Entry requirements
Only open to master’s students Psychology with specialisation Clinical Neuropsychology. Prior knowledge is assumed on a level of a third year bachelor course in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Description
Neuropsychological intervention is an important aspect of the neurorehabilitation of patients with cognitive and emotional dysfunctions due to brain injury resulting from stroke, traffic accidents, genetic dysfunctions and long term occupational exposure to neurotoxic solvents. This master course provides the theoretical base of several compensation or strategy skills for problems in distinctive cognitive domains such as memory, attention and executive functioning, both in adults and children. Furthermore, so-called holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation programmes will be discussed. This implicates that also psychosocial interventions based on cognitive behavioural principles are taught. The focus lies on treatment programmes that are theoretically sound and empirically supported (evidence-based).
Course objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will:
Know about the current state of the art of neuropsychological interventions in the main cognitive functional domains;
Understand the difference between restorative and compensatory treatment methods and have knowledge of different usages of both;
Know about factors affecting intervention selection and success, such as age and behavioural problems; and
Have a scientific and innovation-based perspective on neuropsychological interventions
Timetable
For the timetables of your lectures, work groups and exams, please select your study programme in:
Psychology timetables
Semester 2:
Lectures
Workgroups
Registration
Course
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions.
Master’s course registration
Examination
Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date. Students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination.
Registering for exams
Mode of instruction
The course consists of 8 2-hour mandatory lectures. All lecturers are experts in the field of clinical neuropsychology, working within an academic and/or clinical setting. Furthermore, consultation time is offered at the end of the course to reply to any remaining questions about the material.
Besides this, students are asked to work in unsupervised duos (approx 24 hours in total) to make a poster on an intervention strategy and to review posters made by fellow-students.
Lectures will be held to give information about the current state of the art of neuropsychological interventions in the main cognitive domains; about the difference between restorative and compensatory treatment methods and have knowledge of different usages of both; about effects of age and behaviour and several treatment strategies thereof. In these lectures scientific and innovation-based aspects of neuropsychological intervention are also discussed.
A textbook and articles are provided that give information about all the goals.
Students make a poster about a treatment strategy tailored to a specific target population. For this they need to find literature on this population and the treatment possibilities thereof.
Students peer-review 3 posters from other students. This will increase their knowledge of treatment strategies. Furthermore they will discuss the scientific evidence of this treatment program.
Assessment method
The final grade is based on: a written exam consisting of multiple choice questions (70%), the poster (25%) and the review of other posters (5%).
All literature as mentioned in the reading list, as well as all lectures will be examined during the written exam.
A written exam will assess the knowledge and understanding of all the goals
The poster will assess whether students know and understand which treatment to use in a particular situation, its pro’s and con’s and how it works. In addition, the academic skill of designing a poster is instructed.
The peer-review assignment will assess students’ ability to professionally reflect on an academic product of a peer, while expanding their knowledge on the topic
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
Wilson, B.A., Winegardner, J., Huegten, C.M., and Ownsworth, T. (Edt). Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. The international handbook. Routledge 2017. ISBN: 9781138643093 (hardback); ISBN: 9781138643116 (all paper); ISBN 9781315629537 (ebook)
Selection of journal articles
Contact information
Dr. Aglaia Zedlitz
a.m.e.e.zedlitz@fsw.leidenuniv.nlDr. Ineke van der Ham
c.j.m.van.der.ham@fsw.leidenuniv.nl