HLTHSCI 705 : Mental Health and Addiction for Health Professionals

Medical and Health Sciences

2025 Semester One (1253) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Uses a person-focused theoretical framework to explore mental health and addiction problems presenting in non-specialist mental health settings. Conceptualises mental health and addiction problems as frequently co-occurring. Engagement, assessment, collaborative solution focused interventions, referral and care coordination will be explored.

Course Overview

This course is aimed at health professionals who are not working in specialist mental health and addiction settings.

HLTHCI 705 is a clinically focused person-centered course that addresses how to support people experiencing mental health and addiction problems in primary care and other health care contexts. This course covers the experience of mental health and addiction problems, collaborative assessment and clinical intervention. Students are expected to engage with the person-focused philosophy of the course to extend their understanding of the lived experience of mental health and addiction problems, and what clinicians can do to help. There is an emphasis on working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and across health and social sectors.

Course Requirements

Restriction: NURSPRAC 718, 719

Course Contacts

COURSE DIRECTOR
Helen Hamer
Email: helen.hamer@auckland.ac.nz 

COURSE COORDINATOR (and primary contact for the course)
Frazer Rangihuna
Email: frazer.rangihuna@auckland.ac.nz
   
COURSE ADMINISTRATOR
Riz Sari
Email:  r.sari@auckland.ac.nz 
 

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Health Sciences

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate understanding of self in relation to place, including the social and historical context of Aotearoa New Zealand, reflecting on own and others' world viewpoints and principles of cultural safety. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  2. Synthesise existing theoretical knowledge and integrate it with their own understanding of the range of mental health and addiction problems experienced in primary care populations. (Capability 2.1)
  3. Analyse the interrelationships of coexisting mental health, addiction and physical health problems (Capability 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3)
  4. Evaluate the pharmacological and non-pharmacological models of therapeutic intervention and change for people with mental health and addiction problems. (Capability 4.1)
  5. Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the effects of adverse life events on mental health and/or addiction problems. (Capability 5.1)
  6. Critique the social and economic impact of mental health and addiction diagnoses. (Capability 6.1 and 6.2)
  7. Critically reflect on and articulate the ways in which different perspectives and theoretical approaches inform and challenge their personal and professional viewpoints and actions when providing care for people with mental health and addiction problems (Capability 7.1)
  8. Reflect on practice, identifying ideas for personal, professional and/or service, system or setting (Capability 8.1 and 8.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
A Person-Centred Approach to Understanding Mental Health and Addiction Problems 30% Individual Coursework
Clinical assessment and Reflection 35% Individual Coursework
Care Plan and Critical Evaluation of Therapeutic Interventions 35% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
A Person-Centred Approach to Understanding Mental Health and Addiction Problems
Clinical assessment and Reflection
Care Plan and Critical Evaluation of Therapeutic Interventions

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.  Therefore the workload expectation for this course is 20 hours per week.

For this course, you can expect 48 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 30 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 30 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including lectures and tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials may be available as recordings.
The course may include live online events including group discussions or tutorials.
Activities for the course are scheduled as block delivery.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

There are no required course text. Students are expected to develop their own set of readings relevant to the themes chosen for the assignments in this course. There are many relevant and interesting journals accessible from the databases at the University of Auckland library webpage. You can access the required and recommended readings for each course from the left hand course menu in Canvas

JOURNALS
 International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
 Issues in Mental Health Nursing
 Journal of Mental Health
 Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
 Psychiatric Services
 Psychosis: Psychosocial, Social and Integrative Approaches.

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES
 Te Pou o Te Whakaaro Nui https://www.tepou.co.nz/
 Nursing Council of New Zealand http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/
 New Zealand Ministry of Health publications https://www.health.govt.nz/publications
 He Ara Oranga – Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction https://mentalhealth.inquiry.govt.nz/

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student feedback was very positive for 2023.  There are no proposed changes  for 2024.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.