Course Resources Archive

Mental health disorders make a significant contribution to the burden of disease worldwide, but is recognised as a contested issue. Working within a biopsychosocial framework, the module explores ideas, models and psychological practice in mental health, encouraging students to review their own beliefs and experiences. Dominant themes will include recovery, stress-diathesis, and stigma. A lifespan approach to mental health and illness will be considered, with an emphasis on theoretical models, client formulation and psychotherapeutic approaches.  Students will develop foundational skills required for effective practice in Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical models that explain mental illness, client formulation within individual disorders, and evidence based therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness, and Solution Focussed Therapy. There will be an emphasis on deconstructing the concept of the severe mental ‘illnesses’ such as schizophrenia and exploration of the links between childhood trauma and distress in adulthood. The more common mental disorders will be explored, along with current perspectives on aetiologies and treatments.

The mind-brain relationship which are relevant to mental health will be explored, as well as social explanations of distress. Students will gain the opportunity to practice skills in Motivational Interviewing and / or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy within experiential workshops delivered by module leader. To ensure inclusion of content relative to psychology discipline, the syllabus will also take into consideration the practice areas of enrolled students (e.g. working with self harm and suicide in prisons for forensic practitioners and stress – health-burnout link for occupational psychologists).

Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical models that explain mental illness, client formulation within individual disorders, and evidence based therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness, and Solution Focussed Therapy. There will be an emphasis on deconstructing the concept of the severe mental ‘illnesses’ such as schizophrenia and exploration of the links between childhood trauma and distress in adulthood. The more common mental disorders will be explored, along with current perspectives on aetiologies and treatments.

The mind-brain relationship which are relevant to mental health will be explored, as well as social explanations of distress. Students will gain the opportunity to practice skills in Motivational Interviewing and / or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy within experiential workshops delivered by module leader. To ensure inclusion of content relative to psychology discipline, the syllabus will also take into consideration the practice areas of enrolled students (e.g. working with self harm and suicide in prisons for forensic practitioners and stress – health-burnout link for occupational psychologists).

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.