Mental health and substance abuse (5 cr)

Objective

The students understand the phenomena and challenges related to mental health and substance use. They can identify the special needs of different groups. They understand and can apply key legislation and basic concepts in the field. The students are familiar with the service systems in the urban context and can guide and support the client to the services.

The students can reflect on their professional activities and identify the limits of their own professional competence in the work of a Bachelor of Social Services. They can evaluate current discussions related to mental health and substance abuse. The students understand the importance of different work orientations as well as anti-discriminatory dimensions of the work in the mental health and substance abuse sectors.

Content

The protective and risk factors involved for mental health services users. Dimensions of normal and abnormal. The history of mental health work. The components of mental health. Addictions as a larger phenomenon. Trends in substance abuse work. Skills for respectful and motivating encounters with clients as well as bringing issues to the forefront. Mental Health Act and Act on Welfare for Substance Abusers. Understanding of the Health Care Act and Social Welfare Act from the perspective of mental health and substance abuse work. Key services and appropriate guidance. Environmental (macro, meso) and individual (micro) challenges for service users. Multidisciplinary, preventive, harm reductive, corrective, and rehabilitative mental health, and substance abuse work. Simple Finnish vocabulary and phrases used in interactions with diverse service users.

Location and time

22.01.2025 09.00 - 11.45 Orientation in Zoom
24.01.2025 12.45 - 16.00 Lecture
29.01.2025 09.00 - 12.00 Lecture
06.02.2025 09.00 - 11.45 Independent group work
07.02.2025 09.00 - 11.45 Independent group work
12.02.2025 09.00 - 11.45 Lecture
19.02.2025 09.00 - 11.45 Lecture
20.02.2025 09.00 - 12.00 Independent group work
26.02.2025 09.00 - 16.00 Independent group work; seminar
06.03.2025 09.00 - 12.00 Exam

Materials

Reading material for exam:
1) Lecture slides and topics discussed during the lectures

2) Ow & Poon (eds.) (2020). Mental health & Social work.
Chapters:
1 (Theories on Mental Health, Illness and Intervention),
5 (Social-Cultural Ecological Perspective),
6 (Developmental Approach to Mental Health),
10 (An Overview of Social Work Approaches in Working with Families of People with Serious Mental Illness),
11 (Community and Mental Health).
The book is avaible as a PDF in Documents -folder.

3) Vaughn & Perron (2013). Social Work Practise in the Addiction.
Chapters:
1 (Historical and Contemporary Perspectives),
3 (Etiology),
4 (Assessment Strategies for Substance Use Disorders),
6 (Brief Motivational Interventions to Change Problematic Substance Use).
The book is avaible as a e-book via Metropolia library https://metropolia.finna.fi/?lng=en-gb

Teaching methods

Lectures
Group work
Learning assignments
Exam

Employer connections

Group work connected to social services field

Exam schedules

6.3.25 9-12 Exam
Retakes will be held during spring 2025, announced later.

Completion alternatives

RPL applications should be send to Taina Valkeapää before the course begins.

Student workload

5 crd = 135 hours

Content scheduling

3. period

Further information

At the beginning of the course, the teacher will provide guidelines on the use of AI. Using AI in assignments where it is explicitly prohibited constitutes academic misconduct. Similarly, insufficient citation of AI use is also considered misconduct.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Framework of evaluation is as an attachment in the Curriculum's description.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Framework of evaluation is as an attachment in the Curriculum's description.

Assessment methods and criteria

Exam 0-5
Group work and learning assignments pass/failed

Exam, group work and assignments should be all accepted in order to pass the course.

Assessment criteria follow Metropolia's general assessment criteria.