Unit rationale, description and aim
Psychological approaches, often referred to as talk-based therapies, are central to contemporary mental health practice and can support many consumers in their recovery. Mental health professionals therefore need a foundation of knowledge and skills to provide psychologically informed support in partnership with consumers. This unit introduces students to the focus of psychological approaches, how they are defined, what needs they address, and how they are applied to help people understand thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, change unhelpful patterns, and cope with challenges. Students develop fundamental therapeutic skills relevant to everyday mental health practice, including establishing and maintaining supportive therapeutic relationships, and using core counselling skills to engage and collaborate with consumers on goals. Students also examine major psychological approaches used in mental health practice and critically appraise the evidence, indications and limitations that inform their selection and adaptation for diverse contexts, populations and presentations.
The aim of this unit is to develop students’ knowledge of psychological approaches and core therapeutic skills to provide psychologically informed, evidence-based support in partnership with consumers.
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.
Critically examine the purpose, key principles and...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply fundamental therapeutic skills to establish ...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically appraise the evidence and assumptions u...
Learning Outcome 03
Develop an evidence-informed, psychologically base...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Focus of psychological approaches in mental health practice
- Defining psychological approaches
- Needs addressed by psychological support
- Contexts for psychological support
- The role of evidence in selecting and adapting psychological support
- Scope of practice and the role of psychological support in multidisciplinary mental health practice
Key principles of psychological support
- Person-led and recovery-oriented practice
- The therapeutic relationship
- Ethical practice, boundaries, and working within competence
- Culturally responsive practice, including working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities
Fundamental therapeutic skills for mental health practice
- Managing the therapeutic encounter
- Developing supportive therapeutic relationships
- Core counselling skills
Major psychological approaches used in mental health practice
- Neurobiology fundamentals
- Supportive counselling approaches and supportive communication
- Psychoeducation and mental health wellness tools as therapeutic interventions
- Psychodynamic approaches
- Cognitive behaviour approaches (including CBT, DBT, ACT and solution-focused therapy)
- Somatic interventions
- Family approaches and working with families and support networks
- Formulation
Applying psychological approaches to practice scenarios
- Matching needs, goals and context to an approach within scope of practice
- Monitoring progress and using evidence to inform ongoing support
- Funding arrangements for psychological support in Australia
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 uses two authentic, scaffolded written tasks that progressively develop knowledge and skills in psychologically informed, evidence-based mental health support. Assessment 1 (Practice scenario analysis and support plan) assesses students’ understanding of the purpose, key principles and scope of psychological approaches (LO1) and their ability to critically appraise evidence and analyse the fit of psychological approaches for a practice scenario (LO3), culminating in the development of an evidence-informed, psychologically based support plan appropriate to their scope of practice (LO2, LO4).
Assessment Task 2 (Therapeutic script and annotations) builds on the support plan by requiring students to produce an annotated therapeutic encounter script that demonstrates fundamental therapeutic skills and a supportive therapeutic relationship in an ethical and culturally responsive manner (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4).
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: Practice scenario analysis and supp...
Assessment 1: Practice scenario analysis and support plan.
Students analyse a practice scenario, appraise evidence, and develop an evidence-informed, psychologically based support plan.
50%
Assessment 2: Therapeutic script and annotations....
Assessment 2: Therapeutic script and annotations.
Students submit an annotated therapeutic encounter script based on their support plan that demonstrates core therapeutic skills
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 psychological approaches to supporting mental health. 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.