Personal Counselling assists students who are experiencing a range of concerns, including: study stress and anxiety; feelings of being overwhelmed by a new environment and expectations; and personal crises impacting on study. The service provides a safe place for students to meet confidentially with a highly qualified counsellor who can listen and help generate solutions.
Counselling and Disability Support Services can meet with a student identifying with a disability and make recommendations for special consideration or study arrangements, including:
- rest breaks;
- extra time;
- separate exam venues or readers and scribes in examinations;
- Assignment extensions;
- hard copies of lecture notes prior to class;
- Approval to tape lectures;
- and requests for extra tutoring support.
Counselling and Disability Support Services
1. Purpose
The purpose of the Counselling and Disability Support Services (CDSS) is to provide students in need with appropriate professional support to complete their studies to the best of their abilities and minimize the impact of disability or personal difficulties on their personal and academic outcomes.
2. Roles and Responsibilities
2.1. Position Description.
The student counsellor’s duties shall include:
o Meeting with students with identified special needs on initial intake to assess their requirements across semesters
o Liaising with academic staff regarding students identified or suspected of special needs (teaching arrangements, special consideration for examinations etc) regarding special arrangements for teaching and assessment
o Making recommendations, based on policy guidelines, regarding special considerations required for special needs students
o Informing students in writing of special examination arrangements once approved
o Providing support for students with transient or ongoing life stresses on an as-needs basis
o Providing an assessment, referral and liaison service for students with more serious mental health issues or those in need of longer term support
o Investigation of appropriate referral sources/support organisations for students with different needs
o Follow-up for students referred to outside agencies
o Where possible guidance for Shafston staff outside of office hours (via telephone) re difficult or complex situations requiring counselling support input.
o Providing additional academic support for students with special needs where possible (noting that academic support should also be provided through the academic support service)
o Provision of academic support services to students with personal or psychological difficulties which make accessing academic support problematic
2.2. Role Delineation
The student counsellor’s duties shall NOT include:
o Approving special needs recommendations
o Organising special arrangements recommended, such as different exam venues or exam times, scribes etc
o Granting of assignment extensions
o Formal assessment of disabilities, such as learning disorders.
o Diagnosis of psychological disabilities
o Provision of ongoing psychological services to students with ongoing mental health issues.
o Crisis intervention services outside of office hours
o Academic support to students without special needs or circumstances
3. Charter of Student Rights
Student can expect the student counsellor to:
o Treat them with respect and courtesy
o Provide them with competent, professional and ethical service
o Provide them with a service free of sexual harassment
o Give them a clear explanation of the service they will receive
o Inform them of the nature and limits of confidentiality for the service
o Inform them when their needs extend beyond the services provided by the student counsellor and assist them to access appropriate alternative support services
o Show respect for their cultural and language background
o Provide prompt and where possible flexible responses to appointment requests
o Provide clear and accurate information regarding special needs processes and outcomes
o Regularly review and improve their services
It is expected that students seeing the student counsellor will:
o Keep appointments offered by the service or give sufficient notice of their inability to attend
o Provide accurate information to the student counsellor regarding relevant background and history information
o Inform Shafston of any pre-existing disabilities either on enrolment (preferable), or on request for special consideration
o Provide the student counsellor with accurate information regarding their requirements for special consideration
o Complete service satisfaction surveys to allow us to improve and develop our counselling and disability support services
4. CDSS Policies
4.1. Policy for Special Needs Students: Examinations
The process for identifying, assessing and implementing special exam arrangements is as follows:
o Students are able to identify on enrolment forms that they have special needs.
o Students are directed to complete a ‘Special Needs Form: Examinations’ (available online or from the Faculty Office) and arrange an appointment to see the student counsellor for a needs assessment.
o The student counsellor makes recommendations for special arrangements based on the above assessment and emails recommendations to the relevant Head of School (HOS)
o HOS approves (or does not approve) recommendations. HOS is then responsible for organising approved special arrangements, including room and invigilator, and informing lecturers of special exam arrangements
o Student counsellor sends a letter to the student outlining the special exam arrangements that have been arranged and requesting them to bring the letter to the exam and present it to the invigilator prior to exam starting. A copy of this letter is also forwarded to HOS and the Registrar to include in the student file.
o Student counsellor meets with student following the exam to assess the success of special arrangements; any problems encountered and suggestions for how things could be improved for their next exams.
4.2. Policy for Special Needs Students: Teaching and Assessment
There are two different categories of special needs students in regards to teaching and assessment. The first are students with identified and ongoing special needs. The second is students with temporary circumstances which have impacted on their ability to complete assessment tasks.
4.2.1. Students with identified special needs:
o As for special examination arrangements, students are encouraged to identify on enrolment forms that they have special needs
o Students are directed to complete a Special Needs Form: General (available online or from the Faculty Office) and arrange an appointment to see the student counsellor for a needs assessment. Special Needs Forms can be completed during this session if not accessed and completed prior.
o Student counsellor makes recommendations for special teaching or assessment arrangements based on the above assessment and emails recommendations to the relevant lecturers.
o If assignment extensions are required, the student counselor emails lecturers endorsement of extension request (if appropriate).
o Lecturers are responsible for granting extension requests and it remains at their discretion.
o Student counsellor meets with student regularly to assess access to such special arrangements and facilitate by following-up with lecturers where necessary.
