School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Ethics in Counselling
  • Unit Code

    COU6504
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Milan VOJNOVIC

Description

This unit develops understanding of the ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions of professional counselling practice, with special consideration given to agency context and modality of delivery (face-to-face, phone and digital). Students will examine the ethical foundations of the profession and gain an awareness of the complex moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors as the field expands across the digital realm. Content in this unit reflects the need for ethical diversity and supports students to appreciate the variety of human experience by recognising and responding to differences in client abilities, needs and culture. Students will reflect upon, and analyse, their values, beliefs, attitudes and biases to understand how these impact on their counselling practice and learn to resolve common ethical dilemmas, and more complex challenges, not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Students undertake this unit in an accelerated delivery mode over 6 weeks.

Prerequisite Rule

I90 students must have passed COU6501, COU6502 and COU6503 in order to enrol in this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically examine the ethical, legal and moral obligations of counsellors in a variety of contexts.
  2. Formulate and justify appropriate responses to complex ethical dilemmas which may arise in counselling practice.
  3. Critically review the impact of culture and social context factors on the ethical stance of the counsellor and subsequent interventions.
  4. Examine the role of reflective practice and supervision in ensuring ethical professional practice and ongoing development.

Unit Content

  1. Ethical and legal dimensions of professional counselling practice, including; respect for autonomy; non-maleficence; beneficence; justice; and fidelity.
  2. Social, legal and moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors.
  3. Ethical diversity - differences in client abilities, needs and culture.
  4. Ethical dilemmas common in counselling practice, including; confidentiality; client rights; dual relationships; managing boundaries; and values conflicts.
  5. Personal reflections on values, beliefs, attitudes and biases.
  6. Solutions for common ethical dilemmas and those not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseMapping of ethical practices and principles30%
Case StudyManaging and responding to ethical dilemmas40%
Reflective PracticeSelf-reflection on complex ethical issues30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

COU6504|2|1

School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Ethics in Counselling
  • Unit Code

    COU6504
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Milan VOJNOVIC

Description

This unit develops understanding of the ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions of professional counselling practice, with special consideration given to agency context and modality of delivery (face-to-face, phone and digital). Students will examine the ethical foundations of the profession and gain an awareness of the complex moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors as the field expands across the digital realm. Content in this unit reflects the need for ethical diversity and supports students to appreciate the variety of human experience by recognising and responding to differences in client abilities, needs and culture. Students will reflect upon, and analyse, their values, beliefs, attitudes and biases to understand how these impact on their counselling practice and learn to resolve common ethical dilemmas, and more complex challenges, not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Students undertake this unit in an accelerated delivery mode over 6 weeks.

Prerequisite Rule

I90 students must have passed COU6501, COU6502 and COU6503 in order to enrol in this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically examine the ethical, legal and moral obligations of counsellors in a variety of contexts.
  2. Formulate and justify appropriate responses to complex ethical dilemmas which may arise in counselling practice.
  3. Critically review the impact of culture and social context factors on the ethical stance of the counsellor and subsequent interventions.
  4. Examine the role of reflective practice and supervision in ensuring ethical professional practice and ongoing development.

Unit Content

  1. Ethical and legal dimensions of professional counselling practice, including; respect for autonomy; non-maleficence; beneficence; justice; and fidelity.
  2. Social, legal and moral obligations and dilemmas faced by counsellors.
  3. Ethical diversity - differences in client abilities, needs and culture.
  4. Ethical dilemmas common in counselling practice, including; confidentiality; client rights; dual relationships; managing boundaries; and values conflicts.
  5. Personal reflections on values, beliefs, attitudes and biases.
  6. Solutions for common ethical dilemmas and those not addressed by professional codes of conduct.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseMapping of ethical practices and principles30%
Case StudyManaging and responding to ethical dilemmas40%
Reflective PracticeSelf-reflection on complex ethical issues30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

COU6504|2|2