Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Health and Wellbeing

This subject introduces and critiques the concepts ‘adolescence’ and ‘health’, and examines various frameworks for understanding the phenomenon of adolescent development. The diversity of adolescent experience is explored, and the impact of various socio-environmental contexts of adolescence on young people’s health and well-being is identified.

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This subject asks students to examine the assumptions, values, experiences, skills, forms of knowledge and broader influences on your work with young people. The subject is structured into four connected modules that build on each other across the semester:

• Reflective practice
• Working with resilience
• Working with other professionals
• Being resilient

Using experiences as a starting point, and building on this with topics notes and selected reading students will explore frameworks and interventions for working with young people to improve health outcomes. These include risk and resiliency, professional role boundaries, ethical practice and collaboration.

Students will draw on theoretical perspectives and ideas from contemporary literature as well as insights generated through critical reflection and sharing thoughts and experiences with their subject colleagues. Through this critical enquiry it is expected that they will further develop their understandings of their own practice and change and develop aspects of that practice.

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This subject investigates how social determinants and social worlds affect the health and wellbeing of young people and examines social life from historical, global and cultural perspectives. Students will draw on a diversity of theoretical perspectives to analyse how society operates and how social changes influence the health, wellbeing and behaviours of young people. Throughout this subject, particular emphasis is placed on examining and explaining social and health inequalities. Issues of gender and popular culture and concepts related to social networks, social capital, social cohesion and social control are explored. The relationship between micro and macro views of society (micro-macro linkage), and the relationship between social structures, institutions and human agency are investigated with reference to contemporary adolescent health issues. Approaches to interventions focusing on changing social contexts will be critically examined.

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This subject explores key practices, principles and frameworks for health promotion and community capacity building aimed at enhancing the health and wellbeing of young people. Participants will be encouraged to develop a more systematic approach to health promotion practice, particularly in identifying adolescent health needs and in planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion approaches relevant to particular communities/settings. Participants will be encouraged to draw on their experience and knowledge in the development of a health promotion project proposal. The subject considers the social and environmental context in which health promotion takes place.

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This subject introduces multi-disciplinary conceptual frameworks for understanding mental health and illness in young people and highlights the importance of social and environmental contexts for mental health. Using a social-ecological model, this subject explores contemporary facets and experiences of youth mental health across communities and systems. With a focus on emergent research, and including interviews with young people, students will be expected to engage reflexively and critically with various foundational biological, psychological and sociological concepts, and to develop an understanding of the factors that impact young people's lives and mental health. The subject encourages students to develop an evidence-based understanding of the diversity of needs and adaptive opportunities possible in their youth-focused professional contexts, with a particular focus on health, youth justice, welfare and education systems.

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In this subject, participants will draw on ideas from research, along with theoretical frameworks and strategies explored during the course to develop and review a critical inquiry project relevant to their professional practice workplace / setting that influences outcomes for young people. Participants will be supervised through each stage of the project and will be required to present their findings, perspectives and reflections to different audiences using appropriate media.

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This subject enables students to explore contemporary substance use (alcohol and other drug use) among young people. This will include building an understanding of current frameworks/policies for responding to the complex issue of substance use among young people. Current trends in substance use among young people, drawing on contemporary literature from Australian and international contexts will be explored across the spectrum of prevention through to substance abuse treatment. The role of social culture and the media will be examined. Students will draw on a diversity of current research to tease out some of the key risk and protective factors for adolescent substance use. Students will also explore current frameworks to assist young people engaging in substance use to avoid harm and initiate and maintain change (e.g., harm minimisation, stages of change and relapse prevention models, strengths-based approaches, trauma informed practice).

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Increasingly successful treatments and improved survival rates for adolescents and young adults with cancer have led to the need for better management of the many complex issues arising out the experience of cancer for this group. A better appreciation and understanding of the psycho-social dimension of a young person’s life and cancer experience has emerged, and with this the need for new skills and approaches to care.

This subject identifies and addresses these issues, including: the impact of cancer on adolescent development, including sexual and identity development; dealing with ethical issues around consent and confidentiality; reactions to survivorship; the management of palliative care and spiritual needs; understanding the family context of treatment; liaising with schools and universities; and negotiating the interface between paediatric and adult cancer services.

This subject takes a holistic approach to these issues, drawing from different multidisciplinary perspectives and insights.

It will be of interest to a range of professionals engaged in the care and support of adolescents and young adults with cancer.

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This subject explores two main themes:
1. The social construction of sexuality - how our understandings of sexuality are developed in socio-cultural contexts; and
2. Sexual health - how it is defined and measured, what factors contribute to it, and practical issues to consider when interacting with adolescents and trying to have an impact on their sexual health and wellbeing.

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This subject explores health and social issues for young people experiencing vulnerability. Specific groups of young people to be studied will be chosen from the areas: disability, indigeneity, homelessness, justice-system involvement, ethnic diversity, and sexual and gender diversity. The subject begins with a critical exploration of the concept of vulnerability as it applies to young people, and the use and purpose of such a categorisation by relevant services and through policy. The impact of risk and protective factors on adolescents’ membership in a group experiencing vulnerability will be examined including those factors operating at individual, family, peer group, school and community levels. How vulnerability impacts the health and well-being of young people in these groups will be considered. Students will develop an understanding of the impact of multiple marginalities among young people experiencing vulnerability. This subject will discuss contemporary intervention approaches: most notably “strengths-based” practice, as well as collaborative holistic approaches to service delivery. Students will be encouraged to explore innovative services relevant and accessible to the young people with whom they are currently working or would like to work with.

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