Child Dev.Issues & Treatment Approaches

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

PSYC00008 Ethics and Professional Issues

PSYC00021 Child Assessment and Therapy

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This component builds on the Child Assessment and Therapy unit. It will include a series of lectures examining the major schools of family therapy and the key issues that are common to all. Life cycle issues in the therapy system will be addressed. Major issues faced by clinicians working with adolescents will also be given particular attention including: family relationships; risk taking; independence issues; depression; personality disorders; self harm and suicidal tendencies; substance abuse; anti-social behaviours. The emphasis is on recognising risks, assessing the origins of and the influences on adolescent problems, and developing age and stage sensitive methods of working in the area. Students will be provided with an overview on the changing patterns, over the past decade, in the use of psychotropic medication with young people and the reasons for concerns about overuse/misuse. Infant mental health and treatment using group therapies will also be discussed.

To introduce students to systemic approaches to working with a young person and the family system in an ages and stage sensitive way addressing the major developmental, marital and family issues that impact upon children and adolescents.

The programme will also assist in developing an advanced understanding of the major diasnoses/clinical problems faced by clinicians working with childre,adolescents and their families. As such, the range of clinical and professional issues addressed will include the use of psychotropic medication and risk-taking behaviours in young clients.

One seminar paper presented in class from the adolescent lecture series. Each student is required to give an oral critique of a journal article from the Adolescent Development reading list and to lead a discussion of issues relating to the article (10% of assessment). Articles will be circulated during the first two weeks of semester.

One child/adolescent family case study of 2000 words - (90% of assessment). Students are asked to submit a case study based on one of their placemetn cases (de-identified) which outlines briefly the assessment of the case, and more fully, the formulation and intervention. The purpose of the case study is to focus on integrating material in two particular ways:

• By giving due weight to all aspects of the child/adolescent's context relevant to the presenting problmes and process issues, including family/marita/parental/school/peer factors and life cycle factors (although you may not be responsible for all of these);
• By making explicit and expanding on the theoretical underpinnings of your formulation and therapeutic intervention.

Reading pack available at the start of the seminar series.

Treatment of Childhood Disorders 3rd edition, edited by Eric J. Marsh and Russel A. Barkley 2006. The Guildford Press: New York

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

To introduce students to systemic approaches to working with a young person and the family system in an age and stage sensitive way addressing the major marital and family issues that impact upon children and adolescents. The program will also assist in developing an understanding of the major problems faced by clinicians working with children, adolescents and their families. As such, the range of clinical and professional issues addressed will include the use of psychotropic medication, risk-taking behaviours.