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Applied Helping and Professional Practice
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PSYCB3114 - Applied Helping and Professional Practice
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20270200
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1.0
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2026-09-10
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2026-09-10
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Psychology
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Institute of Health and Wellbeing
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Psychology
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Undergraduate
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15
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.125
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090701
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Psychology
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090701 - Psychology
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<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/psycb3114">View unit fees</a>
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Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
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7
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Bachelor Degree
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<p>Applied Helping and Professional Practice builds on students’ foundational learning in communication, interpersonal skills, helping interactions, and counselling theory to examine helping practice within complex real-world contexts. The unit focuses on the application of helping skills, psychological theory, and professional judgement to situations involving diverse needs, perspectives, support systems, and pathways to care.</p>
<p>Students critically explore how personal, social, cultural, systemic, and trauma-related factors - such as experiences of adversity, abuse, and violence - shape behaviour, wellbeing, help-seeking, and access to support across diverse populations and settings. The unit emphasises culturally responsive, ethical, trauma-informed, person-centred, and strengths-based approaches to helping practice, while recognising the opportunities and limitations of helping within complex systems and professional roles.</p>
<p>Through applied and reflective learning activities, students develop their ability to analyse helping scenarios, apply psychological theory and evidence to professional decision-making, and respond appropriately to complex helping situations. Attention is given to professional communication, boundaries, referral pathways, interprofessional collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and the responsibilities and limitations associated with helping roles.</p>
<p>The unit also encourages critical reflection on personal assumptions, values, communication styles, professional identity, wellbeing, and sustainable helping practice. Students examine the potential impacts of helping work, such as vicarious trauma and burnout, and develop strategies to support professional boundaries, self-care, and ethical practice across a range of helping and support contexts.</p>
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<p>This unit is designed to enable students to apply communication skills, counselling theory, and psychological knowledge within complex professional and community contexts. Topics may include: responding to people experiencing distress, adversity, or complex support needs; professional judgement and decision-making; assumptions, bias, self-awareness, and reflective practice; communication and interpersonal skills in applied contexts; ethical and professional responsibilities; cultural responsiveness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives; trauma-informed, person-centred, and strengths-based approaches; adversity, abuse, and violence; help-seeking and access to support; referral pathways and community support systems; interprofessional collaboration; professional boundaries; self-care and wellbeing; vicarious trauma and burnout; and sustainable helping practice.</p>
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<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
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2027
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Overview
Key information
Requisites
Learning outcomes
Assessment
FedTASK
Parent Region
Overview
Unit description
<p>Applied Helping and Professional Practice builds on students’ foundational learning in communication, interpersonal skills, helping interactions, and counselling theory to examine helping practice within complex real-world contexts. The unit focuses on the application of helping skills, psychological theory, and professional judgement to situations involving diverse needs, perspectives, support systems, and pathways to care.</p> <p>Students critically explore how personal, social, cultural, systemic, and trauma-related factors - such as experiences of adversity, abuse, and violence - shape behaviour, wellbeing, help-seeking, and access to support across diverse populations and settings. The unit emphasises culturally responsive, ethical, trauma-informed, person-centred, and strengths-based approaches to helping practice, while recognising the opportunities and limitations of helping within complex systems and professional roles.</p> <p>Through applied and reflective learning activities, students develop their ability to analyse helping scenarios, apply psychological theory and evidence to professional decision-making, and respond appropriately to complex helping situations. Attention is given to professional communication, boundaries, referral pathways, interprofessional collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and the responsibilities and limitations associated with helping roles.</p> <p>The unit also encourages critical reflection on personal assumptions, values, communication styles, professional identity, wellbeing, and sustainable helping practice. Students examine the potential impacts of helping work, such as vicarious trauma and burnout, and develop strategies to support professional boundaries, self-care, and ethical practice across a range of helping and support contexts.</p>
Unit content
<p>This unit is designed to enable students to apply communication skills, counselling theory, and psychological knowledge within complex professional and community contexts. Topics may include: responding to people experiencing distress, adversity, or complex support needs; professional judgement and decision-making; assumptions, bias, self-awareness, and reflective practice; communication and interpersonal skills in applied contexts; ethical and professional responsibilities; cultural responsiveness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives; trauma-informed, person-centred, and strengths-based approaches; adversity, abuse, and violence; help-seeking and access to support; referral pathways and community support systems; interprofessional collaboration; professional boundaries; self-care and wellbeing; vicarious trauma and burnout; and sustainable helping practice.</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Discipline:
Psychology
Study level:
Undergraduate
Credit points:
15
EFTSL:
0.125
Field of education:
090701 - Psychology
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/psycb3114">View unit fees</a>
Requisites
Prerequisite
<p>must have completed <a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=PSYCB1005" target="_blank">PSYCB1005</a> AND must have completed <a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=PSYCB2105" target="_blank">PSYCB2105</a></p>
Corequisite
None
Exclusion
None
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
<p>On successful completion of this unit, students are expected to gain the following [K]nowledge, [S]kills and [A]pplication of knowledge & skills</p>
Learning Outcomes
Ref
Outcome
1
<p>Analyse how psychological, social, cultural, systemic, and trauma-related factors influence behaviour, wellbeing, help-seeking, and access to support, and evaluate the implications for helping and professional practice.</p>
2
<p>Apply helping and interpersonal communication skills appropriately within structured helping scenarios involving diverse needs, strengths, perspectives, support systems, trauma-informed approaches, and professional contexts.</p>
3
<p>Critically evaluate the ethical, cultural, and professional responsibilities, limitations, and considerations involved in helping interactions across diverse contexts.</p>
4
<p>Integrate evidence, psychological theory, and person-centred approaches to inform professional judgement, decisions, and responses in applied helping contexts.</p>
5
<p>Reflect on personal assumptions, values, and communication styles, and evaluate their influence on helping interactions within diverse contexts.</p>
6
<p>Evaluate personal wellbeing, professional boundaries, and the potential impacts of helping work, such as vicarious trauma and burnout, and develop strategies to support sustainable helping practice.</p>
Assessment
Learning Tasks and Assessment
Ref
Learning task
Assessment type
Weighting
Learning outcomes assessed
1
<p>Students critically reflect on personal assumptions, biases, values, communication styles, wellbeing, professional boundaries, and areas for growth in relation to helping and professional practice. Students develop an evidence-informed wellbeing and sustainability plan that considers self-care, professional supports, boundaries, supervision, and strategies for managing the potential impacts of helping work.</p>
<p>Written Task</p>
<p>20-30%</p>
5, 6
2
<p>Investigate and evaluate support systems, referral pathways, barriers to support, and professional considerations relevant to a complex helping context.</p>
<p>Written Task</p>
<p>20-40%</p>
1, 3, 4
3
<p>Analyse a complex helping scenario and present evidence-based recommendations, communication approaches, support pathways, and professional considerations using psychological theory and professional judgement.</p>
<p>Presentation</p>
<p>20-40%</p>
1, 2, 3, 4
Supplementary assessment available:
Yes
Supplementary assessment information:
<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
FedTASK
FedTASK
Description of FedTASK outcome
Level
FedTASK 1: Interpersonal
The ability to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups.
<p>Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context</p>
FedTASK 2: Leadership
The ability to apply professional skills and behaviours in leading others.
<p>Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context</p>
FedTASK 3: Critical Thinking and Creativity
The ability to work in complexity and ambiguity using imagination to create new ideas.
<p>Level 2 - Student demonstrates some independence within provided guidelines</p>
FedTASK 4: Digital Literacy
The ability to work fluently across a range of tools and applications to achieve a range of skills.
<p>Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context</p>
FedTASK 5: Sustainable and Ethical Mindset
The ability to consider and assess the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting ethical and sustainable decisions.
<p>Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context</p>
FedTASK
<p>Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FedTASKs (<strong>T</strong>ransferable <strong>A</strong>ttributes <strong>S</strong>kills and <strong>K</strong>nowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key, transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and co-operative learning opportunities.</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Discipline:
Psychology
Study level:
Undergraduate
Credit points:
15
EFTSL:
0.125
Field of education:
090701 - Psychology
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/psycb3114">View unit fees</a>
Additional information
Add Info Static Text
Internal reference: PSYCB3114 - U1.0