| Effective Term: | 2027/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Foundations in Psychological Practice: Communication and Helping
Skills |
| Unit ID: | PSYCB1005 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 090701 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
Students are introduced to foundational skills in communication, helping interactions, teamwork, self-reflection, and respectful engagement with diverse people and perspectives. The unit explores ethical and professional responsibilities relevant to psychology, including professional conduct, cultural responsiveness, boundaries, wellbeing, and pathways for seeking or referring support within community and workplace settings. Students develop and reflect on interpersonal, communication, and collaborative skills while considering the influence of personal assumptions, values, and communication styles. Through practical and reflective learning experiences, students develop the confidence, communication skills, and foundational professional awareness needed to work effectively with diverse people and communities. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| Skills: |
| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| Other outcomes: |
| O1. | Describe foundational principles of communication, helping interactions, ethical behaviour and professional responsibility relevant to working with people in diverse contexts, including First Nations Australians. |
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| O2. | Demonstrate and reflect on basic interpersonal, communication, and collaborative skills, for example, listening, questioning, rapport-building, and respectful responding in structured interactions. |
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| O3. | Recognise ethical, cultural, and professional responsibilities relevant to psychology and interpersonal interactions, including professional conduct, cultural responsiveness, boundaries, self-care, and pathways for support. |
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| O4. | Reflect on personal assumptions, values, communication styles, and areas for growth in relation to working and communicating with others. |
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| Unit Content: |
This unit is designed to enable students to develop foundational communication, interpersonal, and helping skills relevant to psychology and related professions. Topics may include: - Communication and helping interactions
- Listening and questioning skills
- Rapport-building; teamwork and collaboration
- Ethical behaviour and professional responsibility
- Cultural responsiveness, including respectful engagement with First Nations Australians and perspectives.
- Boundaries, wellbeing and self-care
- Referral pathways
- Self-reflection and professional identity development.
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| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students at this level will demonstrate an advanced ability in a range of contexts to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display high level skills in-person and/or online in: • Using and demonstrating a high level of verbal and non-verbal communication • Demonstrating a mastery of listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Demonstrating and showing empathy for others • High order skills in negotiating and conflict resolution skills\\ • Demonstrating mastery of working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | Level 1 - Students require directions and boundaries from mentor | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery in professional skills and behaviours in leading others. • Creating and sustaining a collegial environment • Demonstrating a high level of self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect and justify decisions • Inspiring and initiating opportunities to lead others • Making informed professional decisions • Demonstrating initiative in new professional situations. | | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students at this level will demonstrate high level skills in working in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically to generate and consider complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level • Analysing complex and abstract ideas, concepts and information • Communicate alternative perspectives to justify complex ideas • Demonstrate a mastery of challenging conventional thinking to clarify complex concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving to new situations for further learning. | Level 1 - Students require directions and boundaries from mentor | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students at this level will demonstrate the ability to work competently across a wide range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Mastering, exploring, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information professionally • Collating, managing complex data, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding professionally to messages in a range of professional digital media • Contributing competently and professionally to digital teams and working groups • Participating at a high level in digital learning opportunities. | | FEDTASK 5
sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery of considering and assessing the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting professional ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Demonstrate informed judgment making that considers the impact of devising complex solutions in ambiguous global economic environmental and societal contexts • Professionally committing to the promulgation of social responsibility • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Communicating lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to the diverse professional others • Generating, leading and implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life | Level 1 - Students require directions and boundaries from mentor |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | Professional Standards |
| 1. |
1, 3, 4 |
Assessment of concepts and principles underpinning effective communication, helping interactions, ethical decision-making, cultural responsiveness, professional practice, and reflective self-awareness. |
Invigilated Test/s |
20 - 30% |
|
| 2. |
2, 3, 4 |
Demonstrate foundational interpersonal, communication, and collaborative skills, including listening, questioning, rapport-building, respectful responding, and teamwork in a structured interaction. |
Practical Assessment |
30-40% |
|
| 3. |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
Analyse a scenario involving communication, helping interactions, ethical and professional issues, cultural responsiveness, boundaries, wellbeing, self-care, and/or pathways for support. Apply relevant concepts and principles to identify appropriate responses and professional considerations. |
Applied Analysis Task |
30-40% |
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