Practicum Placement 4 PG (6316.5)

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 External 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 External 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, 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. This must be completed within two weeks of commencing placement.
• Professional practice (hours) 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 or endorsed 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 or endorsed by the student and supervisor.

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 is graded as ‘progress with concerns’ at the mid-placement review, or 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 case report and ethical reflections, 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.

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Additional Information

Remedial support plans. If a student is graded as ‘progress with concerns’ at the mid-placement review, or 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, and External 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 in 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 External Placement Coordinator and the Convenor of the Master of Clinical Psychology course 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.

Learner engagement

Participation requirements

At the discretion of a placement organisation and External Placement Coordinator, a placement may be completed at 3 days per week. However, this arrangement can only be undertaken if a placement organisation has agreed to or requested this, it is appropriate, and if the student is able to do so.

Students are required to attend placement for the equivalent of two full days per week for a minimum of 16 weeks until all assessment items (including special assessment requirements described in section 5b of this unit outline) are complete. This duration allows for sufficient engagement in the workplace and extent of practice in the domain of experience. Placement duration may be negotiated in advance with the placement organisation and External Placement Coordinator in the case a student is undertaking 3 days per week.

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 Convenor of the Master of Clinical Psychology course 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.

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 External 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.

Placement allocation and conflicts of interest

Prior to placement allocation, students are required to declare all potential conflicts of interest to the External Placement Coordinator. This is to ensure that students receive placement allocations that will maximise their learning opportunities without pre-existing relationships that may impact on professional learning. Declarations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Failure to declare a conflict of interest may cause you to be withdrawn from the placement which could delay your progression through the course. See the UC Psychology Placement Handbook for further information and, if you have further queries on this, please seek advice from the External Placement Coordinator or Careers UC team.

Allocations are randomly undertaken by the Placement Office and reviewed by the External Placement Coordinator (and, if necessary, the  Convenor of the Master of Clinical Psychology course) to ensure that opportunities maximise competency development based on the needs of the student, placement opportunities, and suitable supervision. Please note that students are required to inform the Placement Office and External Placement Coordinator if they are unable to undertake a placement allocated to them as soon as possible.

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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