Course Outline Report: HLT210

What is this course about?

Description

*Not offered until Trimester 2, 2027*
In this course, you will explore the foundations of mental health care across a range of health contexts. You will learn about mental health conditions, recovery-oriented care, therapeutic communication, stigma, trauma, and intimate partner violence. You will develop skills in assessment, Cultural Safety, early intervention, and collaborative practice. You will also examine legal and ethical responsibilities and reflect on your role in person-centered, trauma-informed mental health care.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity	Hours	Beginning Week	Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online asynchronous learning and teaching materials.	1hr	Week 1	9 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus tutorial	3hrs	Week 1	9 times

Course Topics

Foundations of mental health care: person-centred, recovery-oriented, and trauma-informed practice, mental health promotion, stigma and discrimination

Common mental health presentations across health disciplines (e.g., depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorder)

Mental health assessments: Mental State Examination (MSE), risk assessments, and screening in multidisciplinary settings

The impact of trauma and intimate partner violence (IPV) on mental health and wellbeing

Therapeutic communication: building trust, responding to distress, maintaining professional boundaries, Cultural Safety and working effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities

Early intervention, mental health promotion, and suicide prevention strategies

Working collaboratively in interprofessional teams: roles and scopes of practice

Supporting families, carers, and significant others in mental health contexts

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to...		Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...	Professional Standard Mapping * Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
1	Appraise the principles of recovery-oriented and trauma-informed health care	Sustainability-focussed	1.1, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 3.3, 3.3, 3.4, 6.2
2	Integrate and plan safe care for individuals experiencing mental health conditions	Empowered	1.1, 1.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 6.1
3	Explain the impact of stigma, trauma, and social determinants on mental health and wellbeing	Knowledgeable	1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 2.2, 2.3, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4, 4.3, 6.2
4	Demonstrate culturally safe and collaborative mental health practice across diverse contexts	Ethical	1.1, 1.3, 1.3, 1.4, 1.7, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, 3.1, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 6.1, 7.2
5	Integrate academic conventions, effective communication techniques, and proficient digital literacy skills to produce coherent, ethical, scholarly, and professionally relevant work, engaging collaboratively where required.	Ethical	1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.6, 2.2, 2.6, 2.8, 3.1, 3.3, 3.3, 3.4, 7.2, 7.3, 7.3

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE	COMPETENCY
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
1.1	The midwife identifies what is important to women as the foundation for using evidence to promote informed decision-making, participation in care, and self-determination
1.2	The RN develops practice through reflection on experiences, knowledge, actions, feelings and beliefs to identify how these shape practice
1.3	The midwife uses health assessment and health education to support birth and reproductive health, and minimise the potential for complications
1.4	The RN complies with legislation, common law, policies, guidelines and other standards or requirements relevant to the context of practice when making decisions
1.5	The RN uses ethical frameworks when making decisions
1.6	The midwife supports the development, implementation and evaluation of evidenced-based health initiatives and programs
1.7	The midwife identifies and promotes the role of midwifery practice and the midwifery profession in influencing better health outcomes for women
2.1	The midwife supports the choices of the woman, with respect for families and communities in relation to maternity care
2.2	The midwife partners with women to strengthen women’s capabilities and confidence to care for themselves and their families
2.3	The RN recognises that people are the experts in the experience of their life
2.4	The midwife practises without the discrimination that may be associated with race, age, disability, sexuality, gender identity, relationship status, power relations and/or social disadvantage
2.5	The midwife practises cultural safety that is holistic, free of bias and exposes racism
2.6	The midwife practises in a way that respects that family and community underpin the health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
2.7	The RN actively fosters a culture of safety and learning that includes engaging with health professionals and others, to share knowledge and practice that supports person-centred care
2.8	The midwife participates in and/or leads collaborative practice
3.1	The midwife understands their scope of practice
3.3	The midwife participates in own continuing professional development to maintain the required knowledge and skill base for safe and effective practice
3.4	The midwife contributes to a culture that supports learning, teaching, knowledge transfer and critical reflection
3.5	The midwife engages in timely consultation, referral and documentation
3.6	The midwife uses relevant processes to identify, document and manage complexity and risk
3.7	The midwife recognises and responds appropriately where safe and quality practice may be compromised
4.1	The RN conducts assessments that are holistic as well as culturally appropriate
4.2	The RN uses a range of assessment techniques to systematically collect relevant and accurate information and data to inform practice
4.3	The RN works in partnership to determine factors that affect, or potentially affect, the health and well being of people and populations to determine priorities for action and/or for referral
5.1	The RN uses assessment data and best available evidence to develop a plan
6.1	The RN provides comprehensive safe, quality practice to achieve agreed goals and outcomes that are responsive to the nursing needs of people
6.2	The midwife practises to achieve the agreed goals and anticipated outcomes that meet the needs of the woman
7.2	The midwife revises plan and actions based on evidence and what is learned from evaluation
7.3	The midwife uses evaluation and reflection to inform future practice and professional development

