Psychology Practice with Children and Adolescents
Overview
The unit is designed to introduce students to a range of disorders seen in infancy, childhood and adolescence and the key principles relevant to conducting psychological assessments and treatments with children/adolescents and their families. Special attention is given to the assessment and intervention methods for young offenders. Students will be introduced to the Children's Court and Family Court of Australia. Students will become familiar with areas such as the determination of guardianship, custody and access, psychological consequences of divorce, family violence, custody evaluations and access determination, and should have an understanding of the role and skills of mediation in family disputes. With respect to Children's Court matters, they will become familiar with protective issues and criminal matters.
Requisites
01-June-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Demonstrate a substantial body of knowledge of theoretical models of forensic psychology as applied to children and families
- Comprehend and synthesise expert theoretical knowledge concerning the role of the psychologist in forensic settings where children and families are present
- Critically evaluate and apply methods of assessing and treating children and families in forensic contexts
- Explain and critique theoretical positions to other professionals and services within the forensic context
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On Campus Lecture |
3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
9.00 | 12 weeks | 108 |
| On Campus Workshop |
6.00 | 1 weeks | 6 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Report | Individual/Group | 40% | 1,2,6 |
| Case Report | Individual | 60% | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
Content
- 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.