Overview
The Master of Psychology (Clinical) program began in 1971. The School's theoretical orientation has primarily been one of experimental empiricism, and the Clinical program adheres to the scientist-practitioner model for clinical training. The program has an emphasis on cognitive-behavioural approaches to the understanding and management of clinical programs. The program … For more content click the Read More button below.
Learning Outcomes
1.
Demonstrate strong knowledge of at least:
relevant psychological theories and models;
published empirical findings supporting theories (especially those which underpin the major forms of psychological intervention) and the methods employed to establish them;
the major methods of psychological investigation and techniques of measurement, and their application and interpretation; and
design and implementation of psychological interventions.
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2.
Demonstrate:
Familiarity with legal and professional matters including:
o the main provisions of the State and Commonwealth Acts and Regulations of Parliament relevant to psychologists' work;
o codes of conduct relevant to psychologists' work including those published by relevant psychologist Registration Board(s);
o the Australian Psychological Society's Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines;
o confidentiality and privacy issues;
o administrative and record keeping procedures (including adequate clarification of any financial arrangements);
o consent issues;
o issues concerning practice with minors and those unable to provide informed consent;
o boundary issues;
o sexual propriety;
o psycho-legal issues;
o role and cultural issues, including issues for minority or marginalised groups;
o gender and sexuality issues;
o service needs of vulnerable groups in society;
o registration issues;
o advertising and public statements;
o billing practices;
o the role of the psychologist within the profession and the workplace;
o the roles of other professions and the capacity to report to other professionals appropriately and to work collaboratively;
o the propriety of relationships amongst psychologists, and between psychologists and other professionals, employers and clients;
o the mechanisms for the resolution of conflict between psychologists and clients, colleagues, employers and other professionals;
o negotiated workplace agreements;
o note-taking and record keeping.
Conduct or behaviour consistent with the legal requirements and codes of conduct relevant to psychologists, especially:
o ethical and professional behaviour and manner;
o State, Territory and Federal Codes of Behaviour for Psychologists and statements of Clients' rights;
o the Australian Psychological Society's Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines;
o appropriately clarifying and negotiating the role and responsibilities as a trainee psychologist;
o record keeping, including demonstrated knowledge of the ethical and legal implications of administrative
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3.
Demonstrate a strong level of skills and knowledge in conducting systematic psychological assessment using a wide range of assessment techniques, including:
the theoretical basis for the assessment techniques used in psychology;
knowledge of psychometric properties of psychological tests and the ability to use this knowledge to inform problem formulation;
test selection - ability to select appropriate assessment techniques and instruments with proper consideration of issues relating to reliability and validity;
test administration and interpretive skills, including experience in the skilled administration and interpretation of at least:
o the current version of an individually administered adult or child test of intelligence (some examples of appropriate tests include - WISC IV, WAIS IV, WPPSI-III, Stanford-Binet V, Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Differential Ability Scales);
o the current version of at least one major standardised test of personality (examples of appropriate tests include - 16PF, MMPI, CPI, OMNI, NEO-PI);
o the current version of at least one specialised memory assessment (e.g. Wechsler Memory Scale, Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning); and
o other tests, appropriate to the learning objectives of the course, which are based on empirically validated approaches and equivalent accuracy in the measurement of cognitive or behavioural functioning or an accurate measurement of aptitude, abilities or skills.
awareness of limitations of psychological tests with particular reference to notions of validity, reliability, and cultural issues;
proficiency in interviewing (structured and unstructured interviews, selection interviews, survey interviewing, history taking, clinical interviewing for diagnostic purposes and group-based interviewing);
systematic observation of behaviour involving both naturalistic and clinical observation and in using predetermined procedures for observing the behaviour of one or more persons;
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4.
Demonstrate strong skills and knowledge regarding intervention strategies, including:
superior interpersonal skills (including the ability to form a professional relationship including positive working alliances with clients and colleagues);
ability to skilfully negotiate a treatment or service contract;
ability to use a theoretical system that explains aetiology and remediation of psychological, social or organizational problems;
ability to investigate identified issues relevant to the delivery of the interventions (e.g., ethical dilemmas, stakeholders);
ability to identify the nature and documented efficacy of potential interventions;
ability to design and/or plan preventative, developmental or remedial
interventions to achieve the best possible outcomes;
formulation of treatment plans, goals and strategies for intervention including the ability to justify the link between diagnosis formulation and intervention chosen;
researching the empirical literature to develop plans for interventions and drawing on published studies and theories/models relevant to the problem and intervention;
justifying the link between diagnosis/formulation and the intervention chosen;
implementing preventative, developmental or remedial programs and interventions;
familiarity with a range in intervention techniques and strategies as well as their theoretical and empirical bases, for both individuals and groups;
counselling skills;
highly skilled use of core behaviour change skills including counselling and cognitive behavioural approaches to helping as appropriate in group individual or organizational settings;
organisational interventions; career development (i.e., helping with career planning in private or organisational contexts);
ability to design and implement evaluations of the impact of the interventions (including the ability to employ appropriate research designs to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions) including:
o measuring attitude and behaviour change
o evaluation o
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5.
