PSY-N205-0 Psychopathology and Clinical Psychology Assessment Brief 2026

Learning Outcomes 

This assessment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes listed below.  

By successfully completing this assessment, you will be able to:

· Appraise past and current conceptualisations of personality, abnormal behaviours, and mental illness, including methods of assessment and measurement in the diagnosis of mental disorders

· Demonstrate a critical understanding of current psychological and pharmaceutical theories and treatment modalities in abnormal behaviours 

Employability and Professional Skills  

This assessment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following skills which are critical in professional contexts and jobs.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will be able to:

· Think critically and problem-solve

· Make ethical decisions in clinical settings

· Communicate effectively to the public using clear language, appropriate tone, and engaging visuals

Assessment guidance / what you have been asked to do

This assessment requires you to produce a 4-page leaflet aimed at a service user based on one of three mental health conditions listed below. The leaflet should demonstrate your ability to communicate psychological knowledge in a clear, compassionate, and accessible way for a service user audience. It should reflect your understanding of the condition and show how you apply evidence-based reasoning to real-world mental health contexts.

Details of the Assessment Task

You will select one mental health condition from three listed below and develop a leaflet based on the selected condition. Your leaflet should be informative and visually engaging, offering practical information to a target audience of individuals seeking guidance about the chosen mental health condition. Consider using headings, bullet points, diagrams, and images to break up the text and make it user-friendly. The language should be concise and non-technical, avoiding academic jargon while maintaining accuracy.

For this assessment, you will need produce a 4-page leaflet aimed at service users. The goal is to provide clear, accessible information about a selected mental health condition, with emphasis on factors contributing to its development and potential treatments. All content must be clear, concise and understandable to a non-academic audience. Please avoid or minimise jargon/colloquial language.

Mental health conditions:

Please select ONE of the following mental health conditions on which to base your leaflet:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Schizophrenia

• Anorexia nervosa

Key Sections to Include:

Introduction to the Condition: Briefly introduce the condition, outlining common symptoms and who it affects. Use clear, simple language to explain what the condition is and how it impacts people’s lives.

Contributing Factors: Discuss the potential biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to the development of the condition. Avoid overly complex explanations but ensure the audience understands that multiple factors can be involved.

Core evidence for treatment: Provide a summary of evidence-based treatment options. Include brief descriptions of both psychological and medical treatments (e.g., therapy, medication), ensuring the benefits and what to expect from each approach are clear. Please ensure that cite academic sources to support your text. You must include a reference list at the end of your leaflet that is format in APA style 7th edition.  

Resources and Support: Direct the reader to appropriate resources such as helplines, websites, charities and local services. Make sure this section is practical, providing real support options.

Expectations of Writing Style

Your leaflet should be written in clear, accessible, and supportive language appropriate for a service user audience. Aim to communicate complex psychological information in a way that is easy to understand, respectful, and empowering. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms; where specialist language is necessary, provide simple explanations. Use a tone that is informative, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Structure your leaflet logically, with headings and subheadings that guide the reader through the content. Ensure your writing is coherent and sensitive to the lived experiences of individuals who may be affected by the condition.

Format Restrictions

The leaflet should be no longer than 4 pages. You can use columns, boxes, or images to structure the content. Ensure it is visually engaging, with a balance of text and supporting visuals. You can design the leaflet using all Microsoft software that is freely available to you as a student at Roehampton. To ensure a clear presentation, you can save your document as a PDF and upload it to the Turnitin submission box.

Incorporate relevant diagrams, images, or icons to aid understanding and break up the text. For example, a flowchart explaining the treatment process or icons to represent common symptoms. Please avoid data-heavy visuals and ensure that you reduce the file size of your leaflet for easier sharing and accessibility.

Guidance on Completing the Task

Your leaflet should be structured into four clear sections to support understanding and engagement by a service user audience: (1) an introduction to the condition, outlining key symptoms and how it may affect daily life; (2) contributing factors, including biological, psychological, and social influences; (3) core evidence for treatment, summarising the main evidence-based approaches and what service users might expect; and (4) resources and support, offering information on where to find help, such as NHS services, charities, helplines, and online platforms. As this is a service user leaflet, it is essential to write in a compassionate, inclusive, and jargon-free style. You are strongly encouraged to seek feedback from peers or others to ensure your leaflet is understandable, respectful, and engaging for its intended audience. You should also reflect on seminar materials and your case study report to inform your understanding and ensure your content is grounded in both theory and applied learning. All content should be supported by peer-reviewed research, with sources referenced using APA 7th Edition.

Reference style requirements

Your work should be supported with in-text citations and include a reference list. Both in-text citations and the reference list should be formatted according to APA style 7th Edition. A guide for APA style is available on the Module page or the university library website: Referencing and Academic Integrity at Roehampton: Referencing Styles by Subject Area. Referencing software is available at Referencing and Academic Integrity at Roehampton: RefWorks. You should cite a minimum of 5 academic sources in your leaflet (journals, reports, reviews, case studies, etc.).

