Overview

This unit teaches students to apply established codes of ethical principles and standards to their work as counsellors. Students should be able to confidently apply an ethical decision making model to ethical and professional dilemmas that might arise in a counselling context. Cultural diversity issues relevant to counsellors working with individuals, couples and families will be explored. Particular attention will be given to the PACFA and APS codes of ethics, and how they might apply to a variety of case vignettes that demonstrate real-world practice issues faced by counsellors working in human services, couple counselling or forensic contexts.

Requisites

Prerequisites
PSC60004 Ethics and Cultural Diversity for Counsellors

Rules

Pre-requisite
Admission into:
GC-COU Graduate Certificate of Counselling
OR
GD-COU Graduate Diploma of Counselling
OR
MA-COU Master of Counselling

Equivalent
HAYC410 - Ethical and Social Issues for Counsellors

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify and describe key ethical and professional issues relevant to counselling individuals, couples and families in a cross-cultural context
  • Apply established ethical standards and procedures to a range of ethical dilemmas in a human services, couple counselling or forensic context
  • Make professional decisions that reflect established ethical principles and standards by utilising a standard nine-step ethical decision making model

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Seminar
3.00 12 weeks 36
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Various
2.50 12 weeks 30
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning
7.00 12 weeks 84
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Case Study ReportIndividual 30% 2,3 
EssayIndividual 50% 2,3 
Online TestsIndividual 20% 1,2,3 

Content

  • Competence and self-care
  • Ethical decision making
  • Cultural diversity and individual differences
  • Ethical issues when working in schools
  • Dual relationships/ boundaries

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.