96835 Psychological Disorders and Interventions
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 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 96832 Introduction to Psychology Foundations AND 96833 Introduction to Psychological Science
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
Understanding psychological disorders and interventions is an important and evolving area of inquiry in psychology. In this subject, students critically evaluate historical perspectives and contemporary models of the development, classification, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders. Students learn how various socio-cultural factors and scientific developments have shaped dominant models of professional understanding and practice. Students apply their knowledge and critical thinking skills to case examples, considering a range of theoretical models and evaluating the evidence-base of psychological interventions.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 006. | Apply advanced knowledge of the causes of psychological disorders |
|---|---|
| 008. | Differentiate between what does and does not meet criteria for a psychological disorder according to current dominant classification systems |
| 025. | Critically evaluate evidence based treatment options for psychological disorders |
| 048. | Critically reflect on ethical and/or social issues relevant to theoretical models of psychology |
| 059. | Apply advanced knowledge and skills that are responsive to cultural diversity, including Indigenous Australians and Indigenous Australian contexts |
| 064. | Justify diverse models of psychological disorders, intervention and/or service delivery |
| 096. | Apply critical reflection to professional practice issues within an evolving discipline |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Culturally Appropriate: Evaluate knowledge and skills required for research and professional practice that is sensitive to diversity of individuals, culturally appropriate, and cognisant of the impacts of ongoing colonisation on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. (1.1)
- Psychological Literacy: Apply psychological science to meet personal, professional, and societal goals. (2.1)
- Lifelong Learning: Assemble knowledge, skills and attributes required for self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology and for ongoing personal and professional development. (3.1)
- Values, Skills, and Ethics: Employ appropriate knowledge, values, and ethical standards in psychological research and practice. (4.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
Culturally responsive
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology are culturally responsive professionals, able to reflect on and explain their own cultural perspectives and cultural differences, particularly in the context of working with and for Indigenous Australians
Psychologically and technologically literate
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology understand psychology and behaviour from an evidence-based perspective, can apply psychological science to real-world problems, and are competent in the analysis and critique research.
Lifelong Learning
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology appreciate the importance of lifelong learning and are equipped to undertake ongoing learning for personal and professional development.
Global citizen
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology possess respectful attitudes that allow them to contribute meaningfully to society as global citizens who promote and support fairness and social justice, and who are sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
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 available on Canvas.
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
The assessments in this subject have been updated based on student feedback received following the previous delivery of this subject
We will be collecting feedback from you in several forms to evaluate the design and depth of the content and its delivery. We appreciate you taking part in this process to ensure we are delivering subjects that are contemporary and meet your needs.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Understanding Psychological Disorders
| Intent: | The intention of this assessment is for students to gain experience applying their advanced knowledge of theoretical psychological models for understanding psychological disorders. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 006 and 048 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 500 words |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas |
Assessment task 2: Diagnosis: Clinical Case Vignettes
| Intent: | The intention of this assessment is for students to gain experience using their advanced knowledge of the current dominant diagnostic classification systems while also considering the important role of context. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 008 and 096 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.1 and 3.1 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | 3 short answer questions (2 X 500 word responses and 1 x 250 word response) |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas. |
Assessment task 3: Treatment Planning
| Intent: | The intention of this assessment is to provide students with experience applying their advanced knowledge and critical evaluation skills to treatment planning. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 025, 059 and 064 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 1.1, 3.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | 2 short answer questions (1 X 500 word response and 1 x 750 word response) |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas. |
Recommended texts
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.).
Barlow, D.H., Durand, V.M., & Hoffman, S.G. (2023). Psychopathology: An Integrative Approach to Mental Disorders. (9th Ed.) Cengage.
References
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). (2020). Assessment of coursework subjects policy and procedures, UTS.
A comprehensive list of references and other resources are available in this subject in Canvas.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
For other resources/information refer to the Faculty of Health website and Canvas.
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: lib.uts.edu.au, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: +61 2 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.