Unit 1 - Introduction to the Counselling Industry
The first unit of the Diploma of Professional Counselling introduces the ethical and legal framework a counsellor should work within. The unit also identifies issues that may impact on the client-counsellor relationship and will allow the student to:

	Reflect upon counsellor challenges that may impact on the counselling process
	Identify rights and responsibilities of the counsellor
	Identify rights and responsibilities of the client
	Analyse issues involved in counselling practice
	Counselling roles
	Analyse issues within the client-counsellor relationship, and
	Identify areas of personal and professional growth.

Unit 2 - Specialist Interpersonal Communication
This unit involves the exploration and application of basic interpersonal communication skills to facilitate the client-counsellor relationship within a counselling practice. The unit covers the application of:

	Counsellor observation skills
	Counsellor questioning skills
	Counsellor feedback skills
	Noting and reflecting
	The variables in communication, and
	The impact of communication.

Unit 3 - Counselling Interview Skills
Unit 3 builds on the basic skills of Unit 2 and covers advanced interpersonal communication skills. There is a particular emphasis on facilitating the client-counsellor relationship within a counselling practice. At its completion, students will be able to apply:

	Advanced counselling skills
	Micro-skills for influence
	Focusing skills, and
	Confrontation skills.

Unit 4 - The Counselling Process
This unit focuses on the application of the knowledge and skills required to facilitate the counselling process to encourage and enhance client growth. The following areas are covered in the unit:

	Beginning the counselling process
	Facilitating the identification of client concerns
	Exploring client concerns
	Reviewing the counselling process, and
	Negotiating the termination of the client-counsellor relationship.

Unit 5 - Personality and Human Development
Unit 5 provides an introduction to key concepts and constructs underlying theories of personality and human development. The unit explores the development of theories of behaviour and their application in the client-counsellor relationship and the counselling process. Students will also apply and analyse the Humanistic Theory and Behaviourism Theory in counselling practice.

Unit 6 - Foundations of Behaviourism
Unit 6 focuses on the theory of behaviourism and the application and impact of stimulus/response theory on behaviour. The unit allows students to apply the theory of stimulus and response in counselling practice, along with analysing and applying negative and positive reinforcement.

Unit 7 - Social Learning
This unit focuses on the application of social learning (modelling) theory in counselling practice addressing the application and impact of social learning on behaviour. In this unit, students will:

	Analyse environmental modelling influences in counselling practice
	Analyse possible behavioural outcomes of different modelling and reinforcement influences, and
	Formulate a program for client change.

Unit 8 - Behaviour Therapy
This unit builds on the skills learned in Unit 6 and focuses on theoretical concepts, processes, knowledge and skills for the analysis and practical application of Behaviour Therapy within counselling practice. The unit covers:

	Analysis of client needs using behaviour therapy in counselling practice
	Evaluation of limitations of behaviour therapy, and
	Application of behaviour therapy techniques in counselling practice.

Unit 9 - Person Centred Therapy
Unit 9 focuses on theoretical concepts, processes, knowledge and skills for the analysis and practical application of Person-Centred Therapy within counselling practice. Students will:

	Apply the key concepts of Person Centred Therapy
	Analyse Roger's contribution
	Analyse Maslow's contribution
	Analyse the contributions of the counsellor and the client in the therapeutic process, and
	Learn the limitations of Person Centred Therapy.

Unit 10 - Gestalt Therapy
This unit provides an introduction to the key theoretical concepts and techniques of Gestalt Therapy within a counselling practice. Students will:

	Apply the key concepts of Gestalt Therapy
	Analyse Perl's contribution
	Gestalt terms, key concepts and techniques
	Overview the therapeutic process, and
	Learn the limitations of Gestalt Therapy.

Unit 11 - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
This unit focuses on the application of theoretical concepts, processes, knowledge and skills for the analysis and practical application of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy within counselling practice. Students will:

	Apply the key concepts of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
	Analyse both Beck's and Ellis' contributions
	Overview and apply the therapeutic process, and
	Learn the limitations of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Unit 12 - Apply Solution Focused Therapy in Counselling
Unit 12 focuses on theoretical concepts, processes, knowledge and skills for the analysis and practical application of Solution Focused Therapy within counselling practice. Along with applying the therapeutic process, students will:

	Apply the key concepts of Solution Focused Therapy
	Learn the exponents of Solution Focused Therapy, and
	Learn the limitations of Solution Focussed Therapy.

