The assignment requires you to write a response of the following news items.
The piece should be written in the style of a response comment piece / editorial for a Psychology bulletin or a national newspaper. You should comment on the article and the broader issues raised by it from a professional psychological perspective.
You should include political, economic and social factors where relevant. It is important to present a balanced argument by discussing all perspectives even if you favour one particular position in your conclusion.
The best pieces of work will integrate psychological theories and perhaps formulations, with relevant Government (or perhaps BPS) policies and may also draw upon personal and/or service user experiential perspectives.
The best pieces of work will demonstrate an awareness of how the issue(s) being discussed affects both individuals, organisations and populations.
You may choose to focus on the psychological impact or take the view of mental health services for example. Forensic students should ensure they discuss the impact in terms of forensic services as well as any other perspective they take on the paper.
Provide a well-reasoned and evidenced piece in a professional style.
This assignment asks you to demonstrate your understanding of important issues in mental health practice; your ability to evaluate different approaches to these, and to present a logical and reasoned argument in relation to one or more of the key issues in a professional / public forum.
Questions to help you think about the article you are reading
Who has written/produced this? And how might the authorship affect the views expressed and the tone?
Is a particular political orientation obvious here? If so, how might this be shaping the piece? What kinds of information might be wittingly or unwittingly censored
Whose voice/voices are missing from this? Why does that matter? How does any of this relate to diversity, equality and democracy?
What sources will you need to research to understand more about this? There may be obvious ones indicated in the article but what about others? More interesting or lateral connections?
If this is a piece about public policy or legislation, how do you think this might affect the health care system/CJS and clinical psychologists/forensic psychologists specifically, in their day to day business? How will you convert lofty political rhetoric into meaningful accounts of people’s lives?
If this is a piece about personal experience how do you think this might be effectively used to effect change? Or to celebrate success? How might you write about this as a professional clinical or forensic psychologist in order to raise awareness further? Whose awareness would you be wanting to raise and why? Which media would you communicate via? Why?
If you’re thinking about financial arguments have you researched properly and thought about the complexities? (I.e. ‘public services need more money’ is too reductionist.) What would you prioritise spending on? Why? What would that mean about areas not prioritised?
How does what you are reading about here relate to the other lecture topics? If you can’t seem to find an obvious link, which strand could you develop with some further research for a more lateral link?
If you have had a strong emotional reaction to what you have read how will you temper that in your communication in order to make sure your passion is communicated effectively rather than potentially embarrassing yourself or bringing disrepute to the profession?
Is there any hope; optimism, cause for celebration, or acknowledgement of success or improvement in this? If not, is it appropriate to bring some in to balance your response?
