Master of Applied Mental Health

Unit Code: PSY5011

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Guided by a case study approach, you will follow the journey of people through their experience of mental health concerns and navigating health systems. You will further your understanding of how the mental health system works within Australia, the types of community-based organisations, services, and resources available to individuals experiencing a mental health issue, and the barriers that interfere with mental health promotion and recovery from an episode of illness. Using contemporary strengths based models, you will consider how to conceptualise mental health concerns from a multidisciplinary perspective, develop your skills in critical and reflective thinking, and support people towards living well.

Unit Code: PSY5012

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

In this unit, you will have the opportunity to develop practical skills required to improve Indigenous mental health equity and cultural safety in healthcare. You will undertake five modules based on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework, covering the domains of respect, reflection, communication, safety and quality, and advocacy.

You will learn the importance of cultural humility, how culture relates to wellbeing, and how worldview influences in guiding thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The unit facilitates your understanding of the impacts of implicit bias, stigma and racism and the influence of your own culture when working with culturally diverse others. Such an understanding provides the context for self-reflective practice, cultivating respect in order to relate to clients as a whole person, rather than merely focusing on symptoms and diagnosis of disorders.

You will learn to integrate an awareness of lived experiences, and how to communicate in a culturally safe manner. Grounded in a strengths-based approach, you will learn to apply principles from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Psychology, as well as other psychology of indigenous peoples.

Unit Code: PSY5013

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Digital technologies are increasingly being used to support wellbeing and to detect, treat and manage mental health problems. These technologies include telehealth, apps, chatbots, robots and wearables. These technologies have the potential to provide suitable, evidence-based, accessible care to a wide range of individuals. However, these technologies also raise a number of concerns such as privacy, regulation and guidance.

In this unit you will:

(1) learn about existing digital mental health services and frameworks;

(2) synthesise information regarding the benefits and barriers of digital mental health technologies, and;

(3) evaluate the implementation of digital mental health services across diverse settings and populations.

Unit Code: PSY5014

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Relational communication skills are fundamental in supporting people with their mental health and wellbeing in any professional context. In this unit you will augment your understanding of how to build person-centred connections which foster safety for yourself and others.

Through experiential learning about key interpersonal skills you will recognise their application in different contexts and theoretical approaches to counselling practice, and gain experience in the use of these techniques to support others. Integrative activities will provide opportunities to consider the influence of your own values, biases, and beliefs, which is a core aspect of self-reflective practice.

Unit Code: PSY5015

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

This unit will focus on developing your knowledge of child and youth mental health and your skills to support their parents and broader families. You will learn about common child and adolescent mental health problems, the bidirectional relationships that intrapersonal, interpersonal, and social-cultural factors have with child and youth mental health, and the unique needs of LGBTIQA+ families.

You will develop an understanding of the role of parental carers in child and youth mental health, interpersonal skills for communicating with carers about their parenting behaviours, and intervention delivery skills for providing ethically informed and evidence based carer support for child and youth mental health.

Unit Code: PSY5016

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

This unit will focus on mental health and wellbeing throughout the lifespan into older adulthood. You will gain an understanding of optimal ageing, including when changes occur across a variety of social (e.g., working and retirement), psychological (e.g., mental health) and biological (e.g., brain health) areas. Modifiable lifestyle factors and associated interventions to help optimise and promote healthy ageing will be considered, along with how we might communicate key messages in support of person-centred care and wellbeing.

The unique challenges of working with older adults, and in particular older adults who experience complex mental health, addiction, and interconnected concerns will also be explored.

Unit Code: PSY5017

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2022) estimates that 1 in 6 Australians live with a disability. In this unit you will further your understanding of ableism, disability and inclusive practice, and the intersection between mental health and disability.

You will have the opportunity to develop skills that are relevant to working in varied contexts with people who have lived and living experience of disability and those who support them. This learning will be positioned within key frameworks to allow for a thorough examination of societal barriers, such as access to services and employment, and possible solutions to better facilitate the inclusion of people with lived experience of disabilities.

This unit will assist you to appreciate the complex impacts of disability and work towards more inclusive practices.

Unit Code: PSY5018

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Enhancing wellbeing is of benefit to both individuals and organisations. This unit introduces you to determinants of workplace health and how an understanding of organisational psychology principles can be applied to address organisational issues and generate interventions which enhance the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and teams in the workplace. You will also learn about assessing and cultivating physical and psychological safety in the workplace.

Unit Code: PSY5019

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

This unit explores lived and living experiences of addiction and recovery. You will consider the ways in which substance and behavioural addictions can impact individuals, families and communities, and the impact of dominant discourses and frameworks. Approaches to holistic care and wellbeing will be considered alongside insights into the intersect between addiction and co-occurring mental ill-health. Developing your skills in reflective and trauma informed practices will equip you with an understanding of how to support people across diverse contexts and potential next steps when more intensive interventions are required.

Unit Code: PSY5020

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Family violence is a social issue with significant physical, financial, emotional and resource costs for individuals and communities. In this unit you will be introduced to contemporary knowledge and theories informing our current understanding of family violence, and critically examine how family violence impacts upon a diverse range of individuals. You will also learn about current family violence legislation and policy and some of the key approaches to assess and support responses to family violence.

Throughout the unit you will be encouraged to critically reflect upon your personal views, values and assumptions about family violence.

Unit Code: PSY5021

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

In this unit you will learn how to communicate about suicide safely, identify key drivers of suicide, and understand the skills required to provide support to individuals and communities. You will reflect on your capacity to reduce suicide and develop a plan for self-care when supporting people around suicide. You will integrate knowledge regarding suicide facts and trends, theories, risk and protective factors, and stigma to develop an understanding of why suicide happens. Systems-based suicide prevention approaches for communities and government policies will be explored, with a focus on groups of people who experience disproportionate rates of suicide.

A key focus of the unit will be the importance of lived / living experience understanding and inclusion.

Unit Code: PSY5022

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

This unit brings together the skills and knowledge built over the Master of Applied Mental Health and requires you to apply them to a real-world industry problem. The unit provides the opportunity for you to analyse a workplace issue relevant to mental health and wellbeing, using tools and frameworks applied throughout the course. Industry input will be secured to provide a real-world problem and enable you to test and refine your proposed solution. You will also be required to apply a reflexive approach that recognises the wider context and your role as a change-maker.