PY3EAC1-Engagement and Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems in Children and Young People

Module Provider: Psychology
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: Co-requisites: PY3FPC1, PY3LIC1, PY3WES1, PY3PES1 and PY3IES1 must be passed.
Co-requisites: PY3FPC1 Fundamental Principles for Working with Children and Young People and PY3LIC1 Evidence-Based Low Intensity Interventions for Children and Young People and PY3WES1 Working, Assessing and Engaging in Education Settings and PY3PES1 Common Problems and Processes in Education Settings and PY3IES1 Interventions for Emerging Mental Health Difficulties in Education Settings
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Miss Anjali Mehta
Email: a.mehta2@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) assess and support children and young people (CYP) with common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. To do so they must be able to undertake a robust client-centred assessment, which reflects a shared understanding of the CYP’s current difficulties and their goals, and informs how decisions are made with the family about the best next steps. This module provides teaching on the incidence, prevalence and presentation of common mental health problems experienced by CYP, and training in conducting assessment. It includes training in client-centred information-gathering, risk assessment, use of standardised measures, information-giving and shared decision-making. In all these areas of assessment students need to be able to engage children, young people and their carers, and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner.

Aims:

Students will be able to identify and differentiate between common mental health problems affecting CYP, be aware of the evidence-based therapeutic options available, and be able to communicate this knowledge in a clear and unambiguous way so that informed treatment choices can be made. They will be able to assess and identify areas of difficulty, including risk, and establish main areas for change. The module will also equip students to establish and maintain a working therapeutic alliance, navigate and signpost to appropriate interventions, and engage the CYP/family to support them in self-management of recovery. Students will use Routine Outcome Measures and standardised assessment tools effectively, and be able to deliver all aspects of assessment working remotely or in-person.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students must demonstrate

1. Ability to safely and effectively conduct MH assessments including risk assessments under supervision, face-to-face or remotely in line with service policy.


2. Knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of concepts of mental health and mental illness, diagnostic category systems in mental health of children and young people and a range of social, medical and psychological explanatory models.


3. Know ledge of, and competence in applying the principles, purposes and different elements of assessment undertaken with CYP presenting with common mental health problems.


4. Knowledge of, and competence in using ‘common factors’ to engage CYP, gather information, build a therapeutic alliance, manage the emotional content of sessions and grasp the CYP’s perspective or “world view”.


5. Knowledge of, and competence in ‘client-centred’ i nformation gathering to arrive at a succinct and collaborative definition of the CYP’s main mental health difficulties and the impact this has on their daily lives.


6. Knowledge of, and competence in recognising patterns of symptoms consistent with diagnostic categories of mental disorder from a client-centred interview.


7. Knowledge of, and competence in accurate risk assessment, protective factors for risks associated with mental health difficulties and risks to the absence of positive health or wellbeing. Understanding of the cumulative nature of risk, the age specificity of risk, and ability to advise on risk mitigation and reduction.


8. Knowledge of, and competence in the use of standardised assessment measures to aid problem recognition and definition, and subsequent decision-making


9. Knowledge, understanding and competence in using behaviour change models in identifying intervention goals and choice of appropriate interv entions.


10. Knowledge of, and competence in giving evidence-based information about treatment choices and in making shared decisions with CYP.


11. Competence in understanding the CYP’s attitude to a range of treatment choices including evidence-based psychological treatments.

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

The module will comprise of in-class and online teaching, clinical skills practice/supervised clinical practice, supervision in-service and independent study.

Clinical Supervision

• Each student will have clinical supervision weekly in a group of no more than 6. 


• Recorded material from training cases should be included at some point during a significant majority of supervision sessions.

At the end of the course when clinical work has been completed the supervisor will be asked to complete a pro-forma assessment form and indicate whether or not a student has reached a satisfactory level of clinical practice.

The teaching will be supplemented by an equivalent number of hours of clinical practice in the workplace under supervision of an experienced practitioner and supervisor.

Global context:

The content follows a national curriculum.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The aims of this module will be achieved through a series of lectures, seminars, discussion groups, guided reading, self-practice/self-reflection activities, problem-based learning tasks, and independent study. Skills based competencies will be learnt through a combination of clinical simulation in small groups working intensively under close supervision with peer and tutor feedback. In addition, they will be supplemented by e-learning material and experience of assessment and treatment of cl ients within the workplace (under close supervision in the workplace). Teaching will be provided by course tutors, with some national and international experts where appropriate.  

Contact hours:

•  To include approximately 10 days in total to be split between in-class and online teaching, clinical simulation, and university-directed learning days to be spent undertaking practice-based learning and e-learning activities . These will last from 9.30 to 4.30 pm unless otherwise stated. Teaching days comprise of 50% clinical skills practice on average. In addition, teaching will be supplemented by experience of assessment and treatment of clients within the workplace (supervised in the workplace). 

Teaching contact hours: 



The total minimum teaching contact hours (including clinical skills workshops) across all modules for the EMHP course is 37 3.75 hours (65 University days; including university-directed learning days). 

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

There are two parts to this assessment.

1. A practical skills assessment where students are required to submit a recording of a clinical session to demonstrate skills in engagement, assessment, information giving and shared decision making. The client must be a different presentation to the recording submitted in PY3LIC (e.g. if a parenting client is submitted for PY3EAC, a behavioural treatment of anxiety or low mood with an adolescent must be submitted for PY3LIC).


2. A written assignment on their work with the client in the practical skills assessment above (assessment 1) to include reflection on their clinical skills in the session.

These 2 assessments are equally weighted.

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

Penalties for late submission on this module are in accordance with the University policy. Please refer to page 5 of the Postgraduate Guide to Assessment for further information: http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-guidePG.aspx

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of at least 50% (and no auto-fails) in the skills-based assessment (assessment number 1).

A mark of at least 40% in the academic based assessment (assessment number 2).

100% attendance on taught days is expected. The minimum requirement is for 80% live attendance of teaching in each module in order to pass the programme.

If, for any reason, a trainee misses a teaching session, they will be expected to access a video of the missed teaching followed by either a tutorial or a 500 word reflection (as determined by the course team). Topping-up missed teaching in this way is evidenced in the Portfolio assessment which sits within PY3LIC-1. If attendance falls below 80% for any module it will not be possible to use top-up alone to compensate for missed sessions.

Reassessment arrangements:

Students who do not obtain the required pass mark in the assessed work will be given the opportunity to resubmit, on one further occasion, any individual assessment that has been failed. The resit grade cannot exceed 50% for the practical skills assessment and 40% for the academic assessment.

Completion of studies is dependent on employment within a MHST partnered with University of Reading and ongoing access to a CYP MH appropriate clinical caseload. Students must successfully pass all modules of the training programme. Therefore a student’s studies may be terminated if they are no longer working in a partnership service, no longer have access to an ongoing CYP MH appropriate caseload, or fail coursework at second attempt.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: None

2) Specialist equipment or materials: None

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: None

4) Printing and binding: None

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: None

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: None

Last updated: 20 September 2021