Overview
In this unit you will learn practical skills and develop your knowledge relevant to the professional practice of psychology as an evidence-based scientific discipline and how these skills can be applied across multiple contexts. You will develop an understanding of how social, historical, professional and cultural factors influence the science and practice of psychology. This will include knowledge of psychometric theory applied to diverse assessment scenarios, and demonstration of culturally responsive interpersonal and interviewing skills. You will learn about the application of relevant legal frameworks and codes of ethical practice relevant to the discipline of psychology and the importance of these frameworks for working in professional practice and allied health settings.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Students must be enrolled in CC42 Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours).
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from In Class
Students suggested that releasing Learning Material in advance would better support students who work full-time to manage their learning.
Weekly learning content will be released in advance.
Feedback from Student Evaluations
Students reported that the written instructions provided for assessments were not clear however stated that the clarification of assessments provided in tutorials when requested was clear.
Assessment Information documents will be updated in order to provide additional clarity.
Feedback from Student Evaluations
In relation to Assessment 3 (online Quiz) students reported that they struggled with the time limit.
The teaching team will review the assessment time limit, and the suitability of the quiz items to ensure appropriate time is provided.
- Demonstrate appropriate professional judgement in the selection and application of psychological assessment within diverse contexts
- Critically evaluate the application of principles of professional psychology practice within diverse contexts and communities
- Competently apply relevant interpersonal and interviewing skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice
- Apply and evaluate ethical decision-making strategies across multiple professional contexts, particularly as they relate to applications of the Code of Ethics and the Ethical Guidelines of the Australian Psychological Society
Learning outcomes have been designed to address the level 2 pre-professional competencies required by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). The learning outcomes also meet the study criteria as specified by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and are appropriate for study at Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level 8 . The specific APAC competencies which will be demonstrated by students in completing this unit are:
2.2 Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal communication and interview skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice and research. This includes active listening, clarifying and reflecting, effective questioning, summarising and paraphrasing, developing rapport, appropriate cultural responsiveness and empathic responding.
2.3 Demonstrate basic assessment strategies in situations appropriate to psychological practice and knowledge of psychometric theory and principles of the construction, cultural considerations, implementation and interpretation of some of the more widely used standardised psychological test instruments.
2.4 Explain how basic psychological intervention strategies can be applied across a range of contexts.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Group Work - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Microsoft Teams
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.m.carter@cqu.edu.au
t.mcadie@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction
Chapter
Unit Profile
Moodley, R., & Lee, E. (2020). The Routledge International Handbook of Race, Culture and Mental Health (1st ed.). Taylor and Francis. doi.org/10.4324/9781315276168
- Part A: Coloniality, globalization and mental health
- 1. Configurations of Race and Culture in Mental Health
- 4. Culture and the Globalization of Mental Health
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Foundations of professional communication: Interpersonal skills Part 1
Chapter
· Braun JD, Strunk DR, Sasso KE, Cooper AA. (2015). Therapist use of Socratic questioning predicts session-to-session symptom change in cognitive therapy for depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, Jul(70), 32-37. doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.05.004.
Allan, B. A., Campos, I. D., & Wimberley, T. E. (2016). Interpersonal psychotherapy: A review and multicultural critique. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 29(3), 253-273. doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2015.1028896
Madson, M. B., Loignon, A. C., & Lane, C. (2009). Training in motivational interviewing: A systematic review. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 36(1), 101-109. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2008.05.005
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Foundations of professional communication: Interpersonal skills Part 2
Chapter
Auger, R. W. (2004). What We Don’t Know CAN Hurt Us: Mental Health Counselors’ Implicit Assumptions About Human Nature. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 26(1), 13–24. doi.org/10.17744/mehc.26.1.q2r31fh0na9efbv0 (A copy of this paper is provided on Moodle)
Wigg, R., Cushway, D., & Neal, A. (2011). Personal therapy for therapists and trainees: a theory of reflective practice from a review of the literature. Reflective Practice, 12(3), 347–359. doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2011.571866
Events and Submissions/Topic
Due to Residential School being held in Rockhampton this week, there will be no pre-recorded lecture or tutorial. Instead, the lecture will be given live followed by an interactive workshop with time set aside for students to meet their group members and begin to work on group-based assessments. The class will be held from 9 am - 5 pm on Tuesday, March 19th.
