BSc Honours Psychology with Counselling Skills

The degree provides sound understanding of basic core courses that start at foundation level in year one and develops in depth and details in year 2 and 3. The main focus of various modules is to enhance critical thinking and evaluation of taught concepts and theories, the development of basic counselling skill and self awareness, preparation for taking up future studies in clinical forensic or other applied fields, acquiring numerical and analytical skills which culminate into developing capacity to carry out independent research project. In addition to all other basic core modules students must complete a dissertation which is intended to demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out a research oriented piece of work and to relate the theoretical knowledge gained through the programme to empirical data. For the dissertation, the focus is on independent, self-managed, self-directed study within a framework of supervision.

Please refer to our Academic Calendar for further information: http://www.mdx.ac.ae/life-at-university/academic-calendar

Module and programme information is indicative and may be subject to change.

Note: Both core and optional modules are constantly updated and under review. As with most academic programmes, please remember that it is possible that a module may not be offered in any particular year, for instance because too few students opt for it. Middlesex University reserves the right to vary or withdraw any course or module.

• Year 1
  • Mind & Behaviour in Context (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module introduces the five core areas of psychology (cognitive, social, biological, developmental, individual differences).
  • Personal Coaching for Academic Success (15 Credits) - Compulsory The module aims to equip you with tools to be able to better engage in your learning it will teach you an array of independent and reflective skills from writing to dealing with exam anxiety.
  • Psychological Statistics (15 Credits) - Compulsory This module aims to introduce you to quantitative statistical analysis as they are employed in psychological research.
  • The Counselling Relationship (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module introduces a range of counselling concepts and skills.
  • Research Methods and Design in Psychology (30 Credits) - Compulsory The module aims to introduce students to the principles and practice of quantitative and qualitative psychological research. Students will develop skills in searching literature and generating hypotheses with a sound rationale, understand the principles of sound research design and data collection and be able to interpret findings and critically assess research output in psychology. They will also be provided with opportunities to develop skills in the dissemination of research results with the conventions, styles and critical approach of academic work
• Year 2
  • Approaches to Psychological Therapies (30 Credits) - Compulsory
  • Therapeutic Applications of Cognitive Psychology & Neuroscience (30 Credits) - Compulsory
  • Social, Personality and Development Psychology (30 Credits) - Compulsory
  • Applied Psychology and Research Methods Ethics (30 Credits) - Compulsory The module enables students to understand, evaluate and conduct applied psychological research to understand how research design relates to research questions. It provides students with skills in a variety of analytical methods and enables them to conduct ethical psychological research utilising quantitative qualitative methods. It provides the foundation for interpretation critical discussion of published psychological research.
• Year 3
  • Social, Cultural & Community Mental Health (15 Credits) - Compulsory
  • Psychology Dissertation (30 Credits) - Compulsory Within this module, you will pursue independent study with a designated supervisor on a topic not offered in-depth among the normal range of modules. You will be expected to carry out an original investigation using a recognised psychology or cognitive science research method, and produce a dissertation based on that research. The title and methodology of this dissertation must be agreed with the supervisor in advance. Undertaking this module will enable you to develop your methodological and statistical knowledge acquired through previous research methods training. It will develop your competence in the production of coherent written reports which are clearly presented and which have an analytic and critical orientation, and it will provide the opportunity for you to become competent and self-sufficient researcher.
  • Lifespan Issues: Impact of Life Experience (15 Credits) - Optional The module aims to (a) to develop students’ understanding of how theoretical, empirical and personal examples arising in the fields of academia, research and clinical practice contribute to understanding life experience and psychology and (b) to encourage students to think reflectively about the psychological relevance of social norms, expectations, stereotypes and issues of personal identity and nurture on life experience and development
  • Lifespan Stages: Adult stages of development (15 Credits) - Optional The module aims to explore the psychology of lifespan development using theoretical and research orientated approaches. It considers how psychological knowledge of ways in which development can be investigated and observed using research can be undertaken from a variety of perspectives, as well as how it can be understood using models of cognitive, biological, socio-ecological, psychodynamic and developmental psychology. The module aims to develop students’ understanding of how theoretical, empirical and personal examples arising in the fields of academia, research and clinical practice contribute to understanding of lifespan development and can be practically applied to Lifespan investigation.
