On not jumping ship On not jumping ship Mental health teaching in psychologyMental health teaching in psychology

Jill Anderson Jill Anderson

John CrombyJohn Cromby

OverviewOverview

Introductions, aimsIntroductions, aims The Undergraduate surveyThe Undergraduate survey DiscussionsDiscussions Feedback and where next?Feedback and where next?

AimsAims

To present findings from a survey which To present findings from a survey which examined mental health teaching within examined mental health teaching within undergraduate psychology programmesundergraduate psychology programmes

To consider implications for clinical To consider implications for clinical psychology psychology

To provide information about recent To provide information about recent developments in mental health education, developments in mental health education, the interdisciplinary mhhe project & the interdisciplinary mhhe project & psychology network mental health grouppsychology network mental health group

Why is this important?Why is this important?

Influences recruitment to Influences recruitment to clinical psychologyclinical psychology

Gets the right people onto Gets the right people onto programmes & avoids the programmes & avoids the need for unlearningneed for unlearning

Provides a launch pad for Provides a launch pad for Graduate Primary Care Graduate Primary Care Mental Health Workers as Mental Health Workers as well as psychology well as psychology graduates who go into graduates who go into other disciplines (nursing, other disciplines (nursing, law etc.)law etc.)

Addresses our ethical Addresses our ethical responsibilities to responsibilities to students who are students who are service usersservice users

Promotes diversity and Promotes diversity and wider participationwider participation

Informs informal Informs informal proliferation of proliferation of psychology into psychology into everyday lifeeveryday life

Background to the survey Background to the survey

Mental Health in Higher Education ProjectMental Health in Higher Education Project Scoping accountsScoping accounts Intra- as well as inter-disciplinary focusIntra- as well as inter-disciplinary focus Case studies of learning and teaching in Case studies of learning and teaching in

psychology psychology Psychology Network Mini-project funding bidPsychology Network Mini-project funding bid

SURVEY OVERVIEWSURVEY OVERVIEW

MethodologyMethodology Response rateResponse rate The SampleThe Sample Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules Mental Health TeachingMental Health Teaching

MethodologyMethodology

QuestionnaireQuestionnaire– Programme informationProgramme information– Mental health teaching Mental health teaching

informationinformation– Information about Information about

specific modulesspecific modules

Postal and online Postal and online distributiondistribution

MENTAL HEALTH TEACHING TO PSYCHOLOGY UNDERGRADUATES

A national survey funded by LTSN Psychology

This questionnaire is part of a project to investigate the nature and provision of mental health, clinical and abnormal psychology teaching on U.K. undergraduate psychology courses. Information from the survey will be used to characterise current teaching in terms of both its extent and its content. It will generate resources, strategies and advice, which lecturers can freely use to inform their teaching. This information will be disseminated through publications, a one-day conference in April 2005, and via links from the LTSN website. We are asking all psychology programmes in UK universities to take part in this survey. Where possible, the person with primary responsibility for mental health teaching on each programme should complete the survey. If this is not possible, or if there is no one person with this responsibility, we ask Heads of Department to take responsibility for ensuring that an appropriate person completes the questionnaire. Completed questionnaires should be posted to this address: LTSN Survey Department of Human Sciences Loughborough University Loughborough Leics. LE 11 3TU You might prefer to complete the questionnaire electronically online. If so, please go to: http://www/lboro.ac.uk/depts/hu/XXXX If you have any queries about this research, please contact: Dr John Cromby Department of Human Sciences Loughborough University Loughborough Leics LE 11 3TU J.Cromby@lboro.ac.uk

MethodologyMethodology

SamplingSampling

– Exhaustive web search to identify possible Exhaustive web search to identify possible relevant teachersrelevant teachers

– AHPD distribution listAHPD distribution list

MethodologyMethodology

Initial postal distribution Sept 2004Initial postal distribution Sept 2004

Two email remindersTwo email reminders One postal reminderOne postal reminder Final email reminderFinal email reminder Follow ups to personal contactsFollow ups to personal contacts

Response RateResponse Rate

Original distribution: 457 individuals and Original distribution: 457 individuals and departmentsdepartments

72 total responses > 6572 total responses > 65

59% of AHPD distribution list59% of AHPD distribution list

The SampleThe Sample

61 accredited for GBR61 accredited for GBR

56 (86%) had a specific MH module56 (86%) had a specific MH module– 51 (91%) available each year51 (91%) available each year– 41 (74%) level 3/441 (74%) level 3/4– compulsory for 20 (35%)compulsory for 20 (35%)

– Students 15-400, median 90Students 15-400, median 90– Median hours teaching 24Median hours teaching 24

Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules

Models or frameworks used in teachingModels or frameworks used in teaching

Cognitive-behavioural 46 (82%)Cognitive-behavioural 46 (82%) Psychiatry 46 (82%)Psychiatry 46 (82%) Psychosocial 41 (73%)Psychosocial 41 (73%) Diathesis-stress 39 (69%)Diathesis-stress 39 (69%) Socio-cultural 37 (66%)Socio-cultural 37 (66%) Freudian 33 (59%)Freudian 33 (59%) Humanistic 25 (45%)Humanistic 25 (45%) Family systems theory 18 (32%)Family systems theory 18 (32%)

Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules

Models or frameworks used in teaching:Models or frameworks used in teaching:

12 based their modules around a single 12 based their modules around a single modelmodel– 7 cognitive-behavioural7 cognitive-behavioural– 3 psychiatric3 psychiatric– 2 others2 others

Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules

TextbooksTextbooks

– 14 used Davison & Neale14 used Davison & Neale

– 52 books with “abnormal”52 books with “abnormal” in the titlein the title

- Vast majority of books based uncritically on Vast majority of books based uncritically on DSMDSM

-Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules

Critiques of the medical model:Critiques of the medical model:

42 (75%) included some critiques42 (75%) included some critiques

– 27 (64%) mentioned Szasz27 (64%) mentioned Szasz– 26 (62%) mentioned Laing26 (62%) mentioned Laing– 19 (45%) mentioned Bentall19 (45%) mentioned Bentall– 11 (26%) mentioned Boyle11 (26%) mentioned Boyle– 9 (21%) mentioned Foucault9 (21%) mentioned Foucault– 9 (21%) others9 (21%) others

Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules

Use of outside speakers:Use of outside speakers:

25 (44%) use outside speakers25 (44%) use outside speakers

– 23 clinical psychologists23 clinical psychologists– 5 psychiatrists5 psychiatrists– 3 social workers3 social workers– 2 service users2 service users– 2 others2 others

Mental Health ModulesMental Health Modules

Could these modules be improved?Could these modules be improved?

– 22 (39%) said yes22 (39%) said yes– 9 too busy to make changes9 too busy to make changes

– Wider range of modelsWider range of models– No undergraduatesNo undergraduates– Stronger theoretical baseStronger theoretical base– Service user involvementService user involvement

Mental Health TeachingMental Health Teaching

How could mental health teaching in psychology How could mental health teaching in psychology be improved?be improved?

49% more input from service users49% more input from service users 40% more input from clinical psychology40% more input from clinical psychology 25% more input from counselling25% more input from counselling 26% more input from philosophy26% more input from philosophy 21% more input from psychiatry21% more input from psychiatry 21% more input from sociology21% more input from sociology 15% more input from cognitive science15% more input from cognitive science

Mental Health TeachingMental Health Teaching

How could mental health teaching in How could mental health teaching in psychology be improved?psychology be improved?

More multi-disciplinaryMore multi-disciplinary

Closer links to practiceCloser links to practice– PsychoanalysisPsychoanalysis– Paid placements for UGsPaid placements for UGs

Mental Health TeachingMental Health Teaching

Barriers to improvementBarriers to improvement

Time pressureTime pressure Difficulty of finding/persuading suitably qualified Difficulty of finding/persuading suitably qualified

staffstaff Prejudice and stereotypesPrejudice and stereotypes Overcrowded (BPS) curriculumOvercrowded (BPS) curriculum Student resistance to taboo issuesStudent resistance to taboo issues Difficulty of integrating perspectives/modelsDifficulty of integrating perspectives/models

Mental Health TeachingMental Health Teaching

General commentsGeneral comments

Better textbooks neededBetter textbooks needed

What should we call it?What should we call it?

Too medicalToo medical

More practitioner and user input neededMore practitioner and user input needed

SummarySummary

Most psychology degrees address this area Most psychology degrees address this area although it isn’t on the BPS curriculumalthough it isn’t on the BPS curriculum

Most teaching apparently eclectic although most Most teaching apparently eclectic although most relies on textbooks based on DSMrelies on textbooks based on DSM

Need for input: many academic staff feel Need for input: many academic staff feel insufficiently qualified/experienced to teachinsufficiently qualified/experienced to teach

SummarySummary

Development of practitioner linksDevelopment of practitioner links

More appropriate resourcesMore appropriate resources

Support and guidance to involve service Support and guidance to involve service usersusers

The undergraduate surveyThe undergraduate survey

What are its What are its implications for implications for what/how we teach what/how we teach within clinical within clinical psychology? (including psychology? (including recruitment to clinical recruitment to clinical psychology teaching)psychology teaching)

What does it suggest What does it suggest that we might offer that we might offer to/gain from to/gain from colleagues involved in colleagues involved in teaching teaching undergraduate undergraduate psychology (and what psychology (and what are the barriers to are the barriers to this?)this?)

Learning and teaching about Learning and teaching about mental health - developmentsmental health - developments

Follow on from U/G surveyFollow on from U/G survey

– Psychologist special issuePsychologist special issue– Resource listResource list– BJCP articleBJCP article– Textbook? Textbook? – Psychology network MH groupPsychology network MH group

mhhemhhe

mhhe: areas of activitymhhe: areas of activity

www.mhhe.heacademy.ac.uk

Where next?Where next?