Counselling Course Information Booklet

Page 1

Counselling 2011

5 Mary Street (PO Box 534) Drummoyne NSW 1470 Sydney, Australia Tel: 61 2 9819 8888 Fax: 61 2 9719 1714 Email: info@wi.edu.au Web: www.wi.edu.au CRICOS Code 02664K ABN 50 360 319 774


Š Wesley Institute 2011 Wesley Institute is a registered Higher Education Provider under the NSW Higher Education Act and the Commonwealth Higher Education Support Act, and approved to provide courses to international students. The Institute offers Masters in Music, Counselling, Theology, Teaching (Primary); Graduate Diplomas in Education (Secondary), Counselling, Theology; Bachelors in Dance, Drama, Graphic Design, Music, Theology; Associate Degrees in Dance, Theology, Graphic Design and Music; and a Diploma in Drama. Courses are accredited with the NSW Department of Education and Training, and approved for FEE-HELP, Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy for eligible students.+ Wesley Institute is an International Affiliate of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and offers Studies Abroad for the 110 member universities and colleges in the USA. All information in this publication is correct at 28 January 2011 but is subject to change without notice. Wesley Institute reserves the right to change the content of any unit of study, or to withdraw any unit or course of study it offers, or to impose limitations on enrolment in any unit or course of study.

Austudy and Youth Allowance are not available for the Master of Music and the Master of Theology. +

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Contents Introduction ............................................................................................ 4 Master of Counselling .............................................................................. 5 Course Structure ............................................................................... 6 Graduate Diploma of Counselling ............................................................ 7 Course Structure ............................................................................... 7 Admission ................................................................................................ 8 Credit ...................................................................................................... 9 Assessment ............................................................................................... 9 Tuition Assurance .................................................................................. 10 Unit Descriptions ................................................................................... 10 Academic Staff ........................................................................................13 Fees ........................................................................................................14

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Introduction Wesley Institute promotes and fosters quality in teaching and learning through the implementation of our vision, mission and institutional values, and their integration in all aspects of institutional life and culture.

Our Vision: Transforming lives through excellence in Christian higher education.

Our Mission:

Wesley Institute benefits our community as we equip people to live godly lives in influential vocations. We seek to fulfil this mission by integrating rigorous scholarship, and professional and spiritual development, in excellent higher education.

Our Values: All our activities are informed and underpinned by five core values: - Christian faith in action - Education informed by scholarship and creativity - Lifelong learning - Responsible stewardship - Integration. In actively pursuing our mission, Wesley Institute commits to the following: • courses and learning resources of high quality and standing, as determined by regulatory authorities, expert advisors, staff and students. • curriculum and modes of delivery structured so as to maximise student access to learning opportunities and support without compromising quality or equity. • a nurturing and safe teaching and learning environment for staff and students grounded in Christian faith and academic integrity. • a focus on the achievement of graduate attributes, student satisfaction, course completions and career relevance. The courses in the School of Counselling are offered on-campus at Drummoyne in facilities that provide for every aspect of counsellor training. A professional counselling centre with dedicated counselling rooms equipped for practice and supervision offers students opportunities to work under the supervision of counsellors and psychologists. The School of Counselling also includes offices, tutorial rooms, lecture rooms and therapy rooms. The Gordon Moyes Library gives students access to extensive specialist print collections, on-line databases, audio-visual facilities, and computing labs with free internet access. The Graduate Diploma of Counselling is also offered part-time through weekend intensives at a second campus location at Narara on the Central Coast. A highly qualified academic staff, most of whom are in current professional practice, deliver the course and provide leadership, supervision and mentoring to students.

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Master of Counselling • • • • • •

Course Code: WCO53 Credit Points: 140 Number of Units: 14 Duration: 2 years full-time; up to 4 years part-time Student Workload: 40 hours per week (contact and study hours) Delivery Mode: Face-to-face learning on the Drummoyne campus

The Master of Counselling is a professional practice qualification designed to equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills for a counselling career. The course seeks to graduate competent counsellors who have a firm grasp of the foundation and theory of counselling practice, skills in assessment and intervention, an appreciation for diversity and the needs of a multicultural society, and an understanding of the variety of social and contextual factors that advance people’s mental health. It draws on communication, mental health promotion, and developmental, spiritual and educational processes to facilitate wellness, personal growth, healing, problem solving, crisis management, and healthy personal and interpersonal development within individuals, groups or communities. The course prepares students to provide leadership and to work in collaboration with other mental health and community service professionals on graduation. Coursework includes a blend of theory and practice designed to give students a solid background in the philosophical and theoretical foundations of counselling, combined with practical counselling skills and strategies essential for working with a range of clientele using a variety of intervention modalities. The Institute’s distinctive approach to counselling integrates a Christian perspective within a mental health framework that is concerned with understanding human attitudes and behaviour relative to context (e.g. family, school, work, community) and as informed by personal, cultural and spiritual development. The course has been developed to respond to the need for practitioners who can provide service not only for generalised mental health issues, but complex and longer term counselling. The Master of Counselling is a coursework degree requiring two years of full time study (four semesters) or up to four years of part-time study. The course structure recognises that the development of counselling competency requires a continual process of integrating knowledge and skills to enable the gradual development of appropriate and helpful responses to a complex range of human problems. Therefore it is not possible to complete the course within an abbreviated time frame. It requires the completion of 14 units of study (140 credit points) and 200 hours of counselling practice in conjunction with 50 hours of group supervision. Completion of the Master of Counselling will qualify students for entry into appropriate member associations of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).

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Course Structure Details Sem*

1

Code

Unit Name

CP

Contact Study Hrs/ Hrs/ Hrs/ Sem+ Wk Wk

COMH401 Counselling Skills and Practice I

10

3

7

150

COMH402 Counselling and Personality

10

3

7

150

COMH403 Professional Ethics and Orientation

10

3

7

150

COMH404 Understanding Health and Wellness

10

3

7

150

COMH411 2

Totals

Counselling Skills and Practice II

10

3

7

150

COMH412 Attachment & Interpersonal Processes

10

3

7

150

COMH413 Human Growth and Development

10

3

7

150

COMH414 Assessment Tools and Techniques

10

3

7

150

 EXIT Graduate Diploma of Counselling

3

4

Hrs/ Wk+

Hrs/ Sem+

40

40

600

40

40

600

EXIT 

COMH501 Group Counselling

10

3

7

150

COMH502 Counselling Practicum I

10

3

7

150

COMH503 Social and Cultural Diversity

10

3

7

150

COMH511 Introduction to Counselling Research

10

3

7

150

COMH512 Counselling Practicum II

10

3

7

150

10

3

7

150

COMH---

CP/ Sem

Elective**

Course Totals

Hrs/Wk and Hrs/Sem are student workload hours (contact hours + personal study).

**Electives are chosen from the following list. Not every elective is available every semester. COMH513

Addictions and Mental Health

COMH514

Human Sexuality

COMH515

Child and Adolescent Counselling

COMH516

Crisis and Trauma Counselling

6

30

450

30

30

450

140CP

*Semester = 15 weeks comprising 13 teaching weeks, 1 study week, 1 exam week. +

30

2100 Hrs


Graduate Diploma of Counselling • • • • • •

Course Code: WCO44 Credit Points: 80 Number of Units: 8 Duration: 1 year full-time; up to 2 years part-time Student Workload: 40 hours per week (contact and study hours) Delivery Mode: Face-to-face learning with weekly classes on the Drummoyne campus or weekend intensives on the Central Coast campus

The Graduate Diploma of Counselling is nested within the Master of Counselling, representing the first year of course work. It may be completed in one year of fulltime study or two years of part-time study. The course is designed to equip individuals whose profession demands a proportion of mental health counselling, but whose training in counselling has been inadequate. It is most suitable for students who do not intend to seek professional recognition as counsellors, such as pastors, nurses, teachers, human services workers, social workers.

Course Structure Details Sem*

1

Code

Unit Name

CP

Contact Study Hrs/ Hrs/ Hrs/ Sem+ Wk Wk

COMH401 Counselling Skills and Practice I

10

3

7

150

COMH402 Counselling and Personality

10

3

7

150

COMH403 Professional Ethics and Orientation

10

3

7

150

COMH404 Understanding Health and Wellness

10

3

7

150

COMH411 2

Totals

Counselling Skills and Practice II

10

3

7

150

COMH412 Attachment & Interpersonal Processes

10

3

7

150

COMH413 Human Growth and Development

10

3

7

150

COMH414 Assessment Tools and Techniques

10

3

7

150

Course Totals

*Semester = 15 weeks comprising 13 teaching weeks, 1 study week, 1 exam week. +

Hrs/Wk and Hrs/Sem are student workload hours (contact hours + personal study).

7

CP/ Sem

Hrs/ Wk+

40

40

600

40

40

600

80CP

Hrs/ Sem+

1200 Hrs


Admission The annual course intake is in February. Application closing dates for 2011 are published on the website at http://www.wi.edu.au/how-to-apply. Overseas applicants should apply as early as possible to allow for visa processing delays. Wesley Institute is committed to ethical and responsible student recruitment. The application process requires the submission of documents verifying that the applicant has met the entry requirements for the course. Applicants for admission to the Master of Counselling or its nested Graduate Diploma of Counselling are selected on the basis of application documents, successful completion of a day-long interactive workshop, and interviews. The selection process is guided by the principles of equal opportunity and anti-discrimination, and by the practice guidelines adopted by the Psychology and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and the Society for Counselling and Psychotherapy Educators (SCAPE). Applicants for admission must: •

provide evidence of completion of an accredited undergraduate degree, and

demonstrate their suitability for counsellor training by means of a written rationale, a written set of goals, and participation in an interactive workshop designed to explore interpersonal skills.

In addition, applicants whose qualifying degree was completed in a language other than English will normally be required to provide evidence of English language proficiency equivalent to an overall score of 7.0 in the IELTS Academic test. Alternative course and test results assessed as satisfying the language requirement for admission to the Master of Counselling or its nested Graduate Diploma are: • • • •

TOEFL (Paper-based) TOEFL (Computer-based) TOEFL (Internet-based) ACL Sydney English Centre

600 250 100 overall score 75% in the Diploma of EAP.

Special Admission to the Graduate Diploma of Counselling Applicants over 25 years of age who have not completed an accredited undergraduate degree may be considered for admission to the Graduate Diploma of Counselling if they provide evidence of educational and/or professional background deemed by the Academic Board to be equivalent to an undergraduate degree. Such applicants will normally be required to complete two bridging units before admission. Each of these units has a duration of one semester, and each is assessed at a graduate level. • COMH301 Understanding Self and Others • COMH302 Preparing for Study.

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Credit Applicants for the masters degree may apply for credit on the basis of completed accredited studies that have reasonable equivalence with the masters units. The maximum level of credit that may be granted into the Master of Counselling is normally one-third of the course requirements. However, candidates who have completed an accredited graduate diploma in counselling may be granted up to one year’s credit into the Master of Counselling. All credit applications for Counselling Skills units must be accompanied by a DVD or videotape of a counselling session.

Assessment The Master of Counselling and the Graduate Diploma of Counselling employ similar assessment models, with three assignments in the majority of the first year units of the Masters and throughout the Graduate Diploma. The second year units of the Masters have a greater range and variety of assessments consistent with the more complex and diverse nature of professional counselling as a discipline and practice. Students must complete and submit all assessment tasks to achieve a passing grade in a unit.

Course Work Units: The assignments cover a range of assessment tasks that address the specific learning objectives of each unit of study as well as broader course objectives. Wherever appropriate. Assessments are designed to integrate theory and practice. • Assessment methodologies regularly include essays, presentations, case studies and examinations. • Assessment tasks are designed to expand discipline and domain knowledge, encourage critical reflection, and develop basic research skills in areas of specialised practice.

Professional Experience Units: Assessments in the professional experience units (Counselling Skills & Practice II, Counselling Practicum I & II) require students to submit assignments including: • Case presentations of a client’s issues, theoretical approaches, complexities and ethical or professional issues • DVD of a counselling session, a transcript of a portion of the session, along with a reflection of the stages, developmental tasks, assessment, counselling approach and interventions • Psycho-social report and case notes • A logbook of completed professional experience hours.

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These assignments are designed to assist students in their reflective practice, giving them the opportunity to reflect on the professional experience and the ways in which the theory and skills units have informed that practice. In addition, the supervising lecturer evaluates the progress of students throughout the semester to identify any students or clients at risk, and to assess the student’s skills and professionalism. At the end of the practicum students submit a logbook of completed practice hours, which is sighted and signed by the supervising lecturer.

Tuition Assurance To protect students in the event that Wesley Institute ceases to provide a course of study, the Institute has tuition assurance through its membership of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) Tuition Assurance Schemes for Australian and international students. For details please see Tuition Assurance

Unit Descriptions Counselling Skills and Practice I

COMH401 Prerequisites: None Christian counsellors require a foundation of core counsellor qualities and skills on which to build their repertoire of therapeutic interventions. This unit is designed to help students demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of the task of counselling as a problem-management and opportunity-development process. The unit addresses foundational levels of professional competence required for effective counselling practice. Successful completion of this unit should enable students to acquire the basic skills essential to the delivery of mental health counselling.

Counselling and Personality

COMH402 Prerequisites: None Facilitating change in counselling requires considerable knowledge of both personality and psychopathology. Students in this unit will be introduced to major theoretical perspectives on personality and psychopathology, and will learn to conceptualise client problems and make treatment decisions based on these perspectives. Students will also be provided a forum in which to reflect, in an appropriate, supervised environment, on the makeup of their own personality.

Professional Ethics and Orientation

COMH403 Prerequisites: None This unit is designed to explore the counsellor’s understanding of what constitutes ethical counselling practice and the complexity of the relevant legal regulations. Students will reflect on their worldviews, values and approaches to professional counselling in the light of professional standards and requirements. Ongoing professional development and lifelong learning will be emphasised.

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Understanding Health and Wellness

COMH404 Prerequisites: None This unit is designed to enhance student understanding of the conceptual complexity of mental health in the broader context of cultural models of health and illness. The unit is geared towards prevention, early intervention, and collaboration with both clients and their healthcare providers. Emphasis is placed on high base rate issues such as eating behaviour, alcohol and drinking, tobacco and smoking, sexual behaviour and experience, stress and coping, exercise and other health-related lifestyle issues. The role of the counsellor in primary health care and health promotion is also explored.

Counselling Skills and Practice II

COMH411 Prerequisite: COMH401 This is the second of a two-unit series aimed at helping students build a solid foundation of micro-skills in counselling. The emphasis is on equipping students to demonstrate additional competencies in their understanding and practice of The Skilled Helper model of counselling (Egan, 2007), as well as competency in applying the evidence-based model of brief motivational interviewing. Students will be required to complete five (5) hours of face-to-face client contact.

Attachment and Interpersonal Process

COMH412 Prerequisite: COMH401 This unit provides students with deeper insight into the complex dynamics of human relationships in the light of interpersonal theory and research. Students will be encouraged to critically evaluate their style of attachment, personal interaction and related interpersonal issues in order to effectively integrate current theory and research into practice. Each student will receive ten counselling sessions free of charge as part of this unit. Students are required to provide written evidence of completion of the counselling sessions.

Human Growth and Development

COMH413 Prerequisites: None Understanding a client’s developmental issues informs sound assessment and treatment strategies. This unit addresses normal human development throughout the lifespan, with particular attention to the interaction of bio-psychosocial influences upon human functioning. Counselling methodologies and concepts are examined in relation to developmental processes that promote adaptation throughout the life span.

Assessment Tools and Techniques

COMH414 Prerequisites: None A variety of client problems are encountered in counselling settings, and it is important for counsellors to know how to reliably assess a range of problems, formulate initial treatment strategies, and communicate professionally with colleagues in the field where assessment and treatment are concerned. Students will survey a representative sample of clinical, personality, and behavioural assessment tools used in the counselling field and understand how these tools might be used to support various aspects of the counselling process.

Group Counselling

COMH501 Prerequisites: All 400-level units Many therapists work in an environment where managed care is the norm, placing real limitations on time and financial resources. In these and other settings group process can be an effective and efficient way of providing a supportive environment for change. This unit, which includes both didactic and experiential group work, will 11


ensure that students have a clear understanding of the theory and practice of group counselling.

Counselling Practicum I

COMH502 Prerequisites: All 400-level units This is the first of two units marking the transition from time as students spent in the classroom to time spent as professionals with clients, peers and supervisors. Students will begin practising basic counselling skills with clients, receive both peer and supervisor feedback on their work, and continue developing their theoretical approach. Students will be required to have at least five ongoing counselling cases, complete a minimum of 100 hours of supervised practice, and complete 25 hours of group supervision during the semester as per PACFA requirements.

Social and Cultural Diversity

COMH503 Prerequisites: All 400-level units This unit is designed to contribute to students’ understanding of the relevance of society and culture in conceptualising and planning effective counselling interventions. Students will investigate issues relating to gender, ethnicity, spirituality, power, age, access and disability, and develop broader, evidence-based frameworks for understanding and respectfully entering into the worlds of their clients.

Introduction to Counselling Research

COMH511 Prerequisites: All 400-level units Counselling practice is greatly enhanced by an ability to readily identify, access and understand pertinent research material. This unit aims to enable counselling students to critically evaluate research data so they can stay abreast of current trends in mental health counselling. Students will explore the presuppositions and dominant paradigms underlying social science research and become familiar with basic statistical concepts and research methodologies.

Counselling Practicum II

COMH512 Prerequisite: Counselling Practicum I This is the second of two units marking the ongoing transition from student to professional. Students will continue seeing clients, including a minimum of 100 hours of supervised practice and completion of 25 hours of group supervision as per PACFA requirements, while honing their conceptual and technical skills at a more advanced level.

Addictions and Mental Health

COMH513 Prerequisites: All 400-level units Addictions include any behaviour that is driven by compulsion to overcome personal deficit or dysfunction. Addictive behaviours are an increasing part of modern society, causing substantial negative personal and social damage such as an increase in criminal activity, violence, suicide and death. This unit will introduce students to a continuum of care in the lives of those affected by addictions, from prevention and assessment to treatment and relapse prevention.

Human Sexuality

COMH514 Prerequisites: All 400-level units This unit introduces central theories and counselling techniques appropriate to treating sexual problems across the life span. Students will explore the bio-physiological, psychological, emotional and spiritual dimensions of sexual function and dysfunction and, in so doing, develop counselling skills for persons presenting with sexually related issues. 12


Child and Adolescent Counselling

COMH515 Prerequisites: All 400-level units This unit introduces counselling students to the roots of children’s and adolescents’ behavioural dysfunctions and pathologies. It presents a systemic family-centred approach to working with children and dependent adolescents, focusing on key problem areas for each group. Students will learn to select from several perspectives (behavioural, family, creative therapies) in determining optimal strategies for intervention.

Crisis and Trauma Counselling

COMH516 Prerequisites: All 400-level units This unit provides an opportunity for students to understand the impact of crisis and trauma on individuals and groups, and to examine current research and mental health models addressing critical incident debriefing, crisis intervention, and traumatic stress reactions. Students will be exposed to a variety of approaches and strategies that promote recovery from a range of traumatic incidents.

Academic Staff Head of Counselling Dr Jeffrey Rutter BA, MTS, PsyD, MAPS, CAPS

Assistant Head of Counselling Dr Marie-Therese Proctor BA(Psy&RelSt), BA(Hons)Psy, PhD

Lecturers Dr Graham Barker BA, STC, MA(Hons), MA, PsyD, MAPA, MAPS, RPACFA, MSCAPE Ms Jennifer Davis BA(Psy), MA(Psy), MBA Ms Paula Davis AdvCertWelfare, BEd, GradDipCouns, MCouns, CertIVA&WT, RPACFA, MCMEA, MSCAPE

Ms Faye Hanson BA, STC, PGCP, DipFamTherapy, BTh, CertIVA&WT, MAPS, RPACFA Ms Sandra Lauffenburger BEd, MSc, GradDipPsy, DipDMT, DipAdultPsy, BPsy(Hons), CMA, ANZAP, DTAAProf, ISMETA, LIMS, AASP, PACFA

Ms Eileen McDonald BA, TC(Dance), GradDipDMT, MCouns current Dr Clifford Powell BA, DipEd, MA, PhD, MAPS Ms Rose Weir BMin, MEd, MATheol, MCouns, RPACFA, MAPC, MSCAPE Ms Barb Wilkinson AMusA, MAChrisCouns, CMCAPA, RPACFA, MSCAPE

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Fees Tuition Fees Domestic*

Overseas**

$26,320.00

$35,000.00

$1,880.00

$2,500.00

$15,040.00

$20,000.00

$1,880.00

$2,500.00

Master of Counselling Course Fee Unit Fee

Graduate Diploma of Counselling Course Fee Unit Fee

Administration Fees $110 $100 $50 $20 $25 $100 $0 - $200 $50 $50 $150 $100+ $200+

Graduation Fee Late Enrolment Fine Late Variation to Enrolment Fine Student ID Card Replacement Request for Transcript (plus postage costs) Request for replacement Testamur Administration Fee for entering into a Deferred Payment Contract Fee Late fee for missing an agreed payment Re-Issue of Financial Records Fee (current year) Re-Issue of Financial Records Fee (previous years) Course Withdrawal Fee (up to start of classes) Course Withdrawal Fee (after classes commence)

*Domestic Student: A student who is an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa. **Overseas Student: Any student who is not a domestic student. + New students only

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Wesley Institute offers the following courses: Master of Counselling Master of Music Master of Teaching (Primary) Master of Theology Master of Theology (Korean medium) Master of Theological Studies Graduate Diploma of Counselling Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) Graduate Diploma of Theological Studies Bachelor of Theology (Honours) Bachelor of Dance Bachelor of Dramatic Art Bachelor of Graphic Design Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Theology Bachelor of Theology (Korean medium) Associate Degree of Dance Associate Degree of Graphic Design Associate Degree of Music* Associate Degree of Theology Associate Degree of Theology (Korean medium) Diploma of Dramatic Art

*Pending accreditation for 2011

28 January 2011 Wesley Institute 15


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