Unit 13 - Case Work
Counsellors are often required to deliver specialised client services based on individual case assessment and intervention. In Unit 13, students learn about:

	The phases of the counselling process (assessment, intervention and termination)
	Crisis intervention
	Client's ethical rights
	Counsellor's ethical and legal responsibilities
	Transition processes
	Day to day management in the case work role
	Review and evaluation of case work and programs, and
	Application of the various therapeutic approaches to the counselling process.

Unit 14 - Case Management
Unit 14 provides students with information on all aspects of case management and encourages consideration of 'best practice'. The unit covers:

	Roles of the case manager
	Process of case management
	Conducting case management meetings
	Working with other professionals
	Organisational contexts
	The client's ethical rights
	The counsellor's ethical and legal responsibilities, and
	Applicable documentation.

Unit 15 - Stress Management
This unit covers the knowledge and skills necessary for identifying, analysing and evaluating stress and providing remediation programs and/or recommendations to clients exhibiting stress. Students study:

	The potential effects of stress upon cognition, behaviour and physiology
	Internal and external stressors
	The effects of acute and chronic stress
	Elicit causal factors and corresponding effects in counselling interviews
	Evaluation of case information for remediation or referral, and
	Application of functional concepts in formulation of appropriate remediation strategies for the client.

Unit 16 - Family Therapy
This unit focuses on providing an introduction to family therapy processes within counselling practice, including:

	The origins of Family Therapy
	Leading therapists
	Phases of 'treatment'
	Assessment of families
	Family Therapy concepts and approaches including systems, experiential, cognitive-behavioural and strategic approaches, and
	Issues of difference in working with families.

Unit 17 - Working with Difference
The knowledge base of this unit increases the counsellor's insight and sensitivity to the special needs of clients and whose gender, culture, ethnicity, subculture, sexuality and ability is to be recognised in the interaction. Students learn about:

	Issues of difference
	Social themes on difference
	Support for difference, and
	Documentation, storage and retrieval of specialist services.

Unit 18 - Apply issues relating to abuse
Unit 18 provides an introduction to a conceptual framework for responsible counselling practice with victims of abuse including statutory requirements and referral to specialist agencies/personnel. The unit covers:

	Abuse recognition
	Causal theories of abuse
	Effects of abuse
	Statutory requirements
	Implications for counsellors
	Support networks, and
	Referral processes.

Unit 19 - Relationship Issues
This unit allows the opportunity to analyse relationship functions and dysfunctions and includes techniques for developing healthy relationships. Students examine:

	Types of relationships
	Dynamics in relationships
	Qualities of dysfunctional and healthy relationships
	Conflict resolution strategies, and
	Referral processes.

Unit 20 - Group Counselling Processes
Unit 20 provides the theoretical basis and practical skills necessary for conducting group counselling sessions. The unit covers:

	Theory of group membership
	Group structure, process and programming
	Planning group counselling sessions
	Skills of group facilitation (including dealing with conflict), and
	Ethical considerations.

Unit 21 - Ethics and Referral
This unit builds on Unit 1 and provides the opportunity to apply ethical and legal requirements to counselling practice. Students will learn about:

	The need for ethical standards
	A counsellor's ethical and legal responsibilities
	Ethics of dual-role relationships
	Ethical problem solving
	Referral procedures, and
	The need for professional development.

Unit 22 - Contemporary Counselling Issues
The unit provides the opportunity to understand the process of research and undertake a substantial, complex analysis and presentation of a contemporary issue in counselling (as a research project). The unit covers a variety of areas including:

	Types of research methods
	How to plan, conduct and write up research
	Evaluating a contemporary counselling issue
	Presentation of an argument that encompasses theory/ models/ principles/ assumptions/ practice in counselling, and
	Preparation for employment as a counsellor.