Overview
In this unit you will be given a practical and research-based introduction to the major psychotherapies and counselling approaches used within the professional practice of psychology. The unit will develop your knowledge of the important theoretical and empirical basis of psychotherapy. You will develop awareness of common therapeutic and counselling strategies and the different reactions they may provoke from clients as part of the behaviour change process. The unit will also build practical and interpersonal skills that form the foundation of effective psychology practice, including micro-counselling skills, reflective practice and peer feedback and supervision. The unit will provide you with diverse opportunities to fully engage in content through role plays to practice these skills using case-based scenarios, and personal reflection on practice drawing on research evidence regarding effective counselling and therapeutic practice. Key elements of content covered in the unit include: psychotherapy theories, therapeutic intervention techniques, research in support of the various theories and techniques, and issues related to conducting ethical, culturally-sensitive and productive therapy.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
24 credit points including PSYC11010 or PSYC11008 or PSYC11009.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from In class comments from students
Students found the opportunity to develop practical skills beneficial in this unit.
Continue providing opportunities for students to practice and develop their micro-counselling skills through this unit.
Feedback from Unit evaluations (SUTE)
Some of the material in the prescribed textbook was UK based and less relevant to the Australian context.
Explore if an Australasian focused textbook is available and if not look at providing alternate materials in place of a textbook.
Feedback from Unit evaluations (SUTE)
Improve clarity of assessment requirements
Develop some additional materials and instructions for assessments 2 and 4, so students can have clearer understanding of requirements and marking criteria.
- Explain the basic theoretical and empirical underpinning of several major theories of psychotherapy, including their historical development and modern practice
- Demonstrate fundamental counselling and psychotherapy skills and processes, including micro-counselling techniques, the ability to develop a therapeutic alliance and engage in reflective practice
- Evaluate the efficacy of psychotherapeutic approaches using current empirical research
- Articulate ethical and cross-cultural issues in the practice of psychotherapy
There are no formal requirements by the accrediting body (Australian Psychological Accreditation Council or APAC). However, this unit will help achieve several of the graduate competencies required. Namely:
- Competency 1.1: Comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach covering the specific topics of (i) the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology; (iii) psychological health and well-being; and (iv) psychological disorders and evidence-based interventions.
- Competency 1.2: Apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
- Competency 1.3: Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.
- Competency 1.4: Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate values and ethics in psychology.
- Competency 1.5: Demonstrate interpersonal skills and teamwork.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Presentation - 20% | ||||
| 3 - Case Study - 30% | ||||
| 4 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 10% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- CQUniversity Library
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
t.benveniste@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Introduction to Psychotherapies and Counselling
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Micro-Counselling Skills 1
Stages of Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Micro-Counselling Skills 2
Process Issues in Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Psychodynamic Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 1 Due: Thursday (2 April) at 11:59pm (AEST).
Week 5
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Behaviour Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2026Module/Topic
No scheduled classes or activities
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Third Wave Therapies: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 04 May 2026Module/Topic
Schema Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 2 Due: Thursday (7 May) at 11.59pm (AEST)
Week 9
Begin Date: 11 May 2026Module/Topic
Working with Diversity
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 18 May 2026Module/Topic
Person-Centred Therapies
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 25 May 2026Module/Topic
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Chapter
Free readings to support your learning in this unit will be provided via the eReading List on the unit's Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 01 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Unit Overview and Learnings
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 3 Due: Thursday (4 June) at 11.59pm (AEST)
Self-Practice Task and Reflection Due: Week 12 Thursday (4 June 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment task comprises three (3) quizzes to be completed and submitted online via the PSYC12049 Moodle site. The first and the third quiz each contain 20 multiple-choice questions. The second quiz contains contains 40 multiple-choice questions. You will have 40 minutes to complete quizzes 1 and 3, and 80 minutes for quiz 2. Only one attempt per quiz is permitted.
Details of the content and due dates of each quiz are provided below:
- Quiz 1 is worth 10% and assesses topics in weeks 1 to 3. It opens Tuesday of Week 3 at 9.00am (AEST) and closes Thursday of Week 4 at 11:59pm (AEST).
- Quiz 2 is worth 20% and assesses topics in weeks 4 to 7. It opens Tuesday of Week 7 at 9.00am (AEST) and closes Thursday of Week 8 at 11:59pm (AEST).
- Quiz 3 is worth 10% and assesses topics in weeks 8 to 11. It opens Tuesday of Week 11 at 9.00am (AEST) and closes Thursday of Week 12 at 11:59pm (AEST).
Your responses to the quiz questions must be your own work. It is not permissible to use Generative AI tools to assist you with this task.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: No AI. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. Please refer to the AI Assessment Scale for further information.
