Course Outline
PSY750 Ethical Professional Practice of Psychology
Course Coordinator:Kathina Ali (kali@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Psychology
2024Semester 1
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 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
The UniSC postgraduate psychology program is committed to maintaining the primacy of public safety in the delivery of the program within the education and placement environments. This course introduces you to the ethical and professional standards that apply to work undertaken by a clinical psychologist in professional contexts involving psychological consultation, program evaluation, practice management, maintenance of registration, planned continuing professional development, ethico-legal issues such as privacy, court orders and reporting, and resolution of ethical dilemmas.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – 3 hour workshop | 3hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Course Topics
Course topics encompass professional practice and ethics associated with contextual decision-making, assessment and treatment of psychological disorders, managing multiple relationships and medicolegal issues, marketing and advertising, self-care and burnout, and working with people who have intellectual disabilities.
What level is this course?
700 Level (Specialised)
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 Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Psychology Accreditation Council | |
| 1 | Show knowledge of ethical conduct in the context of professional psychological practice with vulnerable populations |
Empowered Ethical |
3.1
|
| 2 | Show knowledge of the organisational and independent contexts of professional psychological practice |
Ethical Engaged |
3.10
|
| 3 | Show knowledge of, and practice in dealing with, the various legal and regulatory frameworks applying to professional psychological practice |
Knowledgeable Ethical |
3.2, 3.6 |
| 4 | Show awareness of personal responsibility for ethical decision making in professional practice situations with vulnerable populations |
Empowered Ethical |
3.3
|
| 5 | Show awareness of potential ethical problems that arise in practising psychology with vulnerable populations |
Creative and critical thinker Sustainability-focussed |
4.2.1.1, 4.2.1.2, 4.2.1.3, 4.2.2.1, 4.2.2.2, 4.2.2.3, 4.2.2.4, 4.2.3.1, 4.2.3.4 |
| 6 | Demonstrate ability to resolve ethical problems in accordance with the APS Code of Ethics, APS Ethical Guidelines, and other relevant professional resources |
Empowered Ethical |
3.11, 3.13, 3.14 |
* Competencies by Professional Body
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Australian Psychology Accreditation Council | |
| 3.1 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, and consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings and codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically demonstrate successful (prior or concurrent) achievement of pre-professional competencies. |
| 3.2 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, and consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings and codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically apply evidence-based and scientific methods to professional practice across the lifespan in empirically valid and culturally responsive ways. |
| 3.3 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, and consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings and codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically employ professional communication skills, in a culturally responsive manner, with a range of socially and culturally diverse clients. |
| 3.6 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, and consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings and codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically conduct professional interviews and assessments and synthesise information from multiple sources, including assessment of risk, to formulate a conceptualisation of the presenting issues to determine the most appropriate interventions. |
| 3.10 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, & consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings & codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically demonstrate respect for the skills and contribution of other professionals. |
| 3.11 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, & consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings & codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically work effectively with a range of professional and support staff in the workplace and communicate and collaborate effectively, within the bounds of ethical and legal requirements. |
| 3.13 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, & consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings & codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically rigorously apply professional practice policies and procedures, including as they relate to referral management and record-keeping, across a range of workplace settings and with recognition of different organisational cultures and practices. |
| 3.14 | Taking into account the broad diversity of clients, & consistent with current relevant legal frameworks, mental health practice standards, occupational settings & codes of ethical practice, graduates apply psychological knowledge to competently and ethically engage in self-reflective professional practice, taking account of the impact of their own values and beliefs, and taking appropriate actions as a result. |
| 4.2.1.1 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge of the following to their practice in clinical psychology: psychological theories of the aetiology, progression and/or recovery, precursors and sequelae of psychological disorders, including incidence, prevalence and predisposing, risk, protective and maintenance factors |
| 4.2.1.2 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge of the following to their practice in clinical psychology: both developmental systems and biopsychosocial models of health as they apply to psychological disorders as well as the multiple factors that impinge on mental health across the lifespan |
| 4.2.1.3 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge of the following to their practice in clinical psychology: psychopathology and relevant international taxonomies of classification of psychological disorders, including severe, complex and chronic mental illness |
| 4.2.2.1 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive assessment in the area of clinical psychology, including: evaluation of psychological disorders with reference to relevant international taxonomies of classification, including disorders of moderate to severe level and complexity |
| 4.2.2.2 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive assessment in the area of clinical psychology, including: use of assessment tools and processes related to a wide range of psychological disorders, and including psychometric tests, structured or semi-structured interviews, behavioural observations, measures of functionality and processes that enable collection of collateral information from multiple sources, including groups and systems relevant to the client |
| 4.2.2.3 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive assessment in the area of clinical psychology, including: integration, interpretation, and synthesis of clinical psychological assessment data with the knowledge of psychopathology to inform case formulation, diagnosis and intervention |
| 4.2.2.4 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive assessment in the area of clinical psychology, including: evaluation of symptom reduction, therapeutic outcomes, the therapeutic alliance and client progress throughout therapy. |
| 4.2.3.1 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive interventions in the area of clinical psychology, including: selection, tailoring and implementation of appropriate evidence-based interventions on the basis of an initial case formulation, whether individuals, dyads or carers/dependents |
| 4.2.3.4 | Graduates apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive interventions in the area of clinical psychology, including: evidence-based practice in the understanding and management of psychological disorders, including across the age range and across modalities such as e-health approaches. |
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
Enrolled in Program AR702 or AR703.
