PY3EAA: Engagement and Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems

Module code: PY3EAA

Module provider: Psychology; School of Psych and Clin Lang Sci

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Double Presentation: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Miss Nakita Oldacre , email: n.m.oldacre@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE PY3TRT AND TAKE PY3VEC (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

As detailed in the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) national curriculum (2022):

This module will equip students training as PWPs with a good understanding of the incidence, prevalence and presentation of common mental health problems and evidence-based treatment choices. Skills teaching will develop PWPs’ core ‘common factors’ competencies of active listening, engagement, alliance building, client-centred information gathering, information giving and shared decision making.

The student will learn how to support people with common mental health problems in the self-management of their recovery. The module provides students with the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of undertaking client-centred assessments across a range of different assessment formats, settings and delivery methods. These different assessment types include screening/triage assessment within an Talking Therapies service; risk assessment; provisional diagnostic (problem descriptor) assessment; psychometric assessment (using the Talking Therapies standardised symptom measures); problem focused assessment; and intervention planning assessment. In all these components of assessment, students need to be able to engage clients and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner.

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Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in applying the principles, purposes and different types of assessment undertaken with people with common mental health disorders (across in-person, telephone and video-based modes of delivery).
2. Demonstrate 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 the impact of this on both themselves and the client and hold boundaries.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in recognising patterns of symptoms consistent with diagnostic categories of mental disorders (according to ICD 11) from a patient- centred interview, and by doing so correctly identify the correct primary problem descriptor.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in accurate risk assessment to patients or others to ensure practitioners can be upskilled to confidently manage this effectively.Ìý

Further details can be found within the national curriculum (July, 2022):

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Module content

• Concepts and categories of mental health
• A range of assessment strategies; including triage, risk and symptom assessment
• Common factor skills and engaging the client
• Client-centred information gathering
• Use of standardised assessment tools
• Developing skills in behaviour change models to identify goals and intervention
• Assessing attitudes to treatment including medication and psychological interventions
• Accurate recording of information

Further details can be found within the national curriculum (July, 2022):

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Skills-based competencies will be learnt through a combination of clinical simulation in small g