Engagement and Assessment of Patients with Common Mental Health Problems
| Module title | Engagement and Assessment of Patients with Common Mental Health Problems |
|---|---|
| Module code | PYC3019 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 20 |
| Module staff | Miss Grace Riley () |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 9 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 7 |
|---|
Module description
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners assess and support people with common mental health problems in the self-management of their recovery. In this module you will learn how to undertake a range of patient-centred assessments and how to identify the main areas of concern relevant to the assessment undertaken. You will acquire knowledge and competence to enable you to apply these in a range of different assessment formats and settings. These different elements or types of assessment include screening/triage assessment within an NHS Talking Therapies service; risk assessment; provisional diagnostic assessment; mental health clustering assessment; psychometric assessment (using the standardised symptoms measures, including anxiety disorder specific measures); problem focused assessment; and intervention planning assessment. In all these assessments you will need to be able to engage patients and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner.
You will obtain knowledge of mental health disorders and the evidence-based therapeutic options available and be able to communicate this knowledge in a clear and unambiguous way so that people can make informed treatment choices. In addition, you will develop knowledge of the COM-B behaviour change model and how this can inform choice of goals and interventions. This module will equip you with a good understanding of the incidence, prevalence and presentation of common mental health problems and evidence-based treatment choices. Skills teaching will develop your ‘core common factors’ competencies of active listening, engagement, alliance building, patient-centred information gathering, information giving and shared decision making.
This module will equip you with the foundational skills around engagement and assessment of common mental health problems, which will be built on in the following modules: Evidence-Based Low Intensity Treatment for Common Mental Health Problems and Values, Diversity and Context.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to develop your core ‘common factor’ competencies in communication skills and collaborative working and, along with a good understanding of common mental health problems and evidence-based treatment choices, enable you to apply these skills to undertake an effective low intensity CBT-based assessment and plan a collaborative treatment programme within the role of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate critical awareness of mental health, diagnostic classifications and models of mental health difficulties, including recognition of complexity (e.g. multi-morbidity)
- 2. Demonstrate competence in the different types of assessment undertaken with people with common mental health disorders, including risk assessments and Routine Outcome Measures, to aid problem identification and decision making.
- 3. Demonstrate competence in the use of interpersonal skills to build a therapeutic alliance to engage patients, gather information, manage the emotional content of sessions and understand the clients perspective or world view.
- 4. Demonstrate competence in patient-centred information gathering and the ability to critically appraise information, with consideration of diagnostic categories, to reach a shared understanding of the persons primary target problem, including the impact of this on their life.
- 5. Demonstrate the ability to give evidence-based information about treatment choices (including medication) and make shared decisions with patients, informed by a critical awareness of the COM-B behaviour change model, the patients SMART goals and attitudes towards treatments.
- 6. Demonstrate competence in clinical decision making to select the most appropriate treatment pathway and mode of delivery for the patient.
- 7. Evaluate the importance of identify patients who do not meet the criteria for Step 2 and facilitate appropriate use of the stepped care model (e.g. stepping up) or onward referral.
- 8. Practice Outcome 1: Demonstrate competency in undertaking and recording a range of assessment formats. This should include both triage within an NHS Talking Therapies Service and problem focused assessments.
- 9. Practice Outcome 2: Demonstrate experience and competence in the assessment and correct identification of presenting problem across a range of problem descriptor including depression and two or more anxiety disorders.
- 10. Practice Outcome 3: Demonstrate the common factor competencies necessary to engage patients across the range of assessment formats.
- 11. Practice Outcome 4: Demonstrate understanding of the complexity of mental health difficulties, to conceptualise co-morbidity of mental health disorders and prioritise the appropriate primary problem in the context of both physical and mental health co-morbidity.
- 12. Practice Outcome 5: Demonstrate competence in accurate recording of interviews and questionnaire assessments using paper and electronic record keeping systems.