Demonstrate:
high level oral communication and interpersonal skills in communicating effectively with clients, other psychologists, other professionals, the community; individuals, small groups and agencies from varied cultural, ethnic, religious, social and political backgrounds, including:
o rapport building skills
o professional personal presentation
o clarity, accuracy, coherence, organisation and succinctness of communication
o style of communication (appropriateness for audience)
o organisation of communication
o seeking out and understanding information
o personal and professional boundaries in communications
seeking out, understanding and responding appropriately to information provided by a range of persons in order to adequately meet their needs;
excellent written communication, including the ability to write, in an organised fashion, reports and other documents:
o which are informed, succinct, accurate, lucid and well-organised;
o for a range of audiences, including educational, health and legal professionals, courts, government departments, insurance companies, corporations and other entities and which clearly communicate the intent of the writer taking into consideration the sensitivity of the matters under discussion and the capacity of the reader to accurately interpret the information.
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6.
Demonstrate the application of research knowledge and skills to psychological practice, including:
finding, understanding, collating and critiquing published empirical research findings relevant to a phenomenon or problem of interest;
identifying and defining problem situations based on observation and other assessment;
generating hypotheses based problem definition and other information;
designing interventions, therapeutic programs or other means to test hypotheses including an understanding of the principles of single case designs;
designing and implementing program evaluation;
collecting, recording, and analysing responses to interventions or therapeutic programs;
use of qualitative and quantitative methods, skilled analysis of data, and the ability to draw accurate research inferences;
critical evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions and programs including:
o suggesting modifications for future use and
o awareness of issues regarding reliability and validity of observations.
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Program Structure96 Units of Credit:
Students must complete 96 UOC as a standalone program.
The program consists of three components, all of which are compulsory, totalling 96 UOC (48 in each Stage):
1. Coursework - Weekly lectures and seminars with associated written forms of assessment (48 UOC)
2. Professional Practice - Completion of a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice within the School Clinic and in field clinical settings, weekly Clinical meetings and Skills Training Workshops (24 UOC)
3. A Research Thesis (24 UOC).
Stage 1 Core Courses
Students must take 48 UOC of the following courses.
Stage 2 Core Courses
Students must take 48 UOC of the following courses.
Admission Requirements
Entry Requirements
Special Admission Requirements
Program Requirements
Participation and Enrolment Requirements
Progression Requirements
Professional Outcomes
Accreditations
Professional Recognition
Recognition of Achievement
Award with Excellence
For more information, please visit the link above.
The Award with Excellence is awarded in coursework masters programs, including Masters (Extension) but with the exception of Masters (Extended) such as JD and MD, when a Weighted Average Mean (WAM) of at least 80% has been achieved and at least 50% of the requirements of the award are completed at UNSW. All eligible programs will award 'with Excellence' except in special circumstances where approval of Academic Board has been given for a program to opt out.
Additional Information
Participation and Enrolment Requirements
All Master of Psychology students must meet registration standards developed by both the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and PsyBA in order to register as provisional psychologists. Those not registered as provisional psychologists cannot undertake professional practice, a compulsory component of all Master of Psychology programs, as they are not permitted to have any client contact.
Therefore, all applicants, regardless of current residency or citizenship status, should familiarise themselves with the PsyBA registration standards here, and AHPRA’s new standards on English language skills and criminal history.
Study load and duration
When taking a full-time load of 24 UOC per semester, this program extends across two calendar years, rather than four academic semesters with vacation breaks.
The minimum period of enrolment before the award of the degree is four semesters for full-time students and six semesters for part-time students.
Part-time students are normally expected to take 12 UOC per semester.
Program Fees
At UNSW fees are generally charged at course level and therefore dependent upon individual enrolment and other factors such as student's residency status. For generic information on fees and additional expenses of UNSW programs, click on one of the following:
Pre-2019 Handbook Editions
Access past handbook editions (2018 and prior)