Graduate Certificate in Managing Youth Self-Harm and Suicide

The Graduate Certificate in Managing Youth Self-Harm and Suicide has been developed by the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Youth Mental Health in collaboration with Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health to equip the mental health workforce with the latest theory, research and evidence-based practice guidelines on the detection, prevention and management of self-harm and suicide-related behaviours in young people.The course is delivered wholly online, and provides students with a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of self-harm and suicide in young people, key features of the suicidal process, principles of assessing risk of self-harm and suicide-related behaviours, and evidence-based approaches to prevent, monitor and manage self-harm and suicide risk in clinical and community settings.

Course structure

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

• an undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline such as Health Science, Social Work, Psychology, Medicine, Teaching, Education or related discipline; or
• an undergraduate degree or equivalent in any discipline, and at least two years of documented relevant professional work experience; or
• at least five years of documented relevant professional work experience, including clear evidence of career development, professional writing, and professional achievement or practice comparable to that expected of undergraduate degree holders in cognate disciplines.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• prior academic performance; and, if relevant
• professional experience.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Note: Quotas may be applied.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Outline the major theories of youth mental health and suicidal processes
• Describe the key risk and protective factors that underlie mental ill-health, deliberate self-harm and suicidal behaviour in young people
• Describe and apply tailored approaches to engaging and assessing young people experiencing mental ill-health
• Discuss the biological, psychological and social factors contributing to mental ill-health, self-harm and suicide-related behaviours in young people
• Prepare evidence-informed prevention, intervention and safety management strategies for deliberate self-harm and suicide-related behaviours in clinical and community settings
• Apply evidence-informed assessment strategies to identify young people at risk of deliberate self-harm or suicide
• Design and critically evaluate safety management plans for young people at risk of deliberate self-harm or suicidal behaviour