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.

  • Unit Title

    Ethics in Counselling
  • Unit Code

    COU6504
  • Year

    2021
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Milan VOJNOVIC

Description

This unit develops understanding of the ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions of professional counselling practice, with special consideration given to agency context and modality of delivery (face-to-face, phone and digital). Students will examine the ethical foundations of the profession and gain an awareness of the complex moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors as the field expands across the digital realm. Content in this unit reflects the need for ethical diversity and supports students to appreciate the variety of human experience by recognising and responding to differences in client abilities, needs and culture. Students will reflect upon, and analyse, their values, beliefs, attitudes and biases to understand how these impact on their counselling practice and learn to resolve common ethical dilemmas, and more complex challenges, not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Students undertake this unit in an accelerated delivery mode over 6 weeks.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically examine the ethical, legal and moral obligations of counsellors in a variety of contexts.
  2. Formulate and justify appropriate responses to complex ethical dilemmas which may arise in counselling practice.
  3. Critically review the impact of culture and social context factors on the ethical stance of the counsellor and subsequent interventions.
  4. Examine the role of reflective practice and supervision in ensuring ethical professional practice and ongoing development.

Unit Content

  1. Ethical and legal dimensions of professional counselling practice, including; respect for autonomy; non-maleficence; beneficence; justice; and fidelity.
  2. Social, legal and moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors.
  3. Ethical diversity - differences in client abilities, needs and culture.
  4. Ethical dilemmas common in counselling practice, including; confidentiality; client rights; dual relationships; managing boundaries; and values conflicts.
  5. Personal reflections on values, beliefs, attitudes and biases.
  6. Solutions for common ethical dilemmas and those not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences through ECUs LMS as well as additional ECU l

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

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.

ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseMapping of ethical practices and principles30%
Case StudyManaging and responding to ethical dilemmas40%
Reflective PracticeSelf-reflection on complex ethical issues30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

COU6504|1|1

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.

  • Unit Title

    Ethics in Counselling
  • Unit Code

    COU6504
  • Year

    2021
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Milan VOJNOVIC

Description

This unit develops understanding of the ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions of professional counselling practice, with special consideration given to agency context and modality of delivery (face-to-face, phone and digital). Students will examine the ethical foundations of the profession and gain an awareness of the complex moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors as the field expands across the digital realm. Content in this unit reflects the need for ethical diversity and supports students to appreciate the variety of human experience by recognising and responding to differences in client abilities, needs and culture. Students will reflect upon, and analyse, their values, beliefs, attitudes and biases to understand how these impact on their counselling practice and learn to resolve common ethical dilemmas, and more complex challenges, not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Students undertake this unit in an accelerated delivery mode over 6 weeks.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically examine the ethical, legal and moral obligations of counsellors in a variety of contexts.
  2. Formulate and justify appropriate responses to complex ethical dilemmas which may arise in counselling practice.
  3. Critically review the impact of culture and social context factors on the ethical stance of the counsellor and subsequent interventions.
  4. Examine the role of reflective practice and supervision in ensuring ethical professional practice and ongoing development.

Unit Content

  1. Ethical and legal dimensions of professional counselling practice, including; respect for autonomy; non-maleficence; beneficence; justice; and fidelity.
  2. Social, legal and moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors.
  3. Ethical diversity - differences in client abilities, needs and culture.
  4. Ethical dilemmas common in counselling practice, including; confidentiality; client rights; dual relationships; managing boundaries; and values conflicts.
  5. Personal reflections on values, beliefs, attitudes and biases.
  6. Solutions for common ethical dilemmas and those not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences through ECUs LMS as well as additional ECU l

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

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.

ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseMapping of ethical practices and principles30%
Case StudyManaging and responding to ethical dilemmas40%
Reflective PracticeSelf-reflection on complex ethical issues30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

COU6504|1|2