Clinical Psychology of Special Groups: Intellectual Disabilities/Older Adults
This course focuses on the clinical psychology of those with intellectual disabilities and the elderly. Half of the course will be devoted to each of these groups. Teaching on intellectual disabilities will cover the definition, aetiology and assessment of intellectual disability, service provision, and psychological interventions for individuals and their carers. Teaching on the elderly builds on the earlier coverage of the neuropsychological assessment of this group to encompass the role of psychologists in ameliorating the effects of dementia on individuals and their carers. The teaching also covers therapeutic interventions for behavioural disturbances and emotional disorders.
Faculty of Science and Information Technology
School of Psychology
Semester 2 - 2016
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Assess the intellectual deficits and level of adaptive behaviour of people with intellectual disability.
- Assess the support needs of people with intellectual disability and take appropriate steps to ensure those needs are met.
- Assess the needs of the carers of people with intellectual disability and take appropriate steps to ensure those needs are met.
- Identify the factors determining the formation and maintenance of the common behavioural and psychological problems of people with intellectual disability and develop appropriate intervention strategies for the amelioration of those problems.
- Assess the functional capacity and competence of older adults and communicate the results of those assessments to caregivers.
- Assess the needs of the carers of elderly people and take appropriate steps to ensure those needs are met.
- Identify the factors determining the formation and maintenance of the common behavioural and psychological problems of the elderly and develop appropriate intervention strategies for the amelioration of those problems.
- Implement intervention strategies and evaluate their success.
- Definition, aetiology and assessment of intellectual disabilities (IQ and adaptive behaviour).
- Assessing and meeting the needs of people with intellectual disabilities.
- The impact of intellectual disability on the family
- Models of behavioural assessment and intervention for people with intellectual disabilities.
- Dual diagnosis: intellectual disability and mental health problems.
- Psychological aspects of normal aging.
- Cognition, functional capacity, and competency in the elderly.
- Dementing illnesses: The role of the psychologist.
- Behavioural disturbance among the elderly: assessment and management.
- Depressive illnesses, grief/bereavement, promoting well-being.
- Anxiety disorders (including PTSD) among the elderly.
- Carers of the elderly with chronic diseases: Listening, informing, educating, and counselling.
- This course is only available to students enrolled in the Master of Clinical Psychology or Doctor of Clinical Psychology programs.
||It is assumed that students will have completed courses in lifespan developmental psychology and individual differences within a four-year program in Psychology which has been accredited by the Australian Psychological Society. It is also assumed that students will have completed PSYC6507, Cognitive and Neuropsychological Assessment.
- Tutorial / Laboratory Exercises: Weekly in-class interactive case-work
- Viva Voce: Clinical viva
- Presentation: Critical case presentation
- Case Study / Problem Based Learning: Case Study
- Seminar: for 3 hour(s) per Week for Full Term
2016 Course Timetables for PSYC6513