Clinical Psychology Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course explores the biological and neuroscientific bases of psychopathological behaviour.

Further exploration of biological and neuroscientific bases of human behaviour; physiological and genetic mechanism of behaviour are addressed. Students investigate the principles of mental health and psychopathology; the scientific study of mood disorders, schizophrenia, addiction, relationship difficulties, learning difficulties and the clinical psychological aspects of the different biological-based and cognitive-behaviour treatment clinical approaches. Students will be exposed to the work of clinical practitioners; the assessments will require the students to emulate the practice of a clinical psychologist. In practice they will apply knowledge and skills in new, authentic contexts.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in theirstudies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures/seminars/labs/studios/workshops

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

• Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

• Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups.

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within office hours, interactive teaching sessions, and/or the VLE. Summative grades are typically provided through the VLE.

Summative Assessments

The course will be assessed making use of various forms of presentations (e.g., role play based around the emulation of clinical practice, debate, journal club discussing a primary research article, etc.,). The written assignment will focus on a specific psychopathology  to produce a critical evaluation of the available treatments.

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

* Indicative content of the portfolio might include written assignments (1000 words) and a 10 -15 min presentation developed by each student.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments or through email or the VLE) and oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).    

Feedback on summative examinations is typically provided through generic internal examiners’ reports which are made available on the VLE. Feedback on all summative assessments is made available to the student through the VLE or another appropriate method. 

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below are used as part of the approval/modification process only.

• Davey, G., Lake, N., & Whittington, A. (Eds.). (2020). Clinical psychology. Routledge.
• Pomerantz, A. M. (2019). Clinical psychology: Science, practice, and diversity. Sage Publications.

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below are used as part of the approval/modification process only.

• Mood disorders
• Psychosis and schizophrenia
• Personality disorders
• Learning difficulties
• Addiction
• Relationship issues