Therapy Across the Lifespan

Overview

This unit provides students with opportunities to acquire evidence-based therapeutic skills, equipping them for the diverse field of educational and developmental psychological practice. These skills are designed to cater to clients spanning various age groups, cultural contexts, and settings, encompassing face-to-face and telehealth interactions, as well as individual and group modalities. Throughout the course, students will delve into evidence-based therapeutic interventions, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming practices, and culturally safe ethical principles. Students will learn how to choose an approach to match the developmental, cultural, and individual needs of children, adolescents, adults, older adults, and families to promote wellbeing and engagement in the therapeutic process. There will be a focus on strengths-based positive psychology approaches to therapy in this unit. This approach aims to develop students' skills in promoting client resilience and preventing learning, behavioural, socio-emotional, and other mental health difficulties. Students will also examine the impact of historical and contemporary issues in psychological therapy, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and how these presently impact clients, communities, and the profession. Furthermore, this unit provides students with valuable hands-on experience through on-campus opportunities, allowing them to apply their skills in conducting effective psychological therapy across the lifespan.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Apply evidence-based knowledge of counselling and developmental theory to a range of presenting issues experienced by clients across the lifespan, including for diverse delivery modes and cultural contexts.
2. Implement ethical, culturally safe, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming therapeutic interventions with clients across the lifespan, using strengths-based approaches.
3. Competently and ethically apply and evaluate advanced therapeutic skills to prevent learning, behavioural, and social-emotional difficulties in a variety of educational and developmental psychology settings.
4. Critically analyse the impact of historical and contemporary issues in psychological therapy, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and how these presently impact clients, communities, and the profession
5. Engage in self-reflection and critical reflexivity on social positionality, values, beliefs, biases, and professional competencies to deliver culturally safe and anti-oppressive interventions that are responsive to the needs and socio-ecological contexts of clients.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Assessment

Content

• Child, adolescent, and adult development and life transitions, including typical and atypical processes. 
• Micro-counselling skills
• Evidence-based therapeutic approaches to reduce psychopathology and promote positive outcomes, wellbeing, and social inclusion
• Positive psychology and multifaceted wellbeing
• Trauma-informed and neurodiversity affirming approaches to therapy across the lifespan
• Various intervention modalities (e.g., face-to-face, telehealth, group) and contexts (e.g., rural, remote, and metropolitan
• Culturally safe and anti-oppressive therapeutic intervention across the lifespan 
• Historical and contemporary issues in psychological therapy, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• Goal setting in therapy and monitoring progress
• Risk assessment and ongoing risk management 
• Self-reflection and critical reflexivity on social positionality, values, beliefs, and biases
• Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
• Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media