Counselling Integration Report: ACAP Bachelor of Counselling 1/2018

This report is a reflective account of a Bachelor of Counselling student's learning journey, demonstrating the integration of key counselling concepts. The student details their growth in self-awareness, relational capacity, and the application of counselling skills, referencing specific assignments, lecturer feedback, and placement experiences. The report highlights challenges in connecting theory with practice, particularly in areas like positive psychology and health psychology, and how these challenges were overcome through practical application and self-reflection. It also explores the impact of a research unit on their understanding of community responsibilities and the importance of research in counselling practice. Furthermore, the report showcases the development of therapeutic skills, ethical decision-making, and the ability to apply different counselling approaches in various settings, including challenges encountered and lessons learned during practice sessions and client interactions. The report emphasizes the student's evolving understanding of their role as a counsellor and their commitment to continuous professional development. The student also discusses a unit on Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) and how it tested their values and beliefs.

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 1
STUDENT DETAILS
ACAP Student ID: 222915
Name: Neida Funina
Course: Bachelor of Counselling
ASSESSMENT DETAILS
Unit/Module: Counselling Integration
Educator: Willa Reid
Assessment Name: Draft Counselling Integration Report
Assessment Number: 1
Term & Year: 1/2018
Word Count:
DECLARATION
I declare that this assessment is my own work, based on my own personal research/study . I also
declare that this assessment, nor parts of it, has not been previously submitted for any other
unit/module or course, and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of
another student and/or persons. I have read the ACAP Student Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
Policy and understand its implications.
I also declare, if this is a practical skills assessment, that a Client/Interviewee Consent Form has been
read and signed by both parties, and where applicable parental consent has been obtained.

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 2
Introduction
Four years ago, when I started my Diploma in community services, I never
thought that I was going to be in this position today where I am almost finishing my
Bachelor degree in counselling. Back then, all I knew was that I loved to work with
people and had the skills to listen and give a sincere feedback/opinion to my friends
about their problems. This intrinsic skill pushed me to pursue my degree. At this
stage, I was unaware of the enormous learning curve I was about to embark. Using
PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia) training standards,
this report will demonstrate the integration of key learning’s in counselling which I
have developed during the last three years of my studies which includes my growth
on self-awareness, relational capacity, the application of counselling skills in practice
and ethical decision making, using samples of assessments and lecturers feedback.
Self-Awareness
McLeod & McLeod (2014) defines self-awareness as the “grounded knowledge of
self-in-relationship and a tacit sense of how one relates and responds to others on a
moment by moment basis” (p.15).
Positive Psychology
I was completely sure at the beginning that I was going to exceed because of the
enormous positivity in me. However, I was very wrong. The second Assessment was
an essay discussing the history and philosophy of happiness and the role of positive
psychology in promoting happiness through counselling in which I failed miserably.
Some of the comments I received on the essay said, “You are overviewing the
concepts but what you actually need is, to provide evidence-based descriptions of
exactly how things will be used.”, “The last sections had more descriptions of theory
than definitive interventions with explanations”. Seligman (2000) believed that

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 3
Positive psychology helped people in making their lives more productive and
fulfilling (as cited in Magyar-Moe, 2009). I was one of those people who always
looked at life in a positive light, yet it was so difficult for me to transfer those
thoughts and feelings on paper.
I felt disheartened. Obviously, I needed to work more on my writing skills, but
most importantly, I did not possess the ability to connect theory with real-life
examples. I remember thinking that maybe I was not doing enough and I needed to do
more than just reading. It was necessary that I made connections between the
model/theory and reflect on how and why I could apply these approaches to every
client. I needed to trust the ability of me and my client about working in collaboration
during the sessions. During placement I worked in a collaborative team with my
clients, I did not need to have all the answers; I was there to learn with them and for
them. I learned to stay with clients rather than getting in front of them. I learned that a
small change can also be a positive one, and hopefully, that small change will be the
one that can help my client to have a better and more positive perspective on his/her
future.
Psychology of Health and Wellness
I am a very physically active person; I was really excited about this unit because I felt
like I could bring all my personal experience and connect it with the unit’s theory. I
knew about the importance of physical exercise and what it does to your mind and
your body. I had the opportunity to write about a case study, identifying key issues
creating an appropriate action plan for responding to those issues. Unfortunately, I
did not do enough to create a supportive and engaging action plan for my client.
Looking back now, I can see how I did not have an open mind and I failed to
understand that for some people physical activity was not a priority. I fell short of

