In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
Clinical Practice 1 is the first in a series of clinical practice units. This unit is designed to provide you with the practice skills required for clinical psychology training specified by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (AHPRA) competencies necessary to practice as a psychologist in Australia. This training also prepares you to be eligible to apply to commence the Registrar Program post graduation, to gain an Area of Practice Endorsement in clinical psychology with the Psychology Board of Australia. By the completion of Clinical Practice 1, it is expected that you will demonstrate the AHPRA competencies with a small caseload of clients presenting for cognitive and learning assessments and for therapy with low risks.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Co-requisites: PSYC20058 (Interventions 1) and PSYC21001 (Assessment 1)
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 - 2026
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 pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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 Sute Unit Comments
Students indicated that, while they loved the clinical practice part of this unit, the workload was heavy.
Review the workload associated with this unit.
Feedback from Sute Unit Comments
Students indicated that they would like more training in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychometric assessments used on this placement.
Review how to improve the teaching and learning for assessments used on placement.
Feedback from Sute Unit Comment
Students would like clearer expectations about how to complete placement documentation.
Review the placement documentation so that requirements are clearer.
- Demonstrate achievement of pre-professional competencies before commencing working with real clients on placement, including ethical decision-making, micro-counselling skills, risk assessment and management, and record keeping.
- Demonstrate the core competencies required for registration as a psychologist in Australia, as defined by the Psychology Board of AHPRA, including knowledge of psychology to inform safe and effective practice, ethical practice, professional reflexivity and self-care, assessment, intervention, communication, and culturally responsive practice.
- Demonstrate effective engagement in supervision and skill development, including providing clear work samples for review, being able to accurately reflect on own clinical practice, seeking feedback, and applying supervisors' guidance to improve clinical practice.
- Demonstrate professional skills in case presentation, report writing, and interprofessional practice.
This unit forms part of the Master of Clinical Psychology course, which is accredited by the Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC). This unit addresses the APAC competencies that relate to practice placements: APAC competencies 3.1 - 3.17. The practice placement covers the application of psychological knowledge to practice to demonstrate the APHRA competencies for practice as a provisionally registered psychologist in Australia.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||
| 2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||
| 3 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 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 | ||||