  • The Psychology of Stress, Motivation and Work-Life Balance (15 Credits) - Optional This module aims to introduce students to the area of occupational psychology particularly in relation to stress, motivation and work-life balance. The module will introduce theories which underlie stress with a strong focus on the role of stress in the workplace. The students will also gain an understanding of work-life balance and the real-world applications of promoting good work-life balance. The topics will be covered in a variety of ways which will allow the students to engage with some of the critical debates around area. This will range from the complexities surrounding the conceptualisation of work-life balance, to the impact it can have on the health of employees, whilst also incorporating the role of the employer. Although, motivation and stress in the workplace are areas which have been traditionally researched in relation to workplace psychology, both of the areas, along with work-life balance are currently yielding a lot of innovative research. The module will allow students to critically engage with an emerging and increasingly popular area of occupational psychology and it will appeal to students who have an interest in occupational psychology, but specifically the links between work and home life, and how psychology has helped to shape this discipline. Since work based stress, motivation and work-life balance are all employment based topics, the content will be relevant to students beyond their degree and can be carried into their chosen areas of employment. Particularly those who are planning to go into Human Resources, Occupational Psychology or wish to pursue a postgraduate course in this area.
  • Key Issues and Controversies in the Psychology of Elite Sport Performance (15 Credits) - Optional This module will aim to introduce students to the ways in which psychological theories and methods contribute to our understanding of elite sport performance, to understand the psychological, behavioural and social determinants of elite sport performance and the applications of sport psychology, from a practitioners perspective, to working with skilled performers.
  • Death, Separation and Loss (15 Credits) - Optional This module aims to shed light on death. Put simply, death is the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism, however this module is concerned with the complex processes surrounding death, and related issues of separation and loss. It aims to understand the psychological processes involved not only after someone dies, but also to identify the different kinds of losses humans can experience and the factors involved in grief and mourning. Separation and loss are core to the notion of disenfranchised grief, where the griever or the loss itself may not be recognised (e.g. a ‘broken heart’ from a relationship break-up or divorce, miscarriage, a child as a griever, terminal illness). Classical and contemporary theories of death and bereavement will be covered (e.g. Mourning and Melancholia, Grief Stages, Dual Process, Continuing Bonds and Terror Management Theory). Students will be introduced to both evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence in the area, which will highlight expertise in the faculty, from quantitative research on death and video games, to qualitative research on suicide, to practice areas including bereavement counselling and emerging technologies for end of life management.
  • New Directions in Cognitive Science (15 Credits) - Optional We all have the experience of an internal dialogue; linguistically phrased commentary and reasoning that pertains to our actions in the here and now or to actions we might wish to execute. But do those sentences truly reflect how our brains collate and process information? For many years the assumption was that they do, but of late this view has been challenged.
    Cognitive science is a multidisciplinary approach to studying and understanding internal causal states for the production of behaviour (thoughts). The primary aim of cognitive science is to provide a mechanistic (how things work) and functional (why things work) account of cognition. Cognitive science has traditionally been grounded in a ‘symbolic account’ of mind – the notion that the brain, much like a computer, manipulates abstract information that has representational content (is about something). However, recent changes in our understanding of behaviour, cognition and neuroscience have challenged these underlying assumptions. This module will outline the underlying assumptions of cognitive science, how they have been challenged by recent developments and whether cognitive science can incorporate these new developments within its existing framework. Importantly, this module will teach topics from different areas of science including; psychology, ecology, neuroscience, and computer science.
  • Creativity & Imagination (15 Credits) - Optional The module explores psychological aspects of creativity and imagination. Students' will develop a critical understanding of psychological theory and research relating to creative productivity across a range of contexts. Additionally, students will apply theory and research to plans for developing, enhancing and/or utilising creativity and imagination in real-world contexts.
  • Critical Forensic Psychology (15 Credits) - Optional