Course specification for PSY5145

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Course specification
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PSY5145 Intervention Strategies

Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Ipswich
Short Description: Intervention Strategies
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences
School or Department : School of Psychology and Counselling
Student contribution band : Band 1
ASCED code : 090701 - Psychology
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MPPS or MCPS or be undertaking the course as professional development

Rationale

Treatment of psychological problems requires a broad understanding of therapeutic methods that have been demonstrated to be effective within mental health contexts. This course critically reviews the research literature on psychological interventions that reduce the psychological impact of mental illness and maximise well-being. This course further develops students’ competencies with regard to planning and implementing of psychological treatments, with particular focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Synopsis

This course focuses on discipline knowledge and therapeutic competencies required for practice in clinical settings. Students will learn and practice varied evidence-based forms of interviewing and intervention skills. Building on these, students will learn how to develop an appropriate treatment plan for cases based on diagnosis and presenting issues. This course will be offered via compulsory practical development workshops on-campus, and via readings, activities and assignments. Attendance at the five on-campus workshops is mandatory. Dates of the five workshops will be according to the 'Workshop Schedule' which will be emailed to students at the outset of the program.

Objectives

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Conduct theoretical case formulation including utilisation of major theoretical frameworks: including CBT, behavioural formulation, and functional analysis;
  2. Develop a comprehensive treatment plan using evidence-based treatment approaches including CBT and Behaviour therapy;
  3. Apply appropriate understanding of culture in case studies and intervention approaches with diverse client groups;
  4. Develop comprehensive treatment plans for specific disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders) and complex presentations;
  5. Apply advanced knowledge and skills in the utilisation of manualised treatment approaches, including group treatments;
  6. Professional communicate and work collaboratively with other professionals within inter-professional settings;
  7. Implement treatment plans, effectively assess progress in therapy, and evaluate the outcomes of an intervention;
  8. Manage treatment resistance and ambivalence, including reflecting on anticipated challenges with delivery of interventions.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Treatment approaches; and Introduction to Cognitive-behavioural therapy and Evidence- Based Practice 20.00
2. Cognitive-behavioural therapy;functional analysis and behaviour therapy 20.00
3. The Application of CBT: case formulation and treatment with specific disorders I 20.00
4. The Application of CBT: case formulation and treatment with specific disorders II 20.00
5. Group treatment; therapeutic resistance; other treatment approaches, and intervention case studies 20.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=PSY5145)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Wright, JH, Basco, MR, Thase, ME 2017, Learning cognitive-behaviour therapy: An illustrated guide, 2nd edn, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, Arlington.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Alladin, A 2016, Integrative CBT for Anxiety Disorders, John Wily and Sons.
American Psychiatric Association 2013, Diagnostic and statistical manual of the mental disorders, 5th edn, American Psychiatric Association, Washington DC.
American Psychiatric Association 2019, Evidence-based psychological interventions in the treatment of mental disorders: A literature review, 4th edn, American Psychiatric Association, Melbourne, VIC.
Douglas B, Woolfe R, Strawbridge S, Kasket, E & Galbraith, V 2016, The handbook of Counselling Psychology, 4th edn, Sage Publication Ltd.
Eells, Tracy D 2015, Psychotherapy Case Formulation, American Psychological Association, US.
Hofmann SG & Reinecke MA 2010, Cognitive-behavioral therapy with adults. A guide to empirically-informed assessment and intervention, Cambridge ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Press, New York.
Kennerley, H,, Westbrook, D. A., & Kirk, J 2016, An Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; Skills and Applications, 3rd edn, Sage Publications, UK.
Llewellyn, S & Kennedy, P 2003, Handbook of clinical health psychology, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England.
Nathan, P & Gorman, J (eds) 2015, A guide to treatments that work, 4th edn, Oxford ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Press, New York.
Nezu, AM, Maguth Nezu, C & Cos, TA 2007, 'Case formulation for the behavioural and cognitive therapies'', in in T.D. Eels (ed.), Handbook of Psychotherapy. Case formulation. (2nd ed., pp. 349-378), Guilford Publications, New York.
Persons, JB & Tompkins, MA 2006, 'Cognitive-behavioural case formulation', in T.D. Eels (ed.), Handbook of Psychotherapy. Case formulation. (2nd ed., pp. 290-316), Guilford Publications, New York.
Castelnuovo, G 2010, Empirically supported treatments in psychotherapy: Towards an evidence-based or evidence-biased psychology in clinical settings? Frontiers in Psychology, July 2010, Article 27.
Other suggested readings to be provided by Course Examiner/Moderator.
Psychological Assessment and Case Conceptualization 2015, DVD, American Psychological Association, US. Simos, G 2002, Cognitive behaviour therapy: a guide for the practising clinician, Brunner-Routledge, London. Simos, G, Hofmann, S 2013, CBT for Znxiety Disorders: A practitioner book, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Skinner V, Wrycraft, N 2014, CBT Fundamentals, Theory and Cases, Open ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Press. Tarrier, N & Johnson, J 2015, Case Formulation in Cognition Behavioural Therapy: the Treatment of Challenging and Complex Cases, 2nd edn, Taylor & Francis Ltd. Trower, P, Jones, J, Dryden, W 2016, Cognitive Behavioural Counselling in Action, 3rd edn, SAGE Publication Ltd. Turkat, I 1985, Behavioral Case Formulation, Springer-Verlag Inc, New York, US.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Private ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 125.00
Workshops 40.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Objectives Assessed Notes
HOME TEST SHORT ANSWER 50 50 19 Jun 2020 1,3,5,6 (see note 1)
INTERVIEW RECORDING 25 25 19 Jun 2020 3,5,7,8 (see note 2)
TREATMENT PLAN 25 25 19 Jun 2020 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 (see note 3)

