Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 101210

Coordinator Fran Doyle Opens in new window

Description This unit introduces the nature, assessment and treatment of psychological disorders in children and adolescents. Students will examine the diagnostic classification, epidemiology and aetiology of a range of psychological problems in childhood and adolescence, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, behavioural disorders, trauma and stressor-related disorders, eating disorders, learning disabilities, and attention-deficit disorder. The theoretical and empirical foundations of a range of cognitive and behavioural techniques will be discussed along with a number of major conceptual and practical issues in the treatment of psychological disorders in childhood and adolescence, including cultural and inter-professional contexts.

School Psychology

Discipline Psychology

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 1 10cp

Level Postgraduate Coursework Level 7 subject

Equivalent Subjects LGYA 0486 - Clinical Problems in Children and Adolescents BEHV 7004 - Assessment Psychological Practice

Restrictions

Students must be enrolled in programs 1812 Master of Clinical Psychology or 1814 Master of Professional Psychology

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Evaluate the characteristics of the common emotional and behavioural disorders in childhood and adolescence (APAC GA: 3.5, 4.2.1i, 4.2.1ii, 4.2.1iii & 4.2.2i).
2. Apply reliable and valid and culturally responsive methods of assessing and writing reports for children and adolescents with psychological disorders (APAC GA: 3.2, 3.6, 3.8, 4.2.1iii, 4.2.2ii, 4.2.2iii).
3. Implement and evaluate psychological interventions, including cognitive and behavioural therapies, for a range of emotional and behavioural disorders in childhood and adolescence reflecting upon the appropriate treatment modifications required for each clinical population and including working with the unique attributes of the person within their cultural context (including with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians) (APAC GA: 3.2, 3.7, 4.2.2iii, 4.2.2iv, 4.2.3i & 4.2.3ii).
4. Critically evaluate research concerning the efficacy of psychological therapies with children and adolescents (APAC GA: 3.16 & 4.2.3iv).
5. Demonstrate an applied understanding of the role of a psychologist in an inter-professional context in the assessment and treatment of child and adolescent clinical presentations (APAC GA: 3.10, 3.12 & 4.2.3iii).

Subject Content

Theoretical and empirical foundations of child psychopathology
Assessment of psychopathology in childhood
Nature and epidemiology of common childhood disorders
The development, implementation and evaluation of psychological interventions, including cognitive and behavioural therapies, for a range of psychological disorders in childhood and adolescence.
Cultural responsiveness in psychological assessment and interventions with children and families, including with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
The role and contribution of a psychologist within an inter-professional treatment context.