Prospectus

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Health Psychology: From Research to Practice

Course
2021-2022

Entry requirements

Only open to Master’s students Psychology, preferably with specialisation Health and Medical psychology, Occupational Health Psychology or Clinical Psychology.

Description

This course is developed to illustrate how research in Health and Medical Psychology is translated and applied in clinical practice, and to familiarise psychology students with important concepts in the field of Health and Medical Psychology in practical settings. The course consists of 7 interactive lectures, in which students will meet with researchers, clinicians and patients.

Each week, we will cover a different topic. Students will familiarise themselves with the research and theory regarding each topic through a knowledge clip or video. This will prepare them for the interactive lectures, which will be more practically oriented. Some examples of the diverse topics we will cover are: How can we make use of placebo effects in clinical practice? How does stigmatisation affect the lives of people with chronic health conditions? What does the field of palliative care entail, and how can we help others deal with loss?

Furthermore, students will learn more about the code of conduct and will explore their options regarding future career opportunities through two course assignments (see Assignment Method)

Course objectives

Upon completion of the course, students will:

  • Know the backgrounds and essential tasks of (health and medical) psychologists in practical settings and have a better perspective of future jobs and requirements to acquire these jobs;

  • Have acquired knowledge and skills concerning the mind body connection through lectures and assignments; and

  • Be able to reflect and comment on their own motivation, skills and knowledge in relation to possible future careers

Mode of instruction

The course consists of seven 2-hour lectures.
Presence in all sessions is mandatory, missing 1 session (when announced beforehand and with reason) can be compensated with an alternative assignment. Missing more sessions is not allowed. No weblectures will be available.

Timetable

For the timetable of this course please refer to MyTimetable

Registration

NOTE As of the academic year 2021-2022, you must register for all courses in uSis.
You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from early August. Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from December. The exact date on which the registration starts will be published on the website of the Student Service Center (SSC)

By registering for a course you are also automatically registered for the Brightspace module. Anyone who is not registered for a course therefore does not have access to the Brightspace module and cannot participate in the first sit of the exam of that course.
Also read the complete registration procedure

Assessment method

The final grade is based on:
1. an individual final paper (60%) in which students will explore possible future career paths and reflect on what they have learned during this course, and
2. a group assignment (40%) on the code of conduct.
Both assignments need to be ≥5.0 or retaken after feedback (because the assignment is the same a maximum grade 6 can be obtained). No resits are available when the final grade is >5.5.

The Institute of Psychology follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of this fraud policy.

Reading list

Before each workgroup literature will be announced on Brightspace. These readings need to be integrated in the final paper.

APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (American ethical guidelines for psychologists), http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/principles.pdf

NIP Code of Ethics (Dutch ethical guidelines for psychologists), https://www.psynip.nl/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/10/150330-Beroepscode-Engels.pdf

Contact information

Dr. Sylvia van Beugen
Unit of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology
Room 2A03 s.van.beugen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl