Sydney Professional Certificate
Psychology of Pain
Graduates of this Professional Certificate will have specialised knowledge in the psychology of pain.
Graduates will be able to:
- Describe the main psychological models of pain and their strengths and weaknesses
- Discuss how psychological variables can cause, modulate and maintain pain
- Outline key psychological assessment methods
- Describe the evidence-based psychological treatments for pain
- Discuss how psychological principles can be applied to the management of pain by all health care providers.
- Analyse current evidence on the effectiveness of psychological interventions in a range of settings
- Analyse how social, cultural and interpersonal contexts can influence the experience and impact of pain.
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
Sydney Professional Certificate in Psychology of Pain |
|||
| Students must complete: | |||
| (a) 12 credit points of 5000-level units of study | |||
| PAIN5011 Psychology of Pain |
6 | Semester 1 |
|
| PAIN5016 Psychological Approaches in Pain Mgmt |
6 | A This unit is cased based and is best suited for experienced clinicians |
Semester 2 |
Sydney Professional Certificate in Psychology of Pain
Students must complete:
(a) 12 credit points of 5000-level units of study
PAIN5011 Psychology of Pain
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Claire Ashton-James and Dr Brad Wood Session: Semester 1 Classes: Online, approximately 10 hours of study per week (equals 140 hours in total) Assessment: participation in online discussion (20%), 4000-5000 word written assignment/s or equivalent (80%) Mode of delivery: Online
This unit aims to provide a comprehensive study of current psychological perspectives and research on the experience and impact of pain. Theoretical models are introduced and the ways in which psychological processes might modify and/or maintain pain experience are explored. The processes explored include the roles of attention, learning, affect/mood, beliefs, self-talk, coping strategies, and interactions with environmental factors such as significant others, social contingencies and contexts (including culture, gender, workplace, etc.). Attention is given to incorporating psychosocial assessment within a biopsychosocial framework.
PAIN5016 Psychological Approaches in Pain Mgmt
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Sarah Overton, Dr Brad Wood Session: Semester 2 Classes: Online, approximately 10 hours of study per week (equals 140 hours in total) Assumed knowledge: This unit is cased based and is best suited for experienced clinicians Assessment: participation in online discussion (20%), 4000-5000 word written assignment/s or equivalent (80%) Mode of delivery: Online
This unit is primarily focused on the influence of psychological variables in the implementation of all treatments, both somatic and psychological. The implications of the bio-psychosocial model of chronic pain for interdisciplinary interventions are discussed. The evidence for interventions based on psychological principles is critically examined and implementation of these interventions in a range of clinical settings is explored.