Module/Topic
Ethics in professional practice
Chapter
Fiske, A., Henningsen, P., & Buyx, A. (2019). Your Robot Therapist Will See You Now: Ethical Implications of Embodied Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychotherapy. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(5), e13216–e13216. doi.org/10.2196/13216
Holohan, M., & Fiske, A. (2021). “Like I’m Talking to a Real Person”: Exploring the Meaning of Transference for the Use and Design of AI-Based Applications in Psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 720476–720476. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720476
Sedlakova, J., & Trachsel, M. (2023). Conversational Artificial Intelligence in Psychotherapy: A New Therapeutic Tool or Agent? American Journal of Bioethics, 23(5), 4–13. doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2022.2048739
APS Code of Ethics (A copy of this is provided on Moodle)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Due to Good Friday, the tutorial has been moved to Thursday the 28th of March, 1 pm - 2 pm (AEST).
Module/Topic
Assessment in Practice: Part 1
Chapter
Wright, A. J. (2020). Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
-
- Introduction to Part 1 - The Hypothesis Testing Model
- Chapter 1 - The Initial Clinical Assessment: Clinical Interviewing and Hypothesis Building
- Chapter 2 - Selecting Tests
Weiss, R. A. & Rosenfeld, B. (2012). Navigating Cross-Cultural Issues in Forensic Assessment. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43 (3), 234-240. doi.org/10.1037/a0025850.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practical Assessment Due: Week 5 Tuesday (2 Apr 2024) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
No class due to Vacation Week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Module/Topic
Assessment in Practice: Part 2
Chapter
Wright, A. J. (2020). Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
-
- Chapter 3 – Testing
- Chapter 4 – Integrating Data
Fernández, A. L., & Abe, J. (2018). Bias in cross-cultural neuropsychological testing: problems and possible solutions. Culture and Brain, 6, 1-35. doi.org/10.1007/s40167-017-0050-2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Grief and Loss
Chapter
Harris, D. (2009). Oppression of the Bereaved: A Critical Analysis of Grief in Western Society. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 60(3), 241–253. doi.org/10.2190/OM.60.3.c
Pisani, A. R., Murrie, D. C., & Silverman, M. M. (2016). Reformulating Suicide Risk Formulation: From Prediction to Prevention. Academic Psychiatry, 40(4), 623–629. doi.org/10.1007/s40596-015-0434-6
Usher, K., Jackson, D., Walker, R., Durkin, J., Smallwood, R., Robinson, M., Sampson, U. N., Adams, I., Porter, C., & Marriott, R. (2021). Indigenous Resilience in Australia: A Scoping Review Using a Reflective Decolonizing Collective Dialogue. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 630601–630601. doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.630601
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Interpersonal Skills in Therapy: Part 1
Chapter
Portera, A. (2014). Intercultural Competence in education, counselling and psychotherapy. Intercultural Education (London, England), 25(2), 157–174. doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2014.894176
Noble, N., Bueno, N., Lourenco, M., Williams, A., Stafford, J., & O’Connor, J. (2023). College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder’s Experiences Maintaining Romantic Relationships: Counseling Implications. The Family Journal (Alexandria, Va.). doi.org/10.1177/10664807231198870
Kramer, U., Beuchat, H., Grandjean, L., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2020). How Personality Disorders Change in Psychotherapy: a Concise Review of Process. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22(8), 41–41. doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01162-3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Interpersonal Skills in Therapy: Part 2
Chapter
Hediger, K., Wagner, J., Künzi, P., Haefeli, A., Theis, F., Grob, C., Pauli, E., & Gerger, H. (2021). Effectiveness of animal-assisted interventions for children and adults with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1879713–1879713. doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1879713
