Overview
As a health care professional, you may encounter clients whose mental health challenges impact upon their daily lives. In this unit you will develop knowledge that will assist in your recognition of mental health disorders as a health care professional, and learn about the appropriate referral networks and therapeutic options that are available to deal with these issues. Your ability to communicate effectively with clients, with consideration and awareness of their different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, will be developed as part of this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2023
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE and verbal feedback
Students enjoyed learning about mental health as it pertains to patients presenting to allied health practitioners.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator continue to impress upon students the relevance of mental health literacy for allied health practitioners.
Feedback from SUTE and verbal feedback
Some students felt that the marking of assessments was stricter than other units but also appreciated the opportunity to seek additional feedback.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator ensure the task descriptions and marking rubrics clearly prepare students for the marking criteria while continuing to be available to offer tailored feedback.
- Explain the mental health landscape in Australia
- Recognise indications that a person might be experiencing mental health challenges from an inclusive and cross cultural perspective
- Describe the therapeutic options available for people who may be experiencing different types of mental health conditions and/or challenges
- Communicate effectively and considerately with clients of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Essay - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Presentation - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Essay - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Presentation - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
No referencing style set.
d.mcnaughton@cqu.edu.au
d.dane@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Lecture Topics:
1. Introduction to BMSC11009 (outline, requirements, and assessments)
2. Models and mechanisms of behaviour change (Health belief model, Transtheoretical model and taxonomy of behaviour change).
3. Relevance for infographic
Tutorial:
No tutorial this week
Chapter
provided readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topics:
1. Biopsychosocial model of health, using musculoskeletal pain as example.
2. Critical psychological concepts in pain: Self-efficacy, kinesophobia, catastrophising and mood (anx/dep)
3. Psychological treatments for pain
4. Relevance for Essay
Tutorial topic:
Models of behaviour change. Utilising behaviour change in health promotion and health services.
Chapter
Pain Course material and paper by Goubert et al, 2017
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topics:
1. Introduction to DSM-V-TR.
2. Assessment of Psychiatric disorders (clinical interview, questionnaires, and other objective measures)
Tutorial topic:
BPM of health, with specific examples in MSK pain.
Revise critical psychological concepts in pain, important for essay content.
Teach simple psychological treatments for pain – Body scanning / mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation.
Chapter
Provide DSM-IV
Hungerford chapter 2
Mosby chapter 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Depression (DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals)
Tutorial Topics:
Essay Preparation 1:
1. How to search for and access scientific articles
2. Reading and reporting scientific articles
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 7
Mosby chapter 5
Provide questionnaires for Depression.
Online resources (black dog, beyond blue etc..)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 1: Opens Friday at 8am and closes on Friday at 4pm
Module/Topic
Lecture Topics:
Anxiety / phobias (DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals
Tutorial Topics:
Essay Preparation 2:
1. Referencing software
2. Appropriate referencing of scientific studies
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 7
Mosby chapter 5
Provide questionnaires for Anxiety.
Online resources beyond blue, headspace
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Alcohol and Substance abuse (DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals)
Tutorial Topic:
Essay Preparation 3:
1. Writing essays in Psychology (structure and tips).
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 10
Provide questionnaires for Alcohol and Substance abuse.
Online resources lifeline, Alcohol and drug foundation, ADIN dept Health and ageing
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Autism Spectrum Disorders / ADHD (DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals
Tutorial Topic:
Essay Preparation 4:
1. Going through good and bad essays. Use previous year to highlight critical mistakes relevant to rubric.
Chapter
Questionnaires for ASD
Online resources for ASD
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Domestic Violence
(Epidemiology, signs, and relevance for health professionals). Appropriate referral networks and what to do in situations of suspected or reported domestic violence
Tutorial Topic:
Infographic Preparation 1:
Outline infographic expectations.
What makes a good infographic, what doesn’t?
Utilising and reporting behaviour changes models in generation of infographic
Chapter
Mosby chapter 6
Online resources for domestic violence
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 2: opens on Friday at 8am and closes at 4pm
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Suicide and intentional self-harm
(DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals). What to do for suspected, reported or intentional self-harm
Tutorial Topic:
Caring for a person who has self-harmed
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 8 Mosby chapter 6 Online resources for suicide, lifeline
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Dementia / neurodegenerative disorders
(DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals)
Tutorial Topic:
Caring for an older person with a mental illness
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Eating disorders
(DSM-V-TR diagnoses, epidemiology, signs / symptoms, treatment, and relevance for health professionals)
Tutorial Topic:
Caring for a person with a serious mental illness
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture Topic:
Other salient psychiatric disorders (DSM-V-TR diagnoses and definitions)
Tutorial Topic:
Culturally appropriate mental health care
Chapter
Hungerford chapter 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 3: opens on Friday at 8am and closes on Friday at 4pm
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Essay
The Topic
The experience of low back pain is associated with an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and social environment. The following case describes Daniel, a 30-year-old Indigenous man who presented to a chiropractic clinic with persistent low back pain.
