Assessment and Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Duration
- 1 Semester
Contact hours
- 36 hours
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning.
Prerequisites
Admission to:
GD-SSCPC Graduate Diploma of Social Science (Professional Counselling) OR
MA-SSCPC Master of Social Science (Professional Counselling) (or equivalent) or
GD-SSCPC Graduate Diploma of Social Science (Professional Counselling) OR
MA-SSCPC Master of Social Science (Professional Counselling) (or equivalent) or
MA-COUADV Master of Counselling (Advanced), or
GD-COU Graduate Diploma of Counselling or
GC-COU Graduate Certificate of Counselling
Corequisites
NilAims and objectives
This unit will give students a comprehensive understanding of issues related to the definition of mental disorders, and the nature of psychological disorders as well as the treatment approaches. Legal issues in mental health and the role of psychopharmacology will also be introduced and discussed. Specific focus is placed on the understanding of anxiety and depression within the clinical and non-clinical contexts.
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Describe the diagnostic criteria and recognise the clinical features of Anxiety, Depression, and other common Mental Disorders.
2. Manage anxiety, depression, and other common mental disorders from a counselling perspective.
3. Identify the psychological factors and indicators for suicide risk, and develop a basic suicide risk and crisis risk management / intervention plan.
Courses with unit
MA-COUADV Master of Counselling (Advanced), or
GD-COU Graduate Diploma of Counselling or
GC-COU Graduate Certificate of Counselling
GD-COU Graduate Diploma of Counselling or
GC-COU Graduate Certificate of Counselling
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
This unit will involve up to 150 hours of work including:
| Type | Hours per week | Number of Weeks | Total |
| Face to Face Contact Lectures | 3 | 9 | 27 |
| Online Contact | N/A |
|
|
| Specified Learning Activities Reading recommended material Personal Journal | 6 | 9 | 54 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities Independent learning Preparation for assessments Revision of lecture material Informal group discussions | Recommended |
| 69 |
| TOTAL |
|
| 150 hours/12.5cp |
Assessment
| Types | Individual or Group task | Weighting | Assesses attainment of these ULOs |
| Essay | Individual | 60% | 1, 2 |
| Case Study | Individual | 40% | 3 |
General skills outcomes
During this unit students will receive feedback on the following key generic skills:
• Analysis Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Communication Skills
• Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• Ability to work independently
Content
• Overview of common mental disorders, including depression and anxiety.
• Counselling approaches to address common mental health disorders
• Overview of suicide statistics in Singapore
• Suicide prevention and crisis management
• Counselling approaches to address common mental health disorders
• Overview of suicide statistics in Singapore
• Suicide prevention and crisis management
Study resources
- Reading materials.
Reading materials
A list of reading materials will be made available in the Unit Outline.