Overview

They learn to respond proactively to the challenges of and changes in mental health problems in our society and to those encountered in working with clients with mental illness within social service fields in particular. Students are encouraged to integrate theory and practice from the medical, psychological and social work disciplines, thus allowing them to generate practice-based wisdom and insights for mental health practice.

Characteristics

This programme is specially designed for practising social workers, teachers, nurses and other human professionals. The specialism is offered on a mixed-mode basis, with the majority of subjects being taught in the evening. On completion of 21 credits (7 subjects), students can apply to graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma.

This is one of the two specialisms under the Master of Arts in Social Work Programme. With a configuration of multiple subjects, the programme is the only one of its kind in postgraduate training in applied social sciences in Hong Kong. Allowing students from different specialisms to choose from the same pool of Elective Subjects is extremely important in promoting their competence to learn and practice in a multidisciplinary context, which is one of the characteristics of a well-rounded professional.

This programme provides students with a holistic and multidimensional perspective on understanding and working with individuals who are confronting mental health and mental illness issues. It embraces a humanistic and deep understanding of clients with mental problems. It also equips students with current knowledge of international trends in mental health practice. This enables them not only to gain knowledge and practice competence from prevalent clinical perspectives, but also to embrace a humanistic orientation to promote mental growth and mental health for individuals, families and communities.