COU102A – AB2, CS 1
Assessment Brief
Program
Bachelor of Applied Social Science
Subject
Theories of Counselling
Subject code
COU102A
Name of assessment
Assessment 2: Case Study
Length
2000 Words
Learning outcomes addressed
y this assessment:
A, C, D
Submission Date: End of Week 6, Sunday 11.55 pm
Assessment
ief summary:
Choose one of the counselling approaches that you have studied so far and
write a report explaining how you would apply this counselling perspective
to the case study provided.
Total marks
100
Weighting
30%
Students are advised that any submissions past the due date incur a 10% penalty per day, calculated from the total
mark e.g. a task marked out of 40 will incur a 4-mark penalty per day.
Please note: you must attempt all tasks in a subject to be eligible to pass the subject.
For more information, please refer to the Academic Progression Policy on https:
www.to
ens.edu.au/policies-and-
forms
COU102A – AB2, CS 2
Case study
Joel is a 36-year old man who has come to counselling because he feels unhappy and unsatisfied in his life. Joel’s
mother died when he was 12 and Joel grew up with his father, who he describes as a good man, who worked hard
to support his son, but struggled with anger and alcohol issues and was never able to fully recover from the death
of Joel’s mother. Joel felt that his father was distant and so caught up in his own grief that he was never able to
love Joel.
Joel describes himself as a rebel in his teens, who gave his father a hard time but that he worked hard and went
to university, which he saw as a way out of the small town he grew up in and a way to escape his father. He now
has a successful career in corporate law and is ma
ied with a young son, Oliver, who has just had his first
irthday.
Joel was initially happy in his career, as he enjoyed the challenge and the money that came with his job. He has
een able to give his wife, Anna, all the things that he missed out on as a child: they have a big home in a good
subu
and Oliver will go to private school. Anna does not have to work, and they plan to try for a second child
next year.
Despite all of the positives in his life, Joel still feels unhappy. He loves his wife and son, but is feeling oppressed by
the constant demands of parenthood and feels that is work is suffering because he has to commit more time at
home. He enjoys work less than he did and feels that his relationship with Anna is also suffering as he finds himself
wanting to spend more time away from home and is stressed and frustrated with the situation and wo
ies about
whether he can really be a good father and husband. He is also disappointed in himself for not being able to have
more control over his life.
Assessment Description:
Read the case study below and write a report explaining how you would work with Joel from the perspective
of one counselling approach that you have studied so far.
For the approach to counselling that you choose to focus on, include the following:
• Identification of the key principles and goals of the approach in working with Joel
• Explanation on your role as the counsellor when applying the approach
• Explanation on the relevance of the chosen approach to Joel’s case (why the suggested approach may be
helpful for him)
• Suggestion of two techniques or interventions from the approach that you would use with Joel to
facilitate change.
COU102A – AB2, CS 3
Marking Criteria:
Max. in
category
Your
points
Identification of the key principles and goals of the approach
Explanation the role of the counsellor when applying a chosen approach
5
Explanation on the relevance of the chosen approach to the case 5
Suggestion of two techniques or interventions 5
Links to theories and concepts 5
Word count, readability, and structure 4
Number and choice of appropriate references. 3
Co
ect referencing style: in-text references and reference list. 3
Total: 30
Comments:
COU102A – AB2, CS 4
Referencing
The work must be fully referenced with in-text citations and a reference list at the end. We
ecommend you work with your Academic Writing Guide to ensure that you reference co
ectly.
You will find a link to this document on the main page of every subject in the 'Assessments'
section. Co
ect academic writing and referencing are essential tasks that you need to learn. We
ecommend a minimum of six references.
References are assessed for their quality. You should draw on quality academic sources, such as
ooks, chapters from edited books, and journals. Your textbook can be used as a reference, but
not the Study Guide and lecturer notes. We want to see evidence that you are capable of
conducting your own research. Also, in order to help markers determine students’ understanding
of the work they cite all in-text references (not just direct quotes) must include the specific page
numbe
s if shown in the original.
Researching: You can search for peer-reviewed journal articles, which you can find in the online
journal databases and which can be accessed from the li
ary homepage. Reputable news sites
such as The Conversation, online dictionaries and online encyclopedias are acceptable as a
starting point to gain knowledge about a topic. Government departments, research institutes such
as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), international organisations such
as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local not-for-profit organisations such as the Cancer
Council are also good resources.
Formatting: The assessment MUST be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format. Other
formats may not be readable by markers, and students may be asked to resubmit. P lease be
aware that any assessments submitted in other formats will be considered LATE and will lose
marks until it is presented in Word.
Plagiarism: All sources of information need to properly be acknowledged. Please refer to the
plagiarism website on Blackboardi. By clicking the 'Upload this file' button you acknowledge that
you have read, understood and can confirm that the work you are about to submit complies with
the Flexible and Online plagiarism policy that is available on the To
ens University website. Like
other forms of cheating plagiarism is treated seriously. When lecturers suspect plagiarism, they will
complete an Academic Integrity form and send it to the AI officer who will then contact students
and ask them to prove that it is their own work.
Word Count: Marks will be deducted for failure to adhere to the word count – as a general rule
you may go over or under by 10% than the stated length.
Late Submissions: Students are advised that any submissions past the due date incur a 10%
penalty per day, calculated from the total mark e.g. a task marked out of 30 will incur 3 marks
penalty per day.
No submission: Students must attempt all tasks to be eligible to pass the unit.
More information can be found on the Think Education and To
ens University websites.
COU102A – AB2, CS 5
Assessment Description:
Marking Criteria: