Unit rationale, description and aim

Psychological disorders are prevalent in Australia and knowledge of the diagnostic criteria and evidence--based intervention for common psychological disorders ensures that psychologists are skilled at identifying and treating these. Psychologists require in-depth, critical understanding and application of the principles and methods of psychological diagnosis, assessment, formulation and intervention of psychological disorders in order to provide empirically supported and evidence-based services that understand the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. This unit covers the critical examination of major diagnostic systems and diagnostic criteria, and competencies to reliably diagnose common psychological disorders including adjustment, anxiety, mood, eating, and substance use disorders across the lifespan. It also covers the psychological assessment and treatment of common psychological disorders across the lifespan such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, internalizing and externalizing problems, and autistic spectrum disorders. Risk assessment and screening for psychosis will also be reviewed. The aim of this unit is to facilitate the development of knowledge of clinical assessment and intervention skills with a particular focus on evidence--based assessment, formulation, and intervention for psychological disorders across the lifespan and in a culturally responsive manner.

2026 10

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  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance

Prerequisites

PSYC621 Professional Practice in Psychology AND PSYC630 Psychological Assessment

Incompatible

PSYC639 - Research Skills for Psychological Practice

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.

Describe the diagnostic criteria, aetiological fac...

Learning Outcome 01

Describe the diagnostic criteria, aetiological factors, clinical assessment methods, and empirically validated treatments for psychological disorders typically seen across the lifespan.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC3, GC7, GC9, GC11

Explain the link between diagnosis, formulation an...

Learning Outcome 02

Explain the link between diagnosis, formulation and intervention plans, goals and strategies for disorders typically seen across the lifespan.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Apply culturally responsive clinical skills to con...

Learning Outcome 03

Apply culturally responsive clinical skills to conduct assessments and identify, select, implement and evaluate a range of empirically validated treatments for disorders typically seen across the lifespan.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Integrate knowledge of interprofessional team role...

Learning Outcome 04

Integrate knowledge of interprofessional team roles for goal setting, service planning and service delivery to provide person-centred interprofessional practice and describe the value of collaborative interprofessional decision-making to achieve person-centred goals.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC4, GC8, GC12

Analyse the contemporary role of Aboriginal and To...

Learning Outcome 05

Analyse the contemporary role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals, organisations and communities in delivering culturally safe health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and identify issues in diagnosing and treating mental health issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC11

Content

Topics will include:

  • Diagnostic criteria, aetiological factors, assessment methods, and psychological models for psychological disorders across the lifespan
  • Conducting clinical assessment and diagnosis of psychological disorders across the lifespan
  • Empirically validated treatment for psychological disorders
  • Identifying, selecting and implementing a range of empirically validated treatments for psychological disorders and disorders across the lifespan
  • Justifying the link between diagnosis, formulation and intervention plans, goals and strategies
  • Consideration of culturally responsive assessment and intervention approaches to psychological disorders
  • Consideration of interprofessional collaboration and collaborative decision-making

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to collaborate with each other and demonstrate their acquisition and critical application of evidence-based assessment and intervention skills. Students will learn how to deliver evidence-based interventions for clinical problems presenting across the lifespan and in a culturally sensitive manner. All tasks in this unit are graded hurdle tasks because it is critical that students demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge and skill in diagnostic assessment and evidence based interventions, and a failure in any of these tasks is likely to translate to an unacceptable level of risk to clients the student will come into contact with as a provisional psychologist on practicums. The written assignment is designed to assess students’ ability to critically analyse and synthesise information relevant to diagnosis, assessment and formulation of psychological disorders, including the role of other professionals and interdisciplinary teams. The skills demonstration is designed to assess students’ ability to develop a treatment plan and demonstrate their therapeutic skills. The exam is designed to assess students’ knowledge in assessment and diagnosis of psychological disorders and consideration of cultural issues pertaining to assessment, diagnosis and treatment with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To pass this unit, students must demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes and pass all assessment tasks. The passing mark for all assessments is 50%. If students fail their original submission (i.e., first attempt) they are provided with one further opportunity to pass the assessment task (i.e., second attempt). If the student passes the second attempt, the highest mark that they can achieve on that assessment task is 50%

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 1 - Written Assignment   Req...

Assessment Task 1 - Written Assignment 

Requires students to critically evaluate and integrate the literature on evidence-based assessment and diagnosis, including the role of other professionals and interprofessional collaboration.

Weighting

Graded Hurdle (40%)

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO4, LO5
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Assessment Task 2 - Skills Demonstration Require...

Assessment Task 2 - Skills Demonstration

Requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of specific intervention strategies. Students will learn to apply appropriate interventions to clinical problems.

Weighting

Graded Hurdle (20%)

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Assessment Task 3 - Exam Requires students to de...

Assessment Task 3 - Exam

Requires students to demonstrate their knowledge and receive feedback on understanding of the principles of assessment and diagnosis of psychological disorders. The exam will also assess students’ capacity to consider and identify cultural relevant issues in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. 

Weighting

Graded Hurdle (40%)

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO5
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC11

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit uses an active learning approach that puts students at the centre of their learning through discussion. As such, the unit is delivered in face-to-face mode with 3 contact hours per week or equivalent in intensive mode, and utilises lectures, seminars and workshops. Teaching and learning strategies for this unit provides the students with evidence- based knowledge through lectures, opportunities to develop practical assessment and intervention skills through the use of demonstrations and role plays, and to consolidate their knowledge through reflective/critical thinking activities. These strategies reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner while also ensuring consistency of knowledge development. Lectures and demonstrations are structured to deliver essential content, while workshops and role plays provide students with opportunities to practice and discuss assessment and intervention strategies.Web-based learning and reflective/critical thinking activities will enhance learning and provide opportunities for students to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed. Text rev.)

Barlow, D.H. (2021). Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual (6th ed.) Guilford Publications

Dudgeaon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (2014). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. https://www.thekids.org.au/globalassets/media/documents/aboriginal-health/working-together-second-edition/working-together-aboriginal-and-wellbeing-2014.pdf

Carr, A. (2025). The handbook of child and adolescent clinical psychology: A contextual approach. (4th ed.). Abington, UK: Routledge.

Frankel, K. A., Harrison, Joyce., & Njoroge, W. F. M. (Eds.). (2019). Clinical Guide to Psychiatric Assessment of Infants and Young Children (1st ed. 2019.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10635-5

Ingram, B. L (2016) Case formulation and treatment planning. In by Norcross, John C ; Krishnamurthy, Radhika ; Freedheim, Donald K ; VandenBos, Gary R, Washington (eds.). APA handbook of clinical psychology: Applications and methods (233-249). American Psychological Association

Rieger, E. (2014). Abnormal Psychology: Leading Researcher Perspectives (4th ed). Publisher: McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd, Australia.

World Health Organisation. (2022). International statistical classification of diseases (11th revision). https://icd.who.int/en

Journal Series: Clinical Case Studies. Sage Publications http://ccs.sagepub.com/

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