Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit introduces recovery‑oriented mental health practice as a foundational capability for contemporary mental health professionals in Australia. The unit positions recovery beyond symptom reduction, emphasising lived experience, identity, self‑determination and participation, and recognising the social, cultural and systemic conditions that enable or constrain recovery.Drawing on lived experience scholarship, consumer and peer movements, and recovery frameworks, the unit compares recovery‑oriented and traditional approaches to mental health practice. Students explore person‑centred, strengths‑based and trauma‑informed principles, and consider how these are enacted within mental health practice contexts.
The unit also considers recovery within the realities of the Australian mental health system, including mental health legislation, ethics and professional responsibilities, autonomy, consent and duty of care. The roles of families, carers and communities are explored alongside the impacts of stigma, shame and structural barriers to participation. Throughout the unit, students are encouraged to reflect critically on language, power and practice, and to consider how recovery‑oriented approaches can support meaningful participation, resilience and socially valued roles.
The aim of this unit is to develop students’ foundational understanding of recovery‑oriented and trauma‑informed mental health practice in Australia, and to critically reflect on how these approaches inform their professional practice.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Explain the development of recovery as a concept i...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse recovery oriented principles (including pe...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically examine social, cultural, ethical and l...
Learning Outcome 03
Reflect critically on the impact of trauma for ind...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Conceptual frameworks for recovery‑oriented mental health practice
- Recovery as a concept: personal, social and systemic perspectives (including personal and clinical recovery)
- The mental health consumer movement and lived experience scholarship
- Development of recovery‑oriented practice internationally and in Australia
- Recovery narratives, identity and meaning
Recovery‑oriented principles and capabilities
- Person‑centred practice
- Self‑determination and self‑management
- Strengths‑based approaches
- Recovery language and collaborative partnerships
- Participation, inclusion and socially valued roles
Recovery‑oriented systems and models of care
- Enabling recovery‑oriented service systems
- Peer work and lived‑experience roles
- Mental health services and systems in Australia
- Recovery‑oriented alternatives to traditional mental health practice
- Working with diversity and community contexts
Trauma‑informed and family‑inclusive practice
- Trauma and its impacts on individuals, families and carers
- Principles of trauma‑informed care
- Recovery‑oriented service environments
- Integrating strengths‑based and trauma‑informed approaches
Legal, ethical and social dimensions of recovery‑oriented practice
- Mental health legislation and legal frameworks in Australia
- Autonomy, consent, capacity, confidentiality and duty of care
- Ethics and professional responsibilities
- Stigma, shame and structural barriers to participation
- Recovery in Australian mental health policy and reform contexts
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit, students must attempt and submit both assessment tasks, demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, and obtain a minimum mark of 50%.
The assessment strategy supports progressive development of foundational knowledge, critical reflection and professional reasoning for recovery‑oriented and trauma‑informed mental health practice. Assessment 1 (oral presentation) develops students’ ability to synthesise evidence and lived experience scholarship to compare recovery‑oriented and traditional approaches and to justify practice recommendations (LO1–LO4). Assessment 2 (critical reflective essay) builds on this foundation by requiring students to analyse an authentic practice scenario and demonstrate professional reasoning through explicit application of recovery and trauma‑informed principles, relevant ethical and legal considerations, and evaluation of options and implications, leading to justified recommendations that support recovery and safety (LO1–LO4).
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 – Oral Presentation Students ...
Assessment Task 1 – Oral Presentation
Students will deliver an oral presentation that compares recovery‑oriented and traditional approaches to mental health practice and demonstrates professional reasoning by justifying practice recommendations using recovery frameworks, lived experience scholarship and relevant ethical considerations.
50%
Assessment Task 2 – Critical reflective essay ...
Assessment Task 2 – Critical reflective essay
Students will critically evaluate practices and policies in a practice scenario using recovery‑oriented and trauma‑informed perspectives and apply professional reasoning to justify proposed improvements that support recovery, safety, rights and participation within Australian service contexts.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Learning and teaching strategies utilised in this unit will support students in meeting the aim and achieving the learning outcomes relevant to this unit, as well as to the broader course learning outcomes. This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to recovery-oriented practice. Delivered as fully online, asynchronous learning allows students to learn at their own pace within the parameters of the teaching term. Weekly modules are structured around an inquiry cycle (engage, explore, apply and reflect) that guides students from key concepts and evidence to analysis of authentic scenarios. Learning is further supported through facilitated asynchronous discussion forums, weekly online drop-in sessions, and an online assessment session for each assessment task with the unit's online facilitator. The discussion forums provide students with activities that encourage students to critically discuss concepts, share practice-based examples (including from their own professional contexts), and provide constructive peer feedback. These activities are designed to build a learning community and deepen critical reflection in a supported online environment. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.