encouraged and developed. This course introduces the techniques of Grief Therapy; the psychological recovery from trauma, and the place of transpersonal or spiritual orientations within the profession of counselling.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus workshop - 3 hours 3hrs Week 1 11 times

Course Topics

  • Theories of Grief
  • The Mourning Process
  • Grief Counselling
  • Traumatic Loss
  • Treatments for Trauma
  • Spirituality and Transpersonal Counselling

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

700 Level (Specialised)

Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

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 Acquire a body of knowledge and skills that will extend your understanding of the counselling profession and in particular the recent developments in counselling practice both nationally and internationally. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
2 Have the technical knowledge and skills to discern and evaluate your counselling practice with clients recovering from loss and trauma. Creative and critical thinker
Ethical
3 Respond sensitively to clients experiencing existential or spiritual challenges. Creative and critical thinker
4 Demonstrate an understanding of the in-session application of concepts, theories and interventions of grief counselling and grief therapy Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Ethical
5 Create and sustain an ethical therapeutic relationship with persons through a bereavement and mourning process and assist them to make meaning of their experience linking individual wellness to community wellbeing. Creative and critical thinker
Ethical
Engaged

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

COU702 and enrolled in Program AR708

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

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

Reflection and review of all content is encouraged in weekly workshops, and feedback will be given in class.

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 Group 0%
20 minutes
Week 4 In Class
All 2 Essay Individual 30%
2000 words
Week 6 Online Submission
All 3 Oral Individual 40%
20 minutes of a full 50 minute session.
Week 9 Online Submission
All 4 Essay Individual 30%
2000 words
Week 12 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Applying grief and loss models to a fictional film character
Goal:
This formative assessment will be part of Week 4 workshop for COU705. In groups of three, you will analyse the needs of a fictitious film character who has undergone a major loss, and apply your knowledge of working with loss and bereavement, design and outline a plan for counselling the person. The plan needs to demonstrate awareness of how counselling could support the clients issues.  As a team you will also indicate activities that might be useful and supportive for at least the first three sessions with this client.
Product: Activity Participation
Authorship Statement:
Format:
In class presentation.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
In class formative assessment applying grief and loss models to a client.
1 4 5
Generic Skills:
Communication, Collaboration, Organisation, Applying technologies
All - Assessment Task 2:Reflective Essay - Spirituality in Counselling
Goal:
To create an essay that reflects on aspects of your personal and professional development in terms of therapeutic areas where spirituality or transpersonal sensitivity would be appropriate and supportive within the discipline of counselling.
Product: Essay
Authorship Statement:
Format:
This essay is an overall personal reflection on your professional development through the Masters course as well as during Internship. You will highlight skills, knowledge and experiences in this course and in your counselling practice where spirituality or transpersonal sensitivity were appropriate, relevant or required. In the essay you should note what might be your 'growing edge' ie any areas you feel may need further development in your future professional and personal attitudes and practices in order to enhance your counselling practice.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
​Evidence of commitment to on-going personal and professional development
1 3 5
2
depth of reflection and insights gained
3 4 5
3
clear outline of spiritual/transpersonal issues that can arise within counselling
1 3
4
identification of client groups or conditions where transpersonal sensitivity is required
3 4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Grief and Loss Role Play
Goal:
To apply the techniques of Grief Therapy to a client in a role play.
Product: Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Record a live role play with a student client, giving the client a full 50 minute session and presenting the 20 minutes of the session that demonstrates some or all of your intervention by using timestamp to indicate where your chosen 20 minutes starts.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Provide a succinct summary of Grief Therapy (300 words)
1 4
2
Provide evidence of sequential session planning to accommodate individual client needs
1 2 4 5
3
Justify the progression of therapeutic activities over six sessions
1 5
4
Assessment criteria are mapped to the course learning outcomes.
1 2 3
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 4:Essay reflecting on your role play
Goal:
To reflect on your ability to apply theory to practice in your role play, highlighting models and theories used, and critiquing your skills and abilities in the role play session.
Product: Essay
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Formal written essay demonstrating the ability to apply theory to practice.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Clarity of rational for analysis of the chosen character – evidence of trauma 
and/or loss
2 4 5
2
Clear treatment plan – over at least three sessions
1 2 3 4 5
3
Details of goals and activities for each session
2 3 4
4
A clear one-page summary to hand out to the class
1
Generic Skills:
Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, 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
Required Judith Murray 2015 Understanding Loss n/a Routledge
Recommended Robert A. Neimeyer 2016 Techniques of Grief Therapy n/a Routledge

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

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: