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.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.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
Analyse and apply individual counselling and group...
Learning Outcome 02
Evaluate individual counselling and group work out...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrate ethical and professional behaviours in...
Learning Outcome 04
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
30%
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.
40%
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.
30%
1. Present group protocol in practical class for ...
1. Present group protocol in practical class for feedback
Hurdle Requirements
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.
Hurdle Requirements
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.