Overview

This unit provides an overview of critical ethical issues relevant to the practicing psychologist and encourages students to engage with the nuances of common ethical dilemmas. It also introduces neurobiological models of the major classes of mental disorder so that students can understand the neurobiology of disorders and the neurobiological targets of pharmacotherapy.

Requisites

Prerequisites
PSY80014 Professional Ethics and Psychopharmacology

Rules

Pre-requisite
Admission to the Graduate Diploma of Science (Clinical Psychology)
OR
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
OR
Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) program
OR
Master of Psychology (Counselling Psychology) programs

Equivalent units
PSY80086 Professional Ethics and Psychopharmacology

Equivalent
HAY543 - Professional Ethical and Legal Issues and HAYC554 - Professional Ethics and Psychopharmacology and PSY60004 - Professional Ethical and Legal Issues and PSY80085 - Professional, Ethical and Legal Issues and PSY80086 - Professional Ethics and Psychopharmacology

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Apply a body of knowledge that includes the extended understanding of the Australian Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines as they apply to confidentiality and informed consent, professional boundaries, report writing and record keeping, and cultural issues
  • Evaluate psychopharmacology in the treatment of a range of mental health disorders
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the major neurobiological pathways implicated in mental health disorders and the pharmacological treatments that act on these pathways

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class
3.00 4 weeks 12
On-campus
Class
3.00 8 weeks 24
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
5.50 12 weeks 66
Specified Activities
Group Meetings
4.00 12 weeks 48
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Case StudiesIndividual 50% 
Online QuizIndividual 30% 2,3 
PresentationGroup 20% 

Content

In the ethics component, the topics covered may include: confidentiality and informed consent, professional boundaries, report writing and record keeping, and cultural issues.

In the psychopharmacology component, topics covered may include: 

  • Principles of chemical transmission, the action of disease and drugs on chemical transmission.
  • Neurochemical bases of bipolar depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
  • Specific neurochemical actions of mood stabilizers, anxiolytics and sedative hypnotics, antipsychotics and cognitive enhancers.
  • Graduate Attribute: Communication Skills: Verbal Communication
  • Graduate Attribute: Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute: Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute: Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate Attribute: Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute: Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.