Psychotherapies and Counselling (PSYC3082)

Course overview

This course offers students a vibrant personalised and research-based introduction to the major psychotherapies that have been developed to relieve human suffering. This course offers students opportunities to experience personal change through personalised applications of psychotherapy strategies. Students will gain insight into the clinical reasoning and decision making involved in developing treatment plans for clients. Psychotherapies covered in the course include those that have been developed many years ago (e.g., Person-Centred Therapy), and those that have emerged more recently (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Issues related to conducting ethical, culturally sensitive and productive therapy with clients are also discussed.

The goal of this course is to give students a personalised, practical, and research-based introduction to the major psychotherapies. The course provides diverse opportunities for students to fully engage in course content via the personal application of psychotherapy strategies,ﾠ personal reflections on case studies, practice in developing treatment formulations for cases, and participation in discussion groups. Students will not only acquire new content and skills but also experience the change potential of some of the psychotherapies. Key elements of content covered in the course include: psychotherapy theories, therapeutic intervention techniques, research in support of the various theories & techniques, considerations for practicing with unique populations, & issues related to conducting ethical & productive therapy.

The course has two components:

LECTURES Lecture topics include: Introduction and micro-counselling skills, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Person Centred Therapy, Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Existential Therapy, Schema Therapy, Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and process issues, ethics and cultural considerations.

TUTORIALSﾠ Tutorial attendance is strongly recommended because the tutorials will assist in developing the skills and strategies for mastering the case study assignment and completing the portfolio. The tutorials will also provide valuable opportunities for the personal application of various psychotherapy strategies.

Course requirements

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

2 courses from (NEUR2020 or PSYC2030 or PSYC2040 or PSYC2050)

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

Theﾠaim of this course is to give students a personalised and research-based introduction to the major elements of the psychotherapies including: psychotherapy theories, therapeutic intervention techniques, research in support of the various theories and techniques.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Multiple Choice Exam

• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025

You will be advised at a later date when the exam will take place during the exam period.

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L06

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Case Study Assignment

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

38%

Due date

26/09/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Via Turnitin on the Course Blackboard. NOTE: You will no longer receive an automatic submission receipt from Turnitin confirming your assignment has been received. You should download a copy of the digital receipt from the Assignment Dashboard and keep this as a record.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Portfolio

Mode

Written

Category

Portfolio

Weight

12%

Due date

31/10/2025 1:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L05, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

via Turnitin

NOTE: You will no longer receive an automatic submission receipt from Turnitin confirming your assignment has been received. You should download a copy of the digital receipt from the Assignment Dashboard and keep this as a record.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

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Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

Electronic Submission of Assessments Via Turnitin

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Assessments must be submitted via Turnitin. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the electronic submission procedure for each assessment is successfully executed by the due date. Please note the following guidelines regarding electronic submission of assessments via Turnitin:

• You are advised to submit an assessment more than 3 hours before the deadline so as to allow for possible technical difficulties with the electronic submission process.ﾠ
• Ensure that you have submitted the correct document and that it has been fully uploaded (without missing pages).ﾠ
• In the case of a student claim that an assessment was submitted after the due date because of a technical malfunction, the only form of supporting evidence that will be considered is the confirmation receipt downloaded from the assignment dashboard. No screenshots of properties or internet history will be accepted. If a student claims late submission was due to a Blackboard malfunction such as an outage, the claim must be supported by confirmation from UQ Information Technology Support unit (ITS) which will be sought by the Course Administrator.
• Once the marks/feedback for an assessment are released, the Turnitin link is closed for submission.ﾠ

NOTE: You will no longer receive an automatic submission receipt from Turnitin confirming your assignment has been received. You should download a copy of the digital receipt from the Assignment Dashboard and keep this as a record.

Late submission of the case study assignmentﾠand portfolio will each receive penalty marks.

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Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• School of Psychology Student Guidelines