Healthy Discussions to Support Self-Management

Module overview

This module is intended for students from a range of multidisciplinary health or social care backgrounds who are interested in developing and refining their communication skills as a tool for supporting self-management. Background Supported self-management enables people to develop the knowledge, motivation, confidence and skills to make decisions and act in relation to their health. This includes management of health conditions and promotion of their overall well-being. Health and social care practitioners can develop and apply advanced communication skill to successfully support self-management for client-centred health and well-being gains. Focus Through this module you will critically explore relevant theory to help you appraise and apply communication skills that promote shared decision making, client-led behaviour change, and supported self-management. You will have the opportunity to critically reflect upon your own attitudes and beliefs and evaluate how this influences the effectiveness of your therapeutic approach. Your critical exploration of the underpinning evidence base will advance your understanding of communication in relation to supported self-management. Evidence synthesis, contextualisation, and personal critical reflection are used as learning approaches to develop your therapeutic dialogue skills relevant to your own area of practice. There is a strong practical emphasis throughout the module. This allows you to experiment and apply learning through experiential work, skills-based exercises and structured critical reflection. The skills-based content is heavily informed by motivational interviewing for behaviour change.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

The module embraces a reflective and deep learning approach where you will be encouraged to engage in a wide range of activities that lead to meaningful discussion, debate and application to contemporary issues in health and social care communication. The module is constructed in a way that enables you to learn from your peers and gain a wider variety of rich multidisciplinary perspectives. The peer directed learning approach works well to support the multidisciplinary and potentially international nature of students undertaking this module. Overall, a variety of teaching methods are used throughout the module. However, most sessions involve a key lecture or discussion topic, skill building activity or demonstration followed by class discussion and group work.

Study time
Type	Hours
Guided independent study	222
Teaching	28
Total study time	250

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Miller, W.R and Rollnick, S (2023). Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow. New York: Guilford Press.

Miller, W.R. (2018). Listening Well: The Art of Empathetic Understanding. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock.

Rollnick, S. Miller, W.R. and Butler, C.C (2023). Motivational Interviewing in Health Care: Helping Patients Change Behaviour.. New York: Guilford Press.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

Assessment for this module consists of a summative 20-minute viva, the focus of which will be a previously recorded 15-minute simulated clinical consultation with an actor. During the viva you are required to justify the approach you take (LO1), critically reflect on the effectiveness of your skills, providing reasoned suggestions for improvement to the dialogue supported by theory and research (LO2), reflect upon your attitudes, beliefs and assumptions that influence your experience and approach (LO3). The assessment marks are derived from the viva, not performance during the simulated consultation. After the simulated consultation and before the viva guidance and time for in-depth reflection will be provided.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Simulated Clinical Interview and reflection

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: The feedback given will support you to undertake the summative viva.
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Viva	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Viva	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Viva	100%