Supporting Students in Difficult Times

Unit snapshot

Unit type
PG Coursework Unit
Credit points
12
Faculty & College
Faculty of Education
Placement
No

Unit description

Provides 'front line' professionals with the knowledge and skills required to effectively support children and young people who are experiencing personal difficulties and require social and/or emotional support. Emphasis is placed on recognising when such support is needed and why, identifying when and how to respond and refer to other support services, such as counselling.

This unit is an integral part of a selection of courses at SCU Online. Each course incorporates this unit into a complete and immersive educational experience. If you're interested in this unit, we highly recommend enrolling in one of the courses listed below.

Unit content

Recognising why and when students need socio-emotional support – Perspectives on socio-emotional problems and issues – Causes of emotional distress for students (issues such as friendship issues, family dynamics, abuse, loss and grief, bullying, suicide) – Contexts for understanding students’ emotional concerns – Theories of attachment, trauma and resilience. 

Responding to students’  social and emotional needs in difficult times – Sources of support for students – The relational context for responding – The role of teachers and other relevant professionals – Skills for effectively responding – The importance of reflective practice for teachers.

Referring students for support – Differentiating between social support, emotional support, mental health and child protection issues – Overview of relevant services and service models – Responding to disclosures of concern – Referring children and families to specialised services – Critical issues in referral.

A female mental health student speaking to a group of people with a notepad

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

Recognise when and why students might need socio-emotional support
Describe the role of teachers and other education staff in providing appropriate socio-emotional support for students
Demonstrate appropriate skills in responding to students experiencing difficulties, crisis or distress
Identify which external services students may need to be referred to and how such referrals might be sensitively approached
Critically evaluate their own professional practice when engaging with students requiring socio-emotional support

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method
Structured online learning

Assessment
Reflective writing: 40%
Report: 60%

A mental health student smiling to a male teenager in an office

Study this unit in the following courses

This unit is a fundamental component of the full courses listed below, each designed to equip you with the in-depth knowledge and skills needed to achieve your career goals. To fully benefit from your learning experience and apply it to real-world challenges, engaging with the entire course is essential. Explore the courses that include this unit and take the next step towards your professional success.