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

NUR141 or NUR117 or HLT207 or NUR110 or NUR112 and enrolled in UB013, SC391, SC392 or SC393

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

HLT301

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

The Week 3 quiz provides you with early feedback on your learning progress and helps you identify areas to focus on as the course develops.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode	Task No.	Assessment Product	Individual or Group	Weighting %	What is the duration / length?	When should I submit?	Where should I submit it?
All	1	Quiz/zes	Individual	10%	30 minutes	Week 3	Online Test (Quiz)
All	2	Written Piece	Individual	40%	1500 words	Week 5	Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All	3	Written Piece	Individual	50%	2000 words	Week 8	Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check

All - Assessment Task 1:Online Quiz

Goal:

The goal of this task is to help you check your understanding of the key concepts introduced early in the course, in order to prepare you for future assessments.

Product:

Quiz/zes

Format:

In this quiz, you will be required to answer questions related to the content learned in earlier weeks. Completing this quiz requires engagement with course readings and pre-tutorial material. This quiz is summative and counts towards your final grade.

Criteria:

No.		Learning Outcome assessed
1	Understanding of Recovery-Oriented and Trauma-Informed Care	1 4
2	Understanding of Factors Affecting Mental Health	3

Generic Skills:

Problem solving

All - Assessment Task 2:Mental State Examination

Goal:

The goal of this assessment is to develop your skills in conducting a structured Mental State Examination (MSE). By working through a provided case stimulus, you will practise observing, recording, and interpreting a person’s mental state.

Product:

Written Piece

Format:

You will be provided with a stimulus from which you will apply your developing observational and mental state assessment skills. Based on your observations, you will then complete a series of short-answer questions that assess your knowledge and ability to interpret the findings of an MSE.

Criteria:

No.		Learning Outcome assessed
1	Accurate and systematic use of the Mental State Examination framework	2
2	Accurate observation and interpretation of findings	2
3	Application of professional and theoretical knowledge to interpret mental state findings and identify potential risks or areas for further assessment	2
4	Applied principles and practices of academic writing and referencing	5

Generic Skills:

Problem solving, Organisation

All - Assessment Task 3:Reflective essay: Stigma and mental health care

Goal:

The goal of this assessment is to encourage you to reflect on the impact of stigma in health care and society, and to consider how it shapes experiences of mental health and wellbeing. By drawing on your developing knowledge and personal insights, you will critically examine the role of stigma and reflect on how your own communication and practice can contribute to culturally safe, inclusive, and recovery-oriented care.

Product:

Written Piece

Format:

Using a reflective model of your choice you are to reflect on an example of stigma you have personally observed in practice (clinical placement, simulation, or community setting).
This may involve stigma expressed by healthcare staff, peers, families, or society more broadly.

If you cannot identify a real-life example, you may use a case scenario provided to you on Canvas as the basis of your reflection.

Your reflection must be explicitly aligned with the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice (2016), showing how the Standards guide professional behaviour, decision-making, advocacy, and culturally safe practice.

Criteria:


Depth of reflection and self-awareness
Critical analysis of stigma and its impact at individual, interpersonal, and systemic levels, demonstrating an integration with scholarly literature
Explicit alignment with the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice throughout the reflection
Applies principles and practices of academic writing and referencing
Ethical use of intellectual property

Generic Skills:

Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy

Assessment to competency mapping

Programme Delivery Mode	Assessment Type	Title	Competency	Teaching Methods
Registered nurse standards for practice - 1 June 2016
All delivery modes	Quiz/zes	Online Quiz	1.1	Assessed
			1.2	Assessed
			1.3	Assessed
			1.5	Assessed
			2.2	Assessed
			2.3	Assessed
			2.7	Assessed
			3.3	Assessed
			4.3	Assessed
	Written Piece	Mental State Examination	1.1	Assessed
			2.2	Assessed
			2.7	Assessed
			3.3	Assessed
			3.5	Assessed
			4.1	Assessed
			4.2	Assessed
			4.3	Assessed
			5.1	Assessed
			6.1	Assessed
		Reflective essay: Stigma and mental health care	1.1	Assessed
			1.2	Assessed
			1.3	Assessed
			1.5	Assessed
			2.2	Assessed
			2.3	Assessed
			2.7	Assessed
			3.3	Assessed
			3.5	Assessed
			4.1	Assessed
			4.2	Assessed
			4.3	Assessed
			5.1	Assessed
			6.1	Assessed

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.

Required?	Author	Year	Title	Edition	Publisher
Required	Kim Foster,Peta Marks,Anthony O'Brien,Toby Raeburn	2020	Mental Health in Nursing	n/a	Elsevier

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation.  It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline.  This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person.  You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin.  This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
Review of Assessment and Final Grades
Supplementary Assessment
Central Examinations
Deferred Examinations
Student Conduct
Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

In person:
- UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
- UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
- UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
- UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
- UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
- UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au