Overview
In this unit, you will develop practical evidence-based positive psychology coaching skills for working with individual clients on positive behaviour change. Your practical coursework will include fundamental coaching skills for building a positive working alliance using active listening and skilful questioning to identify client goals. You will also learn positive psychology strategies for working with clients to enhance positive emotions, character strengths and hope.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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 2 - 2021
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate 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 Moodle student evaluations.
The interactive, experiential workshops are valuable for learning new coaching skills in a safe and enjoyable environment.
Retain the interactive, experiential workshops.
Feedback from Moodle student evaluations.
Being paired with another student in the unit to practice skills helped build confidence in coaching skills.
Retain the use of student pairs to practice coaching skills.
Feedback from Moodle student evaluations.
Several students would like the PDF version of the Moodle books to be in larger print.
Students will be provided with information for converting the Moodle workbooks into PDF and how to use Adobe functions for text size.
- Apply principles of positive change to plan and conduct professional coaching sessions with individual clients
- Apply knowledge and skills to create and maintain a positive working alliance with clients in coaching sessions
- Apply positive psychology tools and strategies to coaching individuals
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 30% | |||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 35% | |||
| 3 - Practical Assessment - 35% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||
| 2 - Communication | |||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
| 4 - Research | |||
| 5 - Self-management | |||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
| 7 - Leadership | |||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 30% | ||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 35% | ||||||||
| 3 - Practical Assessment - 35% | ||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
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.
d.every@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Foundations, concepts and principles of positive psychology coaching
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Coaching skills fundamentals
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial: Week 2 Thursday (22 July 2021) 6:30-8:30 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Working with positive emotions in coaching: Fundamentals
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Working with positive emotions in coaching: Taking it further
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial: Week 4 Thursday (5 August 2021) 6:30-8:30 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Goals in coaching and positive psychology: Fundamentals
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No modules/topics this week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Goals: Working with hope
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial: Week 6 Thursday (26 August 2021) 6:30-8:30 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Goals: Using positive psychology for motivation
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Working with strengths in coaching: Fundamentals
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial: Week 8 Thursday (9 September 2021) 6:30-8:30 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Working with strengths in coaching: Taking it further
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Using positive psychology assessment in coaching
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Positive psychology coaching practice across the life span
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Exploring hope as a resource for your coaching future
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Practical Assessment
For this assessment you will conduct a short (5 minutes minimum to 6 minute maximum) coaching session with another student from this unit * using Active Constructive Responding.
Preparation for this assessment:
There are readings and video resources on Active Constructive Responding (ACR) available on Moodle. We will be developing ACR skills using role plays, self-reflection and group discussions in the unit workshops.
Instructions for the coachee:
Prior to the coaching session, the coachee will choose a recent positive experience in their lives (e.g. an achievement at work or in study or in their personal goals such as fitness, receiving an award, completing a project, being recognized in their community or for their volunteering, planning an important trip, achieving a life milestone).
Instructions for the coach:
The coach will ask the coachee to share a recent positive event. They will use Active Constructive Responding to encourage the coachee to share about this positive event.
The coaching session must include:
1. A minimum of 3 paraphrases, or 2 paraphrases and a summary to the coachee
2. A minimum of 3 active constructive questions
Submission:
You will submit a video recording of the coaching session.
The coaching session is a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 6 minutes. Meeting the time limit is included as a part of the marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document for a rationale for using this type of restriction.
*Your Unit Coordinator will set up the pairs for the first assessment in the first workshop. You will each take on the role of coach and coachee in your pairs.
Vacation Week Monday (16 Aug 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 7 Monday (30 Aug 2021)
Feedback and grade for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
The coaching session will be assessed on:
- Use of non-verbal skills to support a positive working alliance
- Accuracy, appropriateness and timing of paraphrases and/or summary
- Use of Active Constructive Responding questioning
You will need to achieve a minimum of 50% for this assessment in order to pass this Unit.
- Apply knowledge and skills to create and maintain a positive working alliance with clients in coaching sessions
- Apply positive psychology tools and strategies to coaching individuals
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Practical Assessment
In this assessment, you will create a Hope Map with your coachee, who will be another student from this unit*.
Preparation for this assessment:
There are resources for creating a Hope Map on Moodle. We will use role playing exercises and self-reflection activities and group discussions in the unit workshops to practice Hope Mapping with clients.
