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Unit of study_
SCWK2008: Social Perspectives on Mental Health
2025 unit information
This unit of study focuses on a range of social perspectives on mental health. It introduces students to mental health issues commonly experienced in contemporary society, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, drug and alcohol addiction, self-harm and suicidality. It also explores several contextual issues surrounding the topic of mental illness, including the social determinants of mental illness, labelling and stigma, working with young people experiencing distress, working with families, the effects of child abuse and domestic violence, and grief.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Social Work |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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48 credit points including (SCLG1001 and SCLG1002) or (12 credit points of SCLG1U01) or (12 credit points of 1000 level units in Diversity Studies) |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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SCWK2005 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. analyse key contemporary debates in mental health policy and practice
- LO2. discuss the relationship between emotional distress and the social environment
- LO3. reflect on lived experience narratives of mental distress, including critiques of service provision, and how these can inform social work practice
- LO4. appreciate the multiple forms of discrimination facing people diagnosed with a mental illness, and discuss the social work role in addressing such discrimination
- LO5. articulate a working knowledge of commonly diagnosed mental health problems
- LO6. explain the contribution of social work concepts to the contemporary mental health field, including the relationship between mental health and human rights
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
