Program Overview

Program Overview

The program in question appears to be a postgraduate course in psychology, specifically the unit PSYC624 - Evidence-Based Practice for Psychologists. This unit is designed to help provisional psychologists become competent scientists and practitioners who operate in line with the scientific-practitioner model of evidence-based practice.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

The profession of psychology is critical in modern society, and psychologists need to use and critically evaluate current research to employ empirically supported assessments and interventions effectively. This unit focuses on various methodological approaches to research, including the principles and procedures governing the use of statistics in clinical research, qualitative and quantitative research methods, research designs, and methods to evaluate service delivery.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:

• Explain the integration of the scientist-practitioner model in research and practice within psychology.
• Describe key features of successful psychological interventions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in psychological practice.
• Analyse research literature to evaluate its relevance and application to psychological practice.
• Evaluate interprofessional contributions to evidence-based psychological interventions and their impact on service users' outcomes.
• Design a research study relevant to a clinical or applied psychological setting.

Unit Content

Topics covered in this unit include:

• The scientist-practitioner model and evidence-based practice.
• Finding, understanding, collating, and critiquing published empirical research findings relevant to psychological interventions.
• Using research to inform delivery of assessment and interventions.
• Generating hypotheses and designing studies.
• Using qualitative and quantitative methods and appropriate statistical analyses and interpretation in clinical research.
• Ethics and cultural factors in clinical research.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to demonstrate the integration of skills and knowledge acquired throughout their postgraduate studies. All assessments in this unit are graded hurdle tasks because students are completing an APAC accredited postgraduate psychology program with a requirement that all competencies related to the level of study are assessed and confirmed to be met.

Assessments

• Assessment Task 1 - Group Presentation: Develops and assesses skills in the application of research in choosing and evaluating an appropriate psychological treatment for a specific client problem or mental disorder. (Weighting: 20%, Graded Hurdle)
• Assessment Task 2 - Written Assignment: Requires students to demonstrate capacity to conduct a systematic search and evaluation of psychological research in a specific area. (Weighting: 80%, Graded Hurdle)

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit uses an enquiry-based learning approach consisting of case-based learning, group activities, and reflective/critical thinking activities. The unit is delivered with two contact hours per week or equivalent in intensive mode.

Representative Texts and References

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
• Australian Psychological Society. (2018). Evidence-based Psychological Intervention in the Treatment of Mental Disorders. A review of the Literature.
• Barker, C., Pistrang, N., & Elliot, R. (2016). Research Methods in Clinical Psychology: An Introduction for Students and Practitioners (3rd Ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
• Higgins, J. P., Thomas, J., Chandler, J., Cumpston, M., Li, T., Page, M. J., & Welch, V. A. (Eds.). (2019). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. John Wiley & Sons.
• Kazdin, A. E. (2024). Research design in clinical psychology (6th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Mewburn, I., Firth, K., & Lehmann, S. (2019). How to fix your academic writing trouble. Open University Press.
• Sternberg, R. J., & Sternberg, K. (2016). The Psychologist's Companion: A Guide to Professional Success for Students, Teachers and Researchers. Cambridge University Press.

Locations and Credit Points

• Locations: Melbourne, Strathfield.
• Credit Points: 10.