COU361 COUNSELLING DEVELOPMENT AND SUPERVISION 1 NOTES
WEEK 1: CODE OF ETHICS, LEGISLATIONS AND POLICIES
Course Introduction
- 13-week course
- 10 tutorials
- 3 seminars
- Preplacement - 14/7 (10-12)
- Week 9 - 20/9 (12-2)
- Week 12 - 18/10 (12-2)
Course Outline
Week Date Topic Activity
Pre-placement 14/7 Placement Orientation Session On Campus Seminar
1 26/7 Code of Ethics, Legislations and Policies No Tutorial
2 2/8 Assessments, Study Schedule and Counselling Group Supervision and Tutorial
Microskills
3 9/8 Suicide, Self Harm and Risk Assessment Group Supervision and Tutorial
4 16/8 Mental Status Examinations Group Supervision and Tutorial
5 23/8 Ethical Decision Making Group Supervision and Tutorial
6 30/8 Cultural Competence Group Supervision and Tutorial
7 6/9 Getting the most out of Clinical Supervision Group Supervision and Tutorial
8 13/9 Self Care and Task 1: Oral Presentations Group Supervision and Tutorial
9 20/9 Record Keeping and Case Conceptualisation Group Supervision and Online Semina
10 4/10 Task 1: Oral Presentations Group Supervision and Tutorial
11 11/10 Task 1: Oral Presentations Group Supervision and Tutorial
12 18/10 E-Therapy and PACFA/ACA: Benefits of Group Supervision and Online Semina
Membership
Assessments
Task # Summary Due Date Weighting
,1 Oral presentation presented in class week 8, 10 or 11 18th October 40%
2 Contribute 100 words to weekly discussion topics Completed Weekly 20%
posted following tutorial Ending Week of
- Completed after every tutorial by answering a 4th November
question posed by Kelly
- The question could be related to the topic
discussed in the tutorial or concerned
with a theme that has been raised in
group supervision
- Important to use literature to reference
one’s point of view
3 1,800 (+/-10%) Word Reflective Essay 11th November 40%
1.1 What is the Difference between Ethics, Morality and the Law?
- Ethics, morals and laws can be considered as demands of how one should live.
Laws
- Laws are formal rules that govern how one behaves as a member of society.
- Laws specify what one must do and more frequently must not do
- Laws are upheld and applied by the state and court system
- The goal of laws is to create an enforceable standard of behaviour
- Laws can be just or unjust and are subject to ethical assessment.
- There are some matters in which the law will be silent, but morality and
ethics have a lot to say
- E.g., the law has no use if the person is deciding whether to speak
up to a friend making a racist joke. This person’s judgement will
still however be guided by ideas concerning what is good and
right.
Morality
- Morality refers to an informal framework of values, principles, beliefs, customs and ways
of living
- Moralities are not usually enforced by the state, but there are often social
pressures to conform to modern moral norms
- Examples of morality include Christianity, Stoicism and Buddhism. Each of these
provides a set of answers to basic ethical questions such as how should I live? and
what should I do?
- Morality can be inherited from family, community and culture
- Usually, the process of moral formation is unconscious
- What sets morality apart from ethics is morality can be applied as a matter of
habit without having to think.
, - One can simply obey instructions from those who claim moral authority
within a particular tradition
Ethics
- Ethics is a branch of philosophy that aims to answer the basic question: What should I
do? It is a process of reflection in which people’s decisions are shaped by their values,
principles, and purpose as opposed to unthinking habits or social conventions.
- One’s values, principles and purpose are what gives them a sense of what is good,
right and meaningful in their lives. They serve as a reference point for all the
possible courses of action one could choose.
- On this definition, an ethical decision is one based on conscious reflection
which gives effect to one’s values, principles and purpose in pursuit of a
proper goal.
Why Does it Matter?
- It can be tempting to see morality, law and ethics as more or less the same. One may
think that so long as they are fulfilling their legal and/or moral obligations they can
consider themselves ethical. In reality, however, there is more to ethics than morality and
law. Ethics: requires one to consciously think about issues the law cannot/does not
address, and puts moral systems under the microscope to see if they hold up.
- In the Ideal world one’s ethical beliefs shape the kinds of laws and moral systems
a society develops.
- When one’s conscious, reflective ethical views on what is good and right change
one ought to change the laws to reflect them and likewise one’s morality should
evolve in response to insight generated from ethical reflection.
