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Professional Placement (Clinical) 1 (PSYC90121)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 18.75On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
Semester 1
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Students are required to complete 300 hours of placement (equivalent to a 40 day placement) in the University of Melbourne Psychology Clinic. Students will have the opportunity to observe a range of clinical presentations in adult and child patients and to begin functioning as a clinical psychologist, under the supervision of a supervisor. Students will receive experience in history taking, conducting a mental state examination, arriving at a case formulation and making treatment plans. Under supervision, students will be given the opportunity to develop competence in the provision of psychological treatments to individuals and (where possible) groups. In addition, the subject aims to give the student experience of professional psychology practice, including professional presentation, report writing and record keeping, managing a clinical caseload, and liaising with other professional practitioners.

Over the 40 days, students are required to complete at least 15 hours of psychological assessments and to accrue a further 85 hours of face-to-face contact with patients (assessment and ongoing treatment of adults). Students are required to participate in regular weekly supervision. Supervisors for the Clinic placement will be registered as both psychologists and supervisors with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA). Students undertaking this placement must be provisionally registered with the PBA and hold current Police and Working with Children's checks.

In addition students are required to attend, and present cases seen on placement at a weekly group supervision session over the course of their enrolment in this subject.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this placement subject, students should be able to:

Knowledge

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the clinical features of many mental health disorders experienced by adults, problem-oriented interviewing and communication, formal clinical examination, diagnostic formulation, and case presentation
  • Apply the theory underlying practical skills in counselling, interviewing, conducting mental state examinations and history taking and diagnostic interviewing, and including mindfulness in treatment.

Skills


  • Demonstrate competence in administration and scoring of a wide range of standardized neuropsychological tests and abilities measures, and demonstrate understanding of their psychometric underpinnings and underlying cognitive and behavioural processes
  • Conduct professional interviews, and assessments (including standardised psychological testing to assess and interpret aspects of functioning as well as formal diagnostic assessments) and synthesise information from multiple sources, including assessment of risk, to formulate a conceptualisation of the presenting issues to determine the most appropriate interventions, including management of risk
  • Interprete and communicate assessment findings in oral and written formats, including formal psychological reports, using culturally appropriate language
  • Implement appropriate, empirically supported, culturally appropriate interventions, and monitor clients' progress and intervention outcomes.

Application of Knowledge and Skills

  • Apply professional practice policies and procedures, including as they relate to referral management and record-keeping, across a range of workplace settings and with recognition of different organisational and cultural practices
  • Work effectively with a range of professionals and support staff in the workplace and communicate and collaborate effectively, within the bounds of ethical and legal requirements, demonstrating respect for the skills and contribution of other professionals
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of their professional practice (in conjunction with clinical supervisors), identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes where needed.

Generic skills

  • An in-depth understanding of specialist practice
  • Expanded understanding of the range of ways in which learning occurs
  • Capacity to work collaboratively
  • Capacity to confront and manage unfamiliar problems
  • Valuing different cultures
  • Development of a high regard for human rights, ethics and equity.

Last updated: 31 January 2024