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Individual and Cultural Diversity (PSYC90009)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 6.25On Campus (Parkville)
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Semester 2
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
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When people develop psychological disorders, whether in childhood, adulthood, or later life, they do not arise in a vacuum, but, rather, in a psychosocial context. Many individual and cultural factors contribute to this context, and the purpose of this subject is to explore some of these influences, and how they interact with each other. Such an understanding provides the context for relating to clients a whole person, rather than merely focusing on symptoms and diagnosis of disorders. Consideration of these factors is also crucial to the processes of formulation and engaging clients in therapy.
Topics covered include diagnoses as psychosocial phenomena, interpersonal bases of psychopathology and implications for psychotherapy; factors in help-seeking and accessing the mental health system; psychosocial aspects/perspectives on specific disorders or areas of interest such as physical health, ethnicity, cultural, gender, aging and family issues. Ethical issues, theoretical perspectives, current clinical practice and evidence from the clinical research literature are emphasised.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Critically examine factors relating to individual and cultural diversity, such as health status, gender, age and culture, including Australian indigenous cultures, and the presentation of psychological problems.
Skills
On completion of this subject students should demonstrate skills in:
- Appraisal of their own knowledge of diversity and reflect on its impact on their clinical effectiveness.
Application of Knowledge and Skills
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Apply knowledge of individual and cultural diversity to their understanding of the presentation of psychological disorders, for example by examining the relationships between culture and mental illness.
- Integrate their understanding of the dimensions of diversity with their knowledge of psychopathology and diagnosis to formulate a rich conceptualisation of presenting issues.
Generic skills
Improved problem solving skills
Improved written, oral and interpersonal communication skills
Last updated: 3 November 2022