SPSW3008

Mental Disorder: Critical Practice Approaches

Faculty of Education and Arts School of Humanities and Social Science

10 Units 3000 Level Course

Available in 2013

Callaghan Campus	Semester 2

Previously offered in 2009, 2004

This course links theoretical perspectives of mental health and disorder to their practical application in the context of social and community care. In particular, it critiques contemporary policy and intervention programs from a strengths-based anti-discriminatory perspective.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate:

1. An understanding of the different theoretical perspectives used in the study and analysis of community mental health policy and practice.

2. A knowledge of key ideologies, discourses of mental health, and their pragmatic prescriptions for policy development and implementation.

3. An ability to critically evaluate and analyse policies, intervention programs and community mental health research.

4. Skills in writing academic essays, reports, tutorial presentations, research, theoretical and methodological skills.

Content

1. Introduction: Social Causes and Consequences of Mental Illness.
2. Social reactions to Mental Illness.
3. The Relationship between public attitudes and professional labels.
4. Medicalisation of Deviant Behaviour as Mental Illness.
5. Deinstitutionalisation and Community Mental Health.
6. Policy Programs and Community Based Services.
7. Psychopolitics: Feminist Critiques.
8. Individual Rights and the Mental Health System.
9. Cross Cultural Issues.
10. Radical accounts of policy trends: Capitalist economies and welfare provision.
11. Anti-Discriminatory and Anti-Oppressive Perspectives.
12. Confronting injustice and oppression: Strategies for social action.
13. Emanicipatory Participative Action Research
14. Comparative Mental Health Policy

Replacing Course(s)

SPSW3080 Community Based Mental Health.

Transition

Not applicable.

Industrial Experience

Assumed Knowledge

SPSW1001 Intro to Human Service and Community Welfare or equivalent.

Modes of Delivery

Internal Mode

Teaching Methods

Experience Based Learning
Seminar

Assessment Items

Essays / Written Assignments	Major Essay - 2500 words - 60%.
Presentations - Individual	Seminar Presentation - 1500 words - 40%.

Contact Hours

Seminar: for 2 hour(s) per Week for Full Term

Timetables