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Unit of study_
NURS5085: Mental Health Nursing Practice
2026 unit information
This unit of study is based on the principle that mental health is an integral aspect of overall health and wellbeing. Understanding mental health and mental health issues, and appropriate knowledge and skills to promote psychosocial wellbeing and effectively respond to psychosocial distress, are essential for all nurses. This unit is underpinned by a whole-person strengthsbased approach. Students will be introduced to the spectrum of mental health and wellbeing and psychosocial distress and mental health conditions. They will explore how these are experienced across the life span and by different sociocultural groups. Using the biopsychosocial framework, students will develop their understanding of the lived experiences of mental health issues and conditions, including the challenges of stigma and discrimination, and the impacts of personal and clinical recovery. The role of the nurse will be explored in relation to promoting mental health and wellbeing and working in partnership with people and their supports to effectively respond to psychosocial distress, manage the impacts of mental health conditions, and promote recovery. Poor physical health can increase the complexity and burden of the experience of mental ill health conditions, therefore physical health conditions alongside mental health conditions, and their combined implications for nursing practice are also examined.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Nursing and Midwifery |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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NURS5084 or NURS5206 |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. comprehend the varied trajectories of mental health and well being and psychosocial distress and mental health conditions, and can integrate the potential influences of sociocultural contexts, risk and protective factors, and co-morbid conditions into their understanding
- LO2. locate, critique, synthesise, and effectively discuss/convey the contemporary evidence for various therapeutic approaches and treatments for a range of mental health issues, and co-morbid physical health concerns experienced by people across the life span, and from various sociocultural groups
- LO3. articulate a broad and coherent understanding of the nurse's role in promoting mental health, preventing mental health issues developing and helping people manage the impacts of mental health conditions, and can integrate this knowledge into planning and delivering nursing interventions, documenting nursing practice, and communicating with health professionals
- LO4. integrate their understanding of a whole-person/biopsychosocial approach to nurse practice, by applying key principles related to valuing lived experience and working collaboratively with patients as partners in their care, and being recovery-orientated, trauma-informed, strength-focused and culturally safe in their therapeutic practice
- LO5. demonstrate capability to provide therapeutic mental health care as a beginning practitioner within the multidisciplinary team, in the areas of mental health assessment, psychotherapeutic approaches, clinical treatments and interpersonal communication
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney | |
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Westmead, Sydney |
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Semester 2 2026
|
Normal day | Westmead, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.