Counselling and Interviewing Skills (SCWK90053)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | February |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject provides students with an introduction to the microskills of interpersonal communication for professional practice. It is an experiential subject designed to prepare students for entry into supervised agency-based practice. The subject focuses on the development of communication, basic interviewing and counselling, and critical self-reflection skills, for application in a variety of social work contexts. Cultural diversity is explored throughout. In addition to large group discussions and exercises, students engage weekly in role plays and class demonstrations to develop specific micro-skills - in particular, the skills of engaging, attending, listening, questioning, and responding.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge
At the end of this subject, students should be able to:
- Articulate the central importance of the therapeutic relationship in terms contributing to positive client outcomes;
- Describe how their self-knowledge and self-awareness can inform client interactions, including an identification of the factors that contribute to their positive use of self;
- Identify and describe the role of microskills in interpersonal communication; specifically the skills of engaging, attending, listening, questioning and responding; and
- Identify and explain the complexities of communication in a multicultural context.
Skills
At the end of this subject, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate basic competency in the core communication skills for interviewing and counselling that underpin social work practice;
- Demonstrate skills in negotiating the impact of different worldviews and values on establishing an effective therapeutic relationship; and
- Critically self-reflect on themselves in interactions with others.
Application
At the end of this subject, students should be able to:
- Critically apply reflexive use of self in the professional therapeutic relationship, based on self-awareness and constructive appraisal of their practice by self and others; and
- Demonstrate respect for cultural difference in the critical application of their practice skills in working with individuals in diverse settings and practice environments.
Generic skills
Students who complete this subject should be able to:
- critically analyse texts and practices
- link theory to practice
- competently communicate in ways relevant to both academic and practice contexts
- undertake independent research
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Process Recording
| Week 3-4 | 30% |
Simulated interview (10-15 min)
| End of the teaching period | 50% |
Written self-assessment template
| End of the teaching period | 20% |
| Hurdle requirement: Attendance at 75% of tutorial classes is required to pass | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Dates & times
- February
Principal coordinator Melissa Gibbs Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 16 contact hours per semester (8 x 2 hour tutorial) An additional 8 x 1 hour of online preparation learning material must be completed weekly prior to attending each tutorial class, in place of attending a lecture. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 10 February 2025 to 4 April 2025 Last self-enrol date 20 February 2025 Census date 28 February 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 11 April 2025 Assessment period ends 9 May 2025 February contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Harms, L. (2015). Working with People: Communication Skills for Reflective Practice (2nd ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press
Recommended texts and other resources
Egan, G. (2014). The Skilled Helper: A problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping (10 th ed.). Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.
- Related Handbook entries
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025