Project management and evaluation of social services

The course focuses on the analysis of the factors underlying psychological distress and an in-depth study of the major mental disorders (impact on quality of life, social costs, and methods of intervention). It examines adolescent development: from the "normal" (characterized by resources and growth risks) to the difficult (for example, experiences of immigration or life in the juvenile community). It also discusses adolescent difficulties such as drug addiction and deviant behavior. The course also illustrates the developmental stages of adolescence and youth in relation to the risks of distress, both in terms of internal demands (such as physical changes and self-definition) and external demands (from school, society, the world of work). Helping professions targeting child distress are considered. Useful intervention tools for dealing with distress situations are proposed. In addition, explanatory cases are discussed in order to understand how to plan preventive or rehabilitative interventions in the health field to help people who are mentally, physically, economically or socially disadvantaged.

At the beginning of the teaching activity, it is necessary for the student to have knowledge of some social phenomena related to group dynamics, as well as the ability to analyze and interpret them on the basis of fundamental theoretical models of social psychology. Furthermore, it is appropriate to have basic theoretical knowledge of the fundamental processes of interpersonal communication.

1) SPELTINI, G.(2016), L'età giovanile. Disagio e risorse psicosociali. Bologna, Il Mulino. 2) ATTILI, G. (2007), ATTACCAMENTO E COSTRUZIONE EVOLUZIONISTICA DELLA MENTE, Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore. 3) TONI, A. (2012), PSICOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE. Tra informazione, persuasione e cambiamento. Milano, Led.

The organization of the teaching activities is based on frontal lessons, aimed at the transmission of basic contents concerning the discipline. During the lessons, there will also be video projection. Furthermore, there is a practical part of teaching that covers the following topics: - group elaboration of a paper on a specific topic of the course; - group presentation of the elaborated essay (each student of the group elaborates and explains a specific part of the chosen topic); - observation and analysis of the individual and group psychological dynamics that emerge during the presentations of the papers; - theoretical-critical discussion on the presentation of each group work presented in the classroom; - discussion in the classroom of explanatory cases of normal and pathological situations in order to understand how to plan preventive or rehabilitative interventions in the healthcare field in order to help people who are at a mental, physical, economic, or social disadvantage.

Attending classes is not mandatory, but is recommended for a better learning experience.

For attending students, the final exam will consist of a discussion on all the texts and a written essay focused on the experience of the group presentation in the classroom. For non-attending students, the final exam will be an oral exam on all the proposed texts. In order to pass the oral exam, the student must obtain a grade not lower than 18/30, which indicates sufficient knowledge of the topics. The student must demonstrate that he/she has acquired sufficient knowledge of the basic subjects. To obtain a grade of 30/30 cum laude, the student must demonstrate that he/she has acquired an excellent knowledge of all the subjects and is able to analyze them critically.

The organization of the teaching activities is based on frontal lessons, aimed at teaching the basic content of the discipline. During the lessons there will also be video projection. There is also a practical part of the course, which includes the following topics - Group elaboration of a paper on a specific topic of the course; - Group presentation of the elaborated essay (each student of the group elaborates and explains a specific part of the chosen topic); - Observation and analysis of individual and group psychological dynamics during the presentation of the papers; - Theoretical-critical discussion on the presentation of each group work presented in class; - Discussion in class of explanatory cases of normal and pathological situations in order to understand how to plan preventive or rehabilitative interventions in the health sector to help people who are mentally, physically, economically or socially disadvantaged.