Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE COU5306

 
TITLE Practicum 3

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Counselling

 
DESCRIPTION The study-unit aims to give the opportunity to trainee counsellors to practice their skills through counselling clients and through role play during supervision. In this study-unit, these skills will be addressed through a variety of procedures including personal and professional development, direct counselling with clients in approved placements, role play during supervision, ongoing supervision and group growth, and by audio/visual recordings. The study-unit also aims to provide direct feedback to students through thorough and continuous supervision in order to help students sharpen their skills. This study-unit addresses 125 hours of practicum.

Study-Unit Aims:

This practicum gives the opportunity to trainee counsellors to practice skills developed in a variety of settings and with a variety of clients in approved placements. It is the third part of the four part practicum required in the master’s programme. In previous study-units, students would have practiced their counselling skills by co-counselling with other trainee counsellors and by starting client work. In this Practicum, they will continue to counsel real clients under supervised practice. Furthermore the supervisors may require trainee-counsellors to do various other exercises including direct observation, reflective work, and analysis of transcripts to help sharpen their skills. Particular emphasis will be made on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to carry out a case study within their own professional practice and setting.

This study-unit will continue to address the student’s personal, professional and group development, an integral part of the identity of the counsellor. Students will have the opportunity to take part in group development sessions and address personal and group themes like conflict and conflict management, difference, relationships with authority, change and resistance to change. Personal and group development is vital to the formation of competent counselling professionals and helps develop a reflexive attitude in practice and research. Students will be required to keep a reflexive journal throughout the course.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Manifest a repertoire of responses to clients;
- Conceptualise client concerns;
- Develop individual plans and intervention strategies;
- Identify the personal characteristics needed to be an effective counsellor;
- Describe specific procedures, skills and exercises employed by counsellors in aiding the client to reach counselling goals and objectives;
- Identify and critique one’s own strengths and areas of professional growth in relation to these techniques;
- Identify how and when to apply the most appropriate techniques to the therapeutic relationship;
- Demonstrate an awareness of the strengths and limitations of each technique;
- Explain ethical and legal issues in counselling as they apply to the practicum setting;
- Explain the theoretical bases for counselling strategies;
- Illustrate transcultural issues as they relate to counselling clients of varying social/cultural/ethnic groups and identify various skills and techniques that can be applied;
- Discuss crisis intervention strategies;
- Explain professional conduct as presented in the Practicum handbook;
- Explain the application and implications of MACP Code of Ethics and the council for the regulation of the counselling profession and the Counselling Profession Act;
- Identify all laws, code of ethics and other regulations and mandates set forth by the setting that governs professional counselling services and professional conduct. Discuss the content of the Practicum Handbook;
- Discuss the case study approach in professional practice;
- Debate the importance of practice-based evidence.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Write case notes, court notes, records and client contracts;
- Identify instances where referral is appropriate;
- Demonstrate advanced counselling skills such as immediacy, confrontation, advanced accurate empathy and interpretation;
- Discuss how the counselling relationship can be used to foster client growth;
- Identify Crisis Intervention Strategies;
- Describe laws and other regulations and mandates that govern professional counselling services and professional conduct;
- Demonstrate the attitudes, beliefs, values and responsibilities expected of a professional counsellor;
- Demonstrate confidentiality and boundaries;
- Successfully apply specific procedures, skills and exercises outlined above in counselling situations;
- Appropriately use each technique in helping the client move towards awareness and insight or set goals as applicable to the client's individual personality, aptitude, motivation and situation;
- Carry out a case study within their own professional practice and setting.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Practicum Handbook.
- Supervision Handbook.
- Bager-Charleson, S. (2010). Reflective practice in counselling and psychotherapy. SAGE.
- Feltham, C., Hanley, T., & Winter, L.A. (2017). The Sage Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy 4th Ed. Sage Publications Limited.
- CHAPTER 538 COUNSELLING PROFESSION ACT (1st May, 2015):
http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx? app=lom&itemid=12292&l=1.
- Malta Association for the Counselling Profession Code of Ethics:
http://www.macpmalta.org/web/macp.nsf/0/117499C5EB53A813C125793300468D88/$FILE/Code%20of%20Ethics%20-%202014.pdf.
- The Data Protections Act http://www.idpc.gov.mt/dbfile.aspx/DPA_amended2012.pdf.
- Chapter 464 The Healthcare Professions Act:
https://www.google.com.mt/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Maltes+Professions+Act.

Supplementary Readings:

- American Counselling Association Code of Ethics: https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf.
- Brammer, L.M & Macdonald, G. (1996). The helping relationship: Process and skills. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
- Corey, G. (2008) Theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy (8th ed.). UK: Brooks/Cole.
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Code of Ethics. http://www.bacp.co.uk/ethical_framework/.
- Crough A. (1997). Inside counselling. London: Sage.
- Egan, G. (all editions) The skilled helper. USA:ITP Publications.
- Joyce, P. & Sills, C. (2001). Skills in Gestalt counselling & psychotherapy. London: Sage.
- Houston, G. (2003). Brief Gestalt Therapy. London: Sage Publications.
- Hycner, R. & Jacobs, L (1995). The healing relationship in Gestalt Therapy. Highland, NY: Gestalt Journal Publications.
- Jacobs, M. (2010) Psychodynamic counselling in action (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
- Singer, J. (1994). Boundaries of the soul. USA: Rev Up Su edition.
- Mearns D. & Thorne B. 1999, Person-centered counselling in action. London: Sage Publications.
- Patterson, L.E., & Welfel, E.R. (1977) The counselling process. CA: Brooks and Cole.
- Perls, F.S. Hefferline, R. and Goodaman, P (1951/1969). Gestalt therapy: excitement and growth in the human personality. New York: Julian Press.
- Roth, A & Fonagy, P. (1996). The relationship between outcome and therapist training, experience, and technique. London: Guildford.
- Woolfe, R & Dryden, W (1996). Handbook of counselling psychology. London: Sage Publications.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES It is the student's responsibility to participate in all the required supervision sessions and to familiarise themselves and adhere to the practicum and supervision handbook. Due to the nature of this study-unit and the profile of a counsellor, students must obtain an obligatory pass (55%) in each assessment component for an overall pass mark to be awarded.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Practicum

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Case Study (Take Home) SEM2 Yes 50%
Portfolio SEM2 No 50%

 
LECTURER/S Silvia Galea

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit