Unit rationale, description and aim

Occupational Therapists enable health through optimising participation in meaningful occupation. When clients are facing barriers to their optimal occupational performance, occupational therapists utilise counselling and group work skills to enable clients to achieve their goals of participation in occupations of their choosing. Building on your knowledge of applying occupational therapy theory and models to working with clients, you will learn counselling and group work theoretical frameworks. Through collaboration with peers and setting your own learning goals, you will participate in learning activities to develop foundational counselling skills as they apply to a diverse range of clients in real-world simulations. In the group work activities, you will develop competencies in the design, facilitation and evaluation of a range of therapeutic groups. You will reflect on, evaluate and critique your practice, demonstrating professional and ethical behaviours of occupational therapists required in counselling and group work contexts.

The aim of this unit is to examine the theoretical frameworks of counselling and group work, to then apply and evaluate practices and ethical behaviours that you will need if you are to effectively enable clients from diverse backgrounds to overcome barriers to achieving their goals and fulfilling their potential.

2025 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit

Prerequisites

OTHY205 Mental Health Recovery in Occupational Therapy 1

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Identify, analyse and apply selected theoretical f...

Learning Outcome 01

Identify, analyse and apply selected theoretical frameworks for individual counselling and group work in a range of clinical and community settings

Analyse and apply individual counselling and group...

Learning Outcome 02

Analyse and apply individual counselling and group work practices with a diverse range of clients and contexts

Evaluate individual counselling and group work out...

Learning Outcome 03

Evaluate individual counselling and group work outcomes with selected outcome measures

Demonstrate ethical and professional behaviours in...

Learning Outcome 04

Demonstrate ethical and professional behaviours in individual counselling and group work contexts, and work collaboratively with other group members

Content

Topics will include:


Individual counselling and group work practice in occupational therapy

  • Therapeutic use of self
  • Ethical issues and boundaries
  • Ethical and professional behaviours


Theoretical frameworks of counselling and group work

  • Occupational Therapy conceptual models


Evaluation of counselling and group work effectiveness

  • Evidence-based practice
  • Suitable outcome measures


Group Work Practice in Occupational Therapy

  • Group theory
  • Group dynamics
  • Developmental stages of groups
  • Group process, practice and design


Group Work Skills

  • Leadership Styles
  • Group Facilitation skills
  • Managing participant behaviours - Strategies & techniques
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Effective Feedback
  • Evaluation & Reflection


Application of and group work practices with a diverse range of clients and contexts

  • Community based Groups 
  • Mental Health Groups
  • Health Promotion & Wellness Groups
  • Support & Carer Groups
  • Activity Based & Rehabilitation Groups
  • School based Groups 
  • Residential Care Groups
  • Virtual Groups


Individual counselling practice in occupational therapy


  • Introduction to counselling practice
  • The Skilled Helper Model


Specific theoretical frameworks for counselling

  • Person-centred 
  • Behavioural 
  • Cognitive-behavioural approaches 
  • Psychodynamic theory of transference and countertransference


Counselling skills

  • Contracts, goals and practice issues
  • Active listening
  • Observation skills
  • Probing
  • Summarising
  • Communicating
  • Empathising
  • Helping clients help themselves
  • Helping stuck/difficult/reluctant clients
  • Helping clients tell their story
  • Formulating goals
  • Developing action strategies
  • Evaluating progress
  • Culturally safe communication for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples


Intervention Approaches 

  • Principles and application of self-management
  • Facilitation of personal development
  • Change
  • Grief and loss

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.  


The first assessment piece is an exam to demonstrate students’ knowledge of counselling and group work theoretical frameworks, practices and behaviours in preparation for demonstrating these skills in assessment 2 & 3.


Assessment 2 involves students preparing a group protocol utilising a theoretical framework and session plan, facilitating and evaluating this session and then critiquing their practices and behaviours.


Assessment 3 involves students recording a counselling session on a pre-agreed occupational performance issue with a fellow student followed by a critique of their practices and behaviours using theoretical frameworks. This provides important authentic learning experiences in counselling.

 

Hurdle tasks for the unit are:

1) Presentation of their group protocol and attendance at practicals in preparation for assessment 2. This provides formative feedback prior to submission. 


2) The second hurdle task requires students to attend and participate in a group facilitation and provides students with observational learning of their peers’ group facilitation.  This hurdle provides students with exposure to a wide variety of simulated occupational therapy client groups and contexts, including a range of community and clinical settings.

Overview of assessments

Exam Requires students to demonstrate their knowl...

Exam

Requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of counselling and group work theoretical frameworks, practices and behaviours in preparation for demonstrating these skills in assessment 2 & 3

Weighting

30%
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3, LO4

Group planning, facilitation and critique Student...

Group planning, facilitation and critique

Students prepare a group protocol utilising a theoretical framework and session plan, facilitate and evaluate this session and then critique their practices and behaviours.

Weighting

40%
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Counselling video and critique Students record a ...

Counselling video and critique

Students record a counselling session on a pre-agreed occupational performance issue with a fellow student and critique their practices and behaviours using theoretical frameworks.

Weighting

30%
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

1. Present group protocol in practical class for ...

1. Present group protocol in practical class for feedback

Weighting

Hurdle Requirements
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO4

2. Compulsory attendance and participation in sim...

2. Compulsory attendance and participation in simulated group learning activities. This hurdle provides students with exposure to a wide variety of simulated occupational therapy client groups and contexts, including a range of community and clinical settings.

Weighting

Hurdle Requirements
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Teaching and learning strategies for this unit will include lectures, practical sessions, tutorials, case studies and self-directed learning. This unit uses flipped classroom learning with online lectures and face to face tutorials and practicals. Students are required to watch the online lectures and complete preparatory tasks as preparation for their face to face classes, so that they are familiar with important concepts and can explore and consolidate these in a more applied way within class time. Students are expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities, demonstrating respect for the individual as an independent learner.


OTAL Competency Standards

Occupational Therapy Australia Ltd (OTAL) Entry Level Competency Standards developed in this unit are:

Standard/Attributes/Criteria

Standard/Attributes/CriteriaLearning Outcomes

1. Professionalism

1. Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia's standards, guidelines and Code of conduct

2. Adheres to legislation relevant to practice

3. Maintains professional boundaries in all client and professional relationships

4. Recognises and manages conflicts of interest in all client and professional relationships

5. Practises in a culturally responsive and culturally safe manner, with particular respect to culturally diverse client groups

7. Collaborates and consults ethically and responsibly for effective client-centred and interprofessional practice

9. Identifies and manages the influence of her/his values and culture on practice

10. Practises within limits of her/his own level of competence and expertise

13. Manages resources, time and workload accountably and effectively

14. Recognises and manages her/his own physical and mental health for safe, professional practice

17. Recognises and manages any inherent power imbalance in relationships with clients.

4

2. Knowledge and Learning

1. applies current and evidence-informed knowledge of occupational therapy and other appropriate and relevant theory in practice.

2. applies theory and frameworks of occupation to professional practice and decision-making.

3. identifies and applies best available evidence in professional practice and decisionmaking.

4. Understands and responds to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health philosophies, leadership, research and practices

5. Maintains current knowledge for cultural responsiveness to all groups in the practice setting

8. reflects on practice to inform current and future reasoning and decision- making and the integration of theory and evidence into practice.

9. main tai ns knowledge of relevant resources and technologies,

10. maintains digital literacy for practice. 

1, 2

3. Occupational therapy process and practice

1. addresses occupational performance and participation of clients, identifying the enablers and barriers to engagement

2. performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client's status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals

3. collaborates with the client and relevant others to determine the priorities and occupational therapy goals   

4. develops a plan with the client and relevant others to meet identified occupational therapy goals        

5. selects and implements culturally responsive and safe practice strategies to suit the occupational therapy goals and environment of the client

7. reflects on practice to inform and communicate professional reasoning and decisionmaking

11. evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice

1, 2, 3

4. Communication

1. communicates openly, respectfully and effectively

2. adapts written, verbal and non-verbal communication appropriate to the client and practice context            

4. uses culturally responsive, safe and relevant communication tools and strategies

5. complies with legal and procedural requirements for the responsible and accurate documentation, sharing and storage of professional information and records of practice.

10. seeks and responds to feedback, modifying communication and/or practice accordingly,

1, 2, 3, 4

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Egan, G. & Reese, R. J. (2019). The skilled helper: A problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping. (11th ed.). Cengage Learning, Inc. 

Cole, M. (2018). Group dynamics in occupational therapy: The theoretical basis and practice application of group intervention (5th ed.). Slack. 

Corey, M., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

Egan, G. (2014). Exercises in helping skills: a problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping (10th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

Geldard, D., & Geldard, K. (2017). Basic personal counselling: a training manual for counsellors (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

Ivey, A., Ivey, M. & Zalaquett, C. (2018) Intentional interviewing and counselling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society. (9th Ed). Brooks/Cole. 

O'Brien, J. C., & Solomon, J. W. (2012). Occupational Analysis and Group Process. Elsevier.

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