Course coordinator
Dr Jaime Yasky
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Herston
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- Herston
- Coordinating unit
- UQ Medical School
This course focuses on the clinical skills needed to engage with patients. In this fourth psychotherapy skills course you will develop your skills in assessment of mental health issues in people with complex presentations and will develop skills in formulation and treatment planning for psychotherapy interventions with complex presentations. Psychotherapy Field of Study requirements will be met by this course.
Semester 2 offering is in-person (or on-campus) and is the normal study mode for this course. Semester 1 offering is for international students only and has restricted access, with Head of School permission required for enrolment. Students requesting external enrolment in Semester 1 must contact med.enquiries@uq.edu.au
This course addresses the challenges of managing clinical complexity. We will explore why complex clinical presentations often defy conventional approaches and prove difficult to manage. Together, we will develop creative and innovative methods to deliver mental health services to individuals who struggle to access traditional mental health and psychotherapy options.
Course requirements
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
PXMH7111 and PXMH7112
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PXMH7049
Course contact
School enquiries
Medical School Student and Academic Administration Team
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please refer to learning activities for details about these activities:
- Tutorial program
- Some Mondays 5:30-6:45pm, all via Zoom:
- Monday 28 July, Tutorial 1: Intro to course
- Monday 18 August, Tutorial 2: Why is it difficult to change?
- Monday 22 September, Tutorial 3: Checking and supporting projects advance
- Monday 20 October, Tutorial 4: Oral presentations
- Monday 27 October, Tutorial 5: Oral presentations
- Workshops
- Workshop 1 & 2: Friday 8 August 8:30-12pm & 1:00pm-4:30pm with Jaime Yasky in person
Students are expected to attend all tutorial and workshop activities.
Aims and outcomes
This course focuses on dealing with clinical complexity. We will examine aspects of why complex clinical presentations are so difficult to manage and hard to apply the tried and trusted clinical approaches. We will work towards creative, innovative ways to provide appropriate mental health services to people who find it difficult to access traditional mental health and psychotherapy services.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Critically engage with contemporary approaches to people with complex and hard to treat mental health disorders.
LO2.
Critically engage with contemporary approaches to vulnerable people with structural barriers to appropriate mental health care.
LO3.
Demonstrate capacity to assess and, where appropriate, initiate and sustain psychotherapy for people with complex and treatment resistant presentations.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique |
Reflection on learning from complexity
|
20% 1200 word reflection |
29/08/2025 1:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Essay/ Critique |
Complex clinical challenges - report
|
40% |
20/10/2025 1:00 pm |
| Participation/ Student contribution, Presentation, Reflection |
Complex clinical challenges - oral presentation
|
40% |
20/10/2025 - 27/10/2025 |
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
Reflection on learning from complexity
- Hurdle
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 20% 1200 word reflection
- Due date
29/08/2025 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Write a 1200-word essay reflecting on your experience of engaging with two interviews conducted with clinicians who have navigated and learned from clinical challenges. Reflect on what you learned about how to engage and deal with complex clinical problems, what insights and lessons you will incorporate into your own practice and project. If you are to use AI, consult appropriate use of AI before submitting report.
Hurdle requirements
You must complete and submit all assessment items to pass the course.Submission guidelines
Submission instructions will be provided via Learn.UQ.
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.
Late submission
Assessments submitted after the due date without an approved extension will receive a late penalty.
Complex clinical challenges - report
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
20/10/2025 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
This assignment is your opportunity to deepen in the understanding of a complex clinical problems and the barriers to treatment posed by such problem, and learn or propose psychotherapeutic strategies, interventions or techniques to overcome such barriers. You will independently conduct this research effort. The idea is for you to chose the complex clinical problem you will report based on topics that you are passionate about, you have a special interest in, or wish to deepen on because it's linked to your career aspirations. This report will be the written outcome of this research effort.
Identify a complex clinical problem in mental health and psychotherapy that presents a current challenge to you, to a service or to the psychotherapy discipline in general. This complex clinical challenge could refer to a) a specific case you are currently treating that presents with complexity due to a conjunction of specific social or cultural factors, diagnoses, or clinical features, or b) a specific clinical population or group involving a complex combination of social, cultural, diagnostic or other specific features.
