Forensic Psychology, Children and Families
Overview
The unit is designed to introduce students to a range of disorders seen in infancy, childhood and adolescence and the key principles relevant to conducting psychological assessments and treatments with children/adolescents and their families. Special attention is given to the assessment and intervention methods for young offenders. Students will be introduced to the Children’s Court and Family Court of Australia. Students will become familiar with areas such as the determination of guardianship, custody and access, psychological consequences of divorce, family violence, custody evaluations and access determination, and should have an understanding of the role and skills of mediation in family disputes. With respect to Children’s Court matters, they will become familiar with protective issues and criminal matters.
Requisites
26-May-2024
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Demonstrate a substantial body of knowledge of theoretical models of forensic psychology as applied to children and families
- Comprehend and synthesise expert theoretical knowledge concerning the role of the psychologist in forensic settings where children and families are present
- Critically evaluate and apply methods of assessing and treating children and families in forensic contexts
- Explain and critique theoretical positions to other professionals and services within the forensic context
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Seminar | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 7.75 | 12 weeks | 93 |
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Seminar | 3.00 | 7 weeks | 21 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report 1 | Individual | 60% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Report 2 | Individual | 0% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Tutorial Paper | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Case Report | Individual | 40% | 1,2,6 |
| Case Report | Individual | 60% | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
| Case Studies | Individual | 0% | 1,2,3,4,5,6 |
Content
- Classification, diagnosis and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental DisordersÂ
- AssessmentÂ
- Disorders of infancy and early childhoodÂ
- Disorders of childhoodÂ
- Working with adolescentsÂ
- When to refer and referral sourcesÂ
- Depression, anxiety and mental state examinations in older adolescentsÂ
- Treatment approaches for children and adolescents
- Case observationÂ
- Introduction and overview of child forensic psychology
- Introduction to children, family and law
- Â Interviewing children and child victims,
- Child maltreatmentÂ
- Assessments of youth: protective assessmentsÂ
- Family Court assessments: custody and accessÂ
- Assessment and treatment of young offenders
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.