1.2 Working with Aboriginal People: Enhancing Clinical Practice in Mental Health Care
- Indigenous Australians have been hospitalised with mental and behavioural disorders at
more than twice the rate of other Australians.
- The suicide rate for Indigenous youth is more than twice as high as non-Indigenous
Australians.
WEEK 2: COUNSELLING MICROSKILLS
- Counselling microskills are of critical importance to building rapport, trust and the
therapeutic alliance (Bogo, 2006).
- The essential nature of counselling microskills to aid in building trust and respect
(rapport) with the client, at the beginning of a session relationship, as well as maintaining
that therapeutic alliance across sessions (Cummins, Sevel, and Pedrick, 2005).
- Listening and silence exploring with questions that are neither judgemental nor leading,
and the use of nonverbal body language, are the language of micro-skills in counselling
as they help you to actively hear what the client is saying.
, - When a client feels seen and heard, valued as a person who is not in counselling “to be
fixed”, they feel understood and appreciated for who they are and their interpretation of
life. They feel validated. In turn, they are more likely to show you they trust you by
revealing deeper thoughts, emotions, and experiences with you.
Types of micro-skills
There are a range of micro-skills that can help a counsellor improve the ways that they
communicate with clients.
- Observing, paraphrasing and summarising
- Attending skills
- Basic listening sequence (BLS)
- Questioning skills
- Reflecting feeling
- Empathic confrontation
- Exploring meaning, values and beliefs
- Action skills
WEEK 3: SUICIDE AND RISK ASSESSMENT
High risk support services (24/7)
- Lifeline (13 11 14)
- Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467)
- Beyond Blue Support Service (1300 224 636)
- MensLine Australia (1300 78 99 78)
- Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800)
Non-immediate/lower urgency circumstances
- QLife (1800 184 727)
- Headspace
- Sane (1800 18 7263)
For Indigenous Australians
- Gayaa Dhuwi (Spirit Proud) Australia
- Wellmob
Prevention tools
- BeyondNow suicide safety plan app
- AIMhi Stay Strong app
- USC Suicide Risk Screener
Guidelines for Practicioners
- Important for practitioners to print and keep Australian Counselling Association Suicidal
Client Guidlines document.
WEEK 1: CODE OF ETHICS, LEGISLATIONS AND POLICIES
Course Introduction
- 13-week course
- 10 tutorials
- 3 seminars
- Preplacement - 14/7 (10-12)
- Week 9 - 20/9 (12-2)
- Week 12 - 18/10 (12-2)
Course Outline
Week Date Topic Activity
Pre-placement 14/7 Placement Orientation Session On Campus Seminar
1 26/7 Code of Ethics, Legislations and Policies No Tutorial
2 2/8 Assessments, Study Schedule and Counselling Group Supervision and Tutorial
Microskills
3 9/8 Suicide, Self Harm and Risk Assessment Group Supervision and Tutorial
4 16/8 Mental Status Examinations Group Supervision and Tutorial
5 23/8 Ethical Decision Making Group Supervision and Tutorial
6 30/8 Cultural Competence Group Supervision and Tutorial
7 6/9 Getting the most out of Clinical Supervision Group Supervision and Tutorial
8 13/9 Self Care and Task 1: Oral Presentations Group Supervision and Tutorial
9 20/9 Record Keeping and Case Conceptualisation Group Supervision and Online Semina
10 4/10 Task 1: Oral Presentations Group Supervision and Tutorial
11 11/10 Task 1: Oral Presentations Group Supervision and Tutorial
12 18/10 E-Therapy and PACFA/ACA: Benefits of Group Supervision and Online Semina
Membership
Assessments
Task # Summary Due Date Weighting
,1 Oral presentation presented in class week 8, 10 or 11 18th October 40%
2 Contribute 100 words to weekly discussion topics Completed Weekly 20%
posted following tutorial Ending Week of
- Completed after every tutorial by answering a 4th November
question posed by Kelly
- The question could be related to the topic
discussed in the tutorial or concerned
with a theme that has been raised in
group supervision
- Important to use literature to reference
one’s point of view
3 1,800 (+/-10%) Word Reflective Essay 11th November 40%
1.1 What is the Difference between Ethics, Morality and the Law?
- Ethics, morals and laws can be considered as demands of how one should live.
Laws
- Laws are formal rules that govern how one behaves as a member of society.