The coaching session:
The coach guides the coachee through a session/s to develop a Hope Map.
Instructions for the coach:
The coach runs the session/s as a real-world coaching session. You will outline the exercise and its purpose, provide the necessary resources for creating the Hope Map (e.g. use the whiteboard function in Zoom), and guide the coachee using questions and active listening in order to complete the map to the fullest degree possible.
Instructions for the coachee:
The coachee does not complete the Hope Map on their own. If you are the coachee you will work with your coach as a client so that they are able to complete the Hope Map process with you. Its important to be open to the questioning process and open to your coach’s feedback, e.g. don’t insist on creating a really large goal which would mean your coach would be marked down for the goal-setting aspect of the assessment.
The Hope Map draws on goal-setting skills and combines these with an understanding of Snyder’s theory of hope (agency plus pathways). The coach should be familiar with this theoretical underpinning in order to lead their client to the development of a useable Hope Map which could support the client to reach an identified, realistic goal in a reasonable timeframe.
The completed Hope Map must include a minimum of:
1. One (1) Goal
2. Three (3) pathways to that Goal
3. One (1) clarified obstacle for each of the 3 pathways
4. Two (2) identified strengths for reaching the goal
5. One (1) support person identified
6. One (1) way of measuring progress towards the goal
Submission:
You will submit the completed Hope Map for your coachee.
There is no word limit, but the recommended length of the Hope Map is no more than 2 pages. It is expected that the Map will be drawn on a single page which could be an A3 size page or an A4 page in landscape.
*You will be in the same pairs for this assessment as for the first assessment.
Week 9 Monday (13 Sept 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 11 Monday (27 Sept 2021)
Feedback and grade for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
The Hope Map will be evaluated on:
- Understanding and application of goal-setting principles
- Understanding and application of hope theory to the development of the Hope Map
- Accurate and appropriate completion of all parts of the Hope Map (SMART goal, pathways, obstacles, strengths and supports)
You need to obtain a minimum grade of 50% for this assessment in order to pass the Unit.
- Apply principles of positive change to plan and conduct professional coaching sessions with individual clients
- Apply knowledge and skills to create and maintain a positive working alliance with clients in coaching sessions
- Apply positive psychology tools and strategies to coaching individuals
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Practical Assessment
In Assessment 3 you will develop a client resource on a strength that you could use as part of a debriefing session with a client after they have completed the VIA survey.
Preparation for this assessment:
There are resources about strengths on Moodle. We will use brainstorming and group discussions in the fourth workshop to explore definitions of strengths and how we may debrief with clients about negative perceptions of strengths.
Task Instructions:
Choose from this list of the lesser-known strengths that may be problematic for clients:
· judgment
· prudence
· humility
· self-regulation
Create a resource on this strength that you would hand out to clients as part of your debriefing that would help them identify the positive aspects of this strength.
The resource will include:
1. A definition of this strength (i.e. what it is)
2. A minimum of one (1) alternative, positive name for this strength
3. A minimum of three (3) positive aspects of the strength (i.e. why is it valuable). You might use research here if there is available research on what aspects of life to which this strength contributes. And you can also use your empathic, creative, imaginative skills to highlight why this strength is valuable e.g. you might identify particular people in the public eye or book and movie characters who display this strength.
4. Identify a minimum of one (1) way that a client may use this strength positively.
As this will be a client resource, make it accessible and interesting. Please feel free to use formatting such as fonts, colours and images to enhance the resource. You can use sayings, poems, links to movies and books, artwork – any creative ways to illustrate why this strength has hidden beauty underneath its slightly off-putting title!
Submission: You will submit the completed strengths-resource.
Review/Exam Week Monday (11 Oct 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (22 Oct 2021)
Feedback and grade for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission
The client resource on strengths will be evaluated on:
- Understanding strengths
- Applying skillful means, using both research and cultural resources, to assist clients to develop more positive perspectives on a strength
- Demonstrating creativity and attention to accessibility in the design of the resource
You will need to score a minimum of 50% for this assessment in order to pass this Unit.
- Apply principles of positive change to plan and conduct professional coaching sessions with individual clients
- Apply positive psychology tools and strategies to coaching individuals
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
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?
