Lecture: 4 hours/week
In this course, students may engage in the following learning activities: discussion, group work, case studies, peer-review, role play/simulation, project work, and audio-visual aids.
- Foundations of child and youth mental health; development theory; adolescent brain development; family systems and parenting styles
- Attachment theory, trauma, and environment; trauma-informed care; impact of seclusion/restraint; strategies to reduce re-traumatization
- Therapeutic engagement and assessment; confidentiality and boundaries; family assessment techniques; standardized tools
- Legal, ethical, and cultural considerations; Mental Health Act, Infants Act, Youth Criminal Justice Act; cultural safety and social determinants
- Common mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders:
- Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Trauma- and stress-related disorders
- Mood disorders (depressive and bipolar)
- Schizophrenia spectrum and psychotic disorders
- Substance use and concurrent disorders
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/attention deficit disorder
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and impulse-control disorders
- Intellectual disability, prenatal alcohol exposure, and specific learning disorders
- Special topics: LGBTQ+ youth, self-injury, suicide risk, family-centered care, early intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration
- Nursing roles and interventions; psychiatric nursing diagnoses; care planning; pharmacological considerations; evidence-informed modalities; levels of prevention.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Differentiate the unique needs of children and adolescents experiencing mental health challenges from those of adults;
- Describe the influence of child and adolescent brain development, developmental theories (e.g., Erikson, Bronfenbrenner), and attachment styles on mental health and psychopathology;
- Identify risk and protective factors, contributing influences, and the association between child development and the onset of mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders;
- Evaluate how seclusion, restraint, and other environmental factors can impact vulnerable populations;
- Identify potential trauma triggers within healthcare settings to inform the integration of trauma-informed strategies that prevent re-traumatization of vulnerable populations;
- Demonstrate knowledge of a holistic mental health assessment, standardized tools, and interviewing techniques for children, adolescents, and families;
- Formulate psychiatric nursing diagnoses, intervention plans, and health-promotion strategies across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention; and
- Collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams to deliver comprehensive, family-centered care and to support positive mental health outcomes for children, adolescents, and their families.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a letter-graded course.
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Students registered in the BSPN Degree program - PNUR 3401 and PNUR 3403 and PNUR 3421 and PNUR 3430 and PNUR 3441 and PNUR 3462.
Students registered in the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing Degree program - PNUR 3402 and PNUR 3171 and PNUR 4575.
There are no prerequisites for students currently active in the Psychiatric Nursing Degree Completion program.
Students in the BSPN, LPN Access, or Degree Completion programs are required to maintain a minimum grade of 65% (C+) in all courses in order to progress in the program.
Students currently active in the BSPN Degree program are required to take PNUR 4501 and PNUR 4521 and PNUR 4562 and PNUR 4572.
Students currently active in the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing Degree program are required to take PNUR 3321 and PNUR 3421 and PHIL 3125.
There are no corequisites for students currently active in the Psychiatric Nursing Degree Completion program.
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