Pre-requisites

None.

Co-requisites

CN902.506 Reflective Counselling Practice on Oppression, Liberation and Wellbeing

Learning Outcomes

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

• Philosophically and theologically evaluate the influence of dominant social-historical contexts and assumptions underlying approaches to counselling, psychology and mental health issues as well as their own theory and practices.

• Critically assess the values, principles and conceptual lenses that have given rise to alternate conceptions of liberation and wellbeing and to critically reflect on their own experience of these conceptions.

• Analyse problems in wellbeing at various levels of abstraction, identifying the social determinants of issues in health and wellbeing and to communicate the significance and consequences of undertaking such an analysis.

Unit Description

This unit commences with an investigation into the philosophical and cultural assumptions that support traditional views of individual mental health and counselling. It critiques these approaches theologically and philosophically to provide adequate foundations for thinking more deeply about the psychological and social contexts of counselling. Consequently the unit explores the language of oppression and liberation including the psychological, political and theological. The values, conceptual lenses and assumptions of liberation and wellbeing are developed as being appropriate for an emerging Community Counselling model. Fundamental to the theory and practice of the emerging field is the recognition of significant social injustice. The meaning of a range of concepts such as power, solidarity, collaboration, accountability and partnering are explored and evaluated in the context of personal, relational and social wellbeing with a focus on ecosystemic thinking. Issues and concerns are investigated at different levels of conceptionalisation. Different assumptions associated with levels of understanding, theory and practice are studied, including:

1. Collective wellbeing, social justice, liberation, ecological change, transformation and advocacy (liberation theology; liberation psychology),
2. Appreciating cultural diversity (multiculturalism, community empowerment and a postmodern thinking),
3. Organisational wellbeing, organisational culture and partnerships,
4. Relational wellbeing, groups, support networks and collaboration, partnerships,
5. Personal wellbeing, the role of positive psychology in promoting wellness, health and wellbeing.

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Unit offerings

Face to face: (Every Year, Semester 1)

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.