Mental Health and Occupational Therapy (10417.1)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Mental Health and Occupational Therapy
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Health
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Discipline Of Occupational Therapy Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Students will learn the broad skills and knowledge required by all mental health professionals whilst developing an in depth understanding of Recovery principles. Students will develop knowledge of the occupational therapy practice process in mental health and be introduced to common assessments and interventions used in practice.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Articulate the professional role of occupational therapists in a multi-disciplinary mental health team;
2. Apply theoretical and practical knowledge of Recovery;
3. Demonstrate occupational therapy process and practice in contemporary mental health contexts; and
4. Compare contemporary approaches in mental health practice and their impact on people.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline


Prerequisites

10300 Foundations of Occupational Therapy AND 10301 Occupational Therapy Toolbox 1 AND 11399 Understanding People and Behaviour

Corequisites

10303 Practice Reasoning in Occupational Therapy

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Ms Bre Cave
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Ms Bre Cave
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

There are no required texts. Students are not expected to purchase textbooks for this unit.  Readings are available on Canvas each week, additional resources are available online and in the library.  

List of recommended texts:

Brown, C. E., & Dunn, W. (2002). Adolescent/Adult sensory profile.  The Psychological Corporation. 

Brown, T., Bourke-Taylor, H., Isbel, S., & Cordier, R. (Eds). (2021). Occupational therapy in Australia: Professional and practice issues (2nd. ed.). Allen & Unwin.

Bryant, W., Fieldhouse, J., & Plastow, N. (Eds). (2022).  Creek's occupational therapy and mental health (6th ed.). Elsevier.

Champagne, T. (2011).  Sensory modulation and environment: Essential elements of occupation (3rd ed. revised.). Champagne Conferences & Consultation.

Fitzgibbon, C., & O'Sullivan, J. (2018). Sensory modulation: Resource manual. Sensory Modulation Brisbane.  

Gillen, G., & Brown, C. (Eds). (2023). Willard and Spackman's occupational therapy. (14th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Meadows, G., Farnell, J., Fossey, E., Happell, B., McDermott, F., & Rosenberg, S. (Eds). (2021). Mental health and collaborative community practice: An Australian perspective. (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.  

Taylor, R. R., Bowyer, P., & Fisher, G. (Eds). (2024). Kielhofner's Model of Human Occupation (6th ed.). Wolters Klumer.

Taylor, R. R. (2020). The intentional relationship: Occupational therapy and use of self (2nd ed.). F.A. Davis Company.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Artificial Intelligence

Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments for this unit.

GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:

  1. the Unit Convener has authorised GenAI use for that assessment
  2. the student uses GenAI in the way that the assessment instructions allow
  3. the student fully acknowledges their use of GenAI, with proper citations, references and a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement in line with the assessment instructions.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not permitted for that assessment. Students must still provide the required GenAI Acknowledgement Statement to indicate whether GenAI has or has not been used in the preparation of the assessment. If unsure, students should seek advice from the Unit Convener.

The GenAI for Students Links to an external site. Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Additional Information Students can use the draft drop boxes to review their assignments for academic integrity purposes.  Academic integrity reports might take up to 24 hours. This step is optional, and the student must ensure that their final submission is uploaded in the assignment's drop box by the due date and time.

Moderation A copy of the procedures used by the Occupational Therapy discipline at UC is available on Canvas (see MODULES/STUDENT RESOURCES) and aligns with the university's assessment policy and procedure.   

Questions Regarding Assessments Clarification regarding assessment tasks can be obtained by posting on Canvas discussion boards. Questions raised on discussion boards will be responded to during business hours as indicated by the unit convener at the start of semester.  Please consider this if your assessment is due on the weekend. Staff will not respond to questions regarding assessment items raised by email.

Submission of Assessments All assessments must be submitted via the drop box on Canvas.  You must keep a copy of all assessments.  Include a cover sheet on all assessment submissions.  

Assessment Formatting Unless otherwise advised in the assessment instructions, written assessment pieces must conform to the following APA 7th requirements:

  • Font size: 12 pt. - Times New Roman or Arial
  • Line spacing: double
  • Headings: in bold, maximum size 16 pt.
  • Margins: no less than 2.54cm on all sides.
  • Page numbers: at bottom right hand corner of footer.
  • Student identification number: (number only) at top right hand corner of header.
  • References: given in APA style (author, date). A printable guide to this referencing style can be found on the library website at https://canberra.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=27348090 and further information about APA referencing can be found at  http://canberra.libguides.com/content.php?pid=238252&sid=1966106 
  • Word limit or time length/number of pages will be specified as required.  The examiner will stop reading, watching or listening when the allocated word or time length is reached.  Content beyond the word or time limit will not be assessed.  
  • Unless otherwise specified, all written assessments are to be uploaded in Microsoft word format (.doc or .docx). 

 

 

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Inclusion and engagement

In the course of studying occupational therapy, students may be exposed to clinical scenarios and situations that may be compelling or distressing.  At UC, a free Counselling Service is available for all students. All sessions are confidential. The UC Medical and Counselling Centre is located on Level B in Building 1.  For more information please go to https://www.canberra.edu.au/on-campus/health-and-support/medical-counselling

Participation requirements

Attendance: It is essential that students attend and actively participate in all lectures, tutorials, workshops and discussion boards. Such participation is required by students in order to meet the Australian Competency Standards for Occupational Therapists  (2018).  Therefore, except in the case of extenuating circumstances, 100% attendance at lectures, tutorials, workshops and assessments is expected.  It is also expected that if students are unable to meet these participation requirements, they inform the Unit Convener via email as soon as practical, and make up anything missed in their own time.  

Preparation: Students are expected to complete weekly preparation work before attending lectures, tutorials or workshops.  This preparation work may include but is not limited to pre-readings, watching videos, listening to podcasts, completing reflections and online learning activities. 

In Class Participation:  Students are expected to actively participate in tutorials and workshops.  This participation may include but is not limited to small and large group discussions, interactive activities, role plays, providing feedback to the larger tutorial or workshop.  

Required IT skills

The unit utilises the online learning site Canvas to provide students with access to readings, learning activities, and communication about the unit.  It is expected that students will have basic word processing skills, an ability to use databases to search for journal articles, and to regularly access their UC email account and Canvas.  Lecturers will communicate with all students via their UC email account and announcements on Canvas. It is the students' responsibility to regularly check their email and Canvas for messages, information and or instructions.

In-unit costs

None.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.

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