Developmental Psychology & Psychopathology

Course detail Description

The course will train graduates to take up roles within different organizations where knowledge of mental health is required by teaching subjects that are relevant to the characterisation of typical and atypical behaviour, the causes and development of mental health problems in children and young people (including neurodevelopmental disorders) and an understanding of the most standard psychological therapies used in clinical practice and available support service systems. In addition, the course will provide you with a solid understanding of the most recent research methods applied in this area. The programme comprises 4 components:

• Typical and Atypical Development: Covers typical brain development and development of cognitive functions and social behaviours relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders, followed by a description/classification of the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents, including Autism, ADHD, conduct disorders, eating disorders, depression/anxiety, and antisocial behaviour. Students will also learn about the genetic, environmental/social factors that determine onset as well as persistence of these mental health problems across developmental stages.
• Research Methods and Statistics: Covers general statistics as well as more specialized methods/statistics applied in developmental neurophysiology, neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience and (behavioural)genetics.
• Therapy and Treatment: Covers the theoretical basis of mainstream psychological therapies used in clinical practice in infants, children, adolescents and their families. You will also learn why some therapies are indicated and preferred over others and the available support service systems. This module can be replaced by a credit-baring placement or clinical observership.
• Dissertation Project: This can be a research project or systematic review or clinical observership project or a communicating science project, with the possibility to link the project to your placement/obervership.

Course format and assessment

Module name

Lectures (hours)

Seminars/ tutorials (hours)

Field/lab/ studio/ supervised learning (hours)

Self-directed study (hours)

Total (hours)

C1: Typical & Atypical Development (60 credits)

CORE1: Perinatal & Infant Mental Health (30 credits)

+

CORE2: Child & Adolescent Mental Health (30 credits)

30

35

16

5

-

-

254

260

300

300

C2: Research Methods & Statistics (30 credits)

CORE: General Statistics (15 credits)

+

Opt1: Twin Model-fitting (15 credits) or

Opt2: Research Methods in Infants & Children (15 credits)

or

DL: Reviews and Critical Analysis (15 credits)

24

10

19

-

24

20

2

-

-

-

7

-

102

120

122

150

150

150

C3: Therapy & Treatment (30 credits)

Opt1: Psychological Approaches to Treatment (30 credits) or

Opt2: Placement / Internship

(30 credits)

34

10

4

5

6

175

256

110

300

300

C4: Dissertation Project

(60 credits)

-

-

400

200

600

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work. DL = Distance Learning option

Assessment

Examination 40% |Coursework 50%|Practical 10%

The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they may change if the course modules change.

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Structure

Year 1 Required Modules

You are required to take:

• Component 1: Typical and Atypical Development (60 credits): Perinatal & Infant Mental Health (30 credits) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health (30 credits)
• Component 2: Research Methods & Statistics (30 credits): General Statistics (15 credits) + either Twin Model Fitting (15 credits) or Research Methods in Infants & Children (15 credits) or Reviews and Critical Analysis (15 credits)
• Component 3: Therapy & Treatment (30 credits) OR Placement (30 credits)
• Component 4: Dissertation Project (60 credits)

Optional Modules The course has some flexibility in that you can choose different combinations of modules in component 2 and 3. In component 2 there is also the possibility for you to choose a Distance Learning option.