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 4
putting myself in my client’s shoes. I did not have the capacity to use my solutions to
focus on counselling because I was more focused on my client’s problems than on her
strengths (Geldard, Geldard & Foo, 2016).
The feedback my lecturer gave was “Improve your mark and focus more on
the therapeutic content of your action plan”. I was not exercising the capacity that I
possessed to extend my knowledge and my counselor skills further enough. During
my time on placement, I learned to create plans according to my client’s needs, using
solution focus therapy (SFT) based on my client’s strengths and attributes. By the end
of my placement, I learned the importance of focusing on the importance of the
therapeutic relationship and to use my own experiences as a part of the session. I
particularly remember this client, who could not stand for more than five minutes at a
time, by the end of therapy she was able to take control of her health by walking 30
minutes daily with her dogs; at the same time, this working relationship allowed us to
create SMART goals for her to create a new future.
Project 1
This unit helped me understand what a literature review was and the steps required to
work on a project proposal. Initially, I did not comprehend what the benefit was to
have this unit in Counselling. After the first week’s readings, it was clear to me that
with my degree I could and should do more than just working with single clients as
my responsibility is not just with clients but also with communities in general. Parham
(2011) stated that counsellors and psychologists should “stretch behaviourally beyond
their personal boundaries of comfort and safety using a more of ‘thee’ and less of
‘me’ mindset in order to frame their adventure into new territory” (as cited in Jacobs,
Hoffman, Leach & Gerstein, 2011, p.1209). It has become clear to me that research

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 5
and action are valuable tools for us as counsellors to be able to respond to socio-
psychological events on a large scale.
Consequently, I had a fantastic feedback, a part of which reads, “This is an
interesting literature review that skilfully synthesizes the key research and findings
related to food insecurity and its social and psychological impacts on single mothers”.
This unit has taught me that I should share my skills in more than one way; it could be
through research, action, prevention, and advocacy. The possibilities are endless. It is
obvious that my career is just starting but I can honestly say that I have much more
expectations and social responsibilities on myself that I have acquired with this
degree. I believe my self-awareness has increased after taking this unit and I feel that
after my placement all these experiences will play an important role in my future
therapeutic work regardless of the setting.
Relational Capacity
Relational capacity in a counselling scenario as defined by McLeod & McLeod
(2014) is the counsellor’s emotional and psychological capacity and competency in
relating to self and others. I believe this is not an easy achievement, as the counsellor
needs to be able to engage with people from diverse cultures and ethnicities while
being authentic and grounded.
Counselling Theories 1
The theory that I chose to complete assignment-two was cognitive behavioural
therapy (CBT). I provided an overview of the history, principles, and goals, as well as
the key concepts. I chose CBT because I felt more confident about my knowledge in
this area. My tutor feedback said “A good understanding of CBT demonstrated
overall. Some of the personal reflections and examples here, while on the right track,
should have been covered in more depth”. While I had some knowledge of CBT

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 6
theory, it was obvious that I was still miles away to be able to apply this theory
correctly. Hough (2014) points out that “Counselling theory deals with assumptions
and hypotheses about the human development”. At this stage, I was not fully aware of
how important this theory was if I wanted to continue with my journey to become a
skilled counsellor.
In the same way, McLeod (2009) stated, “A theory provides a way of
interpreting events with the aim of understanding them”. It became clear that theories
frame counselling sessions allowing the client to become fully engaged in the whole
process. This idea was sinking into my head in the second year. During placement, I
had the opportunity to use different approaches allowing me to see how psychological
theories could be use in different settings with different clients. I started to develop
the ability to assess and evaluate client’s struggles and then working together in a
therapeutic partnership in developing strategies to overcome those struggles. It was
easier to run the session if I had a clear understanding of what approach to use with
the client, this allowed me to focus on the direction that the therapy should go
according to the circumstances and goals my client’s. I also become aware that
strategies and goals can also change, because life is always changing.
Advanced Counselling Skills
The second assignment was a practice session, where I had the opportunity to put in
practice-based counselling skills and advanced counselling skills. It was a recorded
video that lasted 22 minutes, which required a lot of effort to make, as I felt very
nervous due to which my communication with the client was not very clear. I poorly
chose my words and my paraphrasing, therefore the direction of the session was not
clear, and my client was a bit disconnected with the whole process. Geldard, Geldard
& Foo (2016) believe that paraphrasing is a foundation micro-skill, which allows the

