Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care

UNIT 8: PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CAREEssential guidance for tutorsDeliveryHaving an understanding of the psychological approach will be of benefit both tolearners who wish to enter the health and social care workforce on completion oftheir programme, and to those planning to progress to further or higher levels ofstudy. Learners need to understand the role of psychology in setting out to explainhow people think and feel, how they learn and develop, and why they behave in theway they do. They then need to be able to apply this to the health and social caresectors.The unit could be introduced through consideration of the meaning of the term‘theories’ in the context of psychology. Learners need to appreciate the diversity ofpsychological theories, and come to understand the reasons for this as they progressthrough the unit.The principal psychological perspectives could be initially introduced through tutorinput, with class or small group discussion being used for the sharing of opinions andideas. Psychological perspectives then need to be applied to the health and socialcare sectors, in order that learners gain understanding of the potential value ofpsychology in health and social care work.The two learning outcomes could be delivered concurrently, with learners firstlyexamining a particular perspective, such as behaviourism, and then considering itspotential application in health and social care. Alternatively, there could be focuson, for example challenging behaviour, and learners could consider the variousperspectives that contribute to the understanding of such behaviour.This unit should be delivered by an appropriately qualified tutor, with the use ofappropriate guest speakers, visits, links with local voluntary and community groups,and DVDs/videos to enhance delivery. Case studies could also be useful to helplearners consider the roles of different perspectives in relation to health and socialcare.AssessmentEvidence for this unit should be mainly in the form of pieces of writing/essays,though records from presentations or class discussions could be used to supplementthese. Learners need to demonstrate understanding of different psychologicalapproaches to study by applying these approaches to aspects of health and socialcare.Evidence for this unit could be provided through the vehicle of one holisticassignment. In order to achieve the pass criteria, learners need to provide evidenceof understanding of the different psychological perspectives in terms of theirapplication to different aspects of health and social care.126BN018467 – Specification – Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care– Issue 1 – February 2007 © Edexcel Limited 2007