Bendall, S., Eastwood, O., Cox, G., Farrelly-Rosch, A., Nicoll, H., Peters, W., Bailey, A. P., McGorry, P. D., & Scanlan, F. (2021). A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Trauma-Informed Care Within Outpatient and Counseling Health Settings for Young People. Child Maltreatment, 26(3), 313–324. doi.org/10.1177/1077559520927468
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Working in a Multi-disciplinary Team
Chapter
Wright, A. J. (2020). Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
-
- Chapter 5 - Writing Reports
- Chapter 6 - Providing Feedback
Cheruvelil, K. S., Soranno, P. A., Weathers, K. C., Hanson, P. C., Goring, S. J., Filstrup, C. T., & Read, E. K. (2014). Creating and maintaining high-performing collaborative research teams: the importance of diversity and interpersonal skills. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 12(1), 31–38. doi.org/10.1890/130001
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Challenges and Complexities of Practice
Chapter
Kaeding, A., Sougleris, C., Reid, C., van Vreeswijk, M. F., Hayes, C., Dorrian, J., & Simpson, S. (2017). Professional burnout, early maladaptive schemas, and physical health in clinical and counselling psychology trainees. Journal of clinical psychology, 73(12), 1782-1796. doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22485
Simpson, S., Simionato, G., Smout, M., van Vreeswijk, M. F., Hayes, C., Sougleris, C., & Reid, C. (2019). Burnout amongst clinical and counselling psychologist: The role of early maladaptive schemas and coping modes as vulnerability factors. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 26(1), 35-46. doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2328
Christensen, M. K., Lim, C. C. W., Saha, S., Plana-Ripoll, O., Cannon, D., Presley, F., ... & McGrath, J. J. (2020). The cost of mental disorders: a systematic review. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 29, e161. doi.org/10.1017/S204579602000075X
Kleespies, P. M., Van Orden, K. A., Bongar, B., Bridgeman, D., Bufka, L. F., Galper, D. I., ... & Yufit, R. I. (2011). Psychologist suicide: Incidence, impact, and suggestions for prevention, intervention, and postvention. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(3), 244. doi.org/10.1037/a0022805
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Wrap Up Content and Reflection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Unit Coordinator contact details
Dr Alicia Carter
Availability: Monday, Thursday and Friday between 9am and 5pm.
Email: a.m.carter@cqu.edu.au
Phone: +61 07 4037 4730 ext 51130
Office: Cairns Campus Room 3.21
1 Practical Assessment
Students are required to submit a recording of themselves in the role of a therapist in a simulated therapy session with an allocated classmate to demonstrate their ability to apply the interpersonal skills that are taught in this unit within a professional practice context. Students will then swap roles with their allocated classmate and take on the role of a client from a diverse population in a simulated therapy session for their classmate. After you have recorded your simulated therapy session you will critically evaluate and reflect on the therapeutic process and use of interpersonal skills.
Week 5 Tuesday (2 Apr 2024) 9:00 am AEST
9 am (AEST), Tuesday, April 2nd 2024 (Week 5). If submitted after the due date and time a penalty of 5% of the total available marks for the assessment will be deducted for each full or part calendar day the assessment task is overdue, as per Central Queensland University Assessment Policy and Procedure.
Week 7 Tuesday (23 Apr 2024)
The expected return date may vary based on the moderation process and the date that the assessment piece is submitted. Assessments that are submitted after the official due date might not be able to be returned at the same time as the assessments submitted on the official due date.
The aim of this task is to assess students' performance on learning outcomes 2 & 3. To achieve this, the task is broken down into three (3) assessable components. Firstly, the demonstration of interpersonal skills in the role of a therapist; secondly the demonstration of competency in the accurate portrayal of a client from a diverse population and; finally the ability to critically evaluate their experience of the task through reflective practice. Even though students are working together on the simulated therapy session, students will be assessed individually on all components of this task.