3
Other
Quiz 1 closes Thursday of week 4 at 11:59pm (AEST), Quiz 2 closes Thursday of week 8 at 11:59pm (AEST), Quiz 3 closes Thursday of Week 12 at 11:59pm (AEST). The 72 hour grace period does not apply.
Quiz total marks will be returned to students immediately after each quiz is submitted. Feedback for each quiz question will be available after each quiz closes.
- For each quiz, one (1) mark will be awarded for each quiz question answered correctly.
- There is no negative marking penalty for incorrect answers.
- Quiz 1 and 3 are marked out of 20 and are each weighted at 10% of the final unit grade.
- Quiz 2 is marked out of 40 and weighted at 20% of the final grade.
- Explain the basic theoretical and empirical underpinning of several major theories of psychotherapy, including their historical development and modern practice
- Evaluate the efficacy of psychotherapeutic approaches using current empirical research
- Articulate ethical and cross-cultural issues in the practice of psychotherapy
2 Presentation
Overview
This task involves submitting a 5-minute video of you in the role of a therapist demonstrating micro-counselling skills as you conduct an intake interview. You will work in a small group of peers to practice your micro-counselling skills, gain feedback, improve your performance, and to conduct the video-recorded role play. You will then be required to submit a self-reflection of your performance (max 500 words).
You will need to submit three files for this assessment task:
- A video recording (5 minutes maximum) of yourself conducting an intake interview and demonstrating a variety of micro-counselling and attending skills.
- A completed micro-counselling skills checklist, including observer ratings and comments.
- A written self-reflection (500 words +/- 10%, i.e., 450-550 words).
TASK ONE: Video Recording
Working in groups of 3 or 4 students, conduct a role play of an intake interview (using the provided case study). Each person in the group should have the opportunity to play the therapist, client, and observer. Your own personal submission should contain only the 5 minute of yourself acting in the therapist role (with another group member acting as the client). Do not submit a video recording that contains other group members acting in the therapist role.
The tasks of each role are:
- Therapist: Your job is to use a range of micro-counselling and attending skills presented in Lectures 2 and 3 to gather information about the client’s presenting problem(s).
- Client: When you are role-playing the client, do not make it difficult for the therapist, but don’t give away any information that the therapist has not asked about. Ask any questions or make any comments you think would be likely but do remember the time constraints of this task. Your classmate (the therapist) will submit this feedback sheet with their assessment.
- Observer: Use the micro-counselling skills checklist and indicate whether the skill was used and how effective the therapist was in the appropriate use of this skill during the interview. Your classmate will submit this feedback sheet with their personal video and self-reflection.
TASK TWO: Self-Reflection and Skills Checklist
There are two tasks you need to submit for your self-reflection.
- A completed micro-counselling skills checklist that contains ratings on your own performance, and ratings and comments from one of your peers acting as your observer. You might like to print out the skills checklist so that the observer can note down their comments and feedback during the role play. You will then need to take a photograph or scan this form (ensuring it is clear and legible) and submit this with your self-reflection.
- A written self-reflection on your recording (500 words +/-10%, i.e., 450-550 words; 12pt font, double spaced). Your reflection may consist of dot points, but your meaning and expression must be clear (i.e., not just notes or fragmented phrases). You should reflect on a) what went well; b) what did not go well; and c) what you would do differently next time.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use Al to assist with pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Please refer to the AI Assessment Scale for further information. Remember that it is plagiarism to directly copy and paste material produced by Generative AI tools into assessments. For guidance on using Generative AI in assessments, please access the resources developed by the Academic Learning Centre (ALC): GenAI Student Resources (ALC) and Referencing Guidelines for Large Language Models or AI in Assignments (ALC). If you have questions about Generative AI material and plagiarism, please speak with your unit coordinator and/or contact an ALC advisor.
Week 7 Thursday (30 Apr 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Submission due time is in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) / QLD time
Marks and feedback will be made available in Moodle 2-3 weeks from the due date
1. Video recording: 5 marks
- Marks allocated based on the range of micro-counselling skills attempted in the video submission
2. Self-reflection: 13 marks comprising:
- What do I think went well? (4 marks)
- What do I think went less well? Why? (4 marks)
- How would I do it differently next time? Are there any skills that I didn’t use that would have been useful? (5 marks)
3. Skills checklist containing observer and self-evaluation ratings: 2 marks
Further detail and full marking criteria provided on Moodle.
