Course coordinator
Ms Farah Suleman
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Herston
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- Herston
- Coordinating unit
- UQ Medical School
This Practicum course provides the opportunity to develop clinical skills in treatment settings. The emphasis of the first placement is assessment of mental health issues including conducting a MSE, and developing formulations and treatment plans. An emphasis is on students demonstrating effective therapeutic engagement with clients. Art Therapy Field of Study requirements will be met by this course.
Course Description: This course enables you to implement the knowledge and skills developed during PXMH 7102 and PXMH 7101, in an appropriate mental health practice environment, with a focus on working in mental health, recoveryﾠand wellness approaches, ethical practice, diagnosis/formulation and treatment planning utilising both general mental health skills/knowledge and art therapy skills and knowledge. You will undertake 150ﾠhours of mental health practice, of which a minimum of 37.5 hoursﾠ inﾠ the form of providing and participating in direct mental health services to clients. The remaining hours may be completed by observation of the practice of more experienced mental health practitioners, participation in team meetings and clinical case discussions and record keeping. You will receive a minimum of 7.5ﾠhours of clinical supervision from an approved on-site supervisor. Theﾠpractice hours may be undertaken in the your workplace or placementﾠsettingﾠto access appropriate practicum experience and suitable supervision arrangements as approved by the University.
Aside from theﾠ supervised practice hours, the primary learning activity is participation in a weekly supervision group. You are required to attend a compulsory residential set of workshops in Week 3 of semester (including weekend days)ﾠ to engage in both learning and group connection.ﾠParticipation in weeklyﾠ group supervision allows you to discuss your practice experiences with other students and receive guidance from an experienced mental health practitioner and art therapist. Readings and resources are also provided to enrich and expand your learning.
Assessment in this course is based on ﾠa visual and written journal of ﾠpractice experiences, a written case formulation and treatment plan (Case Study) and fully achieved marks in placement supervision reports. Logs of placement hours and supervision are a requirement of this course and for future registration as an arts therapist.
This course can be taken Internally in-person (local - living in Brisbane) & Externally (remote - living outside of Brisbane). It is compulsory for you to attend residential workshops in-person.ﾠ
Course requirements
Assumed background
It is assumed and required that students are either concurrently enrolled in or have previously completed PXMH7101 andﾠPXMH7102
Companion or co-requisite courses
You'll need to complete the following courses at the same time:
PXMH7101 and PXMH7102
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PXMH7025
Course contact
School enquiries
Medical School Student and Academic Administration Team
Course staff
Lecturer
Ms Farah Suleman
Placement coordinator
Ms Louise Leotta
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
80% attendance required to meet course and registration requirements
Weekly Group Supervision
Local/Internal supervision class In-Person Tuesday Evenings 17:30 - 19:00 Brisbane
QLD Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)
Remote/External supervision class Zoom Tuesday evenings 19:15 - 20:45 (AEST)
Workshops: Week 3, Saturday 8 March - Friday 14 March compulsory workshops focus on active learning of knowledge and skills that are central to mental health practice and art therapy. If you have any trouble attending, please contact the Course Coordinator to discuss.
Location: Herston Campus
Online Art Therapy Skills UQ Orientation Week (facilitated over two evenings)
Local/Internal & Remote/External Students attend via Zoom Welcome & Online Art Therapy 1 & 2ﾠ
Welcome to the Master of Mental Health Art Therapy Program: Monday 17 February 17:00 - 17:25 (AEST)
Online Art Therapy Skills Session 1: Monday 17 February 17:30 - 20:30ﾠ(AEST)
Online Art Therapy Skills Session 2: Wednesday 19 February 17:30 - 20:30 (AEST)ﾠ
Aims and outcomes
To support students in the implementation of core mental health knowledge andﾠskills in an appropriate mental health practice setting and with service users/consumers
To support students to considerﾠand deliver mental health and art therapy interventions in their respective settings (direct client contact at the placement setting may be done face to face, online or via phone)ﾠ
To use art therapy supervision techniques to promote clinical insight and ethical practice
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate capacity to provide mental health services, at industry appropriate levels, in collaboration with others.
LO2.
Demonstrate capacity to use industry standard assessment, formulation and treatment planning.
LO3.
Use principles of evidence based practice in the design and implementation of mental health services.
LO4.
Provide mental health services that take into account the specific needs and/ or values and perspectives of cultural minorities.
LO5.
