Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

• Unit Title

  Field Placement 1

• Unit Code

  COU6424

• Year

  2022

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  2

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  

• Unit Coordinator

  Dr Sonam PELDEN

Description

This unit prepares students to work within the frame of individual therapies, families and couples work, and group psychotherapy. The aim is for students to develop their experience in both in-depth and more intensive short-term modalities. Clinical emphasis on the person of the therapist in relationship with the world of the client/s is a key part of all the units. This course is psychologically and culturally relevant to populations across the lifespan and encompasses classical and modern understandings of contemporary mental health issues, with the goal of aiding in early interventions and symptom relief. Students seeking placement are in their final year of the course. This unit provides an opportunity for the student to receive supervised practice in an agency setting. Students will spend a minimum of one-two days per week in an agency setting and will carry a client load allocated by the agency. This unit aims to develop the full identity and competence of the counselling and psychotherapy students and will include conducting counselling sessions, participating in a team, receiving supervision for work and participation in following agency policy and procedures. This unit has a compulsory attendance requirement. In keeping with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) stipulations, students need to have practised necessary skills/competencies in the classroom to a satisfactory level before going out into the field. Additionally, students will need to have passed all prerequisites and deemed placement ready by the university panel led by the placement coordinator. Students must comply with the clinical and professional field Placement requirements which include providing clearances and/or risk management protocols required. Risk management protocols include, but are not restricted to: Certificate of National Police Clearance Department of Health (WA) Criminal Screening Working with Children Check (more information at www.checkwwc.wa.gov.au) Due to the nature of this unit, students must be enrolled before the second week of the teaching period and not later. They must be enrolled before commencing field Placement and must have submitted the required checks to the University.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Placement in an approved counselling agency Students must attend the two on-campus placement seminars.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass 5 units from COU5210, COU6113, COU6305, COU6324, COU6403

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Carry out counselling using the models and approaches taught in the course.
2. Demonstrate a capacity to reflect on their assessments and practice and to communicate their thinking to other professionals in appropriate language.
3. Demonstrate the capacity to engage a range of clients and create purposeful contracts for counselling.
4. Differentiate between counsellors' needs and issues and those of the client.
5. Establish a supervision contract and follow this through.
6. Recognise limitations and constraints and take these into account in their work.
7. Show a capacity to take on agency policy and procedures and take these appropriately into account while engaged in the placement.

Unit Content

1. Learning through the placement is achieved in relation to a learning contract established between the student and the agency supervisor early in the placement. This contract will be set out in accordance with guidelines set out in the Field Placement manual.
2. Students will carry their own case load of agency clients, under the supervision of an agency staff member.
3. The learning contract will set out the goals and processes to be used to achieve the placement objectives and will describe placement tasks and expectations, skills to be practiced, individual learning goals, theory integration processes and supervision arrangements.
4. The unit is conducted as a field placement in a community agency.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

Eligible placement students are interviewed by the university panel/Field Placement Coordinator to assess suitability of the students to progress on Placement. Thereafter, CVs of selected students will be emailed to available agencies for further selection. See the COU6424 placement manual to understand the process and requirements. Students must be accepted for Placement at the agency before proceeding. Students must complete a minimum of 120 hours in the field out of the 280-field placement in this unit and additionally complete the two placement seminars led by the placement coordinator.

Assessment

GS2 GRADING SCHEMA 2 Used for Undifferentiated Pass/Fail units inc. practical units or work-integrated learning

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit information may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

^ Mandatory to Pass