Pre-requisites

SS601 Ethical and Professional Practice
CN611 Basic Counselling Skills
CN621 Counselling Skills and the Counselling Profession
Permission of the Course Coordinator

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Unit Description

The primary purpose of this unit is the learner’s supervised practical experience in counselling which offers an opportunity for observation, counselling clients, reflection, including from a Christian perspective, and supportive and close supervision.

After completion of initial orientation sessions and support in making the transition from the college situation, learners undertake practical professional counselling experience in a counselling agency within the community. Learners shall undertake counselling work in community agencies working with real clients in a graded and supervised fashion, depending upon their ability and readiness. Generally, students will commence their placement by first observing experienced counsellors working in counselling sessions and progress from observation to working as a co-counsellor to taking on their own clients.

This professional development will take place within a supportive supervisory context. Learners will receive two sources of clinical supervision. They will have the individual supervision of a field supervisor who will be an experienced counsellor in the agency or site where they are doing their placement. This will be complemented by a second tier of supervision in the form of tutorials and group supervision sessions with college professionals and other learners enrolled in the unit.

Topics

Teaching Strategies

Each student will work under the supervision of a professional person who has a good track record of counselling experience and appropriate qualifications. This supervisor (the Field Supervisor) may be a counsellor, a psychologist, a social worker, a pastor or a chaplain who is a clinical member of a recognised professional counselling association. The choice of Field Supervisor must be approved by the Unit Co-Ordinator.

The student may select the type of counselling practice/ministry in which he/she will gain the experience required in this module.

Consultations
Students will work with counselees, normally on an appointment basis. Initially consultations should be undertaken jointly with the Field Supervisor, and subsequently observed by the Field Supervisor or recorded for critical assessment by the supervisor. For family work, either of these modes, or a team approach with one-way screen supervision, may be used. Student counselling assignments should begin with easier cases and maximum supervision and progress to more complex cases and increased autonomy.

Supervision
A student must receive a minimum of sixteen (16) hours of individual supervision and must complete a minimum of two (2) hours of on-campus group reflective work. Initially, all decisions regarding future management, referral or mandatory reporting should be made with the Field Supervisor. All activities are to be recorded in an activity log-book for counter-signature by the Field Supervisor.

Unit offerings

Independent/Flexible: Semester 1, 2025 and Semester 2, 2025 (Every Year, Semester 1 and 2)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.