CQUniversity Unit Profile.

This task is a 20-25 minute presentation of a 10-minute recording of you conducting a counselling session with a classmate role-playing your client. In the recording, you should demonstrate the appropriate use of a range of micro counselling skills. You also need to present a critique of your video. Both files (the counselling video and the critique) are uploaded to Moodle before your presentation. You will have 20 minutes for your presentation which includes your 10-minute video and 10 minutes for your evaluation and Question and Answer. 

If your video is too big to submit via Moodle, you may save it on your Wellness Centre drive and add a link to your critique document. You also need to have a copy on a memory stick for playing in class on Wednesday, Week 2. These should be loaded onto the teaching room computer before class begins.

To pass this assessment, the student must demonstrate the following: 

• The role play demonstrates appropriate micro-counseling skills to work with a therapy client. 
• The presentation demonstrates:
• Accurate identification of the student's strengths in the role play 
• Insight into what did not go well in the role play  
• What the student could do to improve the role play or develop their micro-counseling skills  
• Quality presentation skills, including timekeeping and audience engagement in the presentation. 

The student is not expected to conduct a perfect session but is expected to demonstrate competence using micro-counselling skills, and the ability to accurately critique their own performance.

Students will read a case study and identify any personal needs, sources of information, and responsibility, the ethical dilemma, action and alternatives, negatives and positives of each action, choice of action, and why this was chosen above other alternatives. 

Students who do not pass this test will be offered an opportunity to resit but will not be permitted to commence client-related work until the test has been passed.

Your critique will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Identification of any personal needs, sources of information, and responsibility
• Clear description and identification of ethical dilemma
• Clear discussion of factors involved in the ethical dilemma
• Identification and evaluation of action and alternatives
• The negatives and positives of each action described
• Description of your choice of action
• Explanation of why you chose this action above the others

In the reflective journal, you explore your own developing professional identity as a psychologist and the relationship between your experiences on placement and your changing sense of professional self. It is expected that you would write 300-400 words per week across the term. A new journal entry is to be submitted in Moodle each week for feedback.

You must pass each of the 8 journal submissions to pass the Reflective Practice Assignment (Pass/Fail). Each journal submission must demonstrate self-reflection on your practice as a psychologist, including your reflections on what you are learning about your own practice through the placement experience, your emerging strengths, and areas for development. Journal submissions should include some self-reflection on both the tasks and process of working with clients and other stakeholders. If any journal submission is lacking in self-reflection on your practice, you may be required to resubmit to demonstrate self-reflection before the journal submission is passed.

This is a case presentation done in class during Group Supervision time. You will have a total of 20 minutes for your presentation, which should be around 10 minutes of you presenting your case study, followed by 10 minutes of questions and discussion time. The case can be any client you have seen in the Psychology Wellness Centre. The presentation should include relevant referral information, details of presenting concerns, your domains of functioning assessment, completing a formulation with the group and discussing differential diagnosis (where relevant), presenting your initial formulation (written prior to the group formulation activity), and your plan for assessment or intervention. 

The Case Presentation (Pass/Fail). In order to achieve a grade of Pass, the presentation needs to include:

• Relevant referral information (including client initials or pseudonym, gender, age, referral source, and the reason for referral)
• Completed Domains of Functioning Assessment (with sufficient information to complete a case formulation)
• Case formulation (completed with the group) / differential diagnosis (where relevant)
• Summary of Assessment or intervention to date

The case report is a de-identified client report completed on the placement. The report must be accompanied by the cover page template and follow the described format. The placement supervisor needs to sign off on the report (as it belongs to the placement site and all identifying details need to remain confidential to the placement site). The placement supervisor takes responsibility for the report within the agency. However, as the report is required for the assessment of competencies, the student will need to submit a de-identified copy of the report to Moodle. For the purpose of this assessment, the placement supervisor must sign the coversheet to indicate that the report is appropriately de-identified to be submitted for the assessment.

The case report is a pass/fail assessment of 2000 words. To pass this assessment, students must achieve an overall mark of 70 out of 100. The report will include a Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Opinions, Intervention Plan/Recommendations,  Evaluation, and Reflection sections, and be presented using appropriate Formatting and Referencing as described in the Assessment Criteria.

Case Report (Pass/Fail). To pass this assessment, the student must have a mark of 70 or higher out of 100.

