Psychology: Child and Adolescent Psychology
Description
Children and adolescents may experience a wide range of psychological difficulties.
This Master’s specialisation offers intensive studies in developmental psychopathology, helps students translate theory into practice in addressing the varied needs and difficulties experienced by children and adolescents, fosters the development of key skills for clinical work with young people, and prepares students for entry into Post-Masters training programmes and employment in education and mental health settings.
The focus of the Master’s programme is on psychological and educational problems in childhood and adolescence, but good understanding of atypical development requires a solid understanding of normal development.
In the process, students will have developed skills to empower young people and their families and teachers to overcome psychological problems that can occur among children and adolescents. Students will be expert in both the normal development of children and adolescents, and in the psychological problems that may arise.
This program can also help prepare students for entry into Post-Masters training programmes and employment in education and mental health settings.
Objectives
Child and Adolescent Psychology prepares students for the assessment and treatment of psychological difficulties that may be experienced by children and adolescents. Students acquire in depth knowledge about:
theoretical models of social and cognitive development and the interplay of risk and protective factors in atypical development;
ways to differentiate atypical from typical development and the use of classification systems of childhood disorders; and
choosing and applying the most appropriate intervention strategy for each problem area.
Curriculum
The curriculum of 60 EC offers a variety of courses and a supervised master thesis. The specialisation consists of:
4 mandatory courses (20 EC)
thesis (20 EC)
practical internship (10 EC) and 10 EC elective course(s) or a clinical practical internship (20 EC)
Registration
At the very start of your study programme all master’s students enrol for all courses at the Master’s introduction and course enrolment day. At this day the attendance of first year master’s students in Psychology is required if they start with a master’s programme.