- 13. Practice Outcome 6: Demonstrate competence in identifying patients at assessment who do not fit the criteria for treatment at Step 2 (e.g. those with PTSD, social anxiety disorder or severe mental health problems) and facilitate appropriate stepping up or onward referral.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 14. Summarise basic and essential factual and conceptual knowledge of the subject, and demonstrate a critical understanding of this knowledge, to a level appropriate to Level 6
- 15. Review and evaluate established work and identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of this work, to a level appropriate to Level 6
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 16. Record accurately interviews and questionnaire assessments using paper and electronic record-keeping systems
- 17. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, challenge received opinion and develop your own criteria and judgement, and seek and make use of feedback
Syllabus plan
The module content, module-specific learning objectives, style of delivery and assessment for this module are as informed by the NHS England 4th Edition (Version 3) (2023) revised curriculum for the training of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners to support the delivery of low intensity CBT associated with NHS Talking Therapies. Teaching content will include:
Knowledge Concerning Core Competencies, Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems
- Professional and ethical codes of conduct in relation to practice as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
- Concepts of mental health and mental illness
- Diagnostic classification systems in mental health
- Patient-centred interviewing
- Social, medical and psychological explanatory models of mental health
- Recognition of patterns of symptoms and relate these to diagnostic categories of mental health difficulties
- Risk and risk assessment
- Standardised symptom assessment tools and psychometric instruments
- Treatment choices and shared decision making
- Patient attitude and effect on medication and psychological therapy treatment choice
- Recording of interviews and questionnaire assessments
Intensive Skills Practice
- Use of ‘common factors’ communication skills to effectively engage clients and develop and maintain an effective therapeutic alliance and engagement with the CBT self-help intervention process
- Patient-centred information gathering; deriving a collaborative definition of the client’s main mental health difficulties and impact on daily living
- Recognising and assessing risk
- Use of standardised symptom assessment tools and psychometric instruments
- Managing the emotional content of sessions
- Appreciation and understanding of the patient’s perspective or world view
- Patient-centred information-giving; communicating concepts of mental health, mental illness, treatment options
- Shared decision-making including mode of treatment delivery
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | 142 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 26 | Practical classes these will be used to develop clinical competencies in assessment and engagement through demonstration, tutor supervised small group role-play and reflection |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 18 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 14 | Seminars and tutorials these will be led by the tutor and address a range of important topics covered in the module |
| Guided independent study | 80 | Reading, practice-related activities and preparation for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Self-practice and self-reflection on role plays of assessments with fellow students undertaken outside of teaching sessions |
| Guided independent study | 17 | Develop an understanding of service related clinical protocols, policies and procedures to inform practice, and develop knowledge of role |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical skills competency assessment | 45 minutes | 2-6, 17 | Written and oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 0 | 70 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (this assessment must be passed; failure in this assessment will lead to failure in the module) | 30 | 1500 words | 1, 7, 14, 15 | Written and oral |
| Clinical skills competency assessment of an assessment of a patients mental health, comprising six sections (this assessment must be passed with a mark of 18/36 overall and with marks of 3/6 in sections 2, 3, 4 and 6; failure in this assessment will result in a maximum fail mark of 49 and lead to failure in the module) | 70 | 45 minutes | 2-6 | Written and oral |
| Clinical practice outcome assessment of service level applied competencies undertaken in clinical practice and is pass/fail only (this assessment must be passed; failure in this assessment will lead to failure in the module) | 0 | n/a | 8-13, 16, 17 | Written and oral |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (30%) | Essay | 1,7, 14, 15 | Four weeks from the date feedback was provided |
| Clinical skills competency assessment (70%) | Clinical skills competency assessment | 2-6 | Four weeks from the voluntary additional top up skills date |
| Clinical practice outcome (0%) | Clinical practice outcome | 8-13, 16 | Four weeks from the date feedback was provided or a date determined in partnership with you and your service, on basis of agreed action plan |
Re-assessment notes
Three assessments are required for this module. In all cases re-assessment will be the same as the original assessment. Where you have been referred/deferred for any form of assessment detailed above you will have the opportunity to retake within four weeks from the date that feedback was provided (or a date determined in partnership with you and your service on the basis of agreed action plan for Clinical Practice Outcomes).
If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of deferral, your re-assessment will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment and the overall module mark will not be capped.
If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), the individual assessment is capped at the pass mark and the overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
If you fail re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), you will be failed in the module and as a consequence you will be failed in the programme and your registration as a student of the University will be terminated.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Core reading:
- Bennett-Levy, J. et al. (2010). Oxford guide to low intensity CBT interventions. OUP Oxford.
- Bennett-Levy, J., Thwaites, R., Haarhoff, B., & Perry, H. (2014). Experiencing CBT from the inside out: A self-practice/self-reflection workbook for therapists. Guilford Publications.
- Farrand, P. (Ed.). (2020). Low-intensity CBT skills and interventions: a practitioner′ s manual. Sage.
- National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (2024) NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression manual (formerly known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NHS-talking-therapies-manual-version-7.pdf
- Papworth, M., & Marrinan, T. (Eds.). (2018). Low intensity cognitive behaviour therapy: A practitioner′ s guide. Sage.
- Richards, D., & Whyte, M. (2011). Reach Out: National programme student materials to support the delivery of training for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners delivering low intensity interventions, 3rd edition. Available at: https://cedar.exeter.ac.uk/v8media/facultysites/hls/cedar/resources/Reach_Out_3rd_edition.pdf
Wider reading:
- American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Desk reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-5-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
- BPS. (2009, August). Code of Ethics and Conduct: Guidance Published by the Ethics Committee of the British Psychological Society. Leicester: The British Psychological Society.
- British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). (2010). Standards of conduct, performance and ethics.
- Clark, D. M. (2011). Implementing NICE guidelines for the psychological treatment of depression and anxiety disorders: the IAPT experience. International review of psychiatry, 23(4), 318-327.
- Layard, R., & Clark, D. M. (2014). Thrive: The power of evidence-based psychological therapies. Penguin UK.
- Michie, S., Van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation science, 6, 1-12.
- Myles, P., & Rushforth, D. (Eds.). (2007). A Complete Guide to Primary Care Mental Health: A Toolkit for Professionals Working with Common Mental Health Problems. Robinson.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2011). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management. [NICE Guideline No. CG113]. Retrieved from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2022). Depression in adults: treatment and management. [NICE Guideline No. NG222]. Retrieved from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222
| Credit value | 20 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 10 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | PYC3020 Evidence-Based Low Intensity Treatment for Common Mental Health Problems and PYC3021 Values, Diversity and Context |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 05/02/2018 |
| Last revision date | 21/02/2025 |
