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HE Unit Template
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Perinatal Mental Health - Part A
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HEALP6206 - Perinatal Mental Health - Part A
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20250600
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Course
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Unit
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2.3
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2026-09-10
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2026-09-10
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Midwifery
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Institute of Health and Wellbeing
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Midwifery
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Postgraduate - Coursework
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15
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.125
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060303
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Midwifery
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060303 - Midwifery
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<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/healp6206">View unit fees</a>
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Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
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Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma
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Intermediate
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<p>This is the introductory unit in the Gidget Foundation Australia workforce development program. It is designed to provide students with foundational theoretical knowledge and skills to support entry into the perinatal and infant mental health clinical space. The content will explore:</p>
<ul>
<li>Physiology of childbearing,</li>
<li>Fetal development,</li>
<li>Normal adjustments to parenting as well as broad biosocial issues contributing or diminishing resilience,</li>
<li>Comprehensive psychological assessment of the mother-infant dyad, case formation,</li>
<li>Implementation, and evaluation of therapeutic treatment of common clinical presentations,</li>
<li>Effective family-centred, strengths based, and culturally sensitive care will be explored together with clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and reflective practice for safe, quality evidence-based care.</li>
</ul>
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<p>Topics may include:</p>
<ol>
<li>Physiology of childbearing and fetal development.</li>
<li>Parent-infant attachment, attachment styles, and adjustment to parenting.</li>
<li>Fathers or non-birth partner and their evolving roles, adjustments and relationships.</li>
<li>Psychosocial screening and prevention</li>
<li>Protective and risk factors for optimum perinatal mental health, e.g., social capital, family strengths, individual, social, and environmental risk, vulnerable groups including birth trauma, grief and loss, family violence, assisted reproduction, migrant/refugee health, drug, and alcohol use.</li>
<li>Common presentations of compromised mental health in the perinatal period including anxiety, depression, and trauma.</li>
<li>Women presenting with pre-existing or chronic mental health conditions.</li>
<li>Initial mental health assessment, diagnostics, and management, including core competencies, e.g., CBT.</li>
<li>Psychodynamic approaches to working with families.</li>
<li>Indications for pharmacotherapy, medication options, GP/psychiatrist referral, medication side-effects, implications for pregnant and lactating women on fetal and child development.</li>
<li>Legal, ethical, and professional practice standards/frameworks, child protection considerations</li>
<li>Working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team including consultation and referral pathways</li>
<li>Principles of infant mental health; infant development, normal neurobiology of infant brain development, factors which can impact upon this: sleep quality, settling, infant communication, infant feeding, social and physical development or milestones.</li>
<li>Infant feeding needs including early feeding, supporting lactation, introduction of solids, common issues, and allergies.</li>
<li>Self-care and reflective practice.</li>
<li>Embedding evidence-based practice.</li>
<li>Theoretical frameworks for therapeutic psychological practice.</li>
<li>Cultural perception of mental health.</li>
</ol>
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<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
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2027
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HEALP6206 - Perinatal Mental Health - Part A
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HEALP6206 - Perinatal Mental Health - Part A
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Semester 1
Semester 2
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Year
2027
2026
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Overview
Key information
Requisites
Learning outcomes
Assessment
Parent Region
Overview
Unit description
<p>This is the introductory unit in the Gidget Foundation Australia workforce development program. It is designed to provide students with foundational theoretical knowledge and skills to support entry into the perinatal and infant mental health clinical space. The content will explore:</p> <ul> <li>Physiology of childbearing,</li> <li>Fetal development,</li> <li>Normal adjustments to parenting as well as broad biosocial issues contributing or diminishing resilience,</li> <li>Comprehensive psychological assessment of the mother-infant dyad, case formation,</li> <li>Implementation, and evaluation of therapeutic treatment of common clinical presentations,</li> <li>Effective family-centred, strengths based, and culturally sensitive care will be explored together with clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and reflective practice for safe, quality evidence-based care.</li> </ul>
