PYN006 Professional Studies 2

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit provides an experiential introduction to the process of professional supervision drawing upon students real world experiences as a practitioner.  Face to face and digital practices and technologies will be used as mediums for supervision.   Supervision processes, roles, responsibilities, content, approaches to practice and theories will be reviewed and professional issues commonly addressed in supervision conversations examined, such as power, gender, culture, consent and duty of care.

This unit aims to help you to gain an understanding of the impact of supervision in general and an appreciation of the roles, responsibilities, skills and demands from a variety of approaches to ensure Interdisciplinary and interprofessional learning and employability upon graduation.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Analyse and reflect on significant aspects of your real world counselling practice by participating in a collaborative constructionist supervision session with a student peer.
2. Investigate a major ethical or professional issue in counselling from diverse perspective, and examine the role of supervision in reflecting and maintaining professional standards.
3. Critically examine the unique aspects, limitations, and consequences of contrasting approaches to counselling supervision.
4. Evaluate one approach to counselling supervision by situating the approach in the general field of counselling practice from multiple perspectives..

Content

Learning Approaches

The teaching program consists of one full-day workshop (on a weekend) and ten 3-hour evening classes. The classes consist of a combination of lectures, small group discussions, supervision demonstrations and debriefing. These classes will also engage you through peer-to-peer case-based learning. You are expected to be active participants in weekly readings, journaling, small group discussions, and as a supervisee in multiple models of live supervision and debriefing.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive continual formative feedback to regular reflective processes such as journaling, small group discussions, and structured exercises. Summative feedback will occur through the two formal assessment items.

Assessment

Overview

The assessment items in this unit integrate research, journaling, practice and reflective practice. You will experientially explore what supervision is and how it enhances your practice. You will also be asked to reflect on your experiences of different approaches to supervision.

Threshold assessment conditions

Due to the experiential nature of the unit, you must complete all pieces of assessment. Summative assessment items will be criterion-referenced on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Each of the summative assessment items must be satisfactorily completed to pass this unit and ALL criteria within each assessment must be deemed satisfactory.  Therefore any students not reaching a satisfactory grade for any of the individual criteria will be asked to resubmit that particular criteria.  Only one resubmission will be afforded and If any criteria is not deemed satisfactory the student will receive an overall unsatisfactory grade.

The final result for this unit will not contribute to your overall course GPA.

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Demonstration & Critique

You will act as a supervisee receiving collaborative constructionist supervision hosted by a PYN007 student and reflecting team.  Following your session, you will submit a paper offering a critical review of your experience as a supervisee. The essay will include a critical review of literature on the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of a collaborative/constructionist approach. 

Graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis

Only the submission of documentation (written critique) is an assignment for the purposes of an extension. 

Threshold Assessment:

Because of the experiential nature of the unit, you must complete all pieces of assessment. Resubmissions of unsatisfactory assignments may be negotiated with the unit coordinator.

Assessment: Written Critique

You will participate in a supervision session hosted by a specialist supervisor that has significant experience in the field. The specialist supervisor will offer a contrasting supervision model that differs from a collaborative constructionist approach. You will submit a reflective analysis of your experience, incorporating a critical review of the literature on the contrasting supervision model, and compare this to a collaborative/constructionist approach. 

Graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Threshold Assessment:

Because of the experiential nature of the unit, you must complte all pieces of assessment. Resubmissions of unsatisfactory assignments may be negotiated with the unit coordinator.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Carrol, M. & Gilbert , M. (2011). On Being a Supervisee: Creating Learning Partnerships. Kew Victoria: PsychOz Publications

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

PY12 Master of Counselling

1. Critique and employ coherent therapeutic, practical and contextually relevant counselling knowledge, skills and values that embody a collaborative professional discourse that honours multiple perspectives across culturally diverse lifespans.
   Relates to: Demonstration & Critique, Written Critique
2. Critically evaluate and apply intentional practice processes, engaging advanced critical thinking and decision-making skills, underpinned by ethical and professional values and critical reflexivity to ensure culturally safe collaborative counselling.
   Relates to: Demonstration & Critique, Written Critique
3. Critically evaluate and apply theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of counselling research and practice, drawing upon digital capabilities and the qualities of ethical conduct, social inclusivity, reflexivity and reflection in sustainable ways.
   Relates to: Written Critique
4. Scrutinise counselling research literature, reflected in autoethnographic professional practice experience, to develop new knowledge integral to the standards of professional counselling practice and practice innovation.
   Relates to: Demonstration & Critique
5. Promote and practice effective written, oral and digital communication processes including advanced listening and dialogue skills, congruent with a collaborative counselling approach, in a range of contexts.
   Relates to: Demonstration & Critique, Written Critique