You should:
- Describe in detail the complex clinical problem you are focusing on.
- Identify its central characteristics, relevant background, and summarise what is known about this problem from research and clinical literature.
- Identify and describe the barriers to psychotherapeutic treatment that are associated to this complex problem, and explain how these barriers operate.
- Propose strategies, intervention or technique you have followed or propose to follow to overcome these barriers to achieving good outcomes with this clinical group.
- Propose a method to assess the effectiveness of the strategies you have implemented or propose to implement.
- Your report is written following scientific standards, with a length of 3000 word (-/+ 10%). If you are to use AI, consult appropriate use of AI before submitting report.
Hurdle requirements
You must complete and submit all assessment items to pass the course.Submission guidelines
Submission instructions will be provided via Learn.UQ.
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.
Late submission
Assessments submitted after the due date without an approved extension will receive a late penalty.
Complex clinical challenges - oral presentation
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution, Presentation, Reflection
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
20/10/2025 - 27/10/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
You will present the findings of the complex clinical challenge report as an oral presentation to your peers, followed by a Q&A and open discussion focused on resolving barriers to an effective intervention.
The duration of your presentation and of the following Q&A and open discussion will be assigned beforehand by the course leader depending on the number of students and available time.
Identify a complex clinical problem in mental health and psychotherapy that presents a current challenge to you, to a service or to the psychotherapy discipline in general. This complex clinical challenge could refer to a) a specific case you are currently treating that presents with complexity due to a conjunction of specific social or cultural factors, diagnoses, or clinical features, or b) a specific clinical population or group involving a complex combination of social, cultural, diagnostic or other specific features.
During your presentation you should:
- Briefly describe the complex clinical problem, its central characteristics, and relevant background.
- Identify the barriers to treatment and how they operate.
- Present the strategies you followed or propose to implement and explain how they worked or intend to work.
- Participate in Q&A and open discussion about your project.
- Your presentation is clear, well organised and visually appealing. Use of PowerPoint slides is recommended.
Hurdle requirements
You must complete and submit all assessment items to pass the course.Submission guidelines
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.
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: Failure to submit any assessment requirements. |
| 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. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Fails to submit some assessment requirements and/or clear deficiencies when submitted assessment material is evaluated against marking criteria. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 65 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Has met but not exceeded minimum assessment criteria. |
| 5 (Credit) | 66 - 75 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Has consistently exceeded the minimum assessment criteria on some assessment items but met only minimum criteria on others. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 76 - 85 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Has consistently exceeded minimum assessment criteria and has substantially exceeded minimum requirements on at least some items. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 86 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Has consistently demonstrated outstanding achievement on assessment items when judges against marking criteria. |
Additional course grading information
You must complete and submit all assessment items to pass the course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Please note that all submission dates for assessments are in Brisbane time - Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
Artificial Intelligence
Theﾠassessment tasks in this course evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conductﾠunless otherwise indicated by the Course Coordinator. If indicated by the course coordinator to use AI, students must clearly reference any use of AI in each instance. A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Refer to the following guide regarding referencing ofﾠAI: Overview - ChatGPT and other generative AI tools - Library Guides at University of Queensland Library
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.
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 From Week 1 To Week 4 |
General contact hours |
Interviews about working with complexity (independent activity) Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 1 (28 Jul - 03 Aug) |
General contact hours |
Tutorial 1: PXMH7114 orientation Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 2 (04 Aug - 10 Aug) |
Workshop |
Workshops 1 & 2 Workshop 1 - Understanding basic concepts: clinical complexity, theory of change, resistance or barriers to change Workshop 2 - Group work: identifying project, working on formulation and identifying treatment barriers |
Week 4 (18 Aug - 24 Aug) |
Seminar |
Tutorial 2: Why is it so difficult to change? Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 9 (22 Sep - 28 Sep) |
Seminar |
Tutorial 3: Checking and supporting projects advance Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 12 (20 Oct - 26 Oct) |
Seminar |
Tutorial 4: Student Presentations 2 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 13 (27 Oct - 02 Nov) |
Seminar |
Tutorial 5: Student Presentations 3 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
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.