Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling)
Course Overview / Course Structure
| Course Name | Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Type | Full-time or part-time |
| Mode | On-campus or by distance education |
| Duration | 3 years (full-time equivalent) |
| Credit Points | 240 |
| Starting Semesters | 1 & 2 |
| Course Code | SS12 |
| CRICOS Code | 01016F |
| Host School | Social Sciences |
Course Specific Enquiries
Ph: +617 3347 7900
Email: enquiries@chc.edu.au
Credit for Prior Study Enquiries
Ph: +617 3347 7900
Email: enquiries@chc.edu.au
Admissions, Enrolments & General Enquiries
Ph: +617 3347 7900
Email: enquiries@chc.edu.au
General Information
The Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) is a three year fulltime course of study (or part-time equivalent). It is intended to equip students for employment in both secular and Church-related counselling contexts, as well as providing access to appropriate levels of recognition with relevant professional associations. As well as incorporating foundational understandings, this degree includes opportunities for critical reflection on counselling theory and practice, and in-depth engagement with key areas and issues of counselling.
Career Outcomes
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Professional Recognition
The counselling profession has been developing standards for formal recognition of counsellors. The current policy of both State and Federal governments indicates that the counselling sector should be monitored by a process of self-regulation - for this reason, it is important that these courses receive recognition from the relevant professional associations. This is also important for legal reasons in order to provide an increased level of recognition for graduates of the course in their counselling practice, should the issue of legal liability arise. Benchmarks for professional recognition have now been set by the Psycotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), which was established as the peak body for professional counselling associations nationally. In Queensland, the Christian Counsellors' Association of Queensland, the Queensland Counsellors' Association, the Queensland Association of Family Therapy and other counselling organisations are now members of PACFA. Each association has specific membership requirements: however, there is agreement that eligibility for inclusion on the PACFA register requires a required amount of training and experience. In order to be included on the PACFA register, counsellors need to be a member of one of its member associations. The Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) fulfills academic training requirements for registration with PACFA. Where graduates have fulfilled the academic requirements for membership of professional associations, they will also have to complete the required number of hours of additional supervised practice in order to qualify for full membership.
The Counselling Profession
Successful engagement in the Counselling profession requires a level of personal maturity and self-awareness. PACFA therefore recommends that both current and prospective students are periodically assessed for their personal growth and likely suitability for the Counselling profession.
Consequently, entry to the Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) is dependent not only on OP rank (or equivalent) but also on personal suitability as assessed through an interview, a personal statement, referee reports and information collected on the 'Supplementary Details' page of the CHC Application for Admission form.
Further information regarding these processes is available from the School of Social Sciences.
Attendance
Full-time students undertake 3-4 units per semester. Each unit is equivalent to 10 credit points). Students may enrol in fewer units per semester and extend their degree over a longer period. Australian students enrolled in three or more units may be eligible to claim Austudy benefits. International students are required to study a minimum of 30 credit hours (3 subject equivalent) per semester to fulfil Australian study visa requirements.
Workload for the Course
The Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) requires 240 credit points for completion. Each credit point indicates an expected student involvement of one hour per week for one semester in both formal contact hours and individual study. A standard unit carrying a weighting of 10 credit points will normally involve an expected ten hours of study and research per week. Students undertaking fulltime study will have a semester load of 40 credit points.
Units in the course are offered at three levels. Introductory units, categorised as 100-level, are units for which there are no pre-requisites. Advanced units, for which some studies at introductory level will normally be a pre-requisite, are identified by 200-level unit codes. Units with a 300-level code normally have advanced (200-level) pre-requisites.
Students may apply for transfer of credit from previous studies. Application for transfer of credit is to be made at the time of entry into the course. During their course of study, students may also apply to engage in cross-institutional study towards the requirements of the course. A maximum of 50% of the course may be undertaken through transfer of credit and/or cross-institutional study.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) consists of a Core requirements, a Counselling specialisation and both specialist and general Elective units.
Core requirements
The Core requirements consist of Professional Studies units and Christian Studies units.
Professional Studies
Students undertake three core units which develop basic skills in academic and professional communication, and foundational perspectives and approaches in the Social Sciences.
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Professional Studies units LA110 - Academic Communication SO101- Australian Society: Introduction to Sociology SO302 - Understanding Humanness |
Christian Studies
Students undertake four units which provide the foundational Christian worldview that underlies the course. In particular, these units give expression within the course to the College’s fundamental commitment to constructive engagement and integration between Christian perspectives and social and cultural issues. These units are directed towards three main areas: personal growth, theological understanding, and Christian perspectives on philosophy, society and culture. Because of the diverse nature of student experience on entry to the course, specific units in personal growth and theology are not required; rather, students are given a number of options for the fulfilment of the necessary studies in these areas, subject to the availability of units.
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Christian Studies units |
General Elective unit (10 credit points)
Students may undertake the unit SO242 Social Science Research Methods as an Elective unit, or they may choose any other unit as an Elective unit.
