COUN671-25X3 (O) Special non-calendar-based Three 2025 (UC Online)

Counselling and Psychology: Theories and Skills

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 16 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 12 October 2025

Description

Studies of counselling and psychological theories and their implications for practice. Practice in the skills of an intentional interviewing model of helping.

This course provides the opportunity to study counselling and psychological theories and their implications for practice, along with practice in the skills of an intentional interviewing model of therapy.

In this course, you will be introduced to a range of theories and knowledge associated with counselling and psychology, and encouraged to consider the personal and professional role of a therapist. This will include an introduction to some of the legal and ethical contexts of therapy work and you will be provided with an opportunity to examine your own personal values, your own culture and your beliefs. You will be encouraged to reflect on how these beliefs and values shape your relationship to the theory and practice of psychology and counselling with diverse clients. You will also be introduced to multi-cultural perspectives and kaupapa Māori models of wellbeing as an introduction to therapeutic work within a bicultural context. This will set the context for learning a range of foundational therapeutic skills. Each of you will be expected to engage in course exercises and be able to demonstrate an understanding and effective use of specific skills, and describe both the rationale for and the impact of, their use in controlled, role-played situations.  

Psychologists, counsellors and therapists need to be able to provide a rationale for what they do. In this course, you will have the opportunity of evaluating, comparing and contrasting several major theories of counselling and psychotherapy. This part of the course is designed to provide you with a theoretical framework to assist you in the process of beginning to build and articulate your own personal position on counselling and therapy.

Learning Outcomes

  • At the end of this course students should be able to:

  • Understand and articulate key issues relevant to the practice of counselling and psychology.
  • Use basic counselling skills to conduct an effective therapeutic interview in the context of their developing understanding of theory.
  • Develop and articulate an integrated understanding of several major theories of counselling and psychological interventions that are informed by their examination of their own values and beliefs.
  • Begin to understand the impact of values, beliefs and culture on the therapeutic process after acquiring a foundational knowledge of working safely and competently with cultural and bicultural awareness.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of School

Restrictions

CFPY604, EDUC461, EDEM664, HLTH481

Course Coordinator

Tom Sykes

Assessment

As this course is compulsory for those preparing to apply for Masters programmes in Counselling or Child and Family Psychology a high degree of professionalism is expected of all students.  Students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions and are required to complete all assessment tasks.  

There are three pieces of work that make up the final grade.  All three must be completed. Each will be assessed using a letter grade.

Notes

Subject to approval of Head of School.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $2,353.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Health Sciences .

All COUN671 Occurrences

  • COUN671-25W (C) Whole Year 2025
  • COUN671-25X3 (O) Special non-calendar-based Three 2025 (UC Online)