1. Comprehensive Needs Assessment (30 marks)

• A clear reason for referral is provided
• Domains of Focus are described, based on Domains of Functioning
• Relevant assessments are selected (including a brief rationale) and clearly described
• Assessments results reported appropriately under the relevant Domain of Focus
• Risk Assessment and management of risk factors are clearly documented
• Relevant behavioural observations including current mental state are described
• The summary of strengths and limitations reflects the findings of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment

2. Opinions (25 marks)

• A brief formulation based on 5P’s
• Formal diagnosis is clearly described using standard diagnostic/classification systems
• Diagnosis is logically discussed, well-justified, and integrated with the formulation
• Discussion about whether symptoms meet all diagnostic criteria using examples from the client's presentation
• Differential diagnoses are clearly described and include reasons for inclusion or exclusion

3. Intervention Plan / Recommendations (25 marks)

• A brief outline of the intervention plan with treatment goals or recommendations clearly aligned with opinions - described in the previous section. This includes adjustments made for culturally appropriate practices
• Provides specific intervention strategies that will be used for achieving these goals/recommendations and plans for managing risk factors if these are indicated
• The intervention plan is realistic given the experience of the psychologist, the complexity of the issues, and the number of sessions available for treatment

4. Evaluation and Reflection (15 marks)

• A clear description of how you would evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, using person-centred and evidence-based measures of change
• A brief reflection on intervention including lessons learned and how practice might be modified in light of the experience

5. Formatting and Referencing (5 marks)

• Report and reference list in correct APA format, including references to tests used
• Appropriate and clear language has been used throughout without jargon or colloquialisms, and grammar and spelling are correct
• The report is within 10% of the word limit (2000 words)
• The report has been signed off by a supervisor from the relevant placement
• A supervisor has signed the cover sheet to indicate that the reports as been sufficiently deidentified to submit

Total Score /100. A detailed marking rubric will be available in Moodle.

You will be required to submit a completed Research Plan which will include:

• A proposed research question
• An information source/literature search strategy
• An outline of the proposed evaluation method and approach being applied

Research Proposal is marked out of 100.  Students must obtain a minimum mark of 70/100 to pass.

1. Formatting and APA Style (5 marks)

• The title page is included and formatted appropriately 
• Adherence to APA Style in the record 
• Correctly formatted reference list 

2. Research Question. A Clear statement of the research evaluation question in a specified formulation approach (5 marks).

3. Literature Search Domains (10 marks)

• All needed domains are included for the specified formulation approach 
• Clear definition of domain meanings provided 

4. Search Strategy (20/100)

• Identification of appropriate keywords with an indication of the use of a thesaurus and MeSH Browser / Emtree 
• Clear Search strategy that includes limits and proposed databases
• Article selection criteria provided 

5. Background Rationale  (30/100)

• Provides a clear overview of relevant and appropriate literature and research evidence 
• Describes the rationale for the review in the context of what is already known about the topic area 

• Provides an explicit statement of evaluation question/s being addressed with reference to relevant details such as participants/population, intervention/area of professional practice, comparisons, outcomes, study design/approach 

6. Proposed Evaluation Method (20/100)

• Provides a clear overview of chosen method/approach 
• Provides a rationale/justification for the chosen method/approach 
• Describes all proposed data/information sources 
• Identifies potential ethical considerations 

7. Proposed Analysis. Provides a clear plan for analysis of evaluation outcomes (10/100)

Total Score /100. A detailed marking rubric will be available in Moodle.  

1. Placement. The purpose of this assessment task is to provide you with an opportunity to develop skills in performing psychology assessments, interventions, and associated activities, under the supervision of Clinical Psychologists/Psychology Board-Approved Supervisors. By the end of this unit, you will demonstrate Level 1 competence in nine core competencies that represent critical capabilities and attributes for effective psychological practice. Competencies 1 - 8 are specified by AHPRA and Competency 9 is a requirement of the Master of Clinical Psychology Course. Level 1 competence represents the competency expected to be reached before a supervisee can progress to their next internal placement for Clinical Practice 2. Both your Clinical Psychologist/Board-Approved Supervisor (Primary Supervisor) and the Placement Coordinator must sign off on your competencies at Level 1 to pass.

Your Placement Agreement, Mid-Placement Review, and End-of-Placement Review must be signed by yourself, your Primary Supervisor, and the Placement Coordinator and uploaded to SONIA online.

If you have not met all required competencies (including all nine core competencies and the APAC assessment requirements) by your End-of-Placement Review you may be provided with a further opportunity to meet these competencies. However, this is up to the discretion of the Unit Coordinator in consultation with the Head of Course. It can be useful to discuss competencies with your Primary Supervisor before your Mid-Placement and End-of-Placement Reviews, to identify any areas where you are not demonstrating the expected level of competency and develop a Support Plan to address areas where you are 'not on track' before your End-of-Placement Review. To pass the unit and progress to Clinical Practice 2, all Level 1 competencies must be met.

2. Timesheet and Supervision Forms. You must submit your practice hours in the SONIA timesheet, signed weekly by your Primary Supervisor. In the timesheet, you must detail the total number of direct client activity hours, individual supervision hours, group supervision hours, and associated placement activities. You are also required to complete supervision forms from individual and group supervision in SONIA. All supervision entries in your Timesheet must have a corresponding supervision form signed by yourself and the supervisor who provided the supervision.

