Unit Synopsis
You will critically evaluate the dominant and alternative models of mental health through a lens of diversity and inclusion, placing a strong emphasis on lived experience perspectives. You will be encouraged to engage with a range of theoretical frameworks and consider the ways in which different models can impact service users. The unit will also cover a range of assessment and intervention strategies in mental health, exploring the role of social work in this context. You will consider the values and ethics that underpin professional practice, as well as human rights and social justice principles. This unit offers a comprehensive and critical exploration of mental health within a social work context. Through engagement with theory and practice, you will develop the knowledge and skills required to work effectively in this complex and evolving field.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Successful completion of 48 credit points in any course. Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 40% |
| 2. Group Work | 60% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Student feedback
Review of Assessment 1 identified that some students had not accessed the detailed assessment guidance and report template provided in Moodle, instead relying solely on the information contained within the Unit Profile.
Review the presentation and communication of assessment information to ensure key assessment requirements and links to supporting resources are clearly signposted within both the Unit Profile and Moodle.
In Progress
Source: Student feedback
Students consistently reported that they valued the involvement of mental health clinicians in the unit, particularly the use of real-world practice examples. This contributed to a more applied and authentic learning experience, helping students connect theoretical concepts to contemporary social work practice.
Maintain and, where possible, expand the involvement of practicing mental health clinicians in the unit to further strengthen the integration of real-world perspectives and enhance student engagement and applied learning.
Continued to engage experienced mental health clinicians in the delivery of the unit and incorporated contemporary practice examples to strengthen the connection between theory and practice.
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Examine the socio-political and historical context of mental health and how this has shaped mental health service delivery.
- Apply social work strategies effectively in interdisciplinary contexts while incorporating professional values and ethics.
- Analyse the dominant discourses and alternative discourses and constructions of mental health, including alternative mental health constructions which include the Lived Experience perspective, cultural and Indigenous perspectives, and a human rights and social justice perspective.
Learning outcomes are linked to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS, 2020).
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | |
| 2 - Group Work | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | ||
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | ||
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |