Overview
This unit considers the physiological and psychological consequences that underpin and change due to chronic stress, traumatic stress exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder. You will learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms associated with chronic stress, traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. The impact of trauma on emergency and service personnel, and on psychosocial helpers is covered. The unit focuses on the disorders often associated with trauma such as anxiety, panic, depression and other associated features e.g. guilt and shame. The important issues of referral, supervision and further training are also considered.
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 1 - 2020
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 Postgraduate 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 pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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.
- Identify the physiological consequences of stress and trauma
- Identify the psychological consequences of stress and trauma
- Evaluate the differences in physical, physiological and psycho-social symptoms that accompany different types of stress and trauma
- Articulate the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder
- Analyse and evaluate different mechanisms which effectively treat different types of stress and trauma.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Case Study - 0% | |||||
| 2 - Presentation - 0% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
| 9 - 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 | |
| 1 - Case Study - 0% | |||||||||
| 2 - Presentation - 0% | |||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom account (Free)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
n.ralph@cqu.edu.au
k.j.burke@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Neurodevelopment and the stress response system
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Developmental trauma, neuroplasticity and integrated approaches to recovery
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Conceptualisations of trauma
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Intergenerational trauma and epigenetics
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 5
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Classification systems for stress and trauma related disorders
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Neuropsychology of trauma - impacts on sleep, memory and cognitive systems
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Assessment 1 DUE: 20 April 2020, 12pm AEST.
Case Study Due: Week 6 Monday (20 Apr 2020) 12:00 pm AEST
Week 7
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Neuropsychology of trauma - impacts on sleep, memory, cognitive & emotional regulation systems
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 8
Begin Date: 04 May 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 9
Begin Date: 11 May 2020Module/Topic
Frameworks for responding to trauma: models of care and evidence based interventions
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 10
Begin Date: 18 May 2020Module/Topic
Frameworks for responding to trauma: emerging interventions and evaluating the evidence
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 11
Begin Date: 25 May 2020Module/Topic
Strengths-based approaches to trauma recovery.
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Week 12
Begin Date: 01 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Trauma informed and integrated approaches to recovery
Chapter
Prescribed learning activities - combination of prerecorded lectures, links to key journal articles and chapter readings, and highly relevant online audiovisual resources. Preparation activity for online tutorial.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online tutorial (after hours)
Assessment 2 DUE: 5 June 2020, 12pm AEST.
Presentation Due: Week 12 Friday (5 June 2020) 12:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Jun 2020Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Case Study
This first assessment is focused on developing your skills for the effective identification and communication of the wide range of impacts trauma can have on an individual, families and communities.
This assessment is a PASS or FAIL assessment and a PASS must be attained to meet the PASS requirement.
This assessment aligns with Learning Objective 1 and 2.
You will be provided with four cases studies, and will need to provide a detailed response to two of these (up to 750 words +/- 10%) considering:
- the ways in which the impacts of trauma are evident (physiological and psychological consequences)
- the strengths of the person, or people around them that are beneficial to mitigating the impacts of the trauma symptoms
- the challenges the person, and those around them experience that exacerbate the impacts of the trauma symptoms
- the approach you would take in the context of your work environment and local area to discuss the impacts of trauma, and referral options for assessment and diagnosis.
Week 6 Monday (20 Apr 2020) 12:00 pm AEST
Week 8 Tuesday (5 May 2020)
- Written communication skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge and considerable understanding of trauma impacts on individuals, families and communities.
- Demonstrated capacity to reflect on different contexts, and the strengths and challenges inherent in these contexts
- Ability to identify appropriate referral pathways for assessment and diagnosis where appropriate
- Ability to reference using APA style where appropriate.
- Identify the physiological consequences of stress and trauma
- Identify the psychological consequences of stress and trauma
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Research
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Presentation
The second assessment is focused on developing your skills to effectively communicate your understanding of the impacts of trauma and trauma symptoms; the ways in which you would incorporate this understanding into your work environment and practice, and the assessment and intervention options you could pursue through your local referral pathways.
This assessment is a PASS or FAIL assessment and a PASS must be attained to meet the PASS requirement.
This assessment aligns with all the Learning Objectives for this unit (1-5).
This assessment is broken into two key presentation parts.
In the first part you will be required to develop a resource that would be suitable to use with clients or colleagues in your work setting, and will provide information regarding one or more of the following: the impacts of trauma; assessment and treatment options; referral pathways. The resource can be diverse, and is intended to suit your workplace - suitable examples include a paper based flier, visual flow chart, online blog, PowerPoint presentation or prerecorded discussion. The assessment focus will be on the quality of the information presented, rather than on the format used.
In the second part, you will be required to present online (during a tutorial) your own case study, providing a description of a fictitious person/s impacted by trauma that you encounter in the course of your work, noting the following;
- the indicators you noted suggesting a trauma origin
- the way that you responded at the time (trauma informed care), and planning for future interactions (integrated approaches)
- approaches that you intend to use for psychoeducation regarding trauma and impacts on other areas of functioning, and assessment and treatment options
- approaches that you intend to use for referral as appropriate
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2020) 12:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (19 June 2020)
- Demonstrated ability to communicate information.
- Demonstrated knowledge and considerable understanding of trauma and impacts on areas of functioning.
- Demonstrated capacity to reflect on and plan for trauma informed and integrated approaches in work environment
- Demonstrated ability to explain in plain language what trauma and trauma related disorders are, and the impacts these can have on individuals and their families/communities, and other areas of their mental health, health and relationships
- Demonstrated ability to explain in plain language what assessment and treatment options are available in local area
- Identify the physiological consequences of stress and trauma
- Identify the psychological consequences of stress and trauma
- Evaluate the differences in physical, physiological and psycho-social symptoms that accompany different types of stress and trauma
- Articulate the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder
- Analyse and evaluate different mechanisms which effectively treat different types of stress and trauma.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
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?
