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Social Work Practice: Mental Health (SCWK90038)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable (login required)(opens in new window)
Contact information
Overview
Availability | September |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject focuses on social work practice in the mental health field and examines the variety of practice perspectives that inform mental health service delivery in Australia. Topics covered include the nature of mental illness and how consumers, their relatives and friends experience it, and contemporary approaches to treatment and recovery. Also, examined are the national and state policy context, how services are organised and the particular contributions of social work practitioners within the different settings that they operate. There is a focus on psychosocial understandings of mental health and the importance of lived experience perspectives. Students will develop skills in psychosocial and risk assessments, approaches to trauma-informed practice, and working with complex forms of distress. The elective will utilise guest speakers to provide practitioner and consumers perspectives.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge
On completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Identify and describe competing practice perspectives and evidence bases, that inform social work practice in mental health settings;
- Describe different features of the consumer/lived experience perspective and how this can inform practice in mental health settings; and
- Identify and critique concepts of risk and risk management involved with mental health practice.
Skills
On completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Analyse how social work theory and skills can be applied in mental health settings;
- Demonstrate a capacity to use psychosocial approaches to assessment that consider risk and risk management;
- Critically apply the consumer/lived experience perspective to decision making in mental health settings.
Application of Knowledge and Skills
On completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Critically evaluate issues in mental health, by synthesizing and analysing the evidence for a variety of practice perspectives, risk perspectives, social work perspectives, and lived experience perspectives and applying them to a range of practice settings.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
- critically analyse texts and practices;
- link theory to practice;
- competently communicate in ways relevant to both academic and practice contexts;
- undertake independent research.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Psychosocial and risk assessment based on practice scenario
| Mid term | 20% |
Critical reflection on assessment
| Mid term | 20% |
Recorded presentation
| During Assessment Period | 20% |
Justification of oral presentation
| During the assessment period | 40% |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- September
Coordinator Kath Sellick Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 24 hours (8 x 3 hour lectures) Total time commitment 96 hours Teaching period 2 September 2024 to 3 November 2024 Last self-enrol date 13 September 2024 Census date 20 September 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 25 October 2024 Assessment period ends 22 November 2024
Time commitment details
96 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Readings will be available online
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Social Work - Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 31 January 2024