- Critically evaluate the application of principles of professional psychology practice within diverse contexts and communities
- Competently apply relevant interpersonal and interviewing skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice
2 Group Work
Students will work with their assigned group (allocated by the Unit Coordinator) on an essay that demonstrates their ability to apply professional judgment in the selection and application of psychological assessment within a diverse context. Each student will submit a personal reflection of the group work process in addition to an assessment of their group members' contribution to the task.
Week 9 Tuesday (7 May 2024) 9:00 am AEST
9 am (AEST), Tuesday, May 7th 2024 (Week 9). If submitted after the due date and time a penalty of 5% of the total available marks for the assessment will be deducted for each full or part calendar day the assessment task is overdue, as per Central Queensland University Assessment Policy and Procedure.
Week 11 Tuesday (21 May 2024)
The expected return date may vary based on the moderation process and the date that the assessment piece is submitted. Assessments that are submitted after the official due date might not be able to be returned at the same time as the assessments submitted on the official due date.
The aim of this task is to assess students' performance on learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4. To achieve this, the task is broken down into three (3) assessable parts. Part a) the group essay; part b) personal reflection and; part c) group collaboration. All group members will receive the same mark for the group essay however, students will receive individual marks for their reflection and group performance.
- Demonstrate appropriate professional judgement in the selection and application of psychological assessment within diverse contexts
- Critically evaluate the application of principles of professional psychology practice within diverse contexts and communities
- Competently apply relevant interpersonal and interviewing skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice
- Apply and evaluate ethical decision-making strategies across multiple professional contexts, particularly as they relate to applications of the Code of Ethics and the Ethical Guidelines of the Australian Psychological Society
3 Online Quiz(zes)
Students will be given 35-minutes to complete an online multiple-choice quiz, consisting of 20 questions taken from the lectures and required readings covered in this unit.
1
Other
Week 12 Tuesday (28 May 2024) 9:00 am AEST
The quiz will be open for 24 hrs from 9am (AEST) Tuesday the 28th of May (Week 12) until 9am (AEST) Wednesday the 29th of May (Week 12).
Exam Week Friday (14 June 2024)
To ensure academic integrity is upheld, the return date of marks may vary due to assessment extensions. If all students have completed the Quiz by COB Friday May 31st, marks will be released on Monday June 3rd. In order to uphold academic integrity only overall marks will be released however if you would like additional feedback on your quiz please contact the Unit Coordinator via email to arrange a meeting.
The aim of the quiz is to assess students’ recall, application and analysis of the content covered in the unit. Quiz questions will be created from the learning material (lectures and readings) used to enhance your knowledge of the topics covered throughout this unit. To enhance students' engagement with the learning material and to provide students with the opportunity to be actively involved with their assessment, each week students will be given the opportunity to submit questions to the Unit Coordinator based on the weekly learning material for inclusion in the quiz. To meet the assigned learning outcomes associated with this assessment piece, the style of questions will vary to assess the ability to a) demonstrate appropriate professional judgement; b) the ability to critically evaluate the application of principles of professional psychological practice; c) competence in the application of interpersonal and interviewing skills in situations appropriate for psychological practice and d) application and evaluation of ethical decision making strategies. Academic integrity will be maintained by randomising all questions from a question bank, withholding quiz marks until all students have completed the quiz and only releasing the overall mark of the quiz. If students would like additional feedback on their quiz, individual feedback with the Unit Coordinator can be arranged.
- Demonstrate appropriate professional judgement in the selection and application of psychological assessment within diverse contexts
- Critically evaluate the application of principles of professional psychology practice within diverse contexts and communities
- Apply and evaluate ethical decision-making strategies across multiple professional contexts, particularly as they relate to applications of the Code of Ethics and the Ethical Guidelines of the Australian Psychological Society
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