- Demonstrate fundamental counselling and psychotherapy skills and processes, including micro-counselling techniques, the ability to develop a therapeutic alliance and engage in reflective practice
3 Case Study
You will be provided with a case study of an individual experiencing a mental health disorder. Your task will be to choose one of the nominated psychotherapeutic approaches and provide a conceptualisation of the case from that theoretical perspective. You are also required to draw on the evidence base to provide a rationale for why the chosen psychotherapeutic approach will be effective for the case study, and evaluate whether there are any considerations or adaptations required if the therapy is implemented with a special population. The case study and further information on the task will provided in class and on Moodle.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use Al to assist with pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Please refer to the AI Assessment Scale for further information. Remember that it is plagiarism to directly copy and paste material produced by Generative AI tools into assessments. For guidance on using Generative AI in assessments, please access the resources developed by the Academic Learning Centre (ALC): GenAI Student Resources (ALC) and Referencing Guidelines for Large Language Models or AI in Assignments (ALC). If you have questions about Generative AI material and plagiarism, please speak with your unit coordinator and/or contact an ALC advisor.
Week 11 Thursday (28 May 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Submission due time is in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) / QLD time
Feedback and grades will be made available on Moodle 2-3 weeks from the due date.
- Describe the presenting problems/symptoms, as well as any factors that might have caused or maintained the problems/symptoms, in the case study from the perspective of the chosen psychotherapeutic approach. (8 marks)
- Critically appraise the research to build evidence and convince the reader that your chosen approach will help with the problems/symptoms in the case study. Acknowledge any gaps or limitations in this evidence for your chosen therapeutic approach in relation to the problems in the case study. You should do this using a minimum of 5 relevant references. (10 marks)
- Describe 2 techniques/strategies from the chosen approach and how they would be useful to address the problems/ symptoms in the case study. (5 marks)
- Choose one of the special populations discussed in class and briefly discuss how you would adjust your therapy if your client was a member of this population. At least 1 additional reference is required here. (5 marks)
- Writing style, clarity of expression, and format of your case study in APA 7 style. (2 marks)
- Explain the basic theoretical and empirical underpinning of several major theories of psychotherapy, including their historical development and modern practice
- Evaluate the efficacy of psychotherapeutic approaches using current empirical research
- Articulate ethical and cross-cultural issues in the practice of psychotherapy
4 Reflective Practice Assignment
Overview
This task involves you choosing from a list of therapeutic techniques and documenting your self-practice of one technique for one week (7 days), using the recording sheet that will be provided on Moodle. You will need to submit two files for this assessment task:
- A self-practice recording sheet documenting your use of the chosen therapeutic technique.
- A written self-reflection (250 words, +/- 10%, i.e. 225-275 words) on your experience engaging in this technique. Your self-reflection should draw on the comments made during your self-practice of the technique.
TASK ONE: Monitoring of Self-practice (via a provided recording sheet)
Completion of the self-practice task involves:
- Indicating the date and time of each practice session (for 7 days).
- Noting your mood or level of tension before and after each practice session. The purpose is to document change (or not) over the week of practice. You might like to graph your level of tension or mood before and after each session.
- Noting any specific comments or observations related to your experience of each practice session.
You are welcome to complete your Recording Sheet electronically or print out the form and hand write your ratings and comments. If you choose the latter option, please ensure you upload a clear and legible scanned or image version of your Recording Sheet.
TASK TWO: Written Self-reflection
You are to write a 250-word self-reflection on your self-practice of your chosen therapeutic technique. Your reflection may consist of dot points, but your meaning and expression must be clear (i.e., not just notes or fragmented phrases). The reflection must include your reflections on the benefits of engaging in the technique, as well as the challenges you experienced engaging in self-practice of the technique.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use Al to assist with pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Please refer to the AI Assessment Scale for further information. Remember that it is plagiarism to directly copy and paste material produced by Generative AI tools into assessments. For guidance on using Generative AI in assessments, please access the resources developed by the Academic Learning Centre (ALC): GenAI Student Resources (ALC) and Referencing Guidelines for Large Language Models or AI in Assignments (ALC). If you have questions about Generative AI material and plagiarism, please speak with your unit coordinator and/or contact an ALC advisor.
Week 12 Thursday (4 June 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Please note: This assessment can be completed and submitted at any time during the term, however the final date for submission is Friday of week 12 at 11:59pm (AEST)
Feedback and grades will be made available on Moodle 2-3 weeks after submission.
- Submission of completed self-practice recording sheet documenting your use of the chosen therapeutic technique. (5 marks)
- Quality of the self-reflection on your experience engaging in this technique. (5 marks)
- Demonstrate fundamental counselling and psychotherapy skills and processes, including micro-counselling techniques, the ability to develop a therapeutic alliance and engage in reflective practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