Introducing Daniel
Daniel, 30 years and an indigenous Australian, lives in Brisbane. He presented to a local chiropractor for help regarding his persistent low back pain. During the history, it was revealed that Daniel’s back pain had been present for more than 10 years. All medical and orthopaedic investigations identified no consistent structural abnormality that may explain Daniel’s symptoms. Due to the lack of objective findings, Daniel reports that there is “no hope” for any improvement. In addition, due to regular flare ups of his back pain, Daniel no longer engages in any exercise because he finds this aggravates his symptoms.
Your Task
Based on Daniel’s case, your task is to review the empirical evidence regarding the relationship between relevant psychosocial factors and chronic pain. In addition, outline how psychological therapy may improve Daniel’s symptoms.
Assessment format
- Title page including essay title, full name, student number, and word count.
- 1200 words maximum (not including title page and reference list)
- 12pt Times New Roman font
- Double-spaced
- 2.54cm margins
- APA 7th Edition referencing and formatting style (https://delivery-cqucontenthub.stylelabs.cloud/api/public/content/apa-referencing-style.pdf?v=51e1aea7)
Starter references
Goubert L, Trompetter H. Towards a science and practice of resilience in the face of pain. Eur J Pain. Sep 2017;21(8):1301-1315. doi:10.1002/ejp.1062
Cohen, Steven P., Lene Vase, and William M. Hooten. "Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances." The Lancet 397.10289 (2021): 2082-2097.
Lin, I., O'Sullivan, P., Coffin, J., Mak, D., Toussaint, S., & Straker, L. (2012). ‘I am absolutely shattered’: The impact of chronic low back pain on Australian Aboriginal people. European Journal of Pain, 16(9), 1331-1341.https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00128.x
Eccleston, C., Morley, S. J., & Williams, A. C. d. C. (2013). Psychological approaches to chronic pain management: evidence and challenges. BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, 111(1), 59-63. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aet207
Week 7 Friday (1 Sept 2023) 12:00 pm AEST
submit via Moodle
Week 9 Friday (15 Sept 2023)
You will be assessed on your review of the empirical evidence on the relationship between psychosocial factors and chronic pain, logic, flow, grammar, the depth of your discussion on outlining how psychotherapy may help the patient in question.
- Explain the mental health landscape in Australia
- Recognise indications that a person might be experiencing mental health challenges from an inclusive and cross cultural perspective
- Describe the therapeutic options available for people who may be experiencing different types of mental health conditions and/or challenges
- Communication
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
2 Online Quiz(zes)
There will be three 20 question quizzes that will assess the content across the term weeks 1-4 will be assessed in the week 4 quiz, 5-8 will be assessed in the week 8 quiz and weeks 9-12 will be assessed in the week 12 quiz. These will involve a mix of question styles. The quizzes will open on Friday of weeks 4, 8, and 12 at 8am and close at 4pm.
3
Other
These quizzes will be open on Friday from 8am-4pm of weeks 4, 8 and 12
The results will be released via Moodle within 2 weeks of completion.
Students will be assessed on their ability to select or provide the correct answers to the questions posed to them from content delivered in weeks 1-4 (Quiz 1), 5-8 (Quiz 2), 9-12 (Quiz 3).
- Recognise indications that a person might be experiencing mental health challenges from an inclusive and cross cultural perspective
- Problem Solving
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
3 Presentation
In this assessment, you will create a one-page, single-sided (A4 size) infographic based on the most up-to-date published evidence for depression. This infographic will be displayed in the outpatient clinic as a patient resource.
Importantly, the specific aim of the infographic is to persuade patients suffering from depression to seek treatment with a psychologist for their symptoms. Informed by models of behaviour change discussed in week 1, create a persuasive and relevant infographic.
In addition to the infographic, you are to append the following table outlining what behaviour change model(s) were used and the relevant components included which increase the likelihood of a patient to seek care. Use at least 3 components from one or multiple behaviour change models.
| Behaviour change model | Component | Example from infographic |
| Health Belief Model | Perceived Benefits | Text “People who seek care from a psychologist experience a 50% reduction in their depressive symptoms” |
The infographic should be submitted to Moodle as a high-resolution PDF file.
Week 11 Friday (29 Sept 2023) 12:00 pm AEST
Submission is via Moodle
Review/Exam Week Friday (13 Oct 2023)
Results will be returned via Moodle.
You will be assessed on use of current research, aesthetics, presentation of information in a persuasive manner, accuracy and compliance with the task description. Identification of appropriate change behavioural models and relevance within the required table. Further discussion will take place in the tutorials and a rubric will be provided.
- Explain the mental health landscape in Australia
- Describe the therapeutic options available for people who may be experiencing different types of mental health conditions and/or challenges
- Communicate effectively and considerately with clients of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs.
- Communication
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Social Innovation
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