- Laws specify what one must do and more frequently must not do
- Laws are upheld and applied by the state and court system
- The goal of laws is to create an enforceable standard of behaviour
- Laws can be just or unjust and are subject to ethical assessment.
- There are some matters in which the law will be silent, but morality and
ethics have a lot to say
- E.g., the law has no use if the person is deciding whether to speak
up to a friend making a racist joke. This person’s judgement will
still however be guided by ideas concerning what is good and
right.
Morality
- Morality refers to an informal framework of values, principles, beliefs, customs and ways
of living
- Moralities are not usually enforced by the state, but there are often social
pressures to conform to modern moral norms
- Examples of morality include Christianity, Stoicism and Buddhism. Each of these
provides a set of answers to basic ethical questions such as how should I live? and
what should I do?
- Morality can be inherited from family, community and culture
- Usually, the process of moral formation is unconscious
- What sets morality apart from ethics is morality can be applied as a matter of
habit without having to think.
, - One can simply obey instructions from those who claim moral authority
within a particular tradition
Ethics
- Ethics is a branch of philosophy that aims to answer the basic question: What should I
do? It is a process of reflection in which people’s decisions are shaped by their values,
principles, and purpose as opposed to unthinking habits or social conventions.
- One’s values, principles and purpose are what gives them a sense of what is good,
right and meaningful in their lives. They serve as a reference point for all the
possible courses of action one could choose.
- On this definition, an ethical decision is one based on conscious reflection
which gives effect to one’s values, principles and purpose in pursuit of a
proper goal.
Why Does it Matter?
- It can be tempting to see morality, law and ethics as more or less the same. One may
think that so long as they are fulfilling their legal and/or moral obligations they can
consider themselves ethical. In reality, however, there is more to ethics than morality and
law. Ethics: requires one to consciously think about issues the law cannot/does not
address, and puts moral systems under the microscope to see if they hold up.
- In the Ideal world one’s ethical beliefs shape the kinds of laws and moral systems
a society develops.
- When one’s conscious, reflective ethical views on what is good and right change
one ought to change the laws to reflect them and likewise one’s morality should
evolve in response to insight generated from ethical reflection.
1.2 Working with Aboriginal People: Enhancing Clinical Practice in Mental Health Care
- Indigenous Australians have been hospitalised with mental and behavioural disorders at
more than twice the rate of other Australians.
- The suicide rate for Indigenous youth is more than twice as high as non-Indigenous
Australians.
WEEK 2: COUNSELLING MICROSKILLS
- Counselling microskills are of critical importance to building rapport, trust and the
therapeutic alliance (Bogo, 2006).
- The essential nature of counselling microskills to aid in building trust and respect
(rapport) with the client, at the beginning of a session relationship, as well as maintaining
that therapeutic alliance across sessions (Cummins, Sevel, and Pedrick, 2005).
- Listening and silence exploring with questions that are neither judgemental nor leading,
and the use of nonverbal body language, are the language of micro-skills in counselling
as they help you to actively hear what the client is saying.
, - When a client feels seen and heard, valued as a person who is not in counselling “to be
fixed”, they feel understood and appreciated for who they are and their interpretation of
life. They feel validated. In turn, they are more likely to show you they trust you by
revealing deeper thoughts, emotions, and experiences with you.
Types of micro-skills
There are a range of micro-skills that can help a counsellor improve the ways that they
communicate with clients.
- Observing, paraphrasing and summarising
- Attending skills
- Basic listening sequence (BLS)
- Questioning skills
- Reflecting feeling
- Empathic confrontation
- Exploring meaning, values and beliefs
- Action skills
WEEK 3: SUICIDE AND RISK ASSESSMENT
High risk support services (24/7)
- Lifeline (13 11 14)
- Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467)
- Beyond Blue Support Service (1300 224 636)
- MensLine Australia (1300 78 99 78)
- Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800)
Non-immediate/lower urgency circumstances
- QLife (1800 184 727)
- Headspace
- Sane (1800 18 7263)
For Indigenous Australians
- Gayaa Dhuwi (Spirit Proud) Australia
- Wellmob
Prevention tools
- BeyondNow suicide safety plan app
- AIMhi Stay Strong app
- USC Suicide Risk Screener
Guidelines for Practicioners
- Important for practitioners to print and keep Australian Counselling Association Suicidal
Client Guidlines document.
