Foundations of Health Psychology
Overview
In this unit, students explore relationships between psychological factors and health and illness. Topics such as acute, chronic, and terminal illnesses; life-altering injuries; sexual functioning; pain; and death and dying are considered. Students are introduced to models of health behaviour change and psychology practice in health settings, including motivational interviewing and interprofessional practice.
Requisites
Rules
Admission in one of the following courses:
DR-PHICP Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
OR
MA-PSYCLP Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
OR
DR-CLIPSY Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
01-November-2026
Unit learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Critically analyse and evaluate research on the interdependent relationships between biological, psychological, behavioural, and social determinants of health and illness.
- Apply models of health (e.g., Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework) to analyse how health-risk and health-protective behaviours are shaped
- Develop, implement, and evaluate an evidence-informed intervention that involves interprofessional practice and considers relevant contextual factors (e.g., demographics, culture, disease status, structural inequalities).
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of Weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
On-campus Class |
3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
9.5 | 12 weeks | 114 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Individual | 20-30% | 1,2,3 |
| Case Study | Individual | 20-30% | 1,2 |
| Role Play | Individual | 40-60% | 2,3 |
Content
Topics may include:
- Biological, social, cultural, and psychological influences on health and illness
- Acute, chronic, and terminal illnesses; life-altering injuries; sexual functioning; pain; and death and dying
- Models of health behaviour change
- Interprofessional practice
- Motivational interviewing
Graduate attributes developed in this unit include:
- Graduate Attribute 1 (Communication - Verbal communication)
- Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
- Graduate Attribute 5 (Digital Literacies 1 - Information literacy)
- Graduate Attribute 6 (Digital Literacies 2 - Technical literacy)
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.