Unit content
<p>Topics may include:</p> <ol> <li>Physiology of childbearing and fetal development.</li> <li>Parent-infant attachment, attachment styles, and adjustment to parenting.</li> <li>Fathers or non-birth partner and their evolving roles, adjustments and relationships.</li> <li>Psychosocial screening and prevention</li> <li>Protective and risk factors for optimum perinatal mental health, e.g., social capital, family strengths, individual, social, and environmental risk, vulnerable groups including birth trauma, grief and loss, family violence, assisted reproduction, migrant/refugee health, drug, and alcohol use.</li> <li>Common presentations of compromised mental health in the perinatal period including anxiety, depression, and trauma.</li> <li>Women presenting with pre-existing or chronic mental health conditions.</li> <li>Initial mental health assessment, diagnostics, and management, including core competencies, e.g., CBT.</li> <li>Psychodynamic approaches to working with families.</li> <li>Indications for pharmacotherapy, medication options, GP/psychiatrist referral, medication side-effects, implications for pregnant and lactating women on fetal and child development.</li> <li>Legal, ethical, and professional practice standards/frameworks, child protection considerations</li> <li>Working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team including consultation and referral pathways</li> <li>Principles of infant mental health; infant development, normal neurobiology of infant brain development, factors which can impact upon this: sleep quality, settling, infant communication, infant feeding, social and physical development or milestones.</li> <li>Infant feeding needs including early feeding, supporting lactation, introduction of solids, common issues, and allergies.</li> <li>Self-care and reflective practice.</li> <li>Embedding evidence-based practice.</li> <li>Theoretical frameworks for therapeutic psychological practice.</li> <li>Cultural perception of mental health.</li> </ol>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Discipline:
Midwifery
Study level:
Postgraduate - Coursework
Credit points:
15
EFTSL:
0.125
Field of education:
060303 - Midwifery
Offering:
<p><strong>Semester 1</strong><p>On-line Learning</p></p> <p><strong>Semester 2</strong><p>On-line Learning</p></p>
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/healp6206">View unit fees</a>
Requisites
Prerequisite
<p>must have completed <a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEALP6201" target="_blank">HEALP6201</a> AND must have completed <a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEALP6202" target="_blank">HEALP6202</a></p>
Corequisite
<p>must be enrolled in <a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEALP6207" target="_blank">HEALP6207</a></p>
Exclusion
<p>must not have completed HEALP6204</p>
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
<p>On successful completion of this unit, students are expected to gain the following [K]nowledge, [S]kills and [A]pplication of knowledge & skills</p>
Learning Outcomes
Ref
Outcome
K1
<p>Examine the barriers and enablers common perinatal mental health presentations.</p>
K2
<p>Demonstrate knowledge regarding healthy adjustment to parenting and comprehensive assessment of the family unit including the mother, father/non birthing parent, infant, and the parent infant dyad.</p>
K3
<p>Analyse evidence-based treatment options for perinatal mental health conditions, including pharmacological management and its implications.</p>
K4
<p>Identify legal, ethical, and key theoretical frameworks influential in facilitating diagnosis and management of perinatal and infant mental health disorders.</p>
S1
<p>Undertake and evaluate comprehensive assessment appropriate to the clinical presentation.</p>
S2
<p>Work collaboratively as a perinatal and infant mental health worker in a multidisciplinary team with a professional approach to treatment and recovery.</p>
S3
<p>Implement strategies to support the family’s need for privacy, dignity, and respect as well as their right to be informed and make decisions regarding their care.</p>
A1
<p>Demonstrate advanced interpersonal and therapeutic communication skills when working with women experiencing emotional or psychological challenges.</p>
A2
<p>Interpret mental health assessment and risk in addition to psychosocial screening tools commonly used in the perinatal period.</p>
A3
<p>Apply reflective thinking and critical analysis to perinatal and infant mental health contexts and demonstrate a sound understanding of the evidence base underpinning professional practice.</p>
Assessment
Learning Tasks and Assessment
Ref
Learning task
Assessment type
Weighting
Learning outcomes assessed
1
<p>Case Presentation</p>
<p>Oral Task</p>
<p>40-60%</p>
K1, K2, K4, S1, S3, A1
2
<p>Case Study</p>
<p>Written Task</p>
<p>40-60%</p>
K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3
3
<p>Attendance at 80% of virtual classes</p>
<p>Attendance </p>
<p>S/U</p>
K1, K3, S2, S3, A3
Supplementary assessment available:
Yes
Supplementary assessment information:
<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Discipline:
Midwifery
Study level:
Postgraduate - Coursework
Credit points:
15
EFTSL:
0.125
Field of education:
060303 - Midwifery
Offering:
<p><strong>Semester 1</strong><p>On-line Learning</p></p> <p><strong>Semester 2</strong><p>On-line Learning</p></p>
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/healp6206">View unit fees</a>
Additional information
Cards Section - Non Research
Add Info Static Text
Internal reference: HEALP6206 - U2.3