Course Coordinator: Matthew Doherty
Phone: +61 8313 4340
Email: matthew.doherty@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 9, AMHS, North Terrace

Student & Program Support Services Hub
Email: askhealthsc@adelaide.edu.au
Phone: +61 8313 0273

1	Display appropriate knowledge of the underlying theories and core approaches for counselling and psychotherapy with young clients;
2	Critically appraise theory and research related to the clinical application of counselling with young clients;
3	Design and structure counselling sessions for children and adolescents;
4	Assess individual client needs and select and apply appropriate techniques;
5	Apply child-friendly approaches to developing collaborations that enhance the therapeutic alliance;
6	Summarise and state child-focused therapeutic rationales;
7	Interpret client behaviours within the therapeutic context;
8	Estimate the particular needs of young clients who have experienced abuse, neglect or trauma.

1	Outline knowledge of the underlying theories and core concepts of key approaches to family and relationship counselling;
2	Critically appraise research studies related to the clinical application of various approaches to family and relationship counselling;
3	Demonstrate an understanding of family systems, structure, developmental stages and changes through class discussions and written assignments;
4	Analyse and apply a variety of techniques and approaches to family and relationship counselling; these may include systems, experiential, developmental, cognitive-behavioural, emotion-focussed, narrative and integrative models;
5	Demonstrate practical knowledge of common counselling issues that are presented by families and couples, through class discussions and written assignments;
6	Recognise issues of cultural and other diversity in the formation of families and relationships;
7	Appropriately apply intervention skills for working with families and couples to resolve relationship difficulties, through a written assignment;
8	Appraise resources to support continuous learning regarding family and relationship counselling.

Course Textbook

Geldard, K., Geldard, D., & Yin Foo, R. (2013). Counselling children: A practical introduction (4th Ed.). London: Sage Publications.

Links to additional readings will be available via MyUni.[JE1] 

Refer to MyUni for a list of recommended resources.

MyUni will be used for all course communication. All students enrolled in a postgraduate coursework program have access to a
Postgraduate Coursework Student Centre on MyUni. This course is available on MyUni at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/.

Students should check the website regularly as it may contain announcements that are relevant to your study in the course. Those desiring the opportunity to network with other students can use the Communication features in the site. Information from the course coordinator and student administration will be sent to students at their University of Adelaide email address. It is the student’s
responsibility to check their email. They will need to use their student number located on their student card to log in. http://webmail.adelaide.edu.au/

This course will consist of a 6 hour workshop and six 4-hour workshops. Lecturer/s will draw from contemporary and pioneering  research; use illustrations from their own client work; along with structured activities and group discussion as ways of supporting students to engage with counselling practices appropriate when working with children and adolescents. The emphasis will  be on  developing skills in planning and implementing activities that engender a strong therapeutic alliance and open communication with  young clients.

Through experiential learning students will be encouraged to develop child- and adolescent-friendly counselling methods, and form  an understanding of the use of metaphor, image, movement, music, and other non-verbal counselling techniques.

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

The course comprises 30 hours over the semester, made up of one full day and six half-day workshops of lectures, seminar, and small-group discussions, with a mixture of lectures and interactive exercises, and it is compulsory for all students to attend.

Essential readings and on-line video material will be recommended.

Face to Face workshops: 30 hours

Core/background readings: 6 hours / week

Preparation of assignments: 4 hours / week

The course content will include the following topics:

1.   Child and adolescent development and assessment;
2.   Establishment of a therapeutic alliance;
3.   Communication catalysts, active listening and use of micro-skills;
4.   Cognitive, behavioural, emotion-focused and person-centred treatments and their rationale;
5.   Multiple intelligences theory;
6.   Child-friendly therapeutic activities - non-verbal methods such as therapeutic writing, visual art, music, and sandplay therapy;
7.   Structure of therapy sessions for young clients;
8.   Trauma-informed practice and the impact of abuse and neglect;
9.   Supporting resilience and well-being;
10. The child in the family and society;
11. Establishing a child-friendly consulting environment;
12. Professional issues and relating to carers.

Important components of this course include regular reading, reflection on course material and research, and peer interaction/discussion. The required readings are an essential component of the course and are intended to clarify and expand
on material experienced in the course.

Details of seminars will be made available via MyUni.

N/A

N/A

Assessment task	Assessment type	Weighting (%)	Learning outcomes(s) being addressed
Written Assignment 1: Literature review	Summative	35%	1, 2, 6
Group Assessment: Collaborative review of selected readings	Summative	20%	1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Written assignment - Therapeutic engagement with a young client	Summative	35%	1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Class Participation	Summative	10%	1, 2, 4, 5

Written Assignment 1: 
Literature Review - of a child-friendly counselling approach
Weighting: 35%  Word limit: 2,000 – 2,250       
  
Written Assignment 2:
Group assessment: A comparison of selected readings on two approaches to counselling young clients.
Weighting: 20% Word limit: 1,500 – 1,750
 
Written Assignment 3: 
Therapeutic engagement with a with a young client
Weighting: 35% Word limit: 1,750 – 2,000
 
Participation:  (10%)
Assessment of class participation is based on consideration of the student’s attendance record, their engagement in developing and  fostering group norms for the class, their  willingness to offer questions in class, engagement in small-group discussions and learning tasks, their respectful and professional  engagement with peers and staff, evidence of their tolerance with peers and clients, and their ability to modify behaviour in response to feedback from peers or staff.

Extensions
All extensions for assignments must be requested, at the latest, by the last working day before the due date of submission.   Extensions will generally be granted only on medical or genuine compassionate grounds. Supporting documentation must be  provided at the time a student requests an extension. Without documentation, extensions will not be granted. Late requests for extension will neither be accepted nor acknowledged.

Only the Course Co-ordinator(s) may grant extensions.

Supporting documentation will be required when requesting an extension. Examples of documents that are acceptable include: a  medical certificate that specifies dates of incapacity, a police report (in the case of lost computers, car & household theft etc.), a  letter from a Student Counsellor, Education and Welfare Officer (EWO) or Disability Liaison Officer that provides an assessment of  compassionate circumstances, or a letter from an independent external counsellor or appropriate professional able to verify the student’s situation. The length of any extension granted will take into account the period and severity of any incapacity or impact  on the student.  Extensions of more than 10 days will not be granted except in exceptional circumstances.

Late submission
Marks will be deducted when assignments for which no extension has been granted are handed in late.

All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merits. In the case of late assignments where no  extension has been granted, 5 percentage points of the total marks possible per day will be deducted. If an assignment that is 2  days late is awarded 65% on its merits, the mark will then be reduced by 10% (5% per day for 2 days) to 55%. If that same  assignment is 4 days late, the mark will be reduced by 20% (5% per day for 4 days) to 45%, and so on.

The School of Public Health reserves the right to refuse to accept an assignment that is more than 7 days late.

Assignments submitted after the due date may not be graded in time to be returned on the listed return dates.
 
Students submitting examinable written work who request (and receive) an extension that takes them beyond the examination  period are advised that there is no guarantee that their grades will be processed in time to meet usual University deadlines.
 
Resubmission
If a student is dissatisfied with an assessment grade they should follow the Student Grievance Resolution Process   https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/grievance/process/.  Students who are not satisfied with a particular assessment result
should raise their concerns with Course Co-ordinator(s) in the first instance. This must be done within 10 business days of the  date of notification of the result. Resubmission of any assignment is subject to the agreement of the Course Co-ordinator(s) and  will only be permitted for the most compelling of reasons.