Demonstrate the use art making and visual imagery as a way of deepening clinical awareness and understanding of responses to clinical situations.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/ Demonstration |
Practicum
|
Performance Hurdle |
24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025 |
| Reflection | Visual and Written Reflective Journal | 50% |
24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025 |
| Essay/ Critique | Art Therapy Case Study | 50% 3000 Words |
16/05/2025 12:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Practicum
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration
- Weight
- Performance Hurdle
- Due date
24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
You should be engaged in work environment that provides the opportunity to work with people seeking help for concerns that may include mental health problems. In this practicum the major focus will be on ensuring that you provide, in a form appropriate to the workplace, a mental health assessment, formulation and treatment plan as well as ensuring that the work takes place in an effective and sensitive manner that builds therapeutic alliance. You will have 150 hours of work in that environment that should include at least 37.5 hours of direct work with clients. You will have a work-based supervisor who will meet with you for at least 7.5 hours during the semester. You will meet in weekly supervision classes with a lecturer and fellow students.
If you have any concerns about the appropriateness of your workplace, you should contact the lecturer and course coordinator to discuss.
Any alternative plan to meet the learning objectives of the course will need the permission of the course coordinator.
Criteria & Marking:
- Student has a practicum in an appropriate workplace that provides the opportunity to work with people seeking help for concerns that may include mental health problems. That placement or an alternative arranged with the course coordinator, provides the opportunities to meet the learning objectives of the course.
- Student provides off site supervisor a signed placement contract
- Student provides logs, appropriately verified, that demonstrate minimum 150 hours of work including 37.5 hours of direct practice and an end of placement evaluation. A student attains and passes this placement when they have been assessed as Fully Achieved on the Final End of Semester Evaluation Report. Mostly-Fully Achieved is relevant where placements have limited access/opportunity to offer in depth learning in a maximum of one of the criteria.
- Student provides a signed mid-placement and end of placement report to offsite supervisor
- Student provides appropriate evidence of 7.5 hours of direct supervision of practice and appropriate participation in weekly group supervision - 1 hour supervision for every 20 hours of practice
Hurdle requirements
You must satisfactorily complete this assessment task (as described above) to pass the course.Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Please find information about applying for an assessment extension here.
Late submission
Please refer to the UQ policy on late submission.
Visual and Written Reflective Journal
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
You are to upload a weekly Reflective and Visual Journal to demonstrate the development of self-reflective practice, the use of visual imagery as a tool for self-reflection, the ability to use when appropriate art making in order to explore complex issues involved in the interactions between trainee and or the client-agency.
You should make at least 10 written entries in an online journal, able to be accessed only by student and course staff on Learn.UQ (Blackboard), that reflect on your experience of working in a practice environment and in learning about the practice of art therapy. These entries should be regular, uploaded weekly, and be an appropriate combination of personal, practice literature and research informed reflection where relevant. The journal should be readable and able to be understood by the assessor. Where the written ideas of others are used they should be referenced. Visual and reflective art is to accompany the written reflections.
Criteria & Marking:
- Student to maintain a weekly reflective journal consisting of both written and visual/art based reflection.
- In combination, the entries demonstrate that the student has used reflection on personal experience, practice experience, client work, organisational/workplace experiences and published literature to develop their capacity to work in a mental health workplace and make effective and sensitive therapeutic relationships with clients.
- The Journal contains at least 10 entries that have been written approximately weekly. Each entry is required to be the length of 300-400 words. The journal entries are accessible and able to be understood. Appropriate referencing is used with consistent referencing style.
- Demonstrates an emerging understanding of the use of personal art processes for professional development as an art therapist.
Submission guidelines
The online journal is available via the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site - Assessment
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Please find information about applying for an assessment extension here.
Late submission
Please refer to the UQ policy on late submission.
Art Therapy Case Study
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 50% 3000 Words
- Due date
16/05/2025 12:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
A Case Study report presents a vivid portrait of your work with a client, family or treatment group in a Mental Health (MH) setting. It should outline your assessment approach, formulation (diagnosis where relevant), describe the findings of your assessment, and how they inform your treatment planning, describe the process of the work you have done together with the client/group and your understanding of the outcome or current state of the work. This is a formal report using a report format that is appropriate to your work environment and additionally follows an appropriate assessment template/format. The case study should include at minimum a mental state examination, diagnostic explanation (formulation and presentation, explain if or why client does not meet the criteria for diagnosis), a clear formulation of key client concerns and a treatment plan that describes the client needs, appropriate treatment goals and art therapy interventions. It should demonstrate developing competency in assessment, formulation, collaborative treatment planning and, as appropriate, art therapy intervention throughout the assessment phase. Permission to share client artwork is required, where permission is not granted, response art pieces by the student are recommended. A deidentified version of the client case is required. 3000 words 50%.
Criteria & Marking:
- Student has submitted a de-identified Case Study report that describes the clinical work with a client, family or group with whom the student has worked. It is 3,000 words (+/- 10%) and is in formal report, appropriate to your work environment and following appropriate assessment, diagnostic, and treatment planning templates/formats/frameworks. APA7 format is required.
