Clinical Placement 2B

Subject PSYC90078 (2010)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.

Credit Points: 18.75
Level: 9 (Graduate/Postgraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

Year Long, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable


Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: 55 placement days over the year
Total Time Commitment: Not available
Prerequisites:
  • 512-911 Clinical Placement 1
  • 512-950 Graduate Research Methods
  • 512-952 Psychological Assessment across the Lifespan
  • 512-953 Introduction to Psychopathology
  • 512-910 Adv Psychological Assessment & Diagnosis
    512-914 Adult Psychopathology
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: Completion of psychology studies to fourth-year (Honours) level.
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements, Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Dr Lisa Phillips

Contact

Psychology

12th floor Redmond Barry Building (Building 115 Map)

Telephone: + 61 3 8344 6377

Email: enquiries@psych.unimelb.edu.au

Web: http://psych.unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview:

This 55 day placement has two components:

(i) 55 days of field placement and

(ii) participation in Clinical Case Conference held weekly during the teaching period as instructed by the Stream Convenor.

(i) Field Placement. Students are required to successfully complete a field placements of a total of 55 days. Field placements may occur in a variety of mental health agencies across Melbourne. Students will typically be assigned to one placement context and, depending on availability, this may include child. Adolescent and adult, acute and rehabilitation, and specialist services. It should be noted that over the course of the Masters program, students are expected to experience a range of placements (e.g. adult, child, older age, specialist services). Generally students will be required to commit two days per week to external placements for 27 weeks of the year.

Supervisors for the field placement component will be registered as both psychologists and supervisors with the Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria. In most cases they will also be a member (or eligible for membership) of the College of Clinical Psychologists of the Australian Psychological Society. The field supervisors will be responsible for ensuring that students are adequately introduced to the field setting and for day-to-day supervision of the student’s placement. Field Supervisors will ensure that students are exposed to a range of clinical work, as far as possible allowing the student to function as a clinical psychologist within the facility.

(ii) Clinical Case Conference (Co-ordinator: Dr Lisa Phillips). There are two major purposes for the clinical case conference.

The first is to provide the opportunity (structure, feedback) for students to gain skills in presenting case material in an effective, professional manner, with emphases on the following:

  • Selection of material (clinical content and focus of presentation)
  • Organisation of the material (format; use of overheads, etc)
  • Personal presentation skills
  • Physical environment
  • Timing of presentations
  • Evaluation/feedback

The second is to provide the opportunity for students to discuss selected clinical issues in a large group format, with emphases on the following:

  • Focus/purpose for formal case presentations
  • Integration of clinical and research material within scientist-practitioner framework of professional practice.
  • Discussion of broad professional and ethical issues
  • Implementation of professional skills
Objectives: The subject aims to provide the students with further opportunities to experience a range of clinical presentations across the life span and to begin functioning as a clinical psychologist, under the supervision of a field supervisor. Students will receive further experience in history taking, conducting a mental state examination, arriving at a case formulation and making treatment plans. Under supervision, students will be given the opportunity to develop competency in the provision of psychological treatments to individuals and (where appropriate) groups. In addition, the subject aims to give the student experience of professional psychology practice, including professional presentation, report writing and record keeping, managing a clinical caseload, and liaison with other professional practitioners.
Assessment:

(1) A hurdle requirement of

(i) attendance at placement for 8 hours per day for at least two days per week over about 27 weeks and at

(ii) case conference (2 hours session scheduled fortnightly over the teaching semester) so that the placement period shall not be less than 440 hours in total.

(2) Completion of placement goals assessed on a pass/fail basis. The assessment is undertaken by the Placement Coordinator, in consultation with the supervising clinician, on the basis of satisfactory attainment of placement goals following APAC accreditation placement standards. Placement goals are as follows: Experience in the administration and interpretation of a range of psychological assessment strategies and the writing of psychological reports; understanding of typical courses and prognoses of disorders, and capacity to develop appropriate treatment and management plans; experience with a variety of intervention strategies, which may include case management, individual therapy, family therapy and/or group interventions, and to be capable of evaluating those interventions; experience in functioning as an independent clinical psychologist within the facility, although closely supervised by field supervisors.

Prescribed Texts: None
Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills: This placement subject is designed to promote an in-dept understanding of specialist practice, to expand the range of ways in which learning occurs; to develop a capacity to work collaboratively, to confront and manage unfamiliar problems, to value different cultures, and to develop a high regard for human rights, ethics and equity.

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