Self, Profession and Society (CO1002Z)

Content

As counsellors, we are the instrument of our work. Self-knowledge is therefore vital if we are to come alongside clients in an altruistic and compassionate way. Even so, we are not alone in our work. Colleagues, clinical supervisors, employers, the profession at-large and the community all influence how we practice. You must therefore begin to shape your professional identity recognising the various privileges and responsibilities you hold. As you will be privileged to sit with clients at their most vulnerable, and hear the most intimate details of their lives, your responsibilities are unsurprisingly significant. A key responsibility to clients is the ability to create a 'safe space' for their lived experience (e.g., trauma). To yourself, it is the practice of ongoing critical and compassionate self-reflection to enhance empathy and minimise the chance of compassion fatigue or burnout. And to the profession/community, there is the responsibility to submit to accountability processes (e.g., regular supervision) and undertake on-going self-care. This unit will teach you how to engage the various facets of professional practice as the foundation for an effective career.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Offering: This unit is to be taught in year 1, semester 1 (term 1). Prerequisites: NA Prohibited combinations: NA

Pedagogy

Transformative learning In practice: It is important that counselling students discover that the world is a complex place. To this end students now have the opportunity to confront “uncomfortable truths” about themselves and the world. Opportunity is then provided to critically reflect upon narrowly held ways of being. This is achieved through the provision of online modules in which personal reflections play an important role. During online seminars, or a face-to-face intensive, students are given the opportunity to undertake corporate critical reflection which is a powerful tool for personal growth. Assessments are designed to demonstrate a student’s personal growth towards holding truth provisionally, while also demonstrating an increased capacity for empathy, justice, and creative tolerance.

Indicative Bibliography

1. Becker, H. (2017). Sociological work. Routledge.
2. Béres, B., & Fook, J. (2020). Learning critical reflection: Experiences of the Transformative Learning process. Routledge.
   
3. Campbell, J. (1993). Myths to live by. Penguin Random House Australia.
4. Coorey, A. (n.d.). Australian consumer law: The comprehensive guide. Jurisprudentia.
5. Henaghan, M. (2012). Health professionals and trust: The cure for healthcare law and policy. Routledge.
6. Jung, C. (1999). Man and his symbols. Bantam Dell.
7. McAdams, D. (1997). The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the self. Guilford Press.
8. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. (2017). A brief guide to the final report. C’wealth of Australia.
9. Valerio, P. (2018). Introduction to countertransference in therapeutic practice: A myriad of mirrors. Routledge.

Assessment