PSYCHOL 7141 - Master of Psychology (Clinical) Placement I

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2020

This Placement provides education and training in professional practice and skills to prepare the student for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code PSYCHOL 7141
    Course Master of Psychology (Clinical) Placement I
    Coordinating Unit Psychology
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact 22 weeks of 2.5 days
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites PSYCHOL 7130, PSYCHOL 7131, PSYCHOL 7132 & PSYCHOL 7133
    Restrictions Available to M Psych (Clin) and PhD/MPsych (Clin) students only
    Course Description This Placement provides education and training in professional practice and skills to prepare the student for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Alyssa Sawyer

    School of Psychology Office: 
    Email - psychologyoffice@adelaide.edu.au


    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Placement allocations will occur at two time points each year. Further details will be made available to students during orientation and upon commencement of their program.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    At the successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    1.    Apply professional standards and codes of conduct  to clinical practice
    2.    Use feedback from supervisors, colleagues and other professionals to improve professional practice
    3.    Integrate interpersonal and organisational skills into clinical practice
    4.    Select, administer and interpret assessment results competently
    5.    Interview competently a diverse range of people
    6.    Provide appropriate  evidence-based interventions to people from diverse backgrounds.


    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    6
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    3,4,6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1,2,3
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1,2,3,4,5,6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    5,6
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    2,5,6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    All required placement documentation will be made available for students via the Clinical Placement Management Portal SONIA. Each placement provider will allocate required readings as appropriate.
    Recommended Resources
    The Library is a major resource centre for students. The Research Librarian for Psychology, Maureen Bell, provides some useful information through the Internet at http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/psychology. The website contains a list of databases, links to tutorials and help with searching methods.

    Online Learning
    This course may use MyUni for one or more of the following:

    - Communication with students via Announcements and Discussion Board
    - Submission of assessment
    - Access to resources such as forms, templates and additional readings
    - Self-directed learning activities

    Link to MyUni: https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The Field Supervisor and trainee meet for formal and informal supervision depending on the developmental needs of the trainee. Supervisors should make themselves available for informal discussion of matters that arise between formal supervision sessions. Approximately 1 hour of supervision for every 7.5 hours of placement is required.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    This placement requires approximately 334 hours of placement activity. This placement is made up of direct client activities (approximately 134 hours per placement), supervision (1 hours per 7.5 hours of placement) and client-related activities hours (remainder).

    In addition, students are required to attend the Case Discussion Seminar Program (6 hours). Finally, it should be noted that over the course of their Master of Psychology (Clinical) degree as part of their placement requirements all students must complete one mentoring experience (where they mentor students who are at lower or equivalent level of study than themselves and complete a brief reflective learning journal) and must demonstrate competency in one presentation about their placement experience at the Case Discussion Seminar Program.
    Learning Activities Summary
    As this placement involves clinical training there are no formal lectures. The Learning Activities are tailored for each individual depending on the nature of the placement and the developmental needs of the trainee.  Learning Activities reflect the Learning Outcomes.
    Specific Course Requirements
    On enrolment all students MUST apply for and obtain provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.  All students are required to provide a copy of their registration details  to the Program Administrator on their first day in the Program: this will be required for the Summer School courses Interviewing & Intervention and Evidence-Based Practice.The application form and details of fees payable are available from the PBA website: http://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Forms.aspx.

    Candidates are required to consent to a police check as part of their application to the Psychology Board of Australia for Provisional Registration, a requirement of enrolment in the program. A satisfactory current police check is a mandatory requirement for acceptance to and continuation within the program.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning outcome(s) being addressed
    Mid placement review Formative Not applicable All
    End of placement supervisor report Summative NGP All
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Further information relating to assessment is available in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) Placement Handbook at the time of enrolment at the following link:
    http://health.adelaide.edu.au/psychology/students/resource/handbooksforms.html
    Assessment Detail
    A mid-placement review form is completed by the trainee and Placement Supervisor to review the trainee’s performance and the extent to which the Learning Outcomes are met. A final placement assessment meeting between the trainee, the Placement Supervisor and the University supervisor will occur at the end of the placement to assess the completion of the Learning Outcomes. The assessment of all Learning Outcomes is based on evidence provided in the final Placement Supervisor Report.

    Further information is available in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) Placement Handbook at the time of enrolment available at the following link:
    http://health.adelaide.edu.au/psychology/students/resource/handbooksforms.html
    Submission
    In the case of unsatisfactory placement performance in which the trainee has not met the requirements he/she may be given the opportunity to extend the placement, or to do another placement to an acceptable level provided he/she is not thought to be a risk to self or others. The ultimate decision as to whether the trainee has successfully completed the requirements of the placement is made by the Placement Coordinator in full consultation with the Placement Supervisor.

    Further information is available in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) Placement Handbook at the time of enrolment available at the following link:
    http://health.adelaide.edu.au/psychology/students/resource/handbooksforms.html
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    GS8 (Coursework Grade Scheme)
    Grade Description
    CN Continuing
    FNS Fail No Submission
    NFE No Formal Examination
    F Fail
    NGP Non Graded Pass
    P Pass
    C Credit
    D Distinction
    HD High Distinction
    RP Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Placements will be graded by NGP.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

    Further information is available in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) Handbook at the time of enrolment available at the following link:

    http://health.adelaide.edu.au/psychology/students/resource/handbooksforms.html
  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g., course coordinator communications, placement orientation sessions). In addition aggregated course SELT data can be found at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/planning/selt/.
  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.