Key Themes

This assessment supports the development of key professional skills, including clinical reasoning, ethical decision-making, and the ability to communicate psychological knowledge in a clear and compassionate manner. It encourages students to consider cultural and social factors in mental health and diagnosis, promoting international awareness and sensitivity to diverse lived experiences.

Further Assessment Guidance Opportunities

Formative feedback will be available during seminar sessions in Weeks 12. You are encouraged to review the marking criteria and marking rubric on Moodle, and use the resources provided by the library for support with academic writing. For any academic queries, please contact Dr Christle Coxon.

Assessment guidance support and formative feedback / academic guidance and support available to you to help you complete this assessment

To support your completion of this assessment, dedicated guidance will be provided during seminar sessions in between week 10-12, where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive formative feedback on your approach. These sessions are designed to help you clarify expectations, refine your ideas, and strengthen your analytical and writing skills.

Additional resources, including the assessment brief, marking criteria, and marking rubric, are available on the module’s Moodle page. You are strongly encouraged to review these materials early in the assessment process.

An exemplar leaflet is also available on Moodle to illustrate the expected structure and level of analysis. For further support with academic writing, referencing, and report structure, please refer to the Learning Skills Hub.

If you have any academic queries or require individual guidance, please contact Dr Christle Coxon.

· How to Achieve Maximum Success

· To succeed in this assessment, make sure you fully understand how your work will be evaluated. Review the marking criteria and rubric carefully—they outline what’s expected and how marks are awarded. Use this information to guide your planning, writing, and final presentation. Engage actively with seminar discussions, as they are designed to deepen your understanding of the task and help you apply psychological concepts in a meaningful way. Seek feedback early, whether from peers, tutors, or others, to ensure your leaflet is clear, appropriate for a service user audience, and meets the assessment standards. Taking a reflective and proactive approach will help you produce a well-informed, thoughtful, and high-quality submission.

· Links to employability

· This assessment supports key educational themes by enhancing employability through the development of clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and effective communication—skills essential for professional roles in healthcare and psychological services. It promotes sustainability by encouraging ethical, inclusive, and resource-conscious approaches to mental health care, grounded in current evidence. By focusing on service user communication, the task also fosters reflective practice and cultural sensitivity, preparing students to engage thoughtfully and responsibly in diverse clinical and community settings.

Assessment Guidance Support and Formative Feedback

To support your completion of this assessment, dedicated guidance will be provided during seminar sessions in week 12, where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive formative feedback on your approach. These sessions are designed to help you clarify expectations, refine your ideas, and strengthen your analytical and writing skills.

Additional resources, including the assessment brief, marking criteria, and marking rubric, are available on the module’s Moodle page. You are strongly encouraged to review these materials early in the assessment process.

An exemplar leaflet is also available on Moodle to illustrate the expected structure and level of analysis. For further support with academic writing, referencing, and report structure, please refer to the Learning Skills Hub.

If you have any academic queries or require individual guidance, please contact Dr Christle Coxon.

Contact for Queries/ who you can contact for further information or queries  

Full guidance is found on the Moodle page under the Assessment section. You can contact Dr Christle Coxon (Christle.Coxon@roehampton.ac.uk) for any further queries.

Ethical Requirements

As this leaflet is intended for a service user audience, students must ensure their work complies with ethical standards outlined by the British Psychological Society (BPS) for Code of Ethics and Conduct (see link here). All content should be evidence-based, non-stigmatising, and designed to support understanding and wellbeing.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

· The assessment is designed so that the use of AI during the assessment is possible. You must acknowledge any use of AI and appropriately cite all AI generated outputs. Please make sure you read and understand the assessment guidelines and ask your Module Leader if you have any questions. You can find the guidance on the use of AI here*.

*You can find the student guidance on the use of AI in the Library and Nest

Referencing 

You should use APA 7th formatting for all references. See the guidance on how to format references in this style from Cite Them Right here.

Mitigating circumstances/late penalties  

Sometimes circumstances outside of your control may affect your studies and might prevent you from submitting work on time or attending an exam.

The University offers the ability for students to request additional time to complete an assessment or to defer an assessment or examination to a later date. If you are finding yourself in such a situation, please speak to your Academic Guidance Tutor, the Roehampton Student Union (RSU) or someone in the Wellbeing team first, who can support you. Further details can be found on the mitigating circumstances portal.

If you do not apply for or are not approved for Mitigating Circumstances, late penalties will apply. If work is submitted up to 14 days late, the mark will be capped at 40%; if it is over 14 days late, it will not be marked.

Resubmissions and Reassessment

You will need to check your student profile to see if you are required to resubmit this assessment or take part in reassessment, following the relevant exam board. You will be notified when you should check your profile following the exam board. Please ensure you check your student email regularly. Any reassessment tasks will follow the same learning outcomes and criteria.

Submission Checklist

Before you submit, ask yourself:

· Have I fully answered the assessment brief?

· Have I met the word count and formatting requirements?

· Is my referencing complete and accurate?

· Have I declared any AI use honestly?

· Have I proofread my work?

· Am I submitting through the correct platform before the deadline?