Field Experiences program
Students who enrol in the Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) undertake a program of field experiences within the context of their studies. The field experiences provide students with opportunities to contextualise and to implement in real-life settings the skills and understandings gained in Counselling, thus facilitating the integration of theory and practice.
There are three main components to the Field Experiences program – Field Observations, Counselling Practicums and clinical supervision of practice.
Field Observations
Students undertake 60 hours of Field Observations, the general aim of which is to broaden students’ horizons in terms of the nature of counselling and community-service contexts and to give them first-hand experience in realistic settings in order to develop a deeper understanding of the context of their studies. Students will be expected to spend time as observers in a number of contexts and to fulfil specific criteria in relation to the variety of their experiences. There are four objectives for these initial field experiences:
a) to observe and gain first-hand knowledge of counselling and or community service contexts, in order to dispel possible misconceptions about the nature of these contexts, and to broaden students’ awareness of the range of tasks, problems and issues that arise in counselling or in community service.
b) to gather information relating to the resources that are available in the community to provide personal or material assistance to those in need.
c) to contextualise students’ counselling studies more effectively, and to reflect upon the application of their developing skills and understandings.
d) to foster personal evaluation and growth within the student regarding their understanding of and commitment to the role of a counsellor.
The Field Observations are generally undertaken in the first two years of the program, and serve as an important set of foundational experiences. The Field Observations must normally be completed prior to enrolling in the Supervised Practicum units in the final year of the program.
Counselling Practicums
The units HB300 Counselling Practicum I (80 hours) and HB301 Supervised Counselling Practicum (120 hours), which are normally undertaken in the final year of the course, involve the placement of students in counselling contexts under the supervision of a qualified and experienced counsellor for a total of 200 hours of actual counselling practice. Fulltime students normally complete the requirements as weekly placements over at least one semester; however, alternative arrangements may be made for students who find difficulty in completing the requirements in this fashion.
The Counselling Practicums are regarded as to the course as they challenge students to implement the skills and understandings they have gained in order to demonstrate their effectiveness in real-life counselling contexts. Students will move beyond observation to participation in a counselling context, under the supervision of an on-site mentor. As well as counselling clients and taking part in the range of activities undertaken within the particular placements, students will be involved with mentors and/or supervisors in the discussion, reflection and review of issues raised and strategies employed in order to allow personal growth and critical evaluation to occur. The mentor is the on-site liaison person from whom the student obtains instruction regarding appropriate practice in that context. The supervisor is a person, possibly on-site but not necessarily, with whom the student discusses counselling practice relating praxis to theory, use of self, etc. The development of the working relationship with a supervisor is considered a very important part of the program as a means of providing a model for ensuring appropriate supervision and, thus, accountability for graduates of the program in their future counselling practice.
For most students, the 80 practice hours of HB300 Counselling Practicum I will be completed at the same time as they are enrolled in the unit HB351 Evaluating Approaches to Counselling. Students will thus bring real life practice to their evaluation of counselling theories which have been understood in an earlier unit but critiqued in this unit. The second Counselling Practicum unit, HB301 Supervised Counselling Practicum, is usually completed in conjunction with the unit HB366 Reflective Counselling Practice. The 120 hours of counselling practice which comprise HB301 will be explored and reflected upon in this unit, which particularly emphasises use of self and a reflection cycle including awareness of theory, theological understanding and relationship with the counsellee. Because the Counselling Practicums are regarded as an essential element of the course which provides a vital opportunity for synthesising and applying course-based learning in a real setting, credit will not be given for prior experience.
Clinical supervision of practice
In addition to Field Observations and Counselling Practicums, students are required to undertake 50 hours of clinical supervision in conjunction with their counselling practice. These hours are completed as part of the requirements for the following units:
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HB300 - Counselling Practicum I – 20 hours HB301 - Supervised Counselling Practicum – 20 hours HB366 - Reflective Counselling Practice – 10 hours |
Relationship to other courses
Students may exit the Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) after one year of fulltime study and obtain a Diploma of Social Science, or they may exit after two years of fulltime study to complete the award of Associate Degree in Social Science, subject to course rules.
Students may apply to transfer to any of the other Bachelor of Social Science courses offered by the College, subject to entry requirements. The suite of Bachelor of Social Science courses share most elements of the Core requirements, and many of the units can be applied to various structures within the courses. Students who transfer course are then subject to the rules of their new course.
Summary of Course Rules – Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling)
1) A total of 240 credit points are required for graduation.
2) Completion of the Counselling specialisation is required for graduation.
3) A minimum of 120 credit points must be completed in units offered at the advanced level.
4) A maximum of 160 credit points may be completed in any single field of study.
5) At least 120 credit points must be completed within the School of Social Sciences.
6) No more than 120 credit points gained in prior studies at another institution may be credited towards the requirements of the award.
7) No more than 80 credit points gained in concurrent studies at another institution may be credited towards the requirements of the award.
8) The maximum allowable time for completion of the award is TEN years.
9) Variations of course rules must receive the approval of the Dean and the Board of Studies.
