ENGAGEMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF COMMON MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS - 2020/1
Module code: PSYM126
Module Overview
This module provides students with the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of undertaking patient centred assessments as appropriate to working clinically within an IAPT mental health service. Students are encouraged to develop their competencies as reflective practitioners who are able to critically engage with the literature that underpins their work and to use this to inform their practice. Trainees will be supported in this process through university led learning opportunities supported by work based supervised learning and directed independent study.
Module provider
Psychology
Module Leader
SINNOTT Sian (Psychology)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 7
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 80
Lecture Hours: 70
Module Availability
Crosses academic years
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
- An undergraduate degree with a minimum 2:1 classification or equivalent
- Relevant mental health work experience (voluntary or paid) as assessed at interview
- Employment within an IAPT service that is able to meet the course training requirements
Module content
Indicative content includes:
- Assessment
- Diagnosis
- Risk management
- Common factor skills
- CBT based specific skills
- Clinical and case management supervision
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Pass/Fail competencies | An observed structured clinical examination of a patient centred assessment assessed according to predefined criteria | Pass/Fail |
| Coursework | A 2500 word critical reflective essay on their performance in the above and how their practice was informed by theory | 100 |
Alternative Assessment
None.
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and practice in undertaking patient centred assessments.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
1. A standardised role-play scenario(s) where trainee PWPs are required to demonstrate skills in undertaking both triage within an IAPT service and problem focused assessments. This will involve a single scenario, combining both triage within an IAPT service and problem focused assessments that will be video-recorded and assessed by teaching staff using standardised assessment measures.
2. An academic essay in which trainees provide a reflective commentary on their performance on the above.
Both assessments must be passed in order to pass the module.
Assessment will be marked at FHEQ level 7, with a pass mark of 50%.
Formative assessment
Ongoing written and / or verbal feedback provided by course tutors and / or supervisors from IAPT mental health services. Trainees will undertake a mock OSCE for which they are provided with written feedback from their observer who will be a course tutor and / or a qualified professional e.g. PWP / PWP supervisor. Trainees are able to request further one-to-one practice / support from their tutor or other course tutor as required both before and after (in the case of a failed first attempt) their OSCE.
Feedback
Written feedback is provided to students via SurreyLearn.
Module aims
- To equip trainee psychological wellbeing practitioners (PWPs) with the skills and knowledge that they need to undertake a range of patient-centred assessments so that they are able to identify the main areas of concern to the patient (relevant to the assessment undertaken).
- To develop trainee PWPs' knowledge and competencies so that they are able to apply these skills in a range of different assessment formats and settings. These different elements or types of assessment include screening / triage assessment within an IAPT service; risk assessment; provisional diagnostic assessment; mental health clustering assessment; psychometric assessment (using the IAPT standardised symptoms measures); problem focused assessment; and intervention planning assessment.
- To develop trainee PWPs' capacity to effectively engage patients and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner.
- To provide trainee PWPs with sufficient knowledge of mental health disorders and evidence-based therapeutic options so that they are able to communicate this knowledge in a clear and unambiguous way in order to enable their patient to make informed treatment choices. This element includes developing trainee PWPs' ability to use behaviour change models to inform their choice of goals and interventions.
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Demonstrate knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of concepts of mental health and mental illness, diagnostic category systems in mental health and a range of social, medical and psychological explanatory models. | K |
| 002 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in applying the principles, purposes and different types of assessment undertaken with people with common mental health disorders | KPT |
| 003 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in using ‘common factors’ to engage patients, gather information, build a therapeutic alliance with people with common mental health problems, manage the emotional content of sessions and grasp the client’s perspective or “world view”. | KPT |
| 004 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in ‘patient-centred’ information gathering to arrive at a succinct and collaborative definition of the person’s main mental health difficulties and the impact this has on their daily living. | KCP |
| 005 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in recognising patterns of symptoms consistent with diagnostic categories of mental disorder from a patient centred interview. (C, K, P) 6) Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in accurate risk assessment to patient or others. | KCP |
| 006 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in accurate risk assessment to patient or others. | KCP |
| 007 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in the use of standardised assessment tools including symptom and other psychometric instruments to aid problem recognition and definition and subsequent decision making. | KCPT |
| 008 | Demonstrate knowledge, understanding and competence in using behaviour change models in identifying intervention goals and choice of appropriate interventions. | KPT |
| 009 | Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in giving evidence-based information about treatment choices and in making shared decisions with patients. | KPT |
| 010 | Demonstrate competence in understanding the patients attitude to a range of mental health treatments including prescribed medication and evidence-based psychological treatments. | KPT |
| 011 | Demonstrate competence in accurate recording of interviews and questionnaire assessments using paper and electronic record keeping systems. | KPT |
| 012 | Demonstrates competency in undertaking and recording a range of assessment formats. This should include both triage within an IAPT service and problem focused assessments. | KCPT |
| 013 | Demonstrates experience and competence in the assessment of presenting problems across a range of problem descriptor including depression and two or more anxiety disorders. | PT |
| 014 | Demonstrates the common factor competencies necessary to engage patients across the range of assessment formats. | PT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
Enable trainee PWPs to develop and demonstrate their knowledge and competence in undertaking collaborative patient centred assessments.
The learning and teaching methods include:
- Discussion
- Tutor led lectures
- Modelling
- Supervised role play
- Work based learning
- Clinical and case management supervision
- Simulation
- Independent study (guided reading)
- Directed study (tutor directed assignments)
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PSYM126
Other information
This module is only available to students undertaking the Advanced Practice in Psychological Wellbeing PG Cert.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Practice in Psychological Wellbeing PGCert | Cross Year | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.