PYMEAA-Engagement and Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems

Module Provider: Psychology
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn and Spring (Double presentation)
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Miss Nakita Oldacre
Email: n.m.oldacre@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs) assess and support people with common mental health problems in the self-management of their recovery. To do so they must be able to undertake a range of patient-centred assessments and be able to identify the main areas of concern relevant to the assessment undertaken. They need to have knowledge and competence to be able to apply these in a range of different assessment formats and settings. These different elements or types of assessment include screening/triage assessment; risk assessment; provisional diagnostic assessment; mental health clustering assessment; psychometric assessment (using the IAPT standardised symptoms measures); problem focused assessment; and intervention planning assessment. In all these assessments they need to be able to engage patients and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner.

Aims:

Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs) assess and support people with common mental health problems in the self-management of their recovery. To do so they must be able to undertake a range of patient-centred assessments and be able to identify the main areas of concern relevant to the assessment undertaken. They need to have knowledge and competence to be able to apply these in a range of different assessment formats and settings. These different elements or types of assessment include screening/triage assessment; risk assessment; provisional diagnostic assessment; mental health clustering assessment; psychometric assessment (using the IAPT standardised symptoms measures); problem focused assessment; and intervention planning assessment. In all these assessments they need to be able to engage patients and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner.

They must have knowledge of mental health disorders and the evidence-based therapeutic options available and be able to communicate this knowledge in a clear and unambiguous way so that people can make informed treatment choices. In addition, they must have knowledge of behaviour change models and how these can inform choice of goals and interventions. This module will, therefore, equip PWPs with a good understanding of the incidence, prevalence and presentation of common mental health problems and evidenced-based treatment choices. Skills teaching will develop PWPs’ core ‘common factors’ competencies of active listening, engagement, alliance building, patient-centred information gathering, information giving and shared decision making.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students must demonstrate

1) knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of concepts of mental health and mental illness, diagnostic category systems in mental health and a range of social, medical and psychological explanatory models.

2) knowledge of, and competence in applying the principles, purposes and different types of assessment undertaken with people with common mental health problems.

3) knowledge of, and competence in using ‘common factors’ to engage patients, gather information, build a therapeutic alliance with people with common mental health problems, manage the emotional content of sessions and grasp the client’s perspective or “world view”.

4) knowledge of, and competence in ‘patient-centred’ information gathering to arrive at a succinct and collaborative definition of the person’s main mental health difficulties and the impact this has on their daily living.

5) knowledge of, and competence in recognising patterns of symptoms consistent with diagnostic categories of mental disorder from a patient-centred interview and able to assess and recognise any risks to self and others posed by patients.

6) knowledge of, and competence in accurate risk assessment to patient or others.

7) knowledge of, and competence in the use of standardised assessment tools including symptom and other psychometric instruments to aid problem recognition and definition and subsequent decision making.

8) knowledge, understanding and competence in usin