PYMVEC: Values, Employment and Context

Module code: PYMVEC

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

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Double Presentation: S1 & S2, and Summer & S1

Module convenor: Miss Levi Spence, email: l.spence@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: 5 August 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

As detailed in the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) national curriculum (2022):

This module will equip PWPs with an understanding of the complexity of people’s health, social and occupational needs and the services which can support people to recovery. It will develop PWPs’ decision-making abilities and enable them use supervision and to recognise when and where it is appropriate to seek further advice, a step up or a signposted service. Skills teaching will develop PWPs clinical management, liaison and decision-making competencies in the delivery of support to patients, particularly where people require intervention or advice outside the core low-intensity evidence-based interventions taught in module 2. This module will expose PWPs to the concept of diversity, inclusion and Intersectional approaches, and equip workers with the necessary knowledge, attitudes and competencies to operate in an inclusive, values-driven service.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate knowledge of, competence with, and commitment to a non-discriminatory, recovery orientated values base to mental health care and to equal opportunities for all and encourage people’s active participation in every aspect of care and treatment, including respect for and the value of individual differences.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in using supervision to assist the worker’s delivery of low-intensity psychological and/or pharmacological treatment programmes for common mental health problems, particularly in relation to diversity considerations.
3. Reflect on their own level of competence and boundaries of competence and role, and to have developed an understanding of how to work within a team and with other agencies with additional specific roles which cannot be fulfilled by the PWP alone, including voluntary sector organisations, employment support, social inclusion, CMHT and other specialist services such as Interpreters.

Further details can be found within the national curriculum (July, 2022):

Module content

• Non-discriminatory, recovery orientated values base to mental health care
• Individual differences and protected characteristics
• Responding to people’s diverse needs sensitively
• Physical and sensory difficulties
• Encouraging the client voice
• Power issues in professional / service user relationships
• Caseload management
• Use of supervision
• Patient-centred information on employment needs, wellbeing and social inclusion
• Reflective capacity
• Liaison and signposting and use of the stepped care model
• Working with community, statutory and voluntary sector provisions

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Skills based competencies will be learnt through a combination of clinical simulation and role plays in small groups working intensively under close supervision with peer and tutor feedback and supervised practice through supervised direct contact with patients in the workplace. Knowledge will be learnt through a combination of lectures, seminars, discussion groups, guided reading, and independent study.

Teaching will provide trainees with the opportunity to practice different modes of evidence-based treatment delivery. Group facilitation skills will be learnt through teaching on and feedback on experiential practice of group facilitation.

This approach could help trainees to learn how to present information in different ways e.g., designing PowerPoint slides, using an interactive white board, and to learn how to tailor information to different audiences including minoritised communities.

Self-directed study will include review of video library and web-based resources with examples of intervention sessions and clinical demonstrations of specific techniques.

The following structure for this module is a minimum of 15 days (approximately 86.25 hours) in total:

• At least ten days of theoretical teaching, skills practice in intensive workshops and clinical simulations, in which trainees must be signed off by the course as competent to start work with clients.
• Five days undertaking directed practice-based learning.

Over the course of the programme, in line with the national curriculum, at least 15 days of teaching will be delivered in person on campus with the remainder delivered online or on campus.  The ratio of on campus to online delivery varies across the three modules; you will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Lectures across the programme all encompass a degree of clinical skills rehearsal as part of teaching pedagogy; lectures comprise varying degrees of class discussion, small group rehearsal, and supervision and clinical skills practice.

For the purposes of the module descriptor form, practical classes detailed below comprises directed practice-based learning in the workplace (5 days / approximately 28.75 hours) per module recommended by national curriculum).

This module is taught twice to two different cohorts of students - first in Semester 1, Semester 2 and then repeated in Summer Vacation and Semester 1. The 200 study hours are listed for the first iteration of teaching in Semester 1 and Semester 2, and these same study hours are repeated for the second iteration of teaching in Summer Vacation and Semester 1. 

Study hours

At least 86.25 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 each assessment
2. A pass in the portfolio (no autofails in the clinical assessments)
3. A minimum of 80% live attendance
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.

Problem based learning (PBL) scenarios to be considered within the assigned study day with feedback provided through an example answer that is shared after submission.

The first submission of the portfolio is formative.

Reassessment

Additional costs