PYN007 Approaches to Clinical Supervision

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit provides an experiential introduction to the process of clinical supervision, drawing upon student’s real-world experiences as a practitioner.  Face to face and digital practices and technologies will be used as mediums for supervision. Supervision processes, roles, legal and ethical responsibilities, approaches, and theories are reviewed.

This unit aims to help you to gain an in-depth and practical understanding of the impact of supervision from a variety of perspectives to ensure Interdisciplinary and interprofessional learning and employability while contributing to sustainable futures within organisations, industries within local and global communities.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Apply effective professional supervision skills from a range of perspectives;
2. Identify and articulate the relevant supervision techniques including the professional and ethical frameworks associated with the supervision approach;
3. Articulate and report on a personal practice framework for guiding supervision drawing on career development and employability;
4. Synthesise and critique the research and theory on counselling supervision and associated professional and ethical issues.

Content

Learning Approaches

The teaching program consists of a weeklong learning intensive including lectures and tutorials along with online self-paced lectures. The classes consist of a combination of lectures, small group discussions, supervision demonstrations and debriefing.  The classes will also engage you through peer-to-peer case-based learning. You are expected to be active participants in readings, journaling, small group discussions, debriefing and take on the role of the supervisee and supervisor within a collaborative constructionist supervision context and as a supervisee in one of four contrasting models offered by specialists in the field.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive continual formative feedback during classes, structured exercises and reflections. Summative feedback will occur through the two formal assessment items. These include 1. A live in person supervision demonstration, completed at the end of your intensive week. 2. Following this You will also provide a 3000-word written critique of your demonstration, contrasting this to alternative models of supervision, in addition to the articulation of your emerging understanding and approach to supervision in the context of contemporary counselling practice.   

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 provide written reflections and critiques of your experiences of the 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. In the context where assessed demonstrations are not deemed satisfactory, an alternative assessment will be provided, that includes the opportunity to re-demonstrate specific skills and engage with educators regarding a learning plan for further development of competencies. If the subsequent demonstration is also deemed unsatisfactory and/or the agreed program of skill development is not engaged with, 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

Taking on the role of Clinical Supervisor, in  a live supervision session you will be required to demonstrate at least 2 collaborative constructionist skills sequences throughout the session. 

You will also be required to demonstrate active participation as a supervisee and reflecting team member throughout the tutorials.  

Following this demonstration, you will engage in a debrief and feedback process that will provide opportunity for reflection and the collection of feedback from multiple sources.  

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Threshold Assessment:

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.

In the context where assessed demonstrations are not deemed satisfactory, an alternative assessment will be provided, that includes the opportunity to re-demonstrate specific skills and engage with educators regarding a learning plan for further development of competencies. If the subsequent demonstration is also deemed unsatisfactory and/or the agreed program of skill development is not engaged with, the student will receive an overall unsatisfactory grade. 

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

Assessment: Critical Essay

During your teaching intensive you will observe 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.

Drawing on this experience of a contrasting supervision model, and your collaborative constructionist supervision skills demonstration, you will submit a 3000-word written critique of your demonstration, contrasting this approach to alternative models of supervision and situating it within contemporary counselling practice.

You will also be required to provide evidence of authorship and academic integrity via submission of a draft to your unit coordinator a week prior to the due date. Additionally, you must also submit a log of all generative AI interactions relevant to the research and writing of this paper as an appendix.   

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Threshold Assessment:

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.

In the context where assessed demonstrations are not deemed satisfactory, an alternative assessment will be provided, that includes the opportunity to re-demonstrate specific skills and engage with educators regarding a learning plan for further development of competencies. If the subsequent demonstration is also deemed unsatisfactory and/or the agreed program of skill development is not engaged with, the student will receive an overall unsatisfactory grade. 

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

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

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.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Carroll, M. (2014). Effective Supervision for the Helping Professions (2nd ed.). London: Sage

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, Critical Essay
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, Critical Essay
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: Critical Essay
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: Critical Essay
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, Critical Essay