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 7
client to feel that they are important because they are being heard. I can see how I was
over thinking every word that I was saying. The development of my therapeutic skills,
to become more confident in my theoretical knowledge and to be able to connect them
both when dealing with a client has been a long and hard road.
Consequently, lecturer’s feedback was “Whilst you do seem to follow the gist
of the story, you don’t make this clear enough and it becomes unclear what the
session is actually about”. The lesson for me was to trust and believe in myself; to use
and practice my accurate listening skills and my paraphrasing, to immerse myself in
the client’s story making connections with the knowledge that I possess. This
experience pushed me to learn meditation to overcome my nerves and that was a huge
help during placement. Therefore, I did stay connected with my clients and I used my
paraphrasing skills to sort out any confusion.
ALCOHOL and OTHER DRUGS
AOD has been one of the more challenging units I had ever done as it actually tested
my values and my beliefs. In one assignment, I had to create an assessment and case
formulation for the main characters in a film called Candy. I was cautious about
trying things out and to step out of my comfort zone. This movie made me feel really
uncomfortable, it was shocking for my values and what I think is good not only for
me but for others and the community in general. During my younger years, I saw too
many kids get lost in drugs and alcohol; I saw families who suffered immensely when
they lost their loved ones to drug abuse. Undoubtedly, my beliefs and behaviours had
been influenced by messages portrayed by the media and society in general. These
experiences, however, helped me create my own attitudes towards life; they define
who I am today.

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 8
Tutor feedback was “Your paper was a good effort. Some more work is
needed in developing the specifics of your treatment plan and supporting this with
research-based evidence to ensure that your specific choices are efficacious”. I believe
that my personal feelings and biases shaded my ethical judgment on this occasion.
Pope & Vasquez (2016) proposes that “being relentlessly honest with ourselves will
help us to reach the most ethical response to ethical issues”. I came into this unit with
a preconceived understanding of AOD. However, by the end of this unit, and thanks
to my lecturer, I became aware of my attitude towards people affected by AOD.
During placement I was pushed many times out of my comfort zone, I did learn not to
be judgemental in my approach with clients. These experiences have increased my
self-awareness allowing me to see my clients as unique individuals; I was able to rely
on my ethical intelligence to focus on my client’s lives and their choices without
being judgemental.
Counselling in Loss
I knew from the start that this unit was going to bring feelings that I did not want to
remember; all those memories of grief and loss that I had suppressed for the last 10
years were challenged. Losing someone I loved deeply has been one of the most
painful experiences of my life. I had to share these feelings with my lecturer. She was
very supportive and showed me that those feelings were not something negative, it
was the opposite, and my life experience/wisdom could become a tool when dealing
with clients who also have experienced loss and grief. Hooyman & Kramer (2008)
affirms, “that the client’s feelings stimulate strong feelings of previous or feared
losses” in the counsellor. I was challenged to understand my own grief processes
more, to be mindful of the language I should use with my clients and be open and
honest to difficulties I could find while projecting my own grief.

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 9
The assignment was a 25 minutes video with a client who recently had lost his
job. I felt quite comfortable during the video, I knew the needs of my client from the
beginning of the session, and I was able to back up my session using Solution Focus
Therapy. Lecturer’s feedback was “Your discussion about transference and
countertransference, which is the ability to recognize triggers which come up for us
within the therapeutic relationship will enable you to continue to grow in this manner
and enable you to further cultivate the skills you already have”. Receiving this
feedback made me really happy, reassuring me that I was on the right track being
helpful and understanding. During the video, I did not show signs of being nervous,
my voice projected my empathy towards the client, and my listening skills were
accurate. I felt also very confident using SFT, it came naturally, it was not forced; it
was just me being a counsellor’s with confidence.
Ethical Practice
Ethics refers to the studies of right and wrong behaviour (Hough, 2014).
Change Influence & Power Dynamics
In this unit, the practical and theoretical understanding of how change is facilitated in
a counselling setting was the focus. In the first assignment, I needed to create a paper
based on a chosen video, explaining how changes in client are facilitated by
counselling, linking theories and models. The video used for this work was
“Becoming More Fully Human” by Virginia Satir, who is considered one of the early
innovators of Family Therapy (Banmen & Banmen, 2014); I was able to explain my
theoretical understanding of ways changes occur and its process clearly. While doing
this assignment I remember feeling really connected with the literature, which made
the writing easy and very enjoyable. I believe this connection was due to my own

