Clinical Psychology - MSc

This module is an opportunity for you to explore and discover your own style of working in the field of Clinical Psychology, exploring new ways of thinking about mental health difficulties and considering what type of clinician you would like to be. This module will comprise of  interactive lectures and talks including from those with lived experience of mental health difficulties to help enhance your understanding of the key clinical and professional skills that lie at the heart of Clinical Psychology.  You will have the opportunity to learn and practice core therapeutic skills (e.g. how to do you ensure do you are demonstrating active listening when in a room with a client?), and start to build your own toolbox of techniques you can use later in your career with clients You will gain a deeper understanding of different mental health disorders, and the relevant guidance and policies for working with each of them. The module will provide an opportunity to think about how to work well within a team and how to reflect upon your own experiences.

This module will take you through the journey of psychological intervention from receiving a referral letter, to assessment, to formulation and the beginning of intervention. The module will include the views of individuals with lived experience and case studies that you get to know and follow through as the module progresses. You will learn how appropriate assessments are conducted using a range of methodologies and considering a variety of factors. You will learn about formulation (a collaborative process of building an understanding of an individual’s difficulties) and how this is used to inform psychological interventions. Lastly you will be introduced to key techniques and strategies used in psychological interventions.

This module provides a postgraduate-level orientation to both basic and advanced contemporary statistical and methodological issues in psychology. The methodological issues considered include qualitative research methodologies; experimental, quasi-experimental, and correlational research designs in the laboratory and field; and the fundamental issues in psychological measurement including reliability and validity. The statistical techniques taught include univariate and multivariate descriptive and inferential statistics; basic and advanced topics in ANOVA and ANCOVA; linear and logistic multiple regression; some scaling methods; classical test theory, factor analysis; fundamentals of structural equation modelling (path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, multiple-group analysis), and some item response theory.

To provide students with an understanding of academic research and an ability to identify and utilise appropriate strategies and techniques for the purpose of individual investigation, research and practice within a subject specific area of their course route. This module will prepare students to undertake the dissertation module in Stage 2 of their course.

All students undertake a supervised empirical research project in an area of psychology relevant to their chosen MSc programme, and submit it as a typed dissertation of approximately 8,000 words. The aim of the dissertation is to test the student's ability to plan, execute, analyse, and report a piece of independent research in the relevant setting. The dissertation requires detailed theoretical knowledge of the discipline, an appreciation of the ways in which that knowledge has been applied in previous research and practice, and the methodological and statistical skills to set up a scientific investigation. Supervision is provided by the principal teaching staff and by other appropriate staff with research interests in a student's chosen area. Students are advised to read the School's Ethics pages for information on submitting applications for ethical approval to the School and to relevant outside bodies.

This MSc module aims to equip students with knowledge about the key issues concerning children’s mental health and wellbeing. Drawing on theory, research, and practice, students will gain understanding on the different therapeutic interventions used in in contemporary society to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Students will develop intellectual skills by critically evaluating the psychological theories and research methods underpinning different therapeutic approaches and reflect on the role mental health professionals play in safeguarding children. Examples of topics that may be covered include adverse childhood experiences, the effects of trauma (e.g. domestic/sexual abuse) on children, cost-effective applied therapeutic approaches, telehealth with young people, children in the legal system, wellbeing approaches with underrepresented children (e.g. BAME, LGBT), ethical considerations when working with children and young people, crisis intervention/humanitarian emergencies (e.g. natural disasters, wars, etc.). Lectures may be taught by mental health professionals who have first-hand experience working with children and young people. Students will actively engage in group work. Upon completion of the module, students will have a deep understanding of evidence-based interventions applied to children’s mental health and wellbeing. This module builds on student participation and discussion.

The aim of the module is to provide an understanding of the current conceptual debates within Social Psychology and an appreciation of how practitioners apply psychology in their work. You study the major theoretical models and perspectives, including social cognition, stereotyping, group and interpersonal processes, and intergroup relations.

This module will provide you with a wide-ranging, detailed and critical overview of neuropsychological theories of ageing. It will draw on evidence from healthy and pathological ageing, incorporating cognitive and neuroscientific research. The curriculum will focus on theories of cognitive ageing, presenting evidence sourced using a range of cognitive psychological and neuropsychological methods. It will include detailed neuropsychological profiles of pathological ageing conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia and Parkinson's Disease, allowing you to compare and contrast how specific neural changes attributable to disease processes result in different cognitive deficits. We will also discuss clinical considerations when working with older adults, demonstrating how research informs clinical practice. Finally, the module will introduce the notion of successful ageing" and you will critically evaluate the evidence for lifestyle factors such as diet

This module provides an opportunity to study at an advanced level the literature on intergroup relations. The module builds upon knowledge gathered in the undergraduate degree on social and personality psychology. It will stress how social-psychological and personality theories in combination can explain intergroup processes. Emphasis will be placed on applying theoretical models and empirical findings to the analysis of real-world problems. Topics that will be addressed include social identity and social categorization, social inequality, prejudice, intergroup conflict and innervations to improve intergroup relations. The module relies primarily on research in social and personality psychology, but we will also consider perspectives from other fields, such as political science and sociology. This module relies heavily on student presentation, participation and student discussion.

