PYC3715 Assignment 1 (DETAILED ANSWERS Semester 1 2026 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

PYC3715 Assignment 1 (DETAILED ANSWERS Semester 1 2026 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references.. PYC3715 ASSIGNMENT PORTFOLIO The portfolio task is intended to enable students to apply their understanding of the prescribed study material to a real-world encounter with a person experiencing a problem. To complete the task, students are required to read the following study material: 1. Study Notes 1, 2, 3 and 4 found under Additional Study Material in the PYC3715 Module site on Moodle. 2. Transformative Counselling Encounters study guide Study Unit 1: Beginnings - Creating context. 3. Transformative Counselling Encounters study guide Study Unit 2: Surveying contexts for counselling. 4. Transformative Counselling Encounters study guide Study Unit 3: Holding the cracks. 5. Transformative Counselling Encounters study guide Study Unit 4: Theoretical context. Reflecting on your entire experience of the interview process, from the preparation phase to the end of the interview, what did you learn about yourself as a developing, ethical counsellor? Consider your strengths, weaknesses/areas for growth. How did you observe ethical guidelines? Describe how this experience deepened your understanding of your counselling role beyond your theoretical knowledge. Further reflect on the course content: What do you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the PYC3715 content for a beginner counsellor, particularly in preparing students to navigate ethical dilemmas and uphold professional standards? What recommendations would you like to make to the PYC3715 teaching team on improvements to the course content, with specific attention to strengthening ethical awareness, decision making, and practical application of confidentiality and consent in counselling practice? Social context impact: How did you survey the context of your interviewee’s experience? That is, what are the unique social issues that impact on, or shape, your interviewee’s experience of their problem? Refer to facts/data from psychology and other social science literature to demonstrate your understanding of the social issue impacting on your interviewee’s context. Reflecting on your entire experience of the interview process, from the preparation phase to the end of the interview , what did you learn about yourself as a developing, ethical counsellor? Consider your strengths, weaknesses/areas for growth. How did you observe ethical guidelines? Describe how this experience deepened your understanding of your counselling role beyond your theoretical knowledge. Further reflect on the course content Holding the cracks (The counselling relationship): Explain in detail how you established and maintained a trusting counselling relationship? Specify at least 3 counselling micro skills that you applied during the interview. Define each micro skill and provide a brief example of how you used each one. Provide a brief summary of the person’s story, focusing on the core of the problem and its impact on their life. Use a pseudonym and not the person’s real name. Describe practical steps that you took to set up the interview. How did you arrange the physical space, build rapport and manage the encounter to make it conducive for your interview? Report the challenges you experienced and how you managed them. Life story and Reflexivity: Briefly summarise the unique life experiences of your interviewee that form the context of their current problem. Then reflect on your own life. How did you consciously apply the principle of reflexivity to guard against your own life experience contaminating or influencing your understanding of their story? That is, how did you guard against your own biases? Social context impact: How did you survey the context of your interviewee’s experience? That is, what are the unique social issues that impact on, or shape, your interviewee’s experience of their problem? Refer to facts/data from psychology and other social science literature to demonstrate your understanding of the social issue impacting on your interviewee’s context. Holding the cracks (The counselling relationship): Explain in detail how you established and maintained a trusting counselling relationship? Specify at least 3 counselling micro skills that you applied during the interview. Define each micro skill and provide a brief example of how you used each one. Application of theory: Describe any specific action(s) that you took during the interview that was guided by a counselling theory or principle from your study material. It is very important that you name the theory and explicitly link your action to its core tenets. Personal experience as a counsellor (Ethics & Confidentiality Emphasis) Reflecting on your entire experience of the interview process, from the preparation phase to the end of the interview, what did you learn about yourself as a developing, ethical counsellor? Consider your strengths, weaknesses/areas for growth. How did you observe ethical guidelines? Describe how this experience deepened your understanding of your counselling role beyond your theoretical knowledge. Further reflect on the course content: What do you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the PYC3715 content for a beginner counsellor, particularly in preparing students to navigate ethical dilemmas and uphold professional standards? What recommendations would you like to make to the PYC3715 teaching team on improvements to the course content, with specific attention to strengthening ethical awareness, decision making, and practical application of confidentiality and consent in counselling practice?