Notes
  1. Dates of Workshops to be advised by examiner. Assessment due 5 days after workshop #5. The assignment date will be available via UConnect when the Alternative Assessment Schedule has been released. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the assignment by their course examiner via ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk.
  2. A videotaped interview session must be submitted for assessment and feedback through the semester on a resubmit basis until competence is evident in conducting a semi-structured clinical interview. Due date is to be advised by Examiner. Dates of Workshops to be advised by examiner. Assessment due 9am at workshop #5. The assignment date will be available via UConnect when the Alternative Assessment Schedule has been released. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the assignment by their course examiner via ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk.
  3. Dates of Workshops to be advised by examiner. Assessment due 12 days after workshop #5. The assignment date will be available via UConnect when the Alternative Assessment Schedule has been released. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the assignment by their course examiner via ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk.

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in the compulsory workshops held on-campus, where the skills components of this course will be taught. During these workshops, students will engage in the development and practice of skills. Further, it is the students' responsibility to study all assigned material. If circumstances prevent a student from attending any portion of a workshop, the student MUST contact the examiner IN ADVANCE, if at all possible. The student must also contact the examiner in order to arrange an alternative activity, although it is important to note that it will be at the examiner’s discretion as to whether an alternative activity will be made available. Attendance at, and participation in, the five workshops and/or completion of one or more alternative activities at a standard judged to be appropriate by the examiner is required to pass the course. Attendance at the five on-campus workshops is mandatory. Dates of the five workshops will be according to the 'Workshop Schedule' which will be emailed to students at the outset of the program.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item. See also point 4 below.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade, a student must submit each assessment item, and achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for each assessment item. All courses in the MPPS and MCPS are approved by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), which requires that students pass all assessment items in all courses. Where a student fails any assignment, the student will be allowed one opportunity to re-submit their work following feedback from the course examiner. If a student fails any assignment a second time, he or she will be deemed to have failed the course and will be required to undertake the course again at its next offering. This rule applies regardless of whether or not the aggregated marks for remaining assessment in a course are higher than 50% overall. Where illness, bereavement, or circumstances of similar gravity affect a student’s ability to meet the high standards expected in the course, the student should meet with the course examiner and Director of Postgraduate Psychology to negotiate suitable management of the person’s individual needs in accordance to ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and procedures.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course, with a passing grade only awarded where all workshops were attended and all assessment items were passed.

  6. Examination information:
    There is no examination in this course

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch an assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the examiner; STUDENTS MUST RETAIN A DATED RECEIPT FROM THE POST OFFICE WHEN POSTING ASSIGNMENTS.

  2. Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to the USQ within 24 hours of receipt of a request to do so.

  3. In accordance with the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Policy, the examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances. STUDENTS MUST CONTACT THE EXAMINER DIRECTLY, IN ADVANCE, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AN EXTENSION.

  4. The Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences will NOT accept submission of assignments by facsimile.

  5. APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide.

Other requirements

  1. Students will require access to email and internet access to UConnect for this course as the course contains electronic elements. In order to avoid internet issues, on-campus students should use the student computer laboratories. External students who knowingly do not have reliable access to the internet should actively seek alternative internet access (e.g., Internet cafes, local libraries, or work places) for access to the course site. External students are able to use the on-campus student computer laboratories once access has been enabled. To be granted access, external students need to contact ICT and ask to have a student account enabled so that they can work on-campus.

Date printed 19 June 2020