Course Title: Coursework 1

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Coursework 1

Credit Points: 24.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BESC1246

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006

Course Coordinator: Dr David Smith

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7523

Course Coordinator Email: david.smith@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

All students admitted to the program have completed an approved 4th year of study in psychology (usually at an Honours 2A level) and have satisfactorily completed an admissions interview.


Course Description

Coursework 1 is undertaken in Semester 1 of the first year of the Masters/Doctorate in Psychology for both professional training streams: Education-Developmental and Clinical. All students undertake the following units: Advanced Research Methods 1, Child & Adolescent Clinical Psychology 1, Counselling, and Psychological Assessment (Child). Students in the Education-Developmental stream also complete a unit in Developmental Psychology. Coursework 1 is designed to provide students with the necessary theoretical and practical foundation for commencing therapy practice in child and adolescent casework.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Students will acquire an understanding of the framework and underlying theoretical and conceptual bases of psychological assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for children and adolescents subject through attending lectures and participating in class-room activities and discussion. Skills and knowledge in understanding research design and evaluation will also be gained through practical exercises and assignments.


Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the predominant aetiological theories and the course of major psychological disorders in children and adolescents as well a working knowledge of the DSM-IV-TR and competence in making differential diagnoses in the context of a broader case formulation. Students will be also demonstrate an understanding of the key psychometric considerations in evaluating assessment tools as well as skills in their selection, administration, and interpretation for specific problem types. Students will also demonstrate a working knowledge of counselling techniques and other empirically supported interventions used in the treatment of a child and adolescent psychological problems as well as a working knowledge of how to evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions. Students will also have written a literature review that will be used to justify and inform their decisions in devising an independent research project.


Overview of Learning Activities

Learning experiences and activities vary according the specific unit of study undertaken and include participation in lectures/seminars, class discussion, skill development activities, and personal study.


Overview of Learning Resources

For all units, students will receive guidance from lecturers in terms of specific readings, references, and library resources. Guidance is also given in terms of relevant online resources and agencies.


Overview of Assessment

The assessment tasks vary according to the specific Coursework 1 unit being examined. All assessments are linked logically to the learning objectives for each unit. Assessments include formal examinations, tests, assignments, and practical exercises.