EUQ673 Career Counselling
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUQ673 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | EUQ643, EUN680, LCN622 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $592 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,468 |
| International unit fee | $4,740 |
Unit Outline: Session 2 2026, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | EUQ673 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | EUQ643, EUN680, LCN622 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
| Coordinator: | Deborah Munro | d2.munro@qut.edu.au |
Overview
In this unit, you will explore and analyse various counselling perspectives to develop an understanding of effective career counselling practice. Career counselling is a vital tool in helping individuals navigate their career decision-making process, typically conducted in one-on-one or small group settings. This interpersonal process draws on personal counselling methods to address career development issues and is increasingly viewed as a facilitated learning experience.
You will examine both established and emerging career counselling approaches, enhance your communication and counselling skills, and gain insight into the ethical considerations of the field. This unit will introduce you to key career theories and their practical applications in career counselling.
By the end of this unit, you will have developed a solid grasp of career counselling principles and practices, preparing you to apply these concepts in real-world settings.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Analyse client cases to identify key career issues and challenges in diverse organisational contexts, drawing on theory and research.
- Design and justify career counselling session plans for organisational contexts, integrating appropriate career and counselling theories, assessment tools and techniques.
- Demonstrate career counselling skills and appropriate communication strategies in diverse organisational counselling contexts.
- Critically reflect on and reflexively analyse career counseling practice in relation to theory to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance professional practice.
- Source and evaluate scholarly and professional literature on career issues and challenges faced by specific client groups.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- Career counselling
- The relationship between career counselling and personal counselling
- Theoretical approaches to career counselling
- The role of the career counsellor
- The process of career counselling
- Professional and ethical issues
- Career counselling models
- Career counselling microskills
- Career counselling for diverse client groups
- Career counselling components
- Considerations for the use of Gen AI in supporting the work of career counsellors
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Online modules
- Online discussions
- Readings
- Learning activities
- Reflection on current and future practice and careers
- Using Gen AI for planning
This unit employs interactive and discussion-based learning and critical reflection on experience.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- opportunity for formative feedback in this unit will include feedback on a learning activity related to assessment task 1
- self-reflection on learning and personal and professional experiences
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas website.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessments in this unit:
- Career Counselling Session Plan - this task draws on theory to develop a career counselling session plan.
- Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment - in this task you will apply career counselling skills to demonstrate a career counselling interview focusing on career indecision and critically reflect on your practice.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Career Counselling Session Plan
Choose a client group with which you could work as a career counselling. Using current literature, critically analyse the career issues pertinent to this group. Develop an integrated career counselling session plan that combines a career development theory with a counselling theory/approach. Discuss why your chosen theories are the most appropriate choices for this client group and how your plan will best support their needs.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
GenAI prohibited: The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
Assessment: Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment
You will produce a video-recording of yourself undertaking a career counselling session. You will recruit a client who is facing a career challenge from the cohort chosen in Assessment 1 and who has provided informed consent for this recording. In this session you will demonstrate your use of career counselling skills, the utilisation of career theory to guide this session, and the utility of the session plan developed in Assessment 1. Following submission of your video, you will participate in a 5-minute viva voce (oral examination) where you will critically reflect on your counselling practice. This viva serves as a Verified Identity Assessment, confirming authorship and understanding of your work. You will evaluate your technical skill application, ethical decision-making, maintenance of professional standards, and identify opportunities for professional growth and supervision support.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
GenAI allowed: 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.
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
There are two recommended texts for this unit. The other following resources are key reference sources and referred to often in this unit. All texts can be accessed through the QUT library, but there are limits on the number of students who can access each at one time. Other resources will be available on the unit's Canvas site.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Arthur, N. (2024). Practice Principles Career Theories and Models at Work. (1st ed.). CERIC.
Arthur, N., Neault, R., McMahan, M. (Eds) (2019) Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice. Toronto: CERIC.
Reference book(s)
McMahon, M. (2017). Career counselling: Constructivist approaches. London: Routledge.
Niles, S.G., & Amundson, N. (2005). Career counselling: Work in progress [DVD]. New Jersey: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Patton, W., & McMahon, M. (2015). Ideas for Career Practitioners: Celebrating excellence in career practice (2nd ed.). Brisbane: Australian Academic Press.
Patton, W., & McMahon, M. Career development and systems theory: Connecting theory and practice. (3rd ed.). (2014). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Risk Assessment Statement
During this unit, you will discuss sensitive topics with your peers that may have significant impact and meaning to you, your peers and/or your teaching team. The teaching team will aim to create a supportive and safe environment for all students enrolled in the unit. They will also support you to develop the appropriate skills to engage in these conversations in an appropriate and respectful manner to ensure a positive experience for all students. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EQ60 Graduate Certificate in Education
- Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO4, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment - Critically analyse and evaluate activities, contexts, and phenomena related to professional practice in the discipline of education.
Relates to: ULO1, Career Counselling Session Plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
Relates to: ULO2, Career Counselling Session Plan - Source and evaluate scholarly and professional literature and apply it to educational contexts and scenarios.
Relates to: ULO5, Career Counselling Session Plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills, and ideas to others.
Relates to: ULO3, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment
EQ74 Master of Education
- Discuss, evaluate, and integrate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice and research.
Relates to: ULO5, Career Counselling Session Plan - Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice, integrating theoretical frameworks to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO4, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment - Critically analyse and evaluate complex activities, contexts and phenomena related to professional practice and scholarship in the discipline of education.
Relates to: ULO1, Career Counselling Session Plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice, drawing on discipline-specific knowledge and skills to lead and influence positive change.
Relates to: ULO2, Career Counselling Session Plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in professional and scholarly contexts.