4.2.2. Students with temporary special circumstances:
o Students identify special needs directly with lecturer (where feasible or possible), or directly with student counselor
o Student counselor assesses case for special consideration
o If matters are of a purely academic nature, students are informed that they must negotiate extension requests with lecturers independently
o If it is deemed special consideration is warranted due to personal circumstances beyond the control of the student, counselor emails lecturers to endorse special arrangements, such as extensions, confirmation of assignment due dates, access to missed class materials
o It is also helpful if lecturers are asked to confirm with the student counsellor the outcome of special consideration requests (such as whether extension requests have been granted, if the student has approached lecturers about making up missed lecture content etc), and this should be encouraged
4.3. Policy for International Students in Distress
It is recognised that English Language students will, at times, require personal support during their stay in Australia. Some may have a history of psychological or emotional difficulties, some may have difficulties adjusting to the cultural conditions of Australia and being away from home. The following policy has been developed to ensure that students receive the best possible support from Shafston to overcome such difficulties within the constraints of a teaching institution. This policy has been developed to protect the emotional welfare of both Shafston International College (SIC) students and the staff that have contact with them. The process for assisting SIC students in distress is as follows:
o Existing psychological or emotional difficulties in SIC Students will be identified, to the greatest extent possible, through the following processes:
a. Students will be asked to note medical or psychological problems on initial enrolment in their host countries, including current medications for the above.
b. Students will be surveyed in week two in regards to their background and adjustment to the course. Included in this survey will be questions pertaining to past emotional difficulties and contact with mental health professionals (counsellors or psychologists) and current difficulties adjusting to Australia and their course. Students will be made aware that disclosing this information is voluntary, however, will assist Shafston to assist them should problems arise during their stay in Australia
o Students identified by the above processes to have a history of emotional difficulties or identified difficulties adjusting will be brought to the attention of the student counsellor as soon as possible.
o The student counsellor will make a professional judgement on the basis of available information if it is necessary to meet with identified students at the start of the course.
o Students who approach staff (generally native speaking) in a personal support capacity should be referred, at the discretion of the staff member, to the student counsellor for assessment of the nature and severity of their problems. Students should be informed that it is not the role of marketing and administrative staff to provide personal support, and that they do not have the appropriate training to be providing advice to students on personal matters.
o If the initial contact person is native speaking they should, where possible, be present to translate during the initial assessment. If not, a native-speaking staff member should be recruited to translate in the first instance.
o If it is deemed, following assessment, that the student needs general support of less than 1-2 sessions, the Shafston Student Counsellor should provide this support. Existing Shafston staff should be utilised to interpret for these sessions where possible, negotiated on an individual basis with staff members.
o If it is deemed that ongoing or intensive support is required, referral should take place to appropriate native speaking professionals.
o If native speaking professionals are not available, professional interpreting services should be recruited and referral made to English speaking professionals.
o The above services should be incurred at the expense of the student’s family.
o Students should be asked to sign a ‘Release of Information’ form to allow parents to be contacted regarding the need for the above services and to approve funding such services.
o This should, where possible, involve a letter from the Student Counsellor to the student’s parents. If greater expediency is required, the native speaker should discuss the issue with student’s parents on the phone, with the student counsellor present if deemed necessary.
5. Other Relevant Policy Documents and Guidelines
5.1. UNE Policies
UNEBC students undertaking UNE Bachelor of Commerce, Graduate Diploma in International Business and the Masters of International Business courses can choose to access either Shafston or UNE policies. UNE policies on the following areas are available online and should be drawn to the attention of UNE students if relevant to their case: student appeals policy, policy on carry forward of assessment, advanced standing policy, permission to enroll elsewhere policy, special examinations and special extensions of time policy, special consideration policy, student progression policy.
5.2. Shafston Policies
The Student Counsellor should also be familiar with the following policies (available in the ‘student handbook’) and be able to advise students on these matters, or refer on to the appropriate staff member.
1. Special examinations and other special consideration
2. Appeals process: academic
3. Appeals process: non-academic
4. Students with special needs
5. Refund Policy
6. Confidentiality
Students are informed both verbally and in writing of their rights of confidentiality upon first contact with the service. They are asked to read and sign the ‘Confidentiality Contract’, which details their confidentiality rights and the limits of confidentiality. If it is necessary to disclose personal information about students to academic or management staff, students are asked to complete the ‘Consent to Release Information’ form, which specifies both what will be disclosed and to whom. This permission can be withdrawn in writing or verbally, but is otherwise valid from 12 months of signing.
7. Follow-up Processes
The student counselor is responsible for follow-up of students to the greatest extent possible given time constraints. More specifically, follow-up is recommended in the following areas:
7.1. Special Needs Students
7.1.1. Following exams or assessments,
It is recommended that the student counselor meet with students to assess how successful the special arrangements were following exams or assessments and determine if there were any difficulties with implementation. This should be followed by completion of the ‘Special Needs: Follow-Up’ form with students. This is invaluable information as it guides recommendations for the following semester.
7.1.2. Semester Start
It is also recommended that the counselor touch base with special needs students at the start of a new semester to re-assess ongoing needs. It may be necessary to email new lecturers regarding special needs for teaching or assessment, or simply to make them aware of the student’s particular difficulties. This should be done with the students written permission and only in cases where they would like lecturers to be aware of such matters.
7.2. Semester Start
It is recommended that students who have previously accessed CDSS be phoned at the start of semester to offer services for the coming semester and check progress and outcome during the previous semester.
7.3. Support Students
Personal support students not currently accessing services should also be contacted on a regular basis to assess if they require support services. The frequency of this contact should be determined on the basis of need by the student counselor.
7.4. Following referrals
It is suggested that following a referral to outside agencies for additional support, the student counselor should check the outcome of the referral and facilitate further if problems have been encountered.
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