Program Overview

Overview

This unit of study involves students completing a placement in a setting external to the University Psychology Clinic. The placement will expose students to a range of presentations in hospitals and community health settings. One external placement is required to be adults and one with children/adolescents and families. All placements are supervised by clinical psychologists who have approved supervisor status with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Unit Details and Rules

• Academic unit: Psychology Academic Operations
• Credit points: 6
• Prerequisites: PSYC6079
• Corequisites: None
• Prohibitions: None
• Assumed knowledge: None
• Available to study abroad and exchange students: Yes

Teaching Staff

• Coordinator: Caroline Hunt

Assessment

• Type: Placement
  • Mid-Placement Review Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 27 Sep 2020 at 23:59, 1 hour)
  • Mid-Placement Review Visit Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 27 Sep 2020 at 23:59, 30 minutes)
  • End-Placement Review Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 17 Dec 2020 at 23:59, 1 hour)
• Type: Assignment
  • Supervision contract Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 19 Jul 2020 at 23:59, 2 pages)
  • Mid-Placement Review Form Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 27 Sep 2020 at 23:59, 4 pages)
  • Mid-Placement Visitor Form Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 27 Sep 2020 at 23:59, 1 page)
  • End-Placement Review Form Placement protocol: 0% (Due date: 17 Dec 2020 at 23:59, 4 pages)
  • Clinical Log Placement Protocol: 0% (Due date: 17 Dec 2020 at 23:59, 1 page for each week of placement)
  • External Placement feedback Placement Protocol: 0% (Due date: 17 Dec 2020 at 23:59, 1 page)

Assessment Summary

• Supervision Contract: Students will be required to submit a written contract outlining the placement expectations for both the student and the supervisor.
• Mid-Placement Review (MPR): Students will be required to complete a formal meeting with supervisor(s) to review progress to date and provide formative feedback.
• Mid-Placement Review Form: Students will be required to submit a written summary of the Mid Placement Review meeting with their supervisor(s) to document progress on the placement.
• Mid-Placement Review (MPR) Visitor Form: Students will be required to submit a summary of the Mid Placement Review Visit, a formal meeting with the supervisor and student, completed by the visitor who is Clinical Psychology Unit staff.
• End-Placement Review (EPR): Students will be required to complete a formal meeting with supervisor(s) to review overall progress and provide feedback.
• End-Placement Review Form: Students will be required to submit a written summary of the End Placement Review meeting with their supervisor(s) to provide a summative assessment of the placement.
• Clinical Log: Students will be required to submit a week by week record of their clinical placement experience.
• Clinical Placement Hours Record: Students will be required to regularly update a summary of cumulative clinical placement hours across all clinical placements.
• External Placement Feedback Form: Students will provide feedback on their placement experience.

Assessment Criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

• Pass with Merit (PM): The clinical practice substantially exceeds the expected level of competence for the stage of training.
• Pass (P): Clinical and professional practice meets the expected level of competence for the stage of training.
• Identified Difficulties (ID): The level of competence expected at this stage of training in professional or clinical practice has not been met in one or more areas.
• Needs Development (ND): The professional and/or clinical practice does not satisfy a basic level of competence.
• Fail (F): The clinical and/or professional practice does not satisfy a basic level of competence, or the trainee demonstrates unethical or dangerous practice.

Late Submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

• Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
• After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Learning Support

• Simple extensions: If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.
• Special consideration: If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Weekly Schedule

• Multiple weeks: Clinical placement, 2 days/week for 24 weeks (336 hours)

Study Commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

• LO1: work responsively with a broad range of socially and culturally diverse clients
• LO2: apply advanced psychological knowledge to culturally responsive assessment, case formulation and intervention in the area of clinical psychology
• LO3: implement appropriate, empirically supported treatments
• LO4: monitor clients’ progress and intervention outcomes, assessing areas of improvement and making changes to treatment plan when necessary
• LO5: monitor and manage intra- and interpersonal processes in the context of an evolving case formulation
• LO6: demonstrate respect for the skills and contribution of other professionals, working collaboratively and effectively with them, within the bounds of ethical and legal requirements
• LO7: apply professional practice policies and procedures, including record keeping and psychological report writing
• LO8: demonstrate self-reflection in professional practice, accounting for impact of own values and taking appropriate remediating action

Graduate Qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course.

• GQ1: Depth of disciplinary expertise
• GQ2: Critical thinking and problem solving
• GQ3: Oral and written communication
• GQ4: Information and digital literacy
• GQ5: Inventiveness
• GQ6: Cultural competence
• GQ7: Interdisciplinary effectiveness
• GQ8: Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity
• GQ9: Influence

Additional Information

• The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.
• This unit of study outline was last modified on 26 Nov 2020.