Clinical and Forensic Placement B1
Overview
To further develop skills in the area of Clinical Psychology practice, including assessment, intervention, ethical, legal and professional practice, research and evaluation, and communication and interpersonal relationships.
Requisites
01-June-2025
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Acquire sophisticated skills in history taking, conducting a mental status examination, and arriving at a case formulation
- Demonstrate skills in administration and interpretation of a range of psychological assessments and communication of assessment outcomes in written reports
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of typical courses and prognoses of mental disorders, and be confident in developing appropriate treatment and management plans
- Display high level skills that demonstrate advanced intervention capabilities, which may include case management, individual therapy and/or group interventions, and be capable of evaluating those interventions.
- Demonstrate skills in professional practice as a psychologist including knowledge of and adherence to ethical and legal requirements, and ability to deliver effective health care when working with other disciplines
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement Placement |
16.15 | 20 weeks | 323 |
| TOTAL | 323 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal | Individual | Pass/Fail | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Pre-placement contract | Individual | Pass/Fail |
1,2,3,4,5 |
| Placement activities logbook | Individual | Pass/Fail |
1,2,3,4,5 |
| Report 1 | Individual | Pass/Fail |
1,2,3,4,5 |
| Report 2 | Individual | Pass/Fail |
1,2,3,4,5 |
| Report | Individual | Pass/Fail |
1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Class |
2.00 | 8 weeks | 16 |
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning |
1.00 | 8 weeks | 8 |
| On-campus Practical |
2.00 | 8 weeks | 16 |
| Specified Activities Group Meetings |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
7.50 | 12 weeks | 90 |
| Online Lecture |
1.00 | 8 weeks | 8 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Clinical and Forensic Placement B1 will be at least 323 hours (approximately 43 days) in length. One hour of supervision is required for each day of placement.
Placements are designed to provide supervised professional training in the practice of clinical psychology within specific clinical settings. It is intended that students will be given opportunities to practice their skills while being supervised in a supportive and constructively critical environment. As the practice of clinical psychology is diverse, placements may be undertaken in a variety of clinical or community mental health agencies, in forensic and in hospital settings that involve clinical interventions and assessments.
Placements are arranged in accordance each student’s skill, experience level, and professional interests. Students will be expected to consult with a range of clients with clinically significant problems including individuals, families, groups, and organizations. Students should also gain an understanding of how a clinical psychologist operates as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
Placement content will to some degree depend on the external placement location, but students will broadly engage in the following activities:
Practice Issues:
- Psychotherapy practice (group/individual)
- Psychological assessment
- Case conceptualisation
- Practice administration experience
- Working in an inter-disciplinary way
- Attendance at professional development seminars
Ethical and professional issues:
- Demonstrate ethical practice and decision making
- Demonstrate professional conduct
- Demonstrate effective use of reflective practice and supervision
- Demonstrate knowledge of relevant legal structures
Graduate Attributes
- Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
- Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
- Digital Literacies: Information literacy
- Digital Literacies: Technical literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.