Applied Helping and Professional Practice

Unit Outline (Higher Education)

   
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Effective Term: 2027/05
Institute / School :Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Unit Title: Applied Helping and Professional Practice
Unit ID: PSYCB3114
Credit Points: 15.00
Prerequisite(s): Nil
Co-requisite(s): Nil
Exclusion(s): Nil
ASCED: 090701
Other Change:  
Brief description of the Unit

Applied Helping and Professional Practice builds on students’ foundational learning in communication, interpersonal skills, helping interactions, and counselling theory to examine helping practice within complex real-world contexts. The unit focuses on the application of helping skills, psychological theory, and professional judgement to situations involving diverse needs, perspectives, support systems, and pathways to care.

Students critically explore how personal, social, cultural, systemic, and trauma-related factors - such as experiences of adversity, abuse, and violence - shape behaviour, wellbeing, help-seeking, and access to support across diverse populations and settings. The unit emphasises culturally responsive, ethical, trauma-informed, person-centred, and strengths-based approaches to helping practice, while recognising the opportunities and limitations of helping within complex systems and professional roles.

Through applied and reflective learning activities, students develop their ability to analyse helping scenarios, apply psychological theory and evidence to professional decision-making, and respond appropriately to complex helping situations. Attention is given to professional communication, boundaries, referral pathways, interprofessional collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and the responsibilities and limitations associated with helping roles.

The unit also encourages critical reflection on personal assumptions, values, communication styles, professional identity, wellbeing, and sustainable helping practice. Students examine the potential impacts of helping work, such as vicarious trauma and burnout, and develop strategies to support professional boundaries, self-care, and ethical practice across a range of helping and support contexts.

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 CourseAQF Level(s) of Course
5678910
Introductory                                                
Intermediate                                                
Advanced                                                
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge:
Skills:
Application of knowledge and skills:
Other outcomes:
O1.

Analyse how psychological, social, cultural, systemic, and trauma-related factors influence behaviour, wellbeing, help-seeking, and access to support, and evaluate the implications for helping and professional practice.

O2.

Apply helping and interpersonal communication skills appropriately within structured helping scenarios involving diverse needs, strengths, perspectives, support systems, trauma-informed approaches, and professional contexts.

O3.

Critically evaluate the ethical, cultural, and professional responsibilities, limitations, and considerations involved in helping interactions across diverse contexts.

O4.

Integrate evidence, psychological theory, and person-centred approaches to inform professional judgement, decisions, and responses in applied helping contexts.

O5.

Reflect on personal assumptions, values, and communication styles, and evaluate their influence on helping interactions within diverse contexts.

O6.

Evaluate personal wellbeing, professional boundaries, and the potential impacts of helping work, such as vicarious trauma and burnout, and develop strategies to support sustainable helping practice.

Unit Content:

This unit is designed to enable students to apply communication skills, counselling theory, and psychological knowledge within complex professional and community contexts. Topics may include: responding to people experiencing distress, adversity, or complex support needs; professional judgement and decision-making; assumptions, bias, self-awareness, and reflective practice; communication and interpersonal skills in applied contexts; ethical and professional responsibilities; cultural responsiveness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives; trauma-informed, person-centred, and strengths-based approaches; adversity, abuse, and violence; help-seeking and access to support; referral pathways and community support systems; interprofessional collaboration; professional boundaries; self-care and wellbeing; vicarious trauma and burnout; and sustainable helping practice.

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.

FED TASK and descriptorDevelopment 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 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context
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.

Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context
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 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines
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.

Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context
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 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context
 Learning Outcomes AssessedAssessment TasksAssessment TypeWeightingProfessional Standards
1. 5, 6

Students critically reflect on personal assumptions, biases, values, communication styles, wellbeing, professional boundaries, and areas for growth in relation to helping and professional practice. Students develop an evidence-informed wellbeing and sustainability plan that considers self-care, professional supports, boundaries, supervision, and strategies for managing the potential impacts of helping work.

Written Task

20-30%
2. 1, 3, 4

Investigate and evaluate support systems, referral pathways, barriers to support, and professional considerations relevant to a complex helping context.

Written Task

20-40%
3. 1, 2, 3, 4

Analyse a complex helping scenario and present evidence-based recommendations, communication approaches, support pathways, and professional considerations using psychological theory and professional judgement.

Presentation

20-40%
Adopted Reference Style:
APA  ()

Professional Standards / Competencies:
 Standard / Competency