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Diagnosis, Treatment and Referral

Unit Code: HAY635




Duration

Contact Hours

Campus

Prerequisite

Corequisite

One semester / teaching period

36 hours

Hawthorn

 

Nil

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Doctor of Psychology (Counselling Psychology) program.

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Aims & Objectives:

Aims: 
* To introduce students to different areas of specialist practice in the field of psychology, with a focus on the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of different clinical presentations from infancy to adulthood
* To provide students with a detailed understanding of the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, its application to different populations and it use in clinical settings
* To provide students with an assessment framework for working with children, adolescents and adults and an understanding of a range of treatment options for disorders across the lifespan.
 
Objectives:
* To be able to competently evaluate a child and/or adult client and to prepare an appropriate diagnosis, formulation and treatment recommendation
* To know the major diagnosis categories in the DSM and be able to use it to describe clients with varying presentations
* To be aware of lifespan disorders and of the developmental track that they typically follow.

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Teaching Methods:

Lectures; seminars; demonstrations.

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Assessment:

* Students will be required to prepare a videotape and evaluation of a 45‐60 minute initial "mock" assessment interview with a child or adult client, who will be allocated to them.
* Students will also complete an essay on diagnosis/psychological treatment approaches with relevance to their use in counselling psychology.
* Other assessment tasks, such as evaluations of case studies, will be given in class.


 

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Generic Skills Outcomes:

Graduates are capable in their chosen professional area:

  • Use of the library and resources to access relevant information from specialist sources
  • Professional writing skills to prepare assessments and case reports
  • Oral presentation of material
  • Critical thinking regarding theoretical models relevant to adult and child psychopathology, and proposed treatment options.

Graduates are adaptable and manage change.

Graduates operate effectively in work and community situations:

  • In interviewing children/adolescents and families
  • In discussion and consultation with others
  • In the written preparation of case material.

Graduates are aware of environments:

  • Culturally sensitive
  • An awareness of socio-economic disadvantage
  • Respectful of diverse points of view
  • Respectful of discipline diversity in working with child psychopathology

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Content:

Areas of psychological practice covered may comprise:
* Classification, diagnosis and the DSM
* Assessment and the Mental Status Exam
* Disorders of Childhood
* Working with Adolescents
* Mood, Psychotic and Personality Disorders across the lifespan
* Treatment and referral issues

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References:

Texts and References:
American Psychiatric Association (2000). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders‐Text Revision (DSM‐IV‐TR). United States of America: Author
OR
American Psychiatric Association (2000). Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria From DSM‐IV‐TR. US: Author

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