3. Cognitive Assessment. In addition to the core competencies, you will develop skills in psychometric assessment to meet APAC requirements, specifically: Cognitive Assessment (WISC-V or WAIS-4) - administration, scoring, and interpretation. One of our Clinical Psychologists/Board-Approved Supervisors must off on the Cognitive Assessment to pass.

4. Interprofessional Education (IPE). Interprofessional Education (IPE) involves the collaboration between different health professions to learn about, from, and with other disciplines, to enhance treatment and improve health outcomes for patient/client care. The IPE process will involve collaboration across the disciplines of Psychology, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Pathology to provide assessment and intervention recommendations for a mutual patient/client.

As a psychologist, you will work in an interdisciplinary team to develop: 1. An assessment plan for your client and 2. An intervention plan for your client.

After each multi-disciplinary team meeting, you will also write a 250-word reflection using the provided checklist for team meeting observations as a guide. You will submit one (1) reflection for the assessment plan meeting and one (1) reflection for the intervention plan meeting; two (2) reflections in total.

1. Competencies for End of Placement Review (Pass/Fail):

1. Knowledge of the Discipline: The student demonstrates the use of several knowledge sources with a greater depth of understanding to apply knowledge more independently (e.g., treatment manuals, and peer-reviewed journal articles).

2. Ethical, Legal, and Professional Matters: The student demonstrates “awareness and appropriate action” in response to minor ethical issues and low levels of risk. The student asks appropriate follow-up questions with minimal supervision. The student keeps timely and adequate client records.

3. Psychological Assessment and Measurement: The student demonstrates accurate scoring and interpretation of a cognitive/ learning assessment and preparation of a brief and relevant structured report that is consistent with the assessment results and includes background information and recommendations that cover a broad range of domains of functioning.

4. Intervention Strategies: The student demonstrates awareness of balancing therapeutic processes and tasks and can self-correct with supervisor guidance (e.g., need to switch between purposeful tasks and rapport building). The student seeks client feedback.

5. Research and evaluation: The student demonstrates active seeking of feedback from clients and others to determine their interventions' efficacy. The student corrects biases in their assumptions and clinical reasoning with minimal supervision.

6. Communication and interpersonal skills. The student demonstrates the ability to communicate clearly and respectfully with various audiences (including children, adults, parents, and other professionals). The student demonstrates the ability to adapt their written and verbal communication based on supervisor feedback.

7. Working with People from diverse groups: The student demonstrates awareness and appropriate action to modify their practice to fit the needs of diverse client groups through self-directed learning with some inconsistency or prompting from a supervisor.

8. Practice across the lifespan: The student demonstrates competency in working with children and adults to complete interventions or assessments.

9. Response to Supervision: The student regularly attends supervision and comes to supervision prepared and actively collaborates with their supervisor to effectively use supervision time. The student demonstrates to the supervisor how they have implemented actions discussed in supervision.

2. Timesheet and Supervision Forms (Pass/Fail).

You must submit your timesheet in SONIA, signed weekly by your Primary Supervisor that details your total number of direct client activity hours, individual supervision hours, group supervision hours, and associated placement activities. Entries related to direct client activity hours must include the client's initials, age, gender, and description of the service provided in sufficient detail to match your entry to the contact recorded in the electronic appointment diary (Cliniko). You are also required to submit all of your completed supervision forms from individual and group supervision, in chronological order in SONIA. All supervision entries in your timesheet must have a corresponding supervision form signed by yourself and the supervisor who provided the supervision in SONIA.

3. Cognitive Assessment (WISC-V) - administration, scoring, and interpretation (Pass/Fail)

Scoring competency will be assessed according to the accuracy of adherence to the publisher-specified protocol outlined in the WISC-V test kit manual subtests. The competency takes into account administration, timing, and reverse and discontinue rules. You must upload a copy of the Verification of Competency form (available on the Wellness Drive), with the WISC-V administration, scoring, and interpretation competencies signed by a supervisor.

4. Inter-Professional Education (IPE) (Pass/Fail). To achieve a Pass you need to achieve a minimum of 28 marks out of 40. You will submit your IPE group's assessment plan and intervention plan to Moodle, along with a refelction for each.

Assessment Plan (10 marks)

• All relevant sections of plan are completed
• Presenting problems clearly outlined
• Client/Family goals are clearly outlined
• Assessment goals and plan are clearly outlined
• Assessment plan links to family and care team goals

2. Reflection - 250 words x 2 (10 marks each)

• Meeting observations are succinctly described 
• Demonstrated critical reflection, including reflexivity 
• Clear connection between reflections and future practice 
• Professional writing style, within word limit 
• Adherence to APA formatting and referencing conventions