Assessment 1 Academic Poster Scaffold (due in Week 7, Monday (20th
of March) at 16.00 pm (AEST/AEDT) developed by Resh Ramasamy and
approved by Prof. Vicki Hutton (course coordinator/discipline chair)
Purpose/Process
1. You will use  evidence-based theories of nature (genetic factors) and nurture

(environmental factors) to examine the reasons two individuals at similar life stages
experiencing parallel or related types of traumatic events may respond differently.
2. The purpose of the assessment is to present your findings from your research via a
Poster format. Your audience will be your peers and teachers from ACAP.
3. The assessment is intended to help develop your digital skills and present information in
a visually appealing format. This is an important skill to have within the counselling
profession.
4. Relevant academic literature (peer reviewed/scholarly sources) will be sourced to
support your analysis and poster content.
5. Information on how to design/format a poster can be found at https://sls.navitasprofessional.edu.au/poster-counselling and within the Unit Outline with clear
instructions which students are required to follow.
Your poster will need to cover:
1. Discuss the concept of nature and nurture with relevance to lifespan development. – 500
words approx.
2. Refer to the evidence surrounding these two concepts and its relevance to the two
individuals you are analysing and reporting on.
a. Discuss why individuals at similar life stages experiencing parallel or related
types of traumatic events may respond differently. – 500 words approx.
b. More broadly, discuss why some individuals could potentially be more
susceptible to ongoing trauma while others recover well. – 500 words approx.
Important considerations
 The two individuals that you are analysing may belong to certain groups (e.g., queer
people, people with PTSD), but it is the individuals that you are investigating and NOT
the whole group.
For example, consider identical twins being raised in completely different environments. As
adults, the twins turn out very differently. Twin 1 holds a good job and has a loving family.
Twin 1 is emotionally responsive and attends to his needs of his family well. Twin 2 robs
banks and spent most of his life in prison. Twin 2 is emotionally unavailable and spends
most of his time blaming, shaming, and naming people for his wrongdoings. Relate this
scenario to the nature vs nurture debate.
 Remember you are developing this poster for a professional audience. Please therefore
use clear headings and subheadings to ensure information is logical and easy to follow.
 Remember if images are used, please ensure they are relevant to the content and not
pixelated.
 Given this is an academic poster, please ensure all textual and pictorial data are
referenced (in-text citations) using the APA 7th style.
 This is a fluid task which means you can organize the content the way you deem is
appropriate. Please however be guided by this scaffold and marking rubric to ensure you
cover all the requirements of the assessment.
 Please write in a scholarly manner (only use third person).
 The word count is 1500 words -/+ 10%.
Resh’s tip on completing the assessment – Firstly, write the assessment like a research essay
where you paraphrase what you have read from the literature with in-text citations. Then insert
the appropriate information under the relevant headings/subheadings within the poster with
supporting images where necessary � � � �