Learn About Mental Health Problems in Children and Adolescents

Like adults, children and adolescents are not immune to mental health disorders. However, often children experience these disorders differently to adults, and there are also some problems which are unique to children. As such, treatment often needs to be different and children need to be viewed in context and helped in ways that make sense to them.

This Child and Adolescent Mental Health Online Course examines different types of mental health problems which can affect children and youth. The focus here is on disorders other than those which are known as pervasive developmental disorders (e.g. autism spectrum disorder), learning disorders (e.g. mathematics disorder) or behavioural disorders (e.g. conduct disorders and ADHD). Instead we are concerned with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, tic disorders and problems associated with brain disease or injury, environmental factors, abuse and neglect.

The course is ideally suited to students of psychology or counselling and people working in similar fields. It is also likely to be of value to teachers and other people who work with children where knowledge of mental health issues is advantageous.

Study the course to learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems, and develop an understanding of treatment options for these conditions.

The course is an excellent first step to developing an understanding of children’s mental health. It covers a range of mental health conditions in children and adolescents including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Brain Disorders
• Tic Disorders
• Eating Disorders

Detailed Course Outline

This course is made up of a number of lessons or units. Each of these has self assessment questions, a set task (practical homework) and an assignment which you can upload online.

There are 10 Lessons in this course:

1. Nature and Scope of Mental Health

• • Introduction
  • Understanding normal childhood development
  • Good mental health
  • Understanding Childhood mental issues
  • Prevalence of Mental Health issues in Children and Adolescents
  • Differences to Adult Mental Health
  • The Mental Health Industry

2. Childhood Depression

• • Types of Depression in Childhood
  • Diagnosis of Depression in Children
  • Causes of Childhood Depression
  • Assessing Risk of Suicide

3. Anxiety Disorders

• • Scope and Nature of Anxiety Disorders
  • Different types of Anxiety Disorders
  • Childhood Anxiety Disorders
  • Adolescent Anxiety Disorders
  • Other anxiety-related Problems

4. Tic Disorders

• • Types of Tics
  • Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (Tourette’s Disorder)
  • Transient Tic Disorder
  • Chronic Tic Disorder
  • Tic Disorder (NOS)

5. Brain Disorders (Injury & Disease)

• • Differences to Adults
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Congenital Malformations
  • Genetic Disorders
  • Tumours
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Cerebrovascular Disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Environmental Toxins

6. Other Disorders

• • Elimination Disorders
  • Encopresis
  • Enuresis
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood
  • Reactive Attachment Disorder
  • Selective Mutism
  • Stereotypic Movement Disorder

7. Environmental Problems

• • Child Abuse
  • Factitious Disorder by Proxy
  • The Effects of Abuse
  • Attachment Issues
  • Lifestyle

8. Problems of Adolescence

• • Anorexia
  • Bulimia
  • Substance Use
  • Family Conflict
  • Significant Disorders of Adolescence

9. Holistic and Alternative Approaches to Treatment

• • Drug Treatments
  • Food and Mental Health
  • Alternative Therapies – homeopathy, art therapy, music therapy, counselling/psychotherapy, craniosacral/biodynamic osteopathy, kinesiology, aromatherapy, sensory integration, behavioural optometry, hearing and mental health, movement therapies.

10. Project-based Learning

When you have completed the lessons of your Child and Adolescent Mental Health course, you will be given the option of taking the optional exam. It’s okay if you don’t want the exam, we still issue your Careerline Certificate. For Advanced Certificates however, the exam is compulsory (per module) and are included in the course fee.