Unit Overview
- Description
This unit examines key professional and ethical practices in psychology. Students explore concepts such as competence, confidentiality, self-care, reflective practice, risk management, and mandatory reporting, and evaluate how these principles inform professional conduct. Key themes include collaboration with other professionals, effective notetaking and record-keeping, and the application of evidence in practice. Students are given the opportunity to develop practical skills, including preparation for their first placement, through engagement with clinic policies and procedures, medical record-keeping and file auditing processes, and the booking and preparation of assessment and therapy sessions.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
Availability Location Mode First year of offer Not available in 2026 UWA (Perth) On-campus - Outcomes
Students are able to (1) demonstrate an understanding of professional obligations and responsibilities under the PsyBA's Code of Conduct and applicable State and Federal laws; (2) effectively communicate legal and ethical considerations to clients and stakeholders in therapy settings, considering culture and context; (3) demonstrate an understanding of the role of other health professionals when working with clients; (4) reflect on and identify psychosocial risks associated with psychology practice as well as strategies for monitoring personal wellbeing and the use of empirically-informed ways of applying principles of self-care; and (5) demonstrate ethical, competent, and evidence-informed use of digital technologies in psychological practice, including telehealth delivery, secure communication, digital-information evaluation, and management of technology-related risk.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) self-reflection & informed plan; (2) case study; and (3) viva: Code of Conduct, Risk, Reporting. Further information is available in the unit outline.
Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Associate Professor Michael Weinborn
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites
- Enrolment in70580 Master of Clinical Psychology
or 70560 Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology)
- Contact hours
- 36 hours (3-hour weekly workshops x 12)
- Note
- There is no textbook for this course.
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.