Course Title: Assessment and Intervention 1

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Assessment and Intervention 1

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BESC1459

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 2 2013,
Sem 2 2015

BESC1459

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

173H School of Health and Biomed

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2018,
Sem 2 2019

BESC1471

Bundoora Campus

Research

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2012

Course Coordinator: Dr Melissa Monfries / Dr Prasad Podugu

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7782 / +61 3 9925 7722

Course Coordinator Email: melissa.monfries@rmit.edu.au / prasad.podugu@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 201.03.014C / 201.03.010


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Required prior study (Pre-requisites)


Course Description

Psychological Assessment and Intervention 1 is designed to apply an advanced body of knowledge to your understanding of assessment, diagnosis and intervention for psychopathology in children and adolescents, and provide you with a critical understanding of psychopathology in relation to the major psychological disorders in adults. This course will particularly focus on the following areas:

  • Child, Adolescent, and Family Clinical Psychology
  • Adult Psychopathology


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for MC002 Master of Clinical Psychology:

  • PLO 1:  Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the theories, models and scientific underpinning of professional psychological practice and its application across behavioural and organisational systems.
  • PLO 2:  Develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the legislative frameworks and ethical codes and guidelines that guide professional psychological practice at a personal and professional level.
  • PLO 3:  Design, analyse, synthesise and communicate information from a wide variety of psychological assessments and techniques appropriate to the developmental stage, cognitive level and cultural background of the client, and appropriate to the purpose of the assessment.
  • PLO 4:  Demonstrate the ability to design, apply and evaluate appropriate evidence-based empirically-validated interventions individualised to the client’s diagnosis, case formulation, and personal or organisational characteristics.


On successful completion of this course you should be able to: 

  1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of nosology, predominant aetiological theories, and the course of major psychological disorders in children and adolescents and adults.
  2. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the DSM-5 and competence in making differential diagnoses in the context of a broader case formulation when using the DSM-5.
  3. Select an empirically supported set of psychological techniques for intervention with a range of child and adolescent psychological problems and evaluate the potential impact of contextual factors when designing, implementing and evaluating an intervention for child and adolescent psychological problems.
  4. Discuss a variety of approaches to the assessment of clients (children, adolescents, families, and adults) to generate a diagnosis, making a formulation, and developing a treatment plan.
  5. Conceptualise and discuss diagnostic issues in the broader context of the likely course of, and prognosis for, major psychological disorders.
  6. Using a CBT framework, conceptualise a case and apply this this knowledge in the context of assessment and diagnosis.


Overview of Learning Activities

Learning activities include a mixture of lectures/seminars, tutorials and skill development activities. Lectures will build on knowledge gained during this program and provide a solid theoretical and practice-driven basis to help achieve high level professional practice skills and knowledge. Tutorials will be used to explore critical analysis and clinical thinking. The skill development activities will support entry into Professional Psychological practice. It is expected that you will read widely across the academic literature related to this area of study.

Teacher Guided Hours: 48

Learner Directed Hours: 72


Overview of Learning Resources

The learning resources associated with this course will include targeted readings taken from a range of both primary and secondary sources.  Material chosen may be digitally available to you. Lecture material may utilise a variety of available technologies including Canvas sites. Skill development activities will be provided in a variety of ways, including simulated learning activities. RMIT will provide resources and tools for learning in this course through its online systems.


Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task 1: A critical evaluation of empirical evidence underpinning an assessment and intervention for a specific psychological disorder

Weighting 25%

This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3 & 6

Assessment Task 2: Working in a group of 3-4 students, plan an assessment, formulation/diagnosis, intervention and evaluation for a child or adolescent psychological issue

Weighting 25%

This assessment task supports CLO s 1, 2, 3, 4 & 6

Assessment Task 3: Oral examination following a role play of a vignette in which diagnosis of a patient’s psychological issue(s) is carried out

Weighting 25%

This assessment task supports CLO s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

Assessment Task 4: Oral examination of diagnosis and formulation derived from a written vignette

Weighting 25%

This assessment task supports CLO s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6