University of Technology Sydney

090048 Collaborative and Integrative Mental Health Care

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Health
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 96321 Collaborative and Integrative Mental Health Care

Description

This subject is designed to introduce students to contemporary understandings of mental health, wellbeing, and mental health issues and their relationship to the provision of holistic healthcare. Students explore the prevalence of mental health issues in the Australian community, including experiences of anxiety, depression, substance use, co-existing physical health concerns, suicidality, and self-harm, and the impacts for individuals, their families and/or significant others. The subject examines the recovery model of mental health care that focuses on lived experiences of mental health issues and personal recovery, inherent in national frameworks and policies. The development of the skills of collaborative, clinician-consumer partnerships and advanced therapeutic communication, necessary for integrated mental health assessment and care are applied to students’ current clinical practice in the healthcare sector.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
A. Critically appraise contemporary understandings of mental health, wellbeing, and mental health issues and assess their application to holistic practice.
B. Demonstrate an understanding of the prevalence of mental health issues of the Australian population and the most frequently used therapeutic interventions.
C. Examine the psychosocial and physical impacts for individuals, their families and/or significant others of living with mental health issues.
D. Critically analyse the recovery model of mental health care inherent in national frameworks and policies and apply the principles to collaborative and integrated mental health care.
E. Critically reflect on their own clinical practice to determine to what extent they currently provide collaborative and integrated mental health care.
F. Develop and demonstrate the advanced skills of collaborative partnerships and therapeutic communication for integrated mental health assessment and care and apply them to their current clinical practice.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:

  • Identify, and evaluate and apply the best available evidence for translation into practice to achieve optimal health outcomes (1.1)
  • Demonstrates ability to collaborate to achieve evidence-based change and transformation for optimal health care outcomes (2.1)
  • Synthesise evidence-based principles of quality and safety to achieve optimal health outcomes (3.2)
  • Evaluate and select contextually appropriate communication approaches, giving agency to a diverse range of healthcare consumers to make informed decisions about their own health (4.1)
  • Practice safe and effective person and family centred care which embodies relevant professional codes and standards (5.1)
  • Demonstrate compassionate, empathic, ethical and collaborative clinical practice (5.2)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:

Critical thinking: Are reflective critical thinkers who examine and contribute to practice, policy and research to achieve clinical excellence and enhance health outcomes (1.0)

Leadership: Are visionary, innovative and responsive leaders (2.0)

Accountability: Are socially, culturally and ethically aware and accountable when engaging with health care consumers, families/significant others, interdisciplinary teams, communities, organisations and authorities (3.0)

Communication: Communicate effectively and professionally in diverse and dynamic situations (4.0)

Professional qualities: Embody the professional qualities appropriate to the scope of their role (5.0)

Indigenous cultural respect: Demonstrate professional capabilities to work effectively with and for Indigenous peoples and communities across the health profession (6.0)

Teaching and learning strategies

Orientation activities
Preparation for the session - You are expected to undertake activities during orientation week. These activities are designed to introduce you to the subject and your peers, and will assist you to prepare for the subject's assessment tasks.

Independent learning activities
Relevant readings, videos and activities will be made available online relevant to the topic of the week. This will support your ability to progress successfully throughout the subject and complete assessment items effectively. The online material aims to enhance your understanding of the topic or delve deeper into a more specific area, compare experiences and ideas with others and gain feedback. Information and links to all these learning activities can be accessed via Canvas as well as the subject outline.

Zoom meetings
You are strongly encouraged to attend all scheduled Zoom meetings as they will prepare you for the subject’s assessment tasks. Additionally, they provide opportunities for group activities, discussion, self-assessment, peer review and formative feedback from the subject coordinator and your teaching team. The schedule for this subject’s zoom meetings is below in the program section.

Feedback
Feedback in this subject takes several forms including self-assessment, peer review, automatic feedback from interactive activities and from the teaching team. Formative feedback throughout the subject aims to increase your performance in summative assessments.

Feedback and changes from previous subject offering
Feedback from the previous offering was positive and no major changes have been made. Several resources and readings have been updated and/or refined to maintain subject quality, accuracy and relevance.

