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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Prepare for a mental health screening interview
  2. Conduct a mental health screening interview
  3. Perform post-mental health screening interview administration

Required Skills

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

Required Skills

Communicate detailed and technical testing procedures to individuals or groups

Literacy skills to clearly articulate administrative procedures and draft written reports

Numeracy skills to accurately analyse and validate psychometric test results

Organisational skills to manage own tasks within timeframes

Problemsolving skills to apply a broad range of problemsolving strategies to work outcomes

Selfmanagement skills to consistently evaluate and monitor own performance

Facilitation skills to coordinate testing groups efficiently and effectively

Using information technology including common software packages such as word processing spreadsheets and databases email and customised electronic psychological testing and record keeping systems

Take notes whilst communicating effectively

Accurately observe and correctly interpret client behaviour

Communicate in a culturally sensitive and respectful manner

Maintain client confidentiality

Apply interviewing microskills

Apply firstaid to an injured persons

Apply organisational privacy and security requirements

Required Knowledge

ADF mental health technical manuals policy processes and procedures

Reporting requirements relating to observed client behaviour

Legislative requirements relating to collection storage disposal and release of psychological information

Psychological screening interview tools

Interviewing microskills

Verbal and nonverbal communication techniques

Cultural diversity

Culture and trauma management

Own cultural biasbeliefs

Principles of early intervention

Organisational codes of conduct practices and ethics

Organisational and own scope of practice limitationsboundaries

Safe working policy and practices

Privacy and confidentiality policy and procedures

Duty of care

Symptoms of psychological distress

Selfcare principles

Common mental health illnesses

Psychoeducation strategies such as stress management operational stress critical incident mental health support anger management relaxation techniques sleep and fatigue management grief trauma reactions problem solving alcohol and other drug abuse suicide first aid

Referral options and procedures

Evidence Required

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessment must confirm the ability to

use appropriate attending behaviours effective interviewing microskills and questioning techniques

an ability to gather appropriate information for referral action and implement the outcomes of a psychological screen and

complete and report activity outcomes accurately in accordance with relevant instructions

Consistency in performance

Competency should be demonstrated on at least four occasion including at least two different types of screening interviews

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Context of assessment

Competency should be assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace environment

Specific resources for assessment

Access to

Suitable environment for screening interview

Screening interview tools

Access to relevant psychological documents

Role players clients


Range Statement

The Range Statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

Documents may include:

administrative applications

personal history profile

personal psych files and documents

psych referrals

psychology assessment record

psychology document folder

psychology reports

psychology test record

recruiting psychology report

Psychological screening questionnaires may include:

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

Deployment experience questionnaire

Kessler 10 Questionnaire

Major Stressors Inventory

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Check List – Civilian

Traumatic Stress Exposure Scale – Revised

Screening interview tools may include:

Critical Incident Mental Health Support (CIMHS)

Post Operational Psychological Screening (POPS)

Return to Australia Psychological Screening (RTAPS)

Special Psychological Screening

Communication techniques may include:

active listening

asking questions in the interview

confrontation

direct and indirect questioning

encouragers

eye contact

intentional non-attending

non-verbal communication

paraphrasing content

perception checking

phrasing questions

qualities of voice

reflecting feeling/meaning

requests for clarification

summarising

tracking

Principles of screening interview may include:

client well-being

empathy

listening

no harm

resistance

respect

Referral options and screening outcomes may include:

feedback to client

immediate follow-up

provision of psycho-educational training

referral to a mental health professional

routine follow-up

Education or support options may include:

alcohol tobacco and other drugs preventative programs

anger management

grief reaction

problem solving

relaxation techniques

sleep hygiene

stress management