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Unit of study_

SCWK2008: Social Perspectives on Mental Health

2024 unit information

This unit of study focuses on a range of social perspectives on mental health. It introduces students to mental health issues commonly experienced in contemporary society, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, drug and alcohol addiction, self-harm and suicidality. It also explores several contextual issues surrounding the topic of mental illness, including the social determinants of mental illness, labelling and stigma, working with young people experiencing distress, working with families, the effects of child abuse and domestic violence, and grief.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Social Work

Code SCWK2008
Academic unit Social Work
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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48 credit points including (SCLG1001 and SCLG1002) or (12cp of SCLG1U01) or (12cp of 1000 level units in Diversity Studies)
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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SCWK2005
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. analyse key contemporary debates in mental health policy and practice
  • LO2. discuss the relationship between emotional distress and the social environment
  • LO3. reflect on lived experience narratives of mental distress, including critiques of service provision, and how these can inform social work practice
  • LO4. appreciate the multiple forms of discrimination facing people diagnosed with a mental illness, and discuss the social work role in addressing such discrimination
  • LO5. articulate a working knowledge of commonly diagnosed mental health problems
  • LO6. explain the contribution of social work concepts to the contemporary mental health field, including the relationship between mental health and human rights

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 ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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.