Coaching and Counselling for Health and Wellbeing

Subject Overview

Promoting, motivating, and supporting health, wellbeing, and positive behaviour change, is a highly valued and necessary competency for many professional roles, particularly in the areas of health/mental health, psychology/counselling/coaching, disability and rehabilitation, complementary medicine, welfare, community outreach, human resources, and management. Many people, however, would like to feel better equipped and trained in this area of their work. Coaching and Counselling for Health and Wellness examines a range of evidence-based and best-practice approaches to coaching and counselling for health and wellbeing, and develops practical skills via peer and client practice, under supervision.

Learning Outcomes

1. Apply specialised coaching and counselling micro-skills and advanced interpersonal communication techniques (including assertiveness and conflict resolution) when working with clients across a range of issues and practice contexts.
2. Integrate subject knowledge, theoretical models and practitioner approaches to plan, organise and conduct structured coaching sessions that support goal setting and behaviour change.
3. Critically analyse and evaluate coaching practice, including the application of evidence-based and best-practice models, and justify professional decisions across multiple client sessions.
4. Apply advanced reflective practice to evaluate one own’s development as a coaching/counselling practitioner and identify areas for ongoing improvement.
5. Demonstrate ethical, culturally responsive and professionally responsible practice, including the application of the Australian Counselling Association Code of Ethics and the design of client-centred tools and resources.

Assessments

• Assessment 1: In-class applied communication activity with peer assessment (25%, due week 2-3)
• Assessment 2: Reflective practice diaries (15%, due week 4)
• Assessment 3, Part A: Critical analysis of coaching sessions with a volunteer client (30%, due week 6)
• Assessment 3, Part B: Critical analysis of coaching sessions with a volunteer client (30%, due week 10)