PYMEME: Enhanced Practice in Early Intervention

Module code: PYMEME

Module provider: Psychology; School of Psych and Clin Lang Sci

Credits: 40

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2 / Summer

Module convenor: Ms Sue Howson, email: s.howson@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

As per the national curriculum for SWP training (2023), workshops in this module aim to expand the scope and breadth of the conditions that CYP LI practitioners can work with by developing enhanced competency across a range of early interventions, expanding the breadth of low intensity support available for children, young people and families experiencing the impact of common mental health difficulties.  

This module will support SWPs to build on current knowledge and develop their understanding of LI/early intervention support for traumatic events, OCD, self-harm, social anxiety, tics, school anxiety. 

The practitioners will develop the knowledge and understanding of the key characteristics of these presentations before establishing and demonstrating clinical competency in delivering the appropriate, evidence-based early intervention support. 

The module will equip students with the necessary knowledge, attitude and competence to operate effectively as SWPs. This module will support them in gaining the relevant knowledge and skills in assessment of, psychoeducation and trauma informed practice/principles in relation to traumatic events. It will support students to be identify traumatic events and their impact including PTSD and complex PTSD using validated measures and have an understanding of the way that traumatic experiences can shape subsequent difficulties. 

Students will acquire knowledge and skills in effective, brief (low intensity) interventions for children, young people and families experiencing a wider range of anxiety presentations, based on the most up to date evidence. This will include identifying and working with tics as part of a low intensity assessment and providing behavioural intervention for the management of tics. 

The module will support students to recognise OCD and how to support effective exposure and response prevention (ERP) for mild to moderate OCD. 

The module will develop students’ understanding of the epidemiology of school anxiety as opposed to truancy, to understand the specifics of a school anxiety low-intensity assessment and low-intensity anxiety interventions where appropriate, based on what maintains the refusal, e.g., social anxiety, separation anxiety, parent-led CBT, behavioural/parenting interventions to support management of behaviour. 

The module will enable students to understand the prevalence, common presentations, predictors, common course of self-harm and implement low intensity interventions for self-harm including building motivation, emotion regulation and goal setting.  

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Acquire knowledge and skills in effective brief (low-intensity) interventions for children, young people and families experiencing advanced anxiety presentations, based on the most up to date evidence
2. Acquire knowledge and skills in assessment of, psychoeducation and trauma informed practice/principles in relation to traumatic events
3. Understand and implement low-intensity interventions for self-harm
4. Acquire knowledge and skills in working with school anxiety
5. Develop competency in delivering low-intensity interventions using a range of methods including face to face and online/remote interventions

Module content

The module will comprise of in-class teaching, clinical skills practice/supervised clinical practice, supervision in-service and independent study.

Clinical Supervision:

• Each student will have regular clinical supervision in a group format
• Recorded material from training cases should be included at some point during a significant majority of supervision sessions

At the end of the course when clinical work has been completed, the student’s supervisor will be asked to complete a pro-forma assessment form and indicate whether or not a student has reached a satisfactory level of clinical practice.

The teaching will be supplemented by an equivalent number of hours of clinical practice in the workplace under supervision of an experienced practitioner and supervisor.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The aims of this module will be achieved through a series of lectures, seminars, discussion groups, supervision and clinical skills sessions, guided reading, self-practice/self-reflection activities, problem-based learning tasks, and independent study.  

A minimum of 24 days of taught content will occur in this module including a minimum of 6 supervision days. Work-based learning includes clinical work and supervision in the workplace.  

Skills-based competencies will be learnt through a combination of clinical skills practice in small groups working intensively under close supervision with peer and tutor feedback.  

In addition, they will be supplemented by e-learning material and experience of assessment and treatment of clients within the workplace (under close supervision in the workplace).  

Teaching will be provided by course tutors, with some national and international experts where appropriate. 

Trainees will be required to apply at least two of the topics / interventions covered in module 3. They will also need to evidence working with four completed enhanced practice cases in the portfolio.   

Completed cases are defined as: clients seen from assessment to achieving goals set in as few sessions as needed or termination of treatment (according to agreed ending or withdrawal) seen for a minimum of 5 sessions.  

N.B. two different types of enhanced practice intervention need to be represented in the assessments (the presentation and the video recording and accompanying reflective analysis) 

Study hours

At least 48 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module:

1. A mark of 50% in all assessments with no auto-fails in clinical recording
2. A minimum of 80% live attendance
3. A pass in the portfolio
4. An overall module mark of 50%

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Supervision and observation of recordings of practice 

Reassessment

Additional costs