Practicum Placement 2 PG (6314.6)

Required texts

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5-TR ed.).

Australian Psychological Society. (2007). APS code of ethics.

The placement organisation may also require certain readings to be undertaken or training to be completed prior to or as part of the placement.

The following books are useful reference texts:

Andrews, G., Creamer, M., Crino, R., Hunt, C., Lampe, L., & Page, A. (2003). The treatment of anxiety disorders: Clinician guides and treatment manuals (2nd ed). Cambridge University Press.

Barlow, D. H. (2021). Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual (6th ed). Guilford.

Greenberger, D. & Padesky, C. (2015). Mind over mood: Change how you feel by changing the way you think (2nd ed.). Guilford.

Leahy, R. L., Holland, S. J., & Mc Ginn, L. K. (2012). Treatment plans and interventions for depression and anxiety disorders (2nd ed.). Guilford.

Ramnero, J., & Torneke, N. (2008). The ABCs of Human Behavior: Behavioral Principles for the Practicing Clinician. New Harbinger.

Simmons, J. & Griffiths, R. (2017). CBT for beginners (3rd ed.). SAGE.

Students are encouraged to discuss with their supervisor suggested readings relevant to the assessment and treatment of the placement client population.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

How to submit placement documents

All required placement documents (aka the placement folder) are to be uploaded to the student's Smartabase site. Please see Canvas for a guide to using Smartabase.

The student is to notify the Clinic Manager and the Internal Placement Coordinator by email when all placement documents are complete and uploaded to Canvas. If the placement documents are incomplete, the student will need to rectify any errors then re-email the Clinic Manager and Internal Placement Coordinator in order to pass.

Special assessment requirements

Requirements to pass: This unit will be assessed as a non-graded pass or fail. An ungraded pass is achieved by attendance at mandatory group supervision and/or seminars, passing all assessment items, completion of the requisite number of face-to-face and clinical experience hours, submission of all placement documentation in line with requirements  (as outlined on Canvas), and completion of all required client-related work. These additional assessment requirements are in line with conditions set by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council.

Hours: The student is required to aim toward a target of 250 hours of placement activity per placement. Of these 250 hours, a minimum of 100 hours should be direct client contact. However, if a student is deemed to be competent in all domains but they have not reached 100 client contact hours (student must have 80 hours of client contact or more), they may receive an ungraded pass. This can only occur under the provision they complete the required client contact hours during their next placement. In that case, an agreement will be made between the student and the Placement Coordinator, which will be documented and recorded on their Smartabase site.

Placement documentation: Details of required placement documentation can be found on Canvas. Documentation includes but is not limited to:

• Supervision contract. The supervision contract will be completed by the student in conjunction with the supervisor. In completing the contract, the student is required to reflect on their own learning needs. The student is then to develop 4-5 specific goals that are appropriate to the placement location and their learning needs, in consultation with their placement supervisor. Goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-limited).
• Professional practice log book. This log book should provide evidence of all hours spent on placement (client contact, non-contact and supervision). Every entry must be signed by the student and supervisor.
• Supervision log records. These must detail all supervision sessions completed (individual and group) throughout the duration of the placement, including a summary of the topics discussed, reflection, and future research or tasks related to the supervision content. Every single entry must be signed by the student and supervisor.
• Student evaluation of the placement.
• Supervisor feedback on a therapy session.

Please note that all client notes, including progress notes and reports, must be signed by both the student and supervisor. A student will not be passed on the placement if there are any documents left unsigned.

Supplementary assessment

If a student receives an Unsatisfactory Progress or Progress with Concerns grade at the mid-placement review, an Unsatisfactory grade at the end-of-placement review, or is deemed to be at risk of failure at any stage during placement, a remedial support plan will be developed. See details in section 5bvi (Additional Information) of this Unit Outline for further information.

For the supervision contract, viva, IPL reflections, ethical reflections, and cognitive assessment report, students will be provided with one re-attempt per assessment task if they miss demonstrating a specific competency for that task. If they fail the second attempt, the student will fail the unit.

Additional Information

Remedial support plans

If a student receives an Unsatisfactory Progress or Progress with Concerns grade at the mid-placement review, an Unsatisfactory grade at the end-of-placement review, or is deemed to be at risk of failure at any stage during placement, a remedial support plan will be developed. This plan will document the concerns and planned actions, and will be developed in consultation with the student, supervisor, [the UC Psychology Clinic Manager,] and Placement Coordinator. The placement may need to be extended in order to support the student’s development in reaching appropriate competence. However, if progress is not made or does not reach the required stage on the CYPRS within an appropriate timeframe, a fail grade will be applied. In these circumstances the supervisor and student will be required to identify specific learning needs and activities to address the concerns raised should the student re-attempt placement.

