Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Nursing, Midwifery & Social Wk
This course is an inter-professional introduction to mental health practice for nursing, social work and midwifery students. Content has been developed in conjunction with senior mental health clinicians in Queensland to ensure both contemporary practical relevance and that students will be equipped to meet industry expectations of new graduates. The course is taught in a highly interactive fashion and, inevitably, class recordings will not fully capture learning opportunities. Regular attendance and pre-session reading is therefore essential.
Welcome to SWSP3027.
As the mental health field is predominantly inter-professional in service design, so this course includes nursing, social work and midwifery students. Our goal is to provide you with a contemporary, evidence-based orientation to practice in the field, with an emphasis on the skills and knowledge you will need to begin work.
Two points:
First, it is not possible to study mental illness without engaging with potentially confronting issues, such as suicide, sexual abuse, racism and violence. The teaching team are focused on maintaining a learning context which is respectful and inclusive. At the same time, as student midwives, social workers and nurses, it will be important that you exercise self-care and develop resilience in your practice and study. All students are expected to engage with all aspects of the course, but if you find yourself struggling with course content at any time, reach out to any member of the teaching team.
Second, all sessions are recorded, as per standard UQ practice, but be aware that they are highly interactive: the more sessions you can attend, the more you will learn and the better prepared you will be for assessments.
We look forward to working with you all this semester.
ASWEAS Required Curriculum Content Areas covered in this course:
The Bachelor of Social Work (Hons) program is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers.
The Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (2020) stipulates that accredited social work programs are required to include content that addresses the five core curriculum areas listed below. This course contains content in the following curriculum areas:
1. Constructions of social work purpose, place, and practice: YES
2. Power, oppression, and exploitation: YES
3. The history and contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: NO
4. Culture, identity, and discrimination: YES
5. Psychosocial health and wellbeing across the lifecycle: YES
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
SWSP3026
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course provides the foundational knowledge necessary for new practitioners to understand key issues of mental health practice.Particular skills in communication and critical thinking are emphasised.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
have a broad and coherent body of knowledge of mental illness and the underlying concepts and values of theoretical models informing contemporary mental health service delivery;
LO2.
demonstrate critical thinking and judgement to analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge related to the lived experience of mental health and mental illness.
LO3.
understand the disciplinary and multidisciplinary contributions to the delivery of mental health services and have the skills to appropriately communicate knowledge and information in a variety of contexts.
LO4.
have a critical appreciation of the significance of ethical, person centred and holistic care for those with mental health concerns and their families.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Inspera Quiz 1
|
10% |
21/08/2024 - 22/08/2024
The quiz will be open between midday on the 21st August and close at midday on the 22nd August. |
| Presentation |
Video Presentation & PowerPoint Slides
|
40% |
11/09/2024 1:00 pm |
| Quiz |
Inspera Quiz 2
|
10% |
2/10/2024 - 3/10/2024
This quiz will be made available for 24 hours from midday 2 October until midday on the 3rd October. |
| Examination |
Exam
|
40% |
End of Semester Exam Period 2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024 |
Assessment details
Inspera Quiz 1
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
21/08/2024 - 22/08/2024
The quiz will be open between midday on the 21st August and close at midday on the 22nd August.
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
An Inspera quiz covering required reading from weeks 1-4 will be made available for 24 hours from midday 21 August. The quiz will consist of a range of question types. Students will have 45 minutes to complete the quiz once they commence.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Video Presentation & PowerPoint Slides
- Team or group-based
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
11/09/2024 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
This description is only a summary of the task. For full details, including the marking rubric, please refer to the course Learn UQ (Blackboard) site.
SIMULATED ON-LINE PSYCHOEDUCATION SESSION
This group scenario-based exercise is designed to mirror as closely as possible mental health promotion and community education activities which are often allocated to newly graduated mental health clinicians.
You are required to submit a video of your group delivering a Zoom-based PowerPoint psychoeducation session. Each group member is required to speak for approximately the same amount of time. You are also required to submit a pdf of the PowerPoint slides in Notes view.
There are two scenarios. Students in all the undergraduate programs must do scenario 1.
Groups will be allocated by teaching staff to ensure - as far as possible - that each group benefits from a mix of disciplines.
Submission guidelines
The written component of this assignment must be submitted as a pdf document via Turnitin, in the form of a PowerPoint presentation in 'notes view' format. Note that you are not assessed on the technical quality of the video or audio (which just need to be a suitable quality to allow the marker to see and hear clearly). High definition video is discouraged due to file size.
