PSY913 Child and Adolescent Mental Health 1

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Psychosocial Work with Children and Adolescents, Continuing Education

Teaching language

This course is taught in Norwegian and an English translation of the course description is not available.

Course contents

• Childhood, youth and culture. Growing up conditions, development progress, identity creation, body, gender and sexuality.

• Well-being and conditions which promote a good mental health for children, adolescents and their families; financial conditions and standard of living among children and adolescents; home conditions, local environment and belonging; familiy/friends/social network and social identity; culture- and leisure time activities, social meeting points and meaningful activities; kindergarden/school/work and coping with every day requirements of various skills, strategies for coping and social protection factors.

• Societally induced unhealthiness - about challenges created by the media, processes of social marginalisation, poverty and social inequalities in health, homosexual identity development and problems related to migration and mental health.

• Indications of psychosocial problems and mental unhealth of children and adolescents; drugs and drug addiction, game addiction, problems at school and difficulties of adaption, sorrow and sadness, self-made injuries and suicidality, eating disorders, internalising and externalising behaviour, crime.

• Mental illness among children and adolescents - depression, suicidality, eating disorders, ADHD, development disorders, behavioural problems, psychosis.

• Classification and psychiatric diagnoses related to children and adolescents; areas of application, challenges and professional ethical dilemmas.

• Knowledge about uncommon disabilities related to mental health.

 

 

Learning outcomes

 On successful completion of the course, students will:

• have a critical and reflected attitude related to various perspectives on normality and a normal development for children, adolescents and families, and interruptions of normal development;

• have an understanding and knowledge of basic conditions for promoting and developing children´s and adolescents´ psychosocial abilities to cope;

• have skills in systemising, documenting and communicating their own and others´ experienced-based knowledge;

• have competence to identify social aspects which can influence the development of difficulties for children and adolescents;

• have an insight into research, evaluation and quality assurance of mental health work among children and adolescents;

• regard the user¿s perspective as a foundation for his/her own work;

Examination requirements

a. Attendance requirements for compulsory parts of the course must be met.

b. Coursework requirements must be fulfilled. Please refer to the course brochure for details.

Expected work load is 270 hours.

Teaching methods

Lectures

80 % certified attendance is required on scheduled lectures.

Seminars

Seminars have a dialogical approach in which the students actively participate and are invited to reflect upon their own understanding. Seminars are compulsory and 80 % certified attendance is required.

Literature studies and assignments

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1. Information about evaluation method for the course will be posted on Canvas.

Assessment methods and criteria

A graded 5-hour individual written examination.