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
Limited Grading (PNP)
Details of early feedback on progress
You will have access to a formative assessment activity that will provide you with feedback on your progress in week 6 of the course. This will be a short multiple choice question test based on the course content from weeks 1-5. This formative assessment will help you to identify your strengths and address any potential gaps in your knowledge, understanding and skills and will not contribute to your outcome in the course.You will also be completing self-checks on your knowledge before and after every workshop.
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 | Written Piece | Individual | 1500 words |
Week 5 | Online Submission |
| All | 2 | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 15 minutes |
Week 13 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Class Assignment | |
| Goal: | The assignment will involve consideration of an ethical problem, practice management matter, ethico-legal or legislative matter, which is directly related to the course topics. The assignment requires the preparation of a 1500 word written summary of the key elements of the matter for discussion, which will be submitted via Canvas. The ethical vignette will be distributed by the course coordinator in Week 1 of the Semester. Please note that the Reference List is not included in the word count. The assessment aims to demonstrate engagement in the process of ethical decision making in psychological practice. |
| Product: | Written Piece |
| Format: | 1500 word written essay in APA format. You will apply the Ethical Decision Making model to scenario that will be available in Week 1, to work through the process to - (1) Recognise potential ethical issues, and whether these are your responsibility (2) Clarify ethical issues and identify involved principles (3) Generate and examine available courses of action (4) Choose and implement the most preferred option and (5) Reflect on and review the process You should have a brief introduction, then work through each ethical issue, clearly stating the potential problem, any relevant legislation, and proposed course of action, and finish with a brief conclusion that summaries these points. |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 2:Oral examination | |
| Goal: | The goal of this assessment is for you to demonstrate sound ethical decision making regarding psychological practice. The oral presentation will be based on your knowledge of ethical and professional practice issues (including those specifically with people from vulnerable populations) and explore your understanding of the major ethical and professional practice issues that the are raised in the materials. |
| Product: | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled |
| Format: | The exam will be undertaken in the final week of the semester, during the scheduled class time. You will be considering the ethical issues raised in two clinical vignettes. The vignettes will be made available on Canvas at the beginning of the time scheduled for the workshop. You will then have 60 minutes to read the vignettes and prepare your oral presentation. Your responses will summarise your understanding of the case vignettes and highlighting the ethical dilemmas and generating and evaluating potential courses of action. You are free to consult your lecture notes and the APS code of ethics and guidelines during the preparation of your responses. this time. It is recommended that first, you prepare a PowerPoint presentation that cover all of the points you wish to make and second, record yourself addressing each point (thereby creating as a narrated PowerPoint). Further, it is recommended that you allow 45 minutes to prepare your PowerPoint slides, then 15 minutes to record your responses, with a 10 minute buffer allowed for unexpected delays in uploading materials to Canvas. You will be provided with instructions on Canvas about how to upload your audio/video file to Canvas. In summary, you are required to upload your audio file to Canvas within 70 minutes of accessing the vignettes. You are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in this task. Use of AI in this task constitutes student misconduct and is considered contract cheating. AI is not permitted for this task because the course learning outcomes you are being assessed on require you to demonstrate your own skills and competencies. These course learning outcomes have been carefully designed based on Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) professional standards which outline the skills and competencies psychology graduates should be able to demonstrate. The assessment tasks have also been designed not only as methods of assessment, but as experiences which challenge you to learn and develop further skills that you can use in the future. |
| Criteria: |
|
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
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Christopher Boyle,Nicholas Gamble | 2014 | Ethical Practice in Applied Psychology | n/a | n/a |
| Recommended | Dr Alan Carr, Dr,Christine Linehan,John McEvoy,Gary O'Reilly,Patricia Noonan Walsh | 2016 | The Handbook of Intellectual Disability and Clinical Psychology Practice | n/a | Routledge |
Specific requirements
You are expected to attend all lectures. For any lectures that are missed you will need to demonstrate to your course coordinator that you have covered the required material. This will usually take the form of a detailed summary and reflection of the Directed Study Activities for the missed lecture.
How are risks managed in this course?
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 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) - Institutional Operating Policy of UniSC. 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.
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