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 10
personal interest in the subject. I see myself working with families and family
violence in the future.
My lecturer’s feedback was “A solid paper well done, a good structure with
interesting points in a clearly articulated manner”. I had accomplished what I
struggled with at the beginning of my degree, I had made the links. Now it is clear to
me that for being a good counsellor I need to work with a logical framework or
structure and the theories makes part of that framework act as a guide my counselling
sessions (Hough, 2014). I got more exposure to this part of the learning curve while
on my placement. I became self-conscious about the therapy that I needed to use with
every client and I was successful in helping my clients to recognize their difficulties
and to maintain change. It did feel great when my clients were able to maintain that
change as it took a lot of hard work from both our sides.
Counselling Placement and Supervision 1
I recently finished my Placement in a private practice and it was the most amazing
experience, which exceeded all my expectations and more. My placement was done in
a private practice, where I had the opportunity to experience firsthand and learned the
different sides of what goes on in the life of a professional counsellor. I saw my
supervisor in action, using different types of approaches according to the client’s
issues. My supervisor provided me with a supportive environment which allowed me
to self-reflect when ethical issues arose; I understood the importance of actually
seeing therapy done (Wheeler & King, 2001).I am a visual learner, so through these
sessions, I acquired a guiding principle which would stay with me throughout my
professional career.
The final assessment of this unit was a reflection of how my professional
persona as a counsellor developed on placement; I used my blogs as a source of data

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 11
combined with academic references. It was clear to me the importance of placement;
seeing knowledge applied is an irreplaceable part of training. The knowledge gain
through both books and observation is essential to achieve profound learning
(Geldard, Geldard & Yin Foo, 2016). My lecturer’s feedback was “This paper has
helpfully captured your personal and professional growth, which has been analysed
within an academic framework”.
In summary, with this paper, I have been able to evaluate my self-development
which is the result of my work during the last three years through readings,
workshops, peer to peer support, lecturer’s support, placement and supervision and
my willingness and hope to become a valuable counsellor for my future clients. I will
forever carry with me a great sense of self-awareness and confidence that upon
becoming qualified counsellor will guide me in the right direction and I will be
prepared for any kind of a situation.
References
Banmen, J; & Banmen, K. (2014). What Has Become of Virginia Satir’s Therapy
Model since She Left Us in 1988? Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 25(2),
117-131. doi:10.1080/08975353.2014.909706
Geldard, D., Geldard, K., & Yin Foo, R. (2016). Basic Personal Counselling: A
Training Manual for Counsellors. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Hooyman, N., & Kramer, B. (2008). Living through Loss: Interventions Across the
Life Span. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Neida Funina Counselling Placement and Supervision 12
Hough, N. (2014). Counselling Skills and Theory. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Jacobs, S. C; Hoffman, M.A; Leach, M. M; & Gerstein, L. H. (2011). Counselling
Psychology and Large-Scale Disasters: Moving on to Action, Practice and
Research. The Counselling Psychologist, 39(8), 1203 -1211. doi:
10.1177/0011000011419309
Johns, H. (2012). Personal development in counsellor training. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Magyar-Moe, J. L. (2009). Therapist's Guide to Positive Psychological Interventions.
Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
McLeod J. (2009). Introduction to Counselling. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
McLeod, J., & McLeod, J. (2014). Personal and professional development for
Counsellors, Psychotherapists and mental health practitioners. Retrieved
from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Murphy, R. E. (2010). Psychology of Emotions, Motivations and Actions: Health
Psychology. Hauppauge, US: Nova Biomedical. Retrieved from
http://www.ebrary.com
Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. T. (2016). Ethics in psychotherapy and counselling : a
practical guide. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia. (2014). PACFA Training
Standards. Retrieved from
http://pacfa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/PACFA-Training-Standards-
2014.pdf

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Wheeler, S., & King, D. (Eds.). (2001). supervising counsellors: issues of
responsibility. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com