Content (topics)

Mental health, wellbeing, and mental health issues/conditions

  • Mental health and wellbeing, mental health issues, and prevention of mental ill-health.
  • Prevalence of mental health conditions and suicidality in Australia
  • Australian mental health services
  • The clinical and peer mental health workforce

Lived experience of mental health issues/conditions

  • Lived experiences of mental health issues: frameworks and advocacy, impacts for the individual, the Lived Experience Framework NSW, impacts for families and carers
  • Contemporary therapeutic approaches to mental health conditions

Recovery-focused mental health practice

  • Frameworks for recovery-focused Practice: National Recovery Framework, 5th National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan
  • Embedding recovery principles, personal recovery, and lived experiences within recovery-focused practice
  • Collaborative partnerships: experts by lived experience and experts by learning/ profession

Developing recovery-focused practice

  • Therapeutic alliance and therapeutic optimism
  • Therapeutic interactions: Conversational approaches - active listening, listening for themes and feelings, empathic responding
  • Strengths-based Assessments, mental state and psychosocial assessment
  • Collaborative goal-setting and planning
  • Reflection on clinical practice

Reflective practice and strengths-based assessment

  • Defining reflective practice
  • Practical considerations
  • Strengths-based mental health assessments

Consolidation of knowledge and application to practice

  • Recovery-focused therapuetic interaction
  • Reflection

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Mental Health Care in Australia

Intent:

This task enables you to synthesise and apply your knowledge of mental health and wellbeing, the prevalence and lived experiences of mental health conditions, and service delivery within the Australian mental health care system.

Objective(s):

This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s):

A, B and C

This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s):

1.1, 2.1 and 5.1

Type: Quiz/test
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 15%
Length:

45 minutes to complete 30 multiple-choice questions.

Assessment task 2: Critical analysis of person-centred practice within the Recovery Model of Mental Health Care for marginalised peoples

Intent:

This task enables you to critically analyse and synthesise the elements and principles of person-centred practice that underpin the recovery model of mental health care and apply these to people who are from a socially marginalised group.

Objective(s):

This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s):

A, C and D

This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s):

1.1, 2.1, 3.2 and 5.2

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 50%
Length:

Maximum 12 slides (including a title page and final reference slide) with speaker notes of 1000 words +/-10%.

Assessment task 3: Recovery-focused Therapeutic Communication

Intent:

The task requires you to critically analyse and apply your knowledge and therapeutic skills of recovery-focused communications in your practice with people who have lived experiences of mental health conditions and social marginalisation and to evaluate aspects of your knowledge and skills that could be enhanced through further personal professional development.

Objective(s):

This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s):

A, B, D, E and F

This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s):

1.1, 2.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 5.2

Type: Reflection
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 35%
Length:

1200 words +/-10% (excluding reference lists and appendices)

Other resources

UTS Student Centre
Building 10

Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)

Details for student centres: www.uts.edu.au/current-students/contacts/general-contacts

For other resources/ information refer to the Faculty of Health website (www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-health) and Canvas at: https://canvas.uts.edu.au/

UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: https://www.lib.uts.edu.au/, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: (02) 9514 3666.

Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.

HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.

Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.

The Accessibility and Financial Assistance Service
Accessibility Service can support students with disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, including temporary injuries (e.g., broken limbs). The Accessibility Service works with Academic Liaison Officers in each Faculty to provide ‘reasonable adjustments’ such as exam provisions, assistive technology, requests and strategies for managing your studies alongside your health condition. If you’re unsure whether you need assistance, we recommend getting in touch early and we can provide advice on how our service can assist you. Make an appointment with an Accessibility Consultant (AC) on +61 2 9514 1177 or Accessibility@uts.edu.au.

The Financial Assistance Service can assist you with financial aspects of life at university, including Centrelink information, tax returns and budgeting, interest-free student loans and grants to assist with course-related costs. Check eligibility and apply online and make an appointment on +61 2 9514 1177 or Financial.assistance@uts.edu.au.