Every student should submit a pdf of the PowerPoint slides, in notes view showing all references. Your feedback and total mark will be linked to this submission.
IN ADDITION, one person in each group should be tasked with uploading the video recording. Please ensure the recording title shows the names of all group members. The recording only needs to be uploaded once per group.
Instructions for uploading the recording through the assignment submission link are available at
Note where a group submits a video shorter than 40 minutes or longer than 50 minutes, all members will be penalised 10% of the total marks available for this assignment (10 marks).
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.
Applying for an extension
Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved.
Information about applying for an extension can be found on my.UQ.
Extension guidelines
- Extension requests should be submitted prior to the assessment deadline.
- Extension requests must state the due date and the due time of the assessment.
- Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date may not be approved. Late requests must include evidence of the reasons for the late request.
- The extension granted should be in proportion to the period of illness or disruption caused by the exceptional circumstances and will typically be no more than the specified maximum extension length.
- Students on a Student Access Plan (SAP) with a clause on extension requests must still adhere to the extensions request policy outlined. Students need to attach the SAP and a note outlining their current situation with the online extension application. A maximum of 7 days will be granted on the basis of an SAP. An extension request beyond 7 days will require additional supporting information as this request will not be considered on the basis of the SAP, but rather additional events (whether they relate to the circumstances of the SAP or not).
Outcome of application
- Extension requests are generally processed within 2 working days. Students can see the outcome of their application by logging in to my.UQ.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Inspera Quiz 2
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
2/10/2024 - 3/10/2024
This quiz will be made available for 24 hours from midday 2 October until midday on the 3rd October.
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
Task description
The quiz will consist of a range of question types. Students will have 45 minutes to complete the quiz once they commence.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Exam
- Identity Verified
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
This will be an in-person, Inspera-based examination, managed by UQ Central Examination.
The 2-hour exam will comprise a combination of questions modes.
The exam questions will derive from class content and required readings.
This test is closed book, meaning that students can only bring writing equipment and a standard unmarked English language dictionary to the test.
This assessment piece is conducted as an exam and students who fail to attend the test will receive zero marks. If the student believes they have grounds for applying for a deferred exam for this piece they can apply through mySInet. Students who arrive late for the test will not receive extra time to complete the test.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Materials | Unmarked bilingual English dictionary is permitted. |
| Exam platform | Inspera |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0.1 - 29.99 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46.99 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49.99 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64.49 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 64.5 - 74.49 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 74.5 - 84.49 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 84.5 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
In order to be eligible to pass SWSP3027 students must submitﾠALL assessment pieces AND sit the examination.
References:
One of the challenges with studying mental health is the large amount of inaccurate or subtly biased information widely available. To ensure that only evidence-based, reliable and ethical material is used I have decided to impose some rules around material which will be acceptable for use in all assessment tasks.
Primary references for all assessment tasks should be academic, peer-reviewed published papers, accessible via UQ Library. These should comprise the majority of references used in all tasks.
Links to other acceptable information sources are available on the course Blackboard site on the Course Help page.
Any of the websites recommended in the course textbook are also acceptable.
Consult with the Course Coordinator if there is a website you would like to use which is not included in this list.
The course text is an excellent general resource but it is not specific enough to be used as a cited reference. Instead, use the text to orient your thinking then research in more detail.
The following may not be used as references in assessment tasks:
- Lecture notes and PowerPoint slides
- Personal blogs or websites of for-profit organisations or businesses
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
In order to be eligible to pass SWSP3027 students must submit all assessable work.
Referencing in SWSP3027 should be according to APA 7 format only.
Use of AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides access to information that may support you in completing this assessment task. You can use it to gather information, however you MUST cite and appropriately reference the AI in exactly the same way as you reference all other sources in your work.
You may choose to use AI to format your reference list (APA 7), however be aware it has been shown to be unreliable at that task. If the AI gets the referencing wrong, it’s you (not the AI) who will lose marks.
Your writing should show your personality and your thought processes. Anyone who has generated written work from AI knows that it writes in a very bland, general and fake-human way. That won’t get marks!
If you choose to search for information using tools such as ChatGPT, consider this: information accessed by AI is not peer-reviewed. It has the value of information gathered from an anonymous Wikipedia page. It also communicates like a robot.
Do you really want to be a robotic professional who consults Wikipedia to help people?