Misconduct

Any breaches in ethical, legal or professional conduct at any stage during placement will result in referral to the appropriate discipline staff members for assessment of whether an immediate fail grade and termination of placement is required. For significant student misconduct behaviour, students will be referred to the Associate Dean of Education. Serious ethical and professional misconduct by a provisional psychologist could also necessitate an AHPRA notification, which could affect provisional registration and completion of the placement units.

Fail grades

In the event a student fails the placement, consultation with the Psychology Clinic Manager and the Convenor of the Master of Clinical Psychology program is required to discuss options before re-enrolment. 

A second fail grade will result in the Discipline recommendation to the university that the student fail the MCP program.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The amount of time you will need to study in this unit will depend on a number of factors including your prior knowledge, learning skill level, and learning style. Nevertheless, you should note that the minimum time commitment to complete the placement is usually 250 hours. Note that placements typically run beyond the semester period.

Participation requirements

Students are required to attend the University of Canberra Psychology Clinic for two full days per week (9am to 5.30pm) for a minimum of 17 weeks until all assessment items (including special assessment requirements described in section 5b of this unit outline) are complete.

Should absence be required for any reason, the placement supervisor must be advised by telephone as soon as possible.

If attendance requirements cannot be satisfied (e.g., due to outside employment), it is recommended that you meet with the Course Convenor to schedule this unit for a future semester.

Required IT skills

None

Work placement, internships or practicums

Pre-placement requirements

This unit has pre-placement requirements. Information in relation to pre-placement requirements can be obtained from the Placement Requirements website and/or the Placement Office.

Students have already met many pre-placement requirements for 6313 (Placement 1) prior to starting in the Psychology Clinic. In addition to these requirements students are required to be up to date with both their immunisations and TB screening. Refer to the Placement Requirements website for more information.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they are compliant with all pre-placement requirements. Students are required to complete details relating to pre-placement requirements in InPlace (inplace.canberra.edu.au). If you have any queries related to InPlace please contact placement@canberra.edu.au.

Students will not be allowed to start placement if they have not met pre-placement requirements. A delayed start to the placement must be approved by the Placement Coordinator. If not approved, the student will be required to withdraw from the unit. A failure to withdraw by Census date will result in a fail grade being awarded for this unit.

Inherent requirements and fitness to practice

The University of Canberra has responsibilities under work health and safety laws to protect the safety of those for whom it has a duty of care. Additionally, the University of Canberra is mandated, under Health Practitioner Regulation National Law ACT (2009), to notify the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) if it reasonably believes that a student has a health impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking clinical placement, may place the public at risk of substantial harm. Students who cannot meet inherent requirements or are not fit to practice during clinical placement may pose a risk to themselves, the public, clinical placement organisation staff, UC staff and other students if they are permitted to participate in clinical placement. These students may also fall within the mandatory notification requirements under national law.

Adherence to relevant UC policies and procedures

Students must adhere to the University policy during WIL experiences, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL Policy, WIL Procedure, Assessment Policy and the Assessment Procedure.

Additional information

Student professionalism

Students are expected to be familiar with, and act in accordance with, the APS Code of Ethics and the Psychology Board of Australia/AHPRA registration standards at all times, as well as other legislative requirements. If a student is found to have breached the APS Code of Ethics during placement, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) may be advised, which could affect provisional registration and completion of placement units.

Students are required to engage with their placement organisation as they would a professional workplace, including adhering to the organisation's policies and procedures.

Students are expected to respond promptly when allocated new referrals, complete clinical client notes in a timely manner, and present clinical notes to their supervisor for review and endorsement (signature) in a regular and timely manner.

Supervision expectations

Clinical supervision will begin at the commencement of the placement at a time agreed upon with the supervisor.

There is a requirement for one hour of supervision for every 15 placement hours.

A minimum of 50% of the required supervision hours must be individual supervision.

Absences from placement

Requests to not attend placement for a limited period for compelling personal reasons, aside from illness, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

What to do if struggling to meet requirements

Any problems with the placement or meeting the requirements should be flagged by the student with their supervisor and the unit convener as soon as possible so they can be rectified early. Delaying notification of problems (e.g. in relation to supervision or the completion of work) may result in the placement being extended.

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