Relates to: ULO3, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment
Unit Outline: Session 4 2026, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | EUQ673 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | EUQ643, EUN680, LCN622 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
| Coordinator: | Deborah Munro | d2.munro@qut.edu.au |
Overview
In this unit, you will explore and analyse various counselling perspectives to develop an understanding of effective career counselling practice. Career counselling is a vital tool in helping individuals navigate their career decision-making process, typically conducted in one-on-one or small group settings. This interpersonal process draws on personal counselling methods to address career development issues and is increasingly viewed as a facilitated learning experience.
You will examine both established and emerging career counselling approaches, enhance your communication and counselling skills, and gain insight into the ethical considerations of the field. This unit will introduce you to key career theories and their practical applications in career counselling.
By the end of this unit, you will have developed a solid grasp of career counselling principles and practices, preparing you to apply these concepts in real-world settings.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Analyse client cases to identify key career issues and challenges in diverse organisational contexts, drawing on theory and research.
- Design and justify career counselling session plans for organisational contexts, integrating appropriate career and counselling theories, assessment tools and techniques.
- Demonstrate career counselling skills and appropriate communication strategies in diverse organisational counselling contexts.
- Critically reflect on and reflexively analyse career counseling practice in relation to theory to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance professional practice.
- Source and evaluate scholarly and professional literature on career issues and challenges faced by specific client groups.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- Career counselling
- The relationship between career counselling and personal counselling
- Theoretical approaches to career counselling
- The role of the career counsellor
- The process of career counselling
- Professional and ethical issues
- Career counselling models
- Career counselling microskills
- Career counselling for diverse client groups
- Career counselling components
- Considerations for the use of Gen AI in supporting the work of career counsellors
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Online modules
- Online discussions
- Readings
- Learning activities
- Reflection on current and future practice and careers
- Using Gen AI for planning
This unit employs interactive and discussion-based learning and critical reflection on experience.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- opportunity for formative feedback in this unit will include feedback on a learning activity related to assessment task 1
- self-reflection on learning and personal and professional experiences
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas website.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessments in this unit:
- Career Counselling Session Plan - this task draws on theory to develop a career counselling session plan.
- Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment - in this task you will apply career counselling skills to demonstrate a career counselling interview focusing on career indecision and critically reflect on your practice.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Career Counselling Session Plan
Choose a client group with which you could work as a career counselling. Using current literature, critically analyse the career issues pertinent to this group. Develop an integrated career counselling session plan that combines a career development theory with a counselling theory/approach. Discuss why your chosen theories are the most appropriate choices for this client group and how your plan will best support their needs.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
GenAI prohibited: The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
Assessment: Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment
You will produce a video-recording of yourself undertaking a career counselling session. You will recruit a client who is facing a career challenge from the cohort chosen in Assessment 1 and who has provided informed consent for this recording. In this session you will demonstrate your use of career counselling skills, the utilisation of career theory to guide this session, and the utility of the session plan developed in Assessment 1. Following submission of your video, you will participate in a 5-minute viva voce (oral examination) where you will critically reflect on your counselling practice. This viva serves as a Verified Identity Assessment, confirming authorship and understanding of your work. You will evaluate your technical skill application, ethical decision-making, maintenance of professional standards, and identify opportunities for professional growth and supervision support.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
GenAI allowed: 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.
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
There are two recommended texts for this unit. The other following resources are key reference sources and referred to often in this unit. All texts can be accessed through the QUT library, but there are limits on the number of students who can access each at one time. Other resources will be available on the unit's Canvas site.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Arthur, N. (2024). Practice Principles Career Theories and Models at Work. (1st ed.). CERIC.
Arthur, N., Neault, R., McMahan, M. (Eds) (2019) Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice. Toronto: CERIC.
Reference book(s)
McMahon, M. (2017). Career counselling: Constructivist approaches. London: Routledge.
Niles, S.G., & Amundson, N. (2005). Career counselling: Work in progress [DVD]. New Jersey: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Patton, W., & McMahon, M. (2015). Ideas for Career Practitioners: Celebrating excellence in career practice (2nd ed.). Brisbane: Australian Academic Press.
Patton, W., & McMahon, M. Career development and systems theory: Connecting theory and practice. (3rd ed.). (2014). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Risk Assessment Statement
During this unit, you will discuss sensitive topics with your peers that may have significant impact and meaning to you, your peers and/or your teaching team. The teaching team will aim to create a supportive and safe environment for all students enrolled in the unit. They will also support you to develop the appropriate skills to engage in these conversations in an appropriate and respectful manner to ensure a positive experience for all students. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EQ60 Graduate Certificate in Education
- Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO4, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment - Critically analyse and evaluate activities, contexts, and phenomena related to professional practice in the discipline of education.
Relates to: ULO1, Career Counselling Session Plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
Relates to: ULO2, Career Counselling Session Plan - Source and evaluate scholarly and professional literature and apply it to educational contexts and scenarios.
Relates to: ULO5, Career Counselling Session Plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills, and ideas to others.
Relates to: ULO3, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment
EQ74 Master of Education
- Discuss, evaluate, and integrate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice and research.
Relates to: ULO5, Career Counselling Session Plan - Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice, integrating theoretical frameworks to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO4, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment - Critically analyse and evaluate complex activities, contexts and phenomena related to professional practice and scholarship in the discipline of education.
Relates to: ULO1, Career Counselling Session Plan - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice, drawing on discipline-specific knowledge and skills to lead and influence positive change.
Relates to: ULO2, Career Counselling Session Plan - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in professional and scholarly contexts.
Relates to: ULO3, Career Counselling Session and Self-Assessment