Psychology Practice with Children and Adolescents
Overview
The main aim of this unit is to provide students with a detailed understanding of the disorders seen in infancy, childhood and adolescence according to the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). A further aim is to demonstrate the key principles relevant to conducting psychological assessments with children /adolescents and their families, including understanding typical child development, case formulation, evidence-based treatment planning, and inter-professional learning and practice.
Requisites
Rules
Pre-requisite
Admission to the Masters of Psychology ( Clinical Psychology)
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Understand the importance of normal child development
- Understand the role of early experiences in shaping children’s development and behaviour
- Consider possible diagnoses and differential diagnoses
- Develop a comprehensive case formulation and treatment plan
- Write assessment reports
- Discuss case relevant issues and consider a range of factors that might influence clinical presentations
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Seminar | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 9.50 | 12 weeks | 114 |
TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
---|---|---|---|
Case Report | Individual | 60% | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
Report | Individual/Group | 40% | 1,2,6 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:
Content
Topics cover the broad areas of:
- Clinical presentations seen in children and adolescents.
- Assessment framework, clinical case formulation, diagnostic decision making, and treatment planning.
- Principles of inter-professional practice and their application
- Working with children and adolescents from a cultural lens
- Typical child development; the importance of taking a developmental perspective when working with children, adolescents, and their families.
- Theoretical frameworks, including a psychodynamic framework for understanding child development and behaviour.
- Graduate Attribute 1 (Communication 1 - Verbal Communication)
- Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
- Graduate Attribute 3 (Teamwork 1 - Collaboration and negotiation)
- Graduate Attribute 4 (Teamwork 2 - Teamwork roles and processes)
- Graduate Attribute 6 (Digital Literacies 2 - Technical literacy)
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.