ASC5008 Co-occurring mental illness and substance use or addiction
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
ASC5008 Co-occurring mental illness and substance use or addiction is a level 5, 12-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 12
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ASC5008
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ASC5008
No unit lists ASC5008 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Must be enrolled in either M5022.
Overview
This unit provides an overview of the key considerations for alcohol and other drug (AOD) workers, policy makers, researchers and other health and welfare professionals advocating for, supporting and engaging with individuals living with co-occurring disorders. You will be presented with the latest research findings on effective identification, management and support of people living with co-occurring disorders. Emphasis will be placed on the mental health disorders that most commonly coexist with substance use or addictive behaviour disorders.
In this unit you will learn about the prevalence of common co-occurring disorders, theoretical models that explain your aetiology and inform treatment, and the unique challenges associated with different presentations. The unit also examines the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions and evidence for medical management, including pharmacological approaches.
An applied approach is embedded throughout the unit, with practice relevant content including a review of the principles of case-formulation for the development of management plans.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | Online |
Assessment
- Skills exercises x2 (3,000 words)Exercise30%
- Educational poster (1,000 words) and oral presentation (5 - 7 minutes)Artefact30%
- Case study analysis and reflection (3000 words)Written40%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Assess limitations and assumptions underlying the various terminologies as they are applied to individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders.
- 2
Evaluate the major theoretical models of aetiology for co-occurring disorders.
- 3
Identify how co-occurring disorders affect population groups, and the consequences and implications of this.
- 4
Explain common screening and assessment tools relevant to co-occurring disorders.
- 5
Evaluate the strengths and limitations of treatment models of care for co-occurring disorders.
- 6
Appraise the unique challenges of supporting individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders and priorities for clinical practice.
- 7
Formulate presenting issues and develop integrated management plans for individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders.
- 8
Communicate and reflect on evidence-based treatment and support interventions for co-occurring disorders.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops5 hours
- Teaching approachOnline learning
Students enrolling in ASC5008 will be expected to contact the course coordinator regularly throughout the semester and participate in online discussions with fellow students and academic staff, some of these live via zoom. You should expect to spend around 24 hours a week on scheduled activities, directed learning and independent study. This includes accessing online lectures, podcasts and resources as well as participating in forum discussions, questions and quizzes via Moodle, in addition to conducting independent study such as reading, research and writing activities.
For full details of the teaching approach to this unit, please refer to Moodle.
Learning resources
Required resources
This unit will be delivered online using the Monash Moodle software delivery system. All learning resources including reading lists will be provided within the unit in Moodle and via Research and Learning Online.
Monash Library Unit Reading Lists can also be searched for via the Library, here.
Required resources: It is essential that you have access to a computer with stable internet connection during this unit of study. Support for logging into Moodle, and recommended settings to improve your Moodle experience can be found here.
You will be required to have access to appropriate software to complete assessment tasks and participate in online activities. A range of software is available for download onto Monash and personal devices for students with a Monash Authcate account through the My.Monash Virtual Environment (for example, Microsoft Office 365 is available to enrolled students at no cost). Alternately, you can search the Monash software catalogue here.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Ari Roxburgh
- Shirley Gill
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Kirsten Schliephake
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ASC5008?
ASC5008 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ASC5008 offered?
In 2026, ASC5008 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton, with an online option.
Does ASC5008 have an exam?
No. ASC5008 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.