Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE COU5308

 
TITLE Practicum 4

 
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 demonstrate 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 direct counselling with clients in approved placements, role play during supervision, personal and professional development, ongoing supervision and group growth, and by audio/visual recordings. The study-unit also aims to provide direct feedback to students through thorough and ongoing supervision in order to help students sharpen their skills. This study-unit addresses the last 125 hours of the required practicum hours which trainee-counsellors have been completing over the duration of this Master’s Programme.

Study-Unit Aims:

This practicum is the culminating experience for trainee counsellors who will be required to practice their skills in a variety of settings and with a variety of clients in approved placements and subsequently through an internship. It is the fourth and final part practicum-based study unit required in the master’s programme. In previous study-units, students have practiced their counselling skills by co-counselling with other trainee counsellors and by role-playing before then also starting to counsel real clients under supervise settings. During this unit trainees will continue to work with clients as they further develop their counselling skills and knowledge base. Trainees will be under intense supervision and supervisors may require trainee counsellors to do various other exercises including direct observation, reflective work, analysis of transcripts and personal analysis to help sharpen their skills.

This study-unit will continue addressing the student’s personal, professional and group development of the cohort. 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 an expanded and refined repertoire of responses with clients;
- Conceptualise a vast array of client concerns;
- Implement individual plans and intervention strategies;
- Demonstrate an integration of the personal characteristics needed to be an effective counsellor;
- Implement specific procedures, skills and exercises to help clients to reach counselling goals and objectives;
- Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the awareness of one’s own strengths and growing edges in relation to these techniques;
- Apply the most appropriate techniques to the therapeutic relationship;
- Discuss the strengths and limitations of various counselling techniques as they apply to a range of client concerns;
- Identify and appraise ethical and legal issues that apply to a variety of practicum setting;
- Integrate theoretical guided counselling strategies into practice;
- Establish skills and techniques that address transcultural issues as they relate to counselling clients of varying social/cultural/ethnic groups;
- Develop crisis intervention strategies that can be applied across a vast array of counselling settings;
- Demonstrate an integrated understanding of professional conduct as it relates to the counselling profession;
- Employ facets of the MACP Code of Ethics and the council for the regulation of the counselling profession and the Counselling Profession Act as appropriate;
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of all laws, code of ethics and other regulations and mandates set forth by the setting that governs professional counselling services and professional conduct.

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

- Write accurate and professional case notes, court notes, client contracts and records;
- Demonstrate referral skills;
- Integrate and appropriately apply an array of counselling skills to practice;
- Demonstrate how the counselling relationship can be used to foster client growth;
- Implement crisis intervention strategies;
- Utilise appropriate laws and other regulations and mandates that govern professional counselling services and professional conduct;
- Demonstrate a commitment to the continuous development of attitudes, beliefs, values and responsibilities expected of a professional counsellor;
- Demonstrate a commitment to the continued commitment to confidentiality and boundaries;
- Appropriately use techniques and skills to help clients move towards awareness and insight or set goals as applicable to the client's individual personality, aptitude, motivation and situation;
- Carry out a process report within their own professional practice and setting.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Practicum Handbook.
- Supervision Handbook.
- 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=Maltese+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 Publications.
- 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.
- Lapworth, P., & Sills, C. (2010). Integration in Counselling & Psychotherapy: developing a personal approach. Sage Publications.
- McLeod, J. (2010). Case study research in counselling and psychotherapy. Sage Publications.
- Tolan, J., & Wilkins, P. (Eds.). (2012). Client Issues in Counselling and Psychotherapy: Person-centred Practice. SAGE.

 
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 obligatory pass mark (55%) to be awarded.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Practicum

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Practical [See Add. Notes] SEM2 No 40%
Logbook [See Add. Notes] SEM2 No 60%

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
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.

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