In this module students will learn a framework for applying social psychology, and will develop an advanced understanding of how to apply social psychology theory and research to understanding, addressing and evaluating social and practical problems. The module invites practitioners to showcase how they use and apply social psychology theories in their field of work to help shape their understanding of human behaviour and develop effective interventions and solutions. It deals with the application of social psychology concepts and methods to significant real-world problems and issues.

The central theme of this module will be to explore how cognition functions in the real world, that is, to investigate the application of cognitive models to the broader context of human behaviour. Possible topics for study include: the role of cognition in development, emotion, memory and action; applications to eyewitness testimony, intentional forgetting and embodied cognition. Practical applications and relevance to a general understanding of behaviour will be emphasised throughout.

This module provides an opportunity to study the literature on group processes at an advanced level and familiarises students with current theorising and research on the psychology of groups and teams in organisations. The module introduces theoretical and empirical background, and uses these to help students develop ideas for further research and practice.

The module builds upon knowledge of social psychology gained at undergraduate level and draws primarily on small group research in social and organisational psychology, but perspectives from other fields such as moral psychology and economics will also be considered. Seminar topics include social identity, group cohesion, status and leadership, creativity, social dilemmas, trust/distrust, as well as moral judgment and behaviour. The module involves a great deal of student presentation, participation and discussion.

This module explores the typical development of key cognitive functions and the psychological methods employed to study these developments. The aim of the module is to explore these topics at an advanced level, allowing students to evaluate critically pieces of research in terms of their findings, conceptual underpinnings, and/or methodological approaches. Lecture topics may include: Research methods in developmental psychology; Critical periods and plasticity; Introduction to theories of word learning; The critical period for language learning; Social learning and imitation; Thinking about the minds of others; Understanding knowledge; Metacognition 

The focus of this module is on developing students' understanding of how developmental psychology can be applied in professional settings. This module will provide students with an insight into how developmental psychology theory and methods are used in Professional settings e.g. education, healthcare, clinical. Students will receive lectures from professionals working in Clinical psychology, Educational psychology and Speech and Language development. These contributors will explain, first-hand, current issues/problems in professional settings where developmental psychology is or could potentially provide insights/solutions the extent. The speakers will consider the role of developmental psychology in their professional settings, outline major theories that inform practice and critically evaluate the role of developmental psychology in their setting. Students will have an opportunity to hear about specific instances where theories and methods from developmental psychology can be applied to a particular problem or issue in a professional setting, referred to as 'Case Studies'.

This module will provide students with theoretical instruction about how the methods and techniques of cognitive psychology have been applied to the practical topic of evaluating eyewitness testimony. The study of cognitive processes involved in face recognition and face matching will feature highly in this module.

This module investigates common forms of neurodevelopmental disorder. The goal of the module is to help students understand the behavioural manifestations of these disorders, as well as their possible psychological/cognitive, neurobiological, and/or etiological (genetic/environmental) causes. Moreover, the module will explore some characteristic approaches that clinicians take when attempting to support people with these disorders and remediate the difficulties that these people experience. Finally, students will learn to evaluate critically pieces of research on developmental psychopathology in terms of study findings, conceptual underpinnings, and/or methodological approaches

This module examines key concepts and emerging themes in Psychology applied to work and organisations; for example, work motivation, leadership, and management, nudging, and well-being — with a particular focus on areas of research within the School of Psychology. Applications of psychological and behavioural science to work and organisations will be enriched by case studies and situated in the wider business context in which psychologists practice and provide consultancy, including relevant ethical and legal frameworks.

The course provides a coherent base for understanding the methodological and theoretical issues that are currently considered important in the study of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology. Students will be shown how to critically appraise the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of the various disciplines that comprise cognitive psychology and neuropsychology, and to evaluate how these disciplines may successfully be combined to further scientific understanding of the core problems in cognitive psychology and neuropsychology today. A selection of material from areas such as vision, learning, memory, language, reasoning, and emotion will be referred to in order to examine the relationship between brain and mind, the modularity of brain and mind, and the notion of different levels/frameworks of description and explanation.

The module will survey cutting edge research emphasising the role of sensory and motor systems in human cognition. We will discuss the relationship between brain, mind and body, from physiological, experimental, philosophical, linguistic, and neuroscientific perspectives. The module will cover areas such as sensorimotor interactions, interoception, somatosensory and motor plasticity, body representation, body ownership, the sense of agency, as well as embodied cognition. Implications for cognition, social behaviour and clinical conditions will be emphasised.