EDF5539 Counselling in a multicultural context
Faculty of Education
EDF5539 Counselling in a multicultural context is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Education, offered in 2025 in Summer A and Semester 2 at Malaysia. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Summer A, Semester 2
- Malaysia
- Assessment
- No exam
- 2 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before EDF5539
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After EDF5539
No unit lists EDF5539 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Overview
This unit prepares you to be culturally competent counsellors in Malaysia and beyond. It examines selected issues connecting counselling and psychology to broader social, political and cultural issues. It locates existing psychological and counselling knowledge in a contemporary social context, exploring emerging trends of mental health needs in different contexts and reviewing existing mental health practices across cultures.
Specific topics on social-political determinants (such as power structure, systemic racism, social injustice, healthcare inequalities, indigenous practices and wisdom) will be discussed in-depth in the counselling context. You will learn about cultural formulation and analysis of mental health issues and clients in the clinical settings. You are encouraged to be highly critical and reflexive in the integration of both professional and personal cultural identity development.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Summer semester A | Malaysia | On campus |
| Second semester | Malaysia | On campus |
Assessment
- Reflective report on a cultural immersion experience (2400 words or equivalent)Written60%
- Case study and cultural formulation (1600 words or equivalent)Written40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
critically appraise the role of counselling in addressing a range of social, political and cultural issues
- 2
review empirical literatures and theories regarding multicultural counselling
- 3
evaluate the relationship between the mental health system and broader social issues
- 4
engage in high reflexivity of personal cultural identity and professional counselling identity
- 5
develop skills in applying cultural formulation and analysis on clinical cases
Workload and teaching
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload equals 144 hours per semester comprising:
(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:
- 36 hours of engagement in online, face-to-face or blended platforms over the semester
(b.) Additional requirements (all students):
- independent study to make up the required minimum hours during the semester.
For the unit teaching schedule, please visit the timetable.
You will be provided with the opportunity to engage with relevant literature and resources. Further, you will be encouraged to deepen your understanding of topic areas through collegial discussion and debate, and by participating in activities designed to extend your understanding.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Please visit the unit Moodle site for further information.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Loy SeeMey
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Loy SeeMey
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for EDF5539?
EDF5539 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is EDF5539 offered?
In 2025, EDF5539 runs in Summer A and Semester 2 at Malaysia.
How much work is EDF5539?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does EDF5539 have an exam?
No. EDF5539 has 2 assessment tasks and no exam.