Skip to main content
Unit of study_

REHB5911: Rehabilitation Counselling I

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Cumberland, Sydney

This unit provides the foundation for student identification with the profession of rehabilitation counselling and acquisition of basic knowledge and specific skills central to counselling in the context of disability. Students will study the philosophical origins of the profession, its evolving scope of practice, the utility of counselling theory and the evidence-base of counselling practice. They will reconcile their generic counselling aspirations with the community-based, person/family-centred, solution-focused, and strengths-based social justice framework of rehabilitation counselling. The primary thrust of the unit is micro-skills acquisition and development. Upon completion the successful student will have full awareness of and nascent proficiency in case conceptualisation, clinical reasoning, developing a working alliance, communication, problem solving, and basic counselling techniques.

Unit details and rules

Unit code REHB5911
Academic unit
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
REHB5043 or REHB5076
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Erin Fearn Smith, erin.fearnsmith@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Jemima Isbester, jemima.isbester@sydney.edu.au
Erin Fearn Smith, erin.fearnsmith@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Erin Fearn Smith, erin.fearnsmith@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment hurdle task Applied counselling and analysis
Video recording and written analysis
40% Week 12 15-20 minutes, 1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment hurdle task Reflective writing
Written assignment
30% Week 14 (STUVAC) 1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Participation hurdle task Tutorial participation
Participation
30% Weekly Various
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
hurdle task = hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

  • Tutorial participation: Students will participate in learning activities, including application of counselling skills, peer feedback and discussions during live weekly tutorials (on-campus students) and through weekly online forums (distance students). You must complete all the assessment tasks to pass the entire unit. Failure to complete any assessment item will result in you being awarded a fail grade, regardless of your cumulative marks in the unit of study.
  • Applied counselling and analysis: A recorded counselling session and written analysis provides an opportunity for you to apply learning from weekly tutorial activities to a counselling session. You will identify and evaluate your application of microskills, in the context of your understanding of the concepts and practices associated with the rehabilitation counselling profession.
  • Reflective writing: A reflective writing exercise, applied to the experience of the counselling session and analysis in the applied counselling assessment.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 1. Unit orientation; 2. Rehabilitation counselling practice: introduction and cultural context; 3. Theory: transcultural counselling; 4. Psychological function: identity, beliefs and attitudes Online class (2 hr)  
1. Introductions; 2. Cultural framing Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 02 1. Rehabilitation counselling: values, ethics and reflective practice; 2. Theory: person-centred; 3. Microskills: basic listening sequence (part 1); 4. Psychological function: communication Online class (2 hr)  
1. Reflective practice; 2. Values lens Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 03 1. Rehabilitation counselling practice: self-care; 2. Microskills: the basic listening sequence (part 2); 3. Theory: trauma informed; 4. Psychological function: resilience Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 04 1. Microskills: 5-stage interview; 2. Theory: narrative; 3. Psychological function: learning Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 05 1. Microskills: focusing and empathic confrontation; 2. Theory: feminist; 3. Psychological functions: emotions Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 06 1. Microskills: reflection of meaning and interpretation/reframing; 2. Theory: cognitive behavioural therapy; 3. Psychological function: behaviour Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 07 1. Microskills: empathic self-disclosure and feedback; 2. Theory: yarning; 3. Psychological function: kinship and social connection Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 08 1. Rehabilitation counselling practice: crisis identification, intervention and support; 2. Microskills: stress management; 3. Theory: solution-focused brief therapy; 4. Psychological function: stress Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 09 1. Microskills: directives and psychoeducation; 2. Theory: existential; 3. Psychological function: memory Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 10 1. Microskills: decisional counselling; 2. Theory: motivational interviewing; 3. Psychological function: motivation Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 11 1. Microskills: skill integration; 2. Theory: adjustment to disability; 3. Psychological function: pain Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 12 1. Microskills: determining personal style; 2. Theory: integrative approaches Online class (2 hr)  
Applied counselling practice Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 13 1. The rehabilitation counselling profession: documentation; 2. Theory: supervision Online class (2 hr)  
Discussion Tutorial (1 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: All weekly learning material and lectures will be delivered online, for both on-campus and distance students. Tutorial participation is a core requirement of this unit. Tutorials for on-campus students will be delivered in class, and physical attendance is required, weekly. Tutorials for distance students will be delivered through an online message board forum, and participation in (asynchronous) weekly activities is required.
  • Required materials: All students will be required to submit a video-recorded counselling session. As such, access to recording equipment, such as a webcam and microphone, are essential.
  • Referencing guide: Students are expected to use the APA 6th referencing style described in the Guide to Presentation of Assignments where relevant. http://sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/current-students/forms/assign_guide.pdf

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

  • Corey, G. (2017). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (Tenth ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
  • Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B., & Zalaquett, C. P. (2018). Intentional interviewing and counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (Ninth ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. apply the role and relationships of a value driven rehabilitation counselling profession in Australia and the Australasian region through rehabilitation counselling philosophy of science and practice, its ethical canon, and its history
  • LO2. identify ethical problems and engage ethical decision-making protocol
  • LO3. integrate counselling theory themes into a rehabilitation counselling-specific model
  • LO4. have developed basic micro-skill knowledge and performance capacity within a nascent professional identity
  • LO5. understand cultural competency as a feature of counselling practice and its specific importance in serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Following feedback from 2019 students, all students completing ERHB5911 in 2020 will have the opportunity to record practice videos prior to the final assessment. All students will receive individualised feedback on their applied counselling skills at least twice during the semester.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.