Inherent requirements for counselling program

Counselling is a profession guided by the codes, guidelines and policies of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia whereby Counsellors are deemed accountable and responsible for ensuring their professional behaviour in all contexts. Counsellors practising in Australia are subject to a National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers. Counsellors must adhere to these codes and should demonstrate knowledge of and engage in ethical behaviour in practice.

The student will demonstrates knowledge of and engage in ethical behaviour in practice. 

Compliance with the codes, guidelines and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all. 

Reasonable adjustments must not compromise the codes, guidelines and policies of PACFA or result in unethical behaviour. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Comply with conduct required to maintain professional registration as a counsellor. 

• Understand and practise appropriate professional boundaries including confidentiality and duty of care in work with clients on placement. 

Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in the role of a counsellor.

The student will demonstrate behavioural stability to work constructively in a diverse and changing academic and clinical environment, which may at times be challenging and unpredictable.

Behavioural stability is necessary to work individually and in teams in diverse and changing environments. Students will be exposed to situations which are challenging and unpredictable, and will be required to have the behavioural stability to manage these objectively and professionally.

Reasonable adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in both academic and clinical settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback. 

• Manage your own emotional state to develop and maintain an appropriate relationship with a diverse range of clients, professional colleagues and supervisors, academic staff and peers. 

Counselling practice is governed by legislation covering health professions that are not subject to state registration, to enable the safe delivery of care. Counsellors are also subject to laws governing child protection, mandatory notification of children and young people at risk, and criminal activity. Counselling practice is further governed by peer regulation through professional counselling and psychotherapy organisations.

The student will demonstrate knowledge and compliance with relevant laws, professional regulations and program requirements (e.g., vaccination).

• Knowledge, understanding and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites to placements to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

• Compliance with all regulations and the law ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice and meet program and practice requirements.

Reasonable adjustments must be consistent with legal and regulatory requirements. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Comply with legal requirements regarding all aspects of practice.

• Comply with professional peer regulation.

Effective verbal communication in English is an essential requirement to provide safe and effective delivery of counselling and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathic, honest and non-judgemental. 

• Sensitivity to individual and cultural differences.

• The ability to listen, understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately, empathically and in a timely manner.

• Consistent and appropriate awareness of your own verbal communication style.

• The ability to provide clear instructions and guidelines in the context of the situation.

• Timely and clear feedback and reporting.

• Clear communication helps us to show respect and empathy to others and to develop trusting relationships.

• Speed and accuracy of communication may be critical for individual safety or therapeutic intervention.

• Accurate and effective delivery of verbal instructions is critical to individual safety, support and management.

Reasonable adjustments for verbal communication must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy issues to ensure safety and appropriate support. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor. 

• Participate in tutorial and clinical discussions.

• Engage in verbal reflection with peers, tutors and clients. 

Effective non-verbal communication is fundamental to clinical counselling and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathic, and non-judgemental.

• The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues.

• Consistent and appropriate awareness of your own behaviour.

• Sensitivity to individual and cultural differences.

• The ability to understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust, as well as respect in academic and professional relationships 

• Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions and eye contact, and being mindful of space, time boundaries, body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.

• Being sensitive to individual and cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and helps to develop trusting relationships.

• The ability to understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of clients' symptoms and reactions as part of their assessment and treatment. 

Reasonable adjustments must enable the recognition, interpretation and appropriate response to non-verbal cues as well as initiation of effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Recognise and respond to non-verbal cues which indicate a change in the emotional state of a client during placements.

• Recognise and respond to non-verbal cues in classroom situations.

Effective written communication in English is a fundamental counselling responsibility with professional and legal ramifications.

• The capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances.

• Construction of written text-based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice.

• Accurate written communication for a range of purposes and audiences is vital to provide consistent and safe client care.

Reasonable adjustments must not compromise the necessary standards of clarity, accuracy and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and clinical settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Constructing an essay to required academic standards including appropriate referencing of sources.
• Preparing clinical reports which are appropriate to the purpose and audience, and completed in a timely manner.

Consistent knowledge and effective cognitive skills must be demonstrated to undertake safe and competent counselling practice.

• The capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information.
• The ability to process information relevant to practice.
• The ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice.

• Safe and effective counselling practice is based on identifying and accurately extracting plus understanding information from a range of sources and applying this appropriately.

Reasonable adjustments must not compromise or impede student's ability to demonstrate the minimum acceptable level of knowledge and cognitive skill required to practise safely. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in placement settings.

• Ability to conduct individual and group sessions for clients based on relevant treatment plans.

Competent literacy skills are essential to provide safe and effective counselling practice.

• The ability to acquire information and accurately convey appropriate, effective messages.
• The ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information.
• The capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner including making explicit links between practice and theory.

• The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of counselling practice.
• The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery of counselling practice.

Reasonable adjustments must not compromise the student's ability to demonstrate the minimum acceptable capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply and communicate accurate information and engage in written reflection. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Conveying a spoken message accurately and effectively during placements.

• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions.

• Producing accurate, concise and clear documentation while on placement which meets legal and professional requirements.

Counselling practice requires the ability to use highly developed interpersonal skills and establish and maintain strong relationships with people.

• The ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients, academic staff, supervisors and peers.
• The ability to engage in effective and empathic counselling and group work.
• The ability to engage and relate appropriately in individual and group clinical supervision and experiential learning group.

• Highly developed relational skills are a cornerstone of effective therapeutic relationships that permit effective engagement, assessment, intervention and closure.
• Highly developed relational skills are necessary to engage effectively in individual and group supervision of client work and experiential training activities that support the establishment and maintenance of an effective and appropriate therapeutic relationship with clients.

Reasonable adjustments must have the ability to demonstrate effective relational skills. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Building rapport with a client in order to engage them in effective counselling while on placement.

• Effectively using relational and interpersonal skills to manage the therapeutic relationship with clients.

• Relating effectively, openly and sensitively to academic staff, supervisors and peers.

Counselling practice requires self-awareness and a capacity for reflection and reflexivity in order to consider the effect of one's own issues, actions, values and behaviours on practice.

• The ability to accurately reflect on their counselling performance.
• The ability to accept feedback on their counselling practice and respond constructively.

• Participation in supervision is a key teaching strategy in counselling training which requires well developed understanding of oneself in order to appropriately engage in this activity.
• Working with clients while on placement and understanding and responding to them requires well developed understanding of oneself and the ability to effectively manage one's reactions to situations that may arise.

Reasonable adjustments must not compromise the student's ability to demonstrate an acceptable minimum level of capacity in this area. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Identifying when a clinical issue is outside one's scope or expertise, or when one's practice may be negatively affected by a counsellor's personal experience and/or reactions.
• Identifying how one's own relational style and behaviour may impede or enhance work with particular clients on placement.
• Identifying and bringing difficult areas of one's clinical practice to supervision in order to reflexively improve therapeutic work with clients on placement.
• The constructive use of one's own responses within the interpersonal counselling and supervisory relationships.

Counselling practice requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level to meet individual and group needs.

• Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time.
• The ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately.
• The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of time.

Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective support.

Reasonable adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a required period. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Advisor.

• Participating in tutorials and lectures.

• Providing consistent placement practice over a negotiated time frame.