- As appropriate, the report describes the MH assessment, formulation, goal setting and treatment planning that was conducted in collaboration with the client over a minimum of two-three therapy sessions.
- The report describes the process of the work that has been done together with the client/group and your understanding of the outcome or current state of the work. Art therapy assessment interventions and/or treatment planning is required.
- The report demonstrates developing competency in assessment, use of art based assessment methods, formulation (and diagnostic consideration), collaborative treatment planning, and additionally proposes an art therapy treatment model or plan if the person were to engage in the modality following the assessment phase.
- The report is to contain appropriate art therapy consent forms for any imagery included in the case material or response art by the student where applicable, clear images of artwork and accurate descriptions of artwork discussed.
Submission guidelines
Submitted via Turnitin on the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Please find information about applying for an assessment extension here.
Late submission
Please refer to the UQ policy on late submission.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 34 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Failsﾠto submit assessment and demonstrate most or all of the basic requirements of the course; attains an overall mark of less than 35%. |
| 2 (Fail) | 35 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Some assessment items submitted but material submitted shows major deficiencies when evaluated against assessment criteria or major part of assessment is incomplete; attains an overall mark of at least 35% but less than 45%. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Demonstrates deficiencies in understanding when submitted assessment material is evaluated against marking criteria; attains an overall mark of at least 45% but less than the overall pass mark of 50%. Please note: You will be unable to achieve a grade above 3 if you do not complete all assessment items, regardless of overall course performance. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 65 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Adequately demonstrates understanding, addresses required criteria and has met the minimum requirement for all assessment; attains the overall pass mark of at least 50% but less than 66%. Please note: To achieve a grade of 4 or above, you must complete and submit all assessment items. |
| 5 (Credit) | 66 - 75 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Adequately demonstrates competent understanding,ﾠaddresses required criteria and has met minimum or above requirements for all assessment; attains an overall mark of at least 66% but less than 76%. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 76 - 85 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Effectively demonstrates substantial understanding, addresses required criteria and meets or exceeds minimum requirements for all assessment; attains an overall mark of at least 76% but less than 86%. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 86 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Effectively demonstrates extensive understanding with outstanding achievement on assessment items when evaluatedﾠagainst marking criteria and meets or exceeds minimum requirements for all assessment; attains an overall mark of at least 86%. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Artificial Intelligence
These assessment tasks evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). You are advised that the use of AI technologies to create responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. If you wish to use AI technology for legitimate academic purposes please consult the course staff and get approval before submitting your essay. Please refer to UQs AI guidelines here.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Articles and resources relevant to the course will be uploaded to the Learning Resources section of Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
A Mid Placement Report will be available for download from Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
An End of Placement Report will be available from Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
A Placement Contract will be available from Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
Client Contact and Non Client Contact Log Sheets available from Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
A Client Art Therapy Consent form will be available from Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Team Based Learning |
Art Therapy Supervision Group Weekly group supervision and learning, you will attend university supervision group with an experienced art therapist. There are circumstances where the student placements may finish later than dates listed; in these circumstances the lecturer and course coordinator will make arrangements to offer student/s supervision. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Fieldwork |
Art Therapy Placement You will undertake 150 hours of mental health art therapy practice consisting of a minimum of 37.5 hours of direct client work and 7.5 hours supervision with onsite supervisor. Attend Placement 2 days a week. Placement Agreement between UQ & Placement site: completed prior to placement commencing. Placement Contract: to be signed on or before the first day of placement and scanned (photographs not accepted) and emailed to lecturer & course coordinator. Mid & End of Semester Evaluation Reports: completed scanned (photographs not accepted) and emailed to lecturer & course coordinator. Evaluation Meeting: mid and possibly end of semester phone call, Zoom or face-to-face meeting/s with on-site supervisor, student, and lecturer/course coordinator (minimum of one meeting). Student Logs: Students maintain an up-to-date log of all hours conducted on or relevant to placement. Students need to fill out both a Non-Client Contact and Client-Contact Log. Logs must be typed in Word or Excel format. Logs are required to be reviewed by the on-site & university supervisor and emailed to lecturer and course coordinator. There are circumstances where the student placements may finish later than dates listed; this must be arranged with course coordinator. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Workshop |
Residential Workshops: Week 3 Compulsory for you to attend in-person. These workshops focus on Art Therapy Assessment, Mental State Examination in Art Therapy, The Art Therapy Space, Alliance, Therapeutic Interventions, The Role of the Art Therapist, Therapeutic Presence, Experiential and Reflective Art Making, Journaling and Group Processes. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
|
Case-based learning |
Art Therapy Case Study You will complete de-identified case study (see Assessment Section for further details) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.