If so, social work, nursing and midwifery are not the professions for you.
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
Students must use their UQ e-mail when contacting the Course Coordinator and check their UQ mail regularly.ﾠ
Students may if they wish forward their UQ e-mails to another address.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (22 Jul - 28 Jul) |
Lecture |
Introduction. Defining mental health & illness Reading for this week: Hungerford, C., Hodgson, D., Clancy, R., Murphy, G., Doyle, K., Bernoth, M., Cleary, M. (2024). Mental health care: An introduction for health professionals (5th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 1. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 2 (29 Jul - 04 Aug) |
Lecture |
Principles of mental health practice. Communication, respect, empathy and self-care. Recovery Reading for this week: Bland, R., Drake, G., Drayton, J. (2021). Social work practice in mental health: An introduction (3rd ed.). Routledge. Chapter 3. Two additional readings are fundamental for this topic and the course as a whole. Neither is long, and the content of both is assessable: Anthony, W. A. (1993). Recovery from mental illness: The guiding vision of the mental health service system in the 1990s. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 16(4), pp. 11-23. Deegan, P. E. (1988). Recovery: The lived experience of rehabilitation. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 11(4), pp. 11-19. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 3 (05 Aug - 11 Aug) |
Lecture |
Mood disorders Reading for this week: Hungerford, C., Hodgson, D., Clancy, R., Murphy, G., Doyle, K., Bernoth, M., Cleary, M. (2024). Mental health care: An introduction for health professionals (5th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 7 (skip sec. 7.4, Perinatal mental health issues. We have a whole session on this topic later in the semester).
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 4 (12 Aug - 18 Aug) |
Lecture |
Ekka Public Holiday. No class Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 5 (19 Aug - 25 Aug) |
Lecture |
Trauma Reading for this week: Kimberg, L., Wheeler, M. (2019). Trauma and trauma-informed care. In M. R. Gerber (Ed.). Trauma-informed healthcare approaches: A guide for primary care. Springer. Chapter 2, pp. 25-56. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 6 (26 Aug - 01 Sep) |
Lecture |
Eating disorders Reading to be advised. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 7 (02 Sep - 08 Sep) |
Lecture |
Psychosis and personality disorders Reading for this week: Dodd, S., Jeffs, S. (2018). Psychosis and psychotic disorders. In K. Edward, I. Munro, A. Welch, W. Cross (Eds.). Mental health nursing: Dimensions of praxis (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Chapter 11. Trett, R., Peckham, H. (2018). Complexities and rewards of working with people with personality disorders. In K. Edward, I. Munro, A. Welch, W. Cross (Eds.). Mental health nursing: Dimensions of praxis (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Chapter 12. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 8 (09 Sep - 15 Sep) |
Lecture |
Substance use Reading to be advised. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 9 (16 Sep - 22 Sep) |
Lecture |
Suicide and forensics Hungerford, C., Hodgson, D., Clancy, R., Murphy, G., Doyle, K., Bernoth, M., Cleary, M. (2024). Mental health care: An introduction for health professionals (5th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 8. Over this week and next you should also read: Queensland Health. (2022). A guide to the Mental Health Act 2016. Read pp. 1-27 and 58-80. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 10 (30 Sep - 06 Oct) |
Lecture |
Doing mental health work Reading for this week: Ryan, J., Quinn, C. (2018), Forensic mental health nursing. In K. Edward, I. Munro, A. Welch, W. Cross (Eds.). Mental health nursing: Dimensions of praxis (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Chapter 23. Don't forget to also finish reading: Queensland Health. (2022). A guide to the Mental Health Act 2016. Read pp. 1-27 and 58-80. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 11 (07 Oct - 13 Oct) |
Lecture |
Mental health assessment Hungerford, C., Hodgson, D., Clancy, R., Murphy, G., Doyle, K., Bernoth, M., Cleary, M. (2024). Mental health care: An introduction for health professionals (5th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 2 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 12 (14 Oct - 20 Oct) |
Lecture |
Perinatal mental health Reading to be advised. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 13 (21 Oct - 27 Oct) |
Lecture |
First Nations People's mental health Reading for this week: Hungerford, C., Hodgson, D., Clancy, R., Murphy, G., Doyle, K., Bernoth, M., Cleary, M. (2024). Mental health care: An introduction for health professionals (5th ed.). Wiley. Chapter 4. The whole chapter is important, but our focus is on pp. 120-147. Only these pages are potentially examinable. 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 - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.