Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)

Understanding Societies: An Introduction to Social Analysis

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
In this unit, students are introduced to the interdisciplinary practice of social analysis and its role in understanding the various human elements and social institutions that constitute our communities and societies.

Introduction to Social Theories: Sociological Theory and Practice

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit offers students an introduction to the field of sociology. It begins with an examination of the historical development of sociology as a discipline and its key proponents and innovative thinkers.

Introduction to Social Research Methods

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit offers students an introduction to the practice of social science research. It discusses the models and techniques of social research, including surveys and sampling, questionnaires, focus groups and structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews.

Developing Social Policy

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
In this unit students explore the nature and practice of social policy development through the examination of key public policy areas such as education, health, welfare, the family, crime and law and order policy, drug and alcohol policy and employment policy. The focus of policy discussions is primarily within the context of Australian social, economic and political systems.

Understanding Human Behaviour Across the Lifespan: an Introduction to Psychology

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
The unit introduces students to the field of developmental psychology and explores why people do what they do, and what drives or motivates human behaviour. It examines the key life stages of birth, early and later childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, mid-life, ageing and death in their social and cultural contexts. The unit explores how theories of attachment, cognitive and social development explain human development across the lifespan.

Theories of Counselling

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
In this unit of study, students are introduced to influential counselling theories, including Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic theories, Person-centred Therapy, Existential Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Family Therapy, Feminist Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy.

Interpersonal Communication

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit explores the nature of interpersonal communication in its many guises. It considers the role of self and culture in interpersonal communication, the role of perception, and the importance of listening and reflection. It outlines different communication channels including verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as the barriers to effective communication and how these can be overcome.

Health and Well-Being*

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit will provide the context for understanding health and well-being in Australia. It begins by exploring the critical perspectives associated with defining health and well-being, and what impacts these definitions have on various sections of the community, especially those considered most marginal. Health policies, perceptions and promotional activities are analysed as to their impact on health equity and access to services and resources for various sections of the population.

Applied Counselling Practice 1

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
In this unit, students are introduced to the core skills for counselling and change work, with specific reference to working with adults. The unit provides students with an opportunity to further develop their counselling skills in an interactive and supportive learning environment with feedback from others.

Mediation and Conflict Management

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
As our number of relationships expands, so too does the potential for conflict. This unit looks at the nature of interpersonal conflict, and explores strategies for resolution such as mediation, conferencing and restorative justice. It begins by considering the nature of conflict, theories about its causes, and how conflict manifests in relationships, groups, communities and internationally.

Advanced Social Research Methods

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit builds upon the preliminary unit SOC103 that introduced students to social research methods. It assists students to understand the process of research, including developing proposals before undertaking research, specifying research questions, selection of the most appropriate research methods for the question, sampling, data collection, data analysis and reporting.

Applied Counselling Practice 2

This is a core unit for the Counselling and Community Services majors.
This unit will build on the knowledge and skills developed in COU101 Theories of counselling, and develop a greater understanding of the theories and interventions of Psychodynamic theories, Person-centred Therapy, Existential Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Family Therapy, Feminist Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy.

Applied Counselling Practice 3

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
The focus of this unit will be on advanced empathy and the facilitation of change, using skills modelling and practice sessions, with feedback being provided by facilitators and peers in a supportive environment. Some preparation will also be provided for working with clients in need of crisis intervention and will include assessment of suicide ideation, anxiety and depression in the client and support systems for referrals. The unit will also provide a unique opportunity for students to develop an understanding of ethical practice, the need for supervision, development of professional boundaries and self-care.

Relationship Counselling

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
In this unit of study students will gain an appreciation of the role of language and culture in the formation of identity through the study of social constructionism; the formative carer-infant relationship is studied in attachment theory; students are also introduced to the theories of influential figures in the field of relationship counselling.

Counselling Placement 1

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
This unit will allow students a practical fieldwork placement of 200 hours duration and will be completed in one or two agencies. Students will be assisted to locate placements in the human service sector or in an organisation such as a community agency, government counselling or welfare centre, child or youth service, neighbourhood centre, community corrections, hospice or hospital pastoral care setting.

Ethics, Professionalism, and Reflective Practice

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit introduces students to the philosophy of ethics from a variety of perspectives, including deontology, teleological ethics, virtue ethics, human rights and the feminist ethics of care to examine what they tell us about how we should live and act. The unit examines ethical principles from Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. It discusses major principles of ethical actions including autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice in relation to dilemmas in professional and organisational practice, including confidentiality, risk of harm and dealing with corruption and malpractice.

Action Based Research Project

This is a core unit in all the Applied Social Science courses.
This unit builds upon the work students have competed in the units SOC103 Introduction to social research methods and SOC202 Advanced social research methods. It provides students with the opportunity to engage in their own short research project in an area of specific interest or program specialisation. Each week students will be guided through the research process by teaching staff commencing with developing a research proposal and research question, through to identifying appropriate research methods, collecting and analysing data, and writing up the research report.

Evaluating Approaches to Counselling

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
This unit consists of three parts.

Applied Counselling Practice 4

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
The focus of this unit will be on the skills needed to build a strong therapeutic alliance with clients, on self-reflective and client-centred practice, and on the use of transference and counter-transference as facilitators of healing and behaviour change. In this unit, students will also learn how to use the awareness of somatic and psychosomatic signs to deepen the therapeutic process and to provide clients with emotional and psychosomatic self-maintenance skills.

Use, Abuse and Addiction

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
This unit will introduce students to theories and research in the area of substance abuse counselling, and particularly to an understanding of the continuum between drug use, abuse, dependence and addiction. Students will develop an understanding of the physical dependence created by the abuse of legal and illicit drugs and the roles of community, residential and detox services.

Counselling Placement 2

This is a core unit for the Counselling major.
This placement consists of 200 hours duration and will be completed in one or two settings. Students will pursue placements in the community sector in an organisation such as a community counselling agency, government counselling or welfare centre, child or youth service, neighbourhood centre, community corrections, hospice or hospital pastoral care setting to build and consolidate their counselling skills with a variety of client groups and presentations. They will gain further practical experience in working with individuals and groups.