Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health MSc

Assessment, Case Formulation and Intervention

The module aims to provide you with an introduction to central concepts and approaches to psychotherapeutic assessment, case formulation and treatment across the life-span, taking into account both contextual factors and diversity issues. Core components of psychological intervention that are common to all models will be critically considered. You will consider the issue of critical importance that psychotherapeutic practice is developed to support clients according to their needs.

Different theoretical frameworks, and the evidence-base that supports them, will be explored (for example cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, and humanistic-existential), as will different kinds of interventions (for example, psychotherapy counselling and coaching). This knowledge background will provide you with tools to reflect upon how theory and research findings can be applied in psychotherapeutic practice and how basic principles can be used as guidance when selecting relevant assessment, case formulation, and treatment techniques.

The module will cover both theoretical understandings and practical skill development.

Clinical Research Methods

This module will consider the components of good practice for the conduct of psychological research in clinical settings as well as offering you the opportunity to experience some research methods that might be used within that context. The responsibilities of psychological researchers will be explored in relation to key governance issues such as ethics, data protection, risk management etc. There will be a consideration of the differences between research and other service areas that use research methods, for example, auditing, service evaluation and development.

The module will therefore encourage you to explore the key opportunities and challenges faced when conducting research in real-world, clinical settings, and will inspire creative approaches to designing and implementing clinically relevant research activities.

Psychological Wellbeing

This module will explore psychological wellbeing and theoretical approaches that have the potential to promote human growth and happiness.

The aims are:

• To provide a detailed and critical exploration of relevant theory and research which are pertinent to specific aspects of psychological wellbeing; for example, positive psychology, theories relating to quality of life.
• To critically explore ways in which positive psychological approaches can be applied in real world settings, including exploring practice-based implications.
• To consolidate learning across theoretical understandings and practical implications in ways that allow critical comparisons and synergistic conclusions to be drawn.

Research and Professional Skills

This module will introduce you to a range of key research and research dissemination skills necessary for the pursuit of an academic or professional career in psychology. The main aim of the module will be to ensure that you are capable of planning, carrying out, and seeking funding for ethically sound, independent research projects in a psychological setting, and that you are able to present the results of that research in a variety of media for both professional and non-professional audiences. The module will also focus on the development of skills to enhance employability and ensure you are equipped to best present yourself to prospective employers both within and outside of psychology.

Contemporary Issues in Mental Health

This module explores a number of advanced contemporary topics or ‘mini-modules’ in psychological wellbeing and mental health.  The specific module topics change periodically in the spirit of the title ‘Contemporary Issues in…’ and will reflect cutting edge issues in research and practice.  Each mini-module has its own set of aims, which will normally be one or more of the following:

• To provide a detailed and critical exploration of one or more contemporary issues which are currently pertinent to a specific aspect of psychological wellbeing or mental health.
• To critically explore contemporary debates relevant to specified topics within psychological wellbeing or mental health.
• To critically consider the practice-based implications of theoretical understandings of specified contemporary issues within mental health.

In addition the module aims to:

• Critically consider overarching contemporary issues that draw across mini-modules.
• Consolidate learning from across mini-modules, allowing critical comparisons and synergistic conclusions to be drawn.

This module will provide you with four mini-modules led by different members of staff who have specific and appropriate areas of expertise within psychological wellbeing and mental health. All of the mini-modules will reflect key contemporary issues within the specific topic of expertise being addressed. One mini-module will always address ‘Contemporary legal issues in mental health’ however the other three mini-modules will change from year to year depending on the contemporary mental health landscape and the teaching expertise of provisioning staff; examples of such topics of expertise include:

• Psychoses
• Coping
• Psychological responses to traumatic events
• Addiction
• Work-life balance
• Aging and dementia
• Anti-social behaviour
• Positive psychology.

Theory and Application to Mental Health

You'll be introduced to key theories underpinning research and practice in mental health and illness, including both traditional and more contemporary perspectives. Theories will be examined against their own socio-historic context and the contemporary context, facilitating a critical and comparative evaluation of relevant theories. In addition, you'll be introduced to methodological limitations and implications of these traditional and contemporary theories.

You'll then be provided with the opportunity to critically apply their theoretical understanding to 'real world' experiences and problems situated within mental health contexts. You'll be able to work in teams developing a useful skill set for use in practice and employment settings. Tasks provided will enable you to understand how psychological knowledge interacts with knowledge from other disciplines to form holistic critical understandings useful in applied contexts

The theoretical strand of the module will provide an introduction to pertinent theories in mental health. This will include a consideration of models such as the medical model, categorisation models (e.g. the rise of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), bio-psychosocial model and constructivist models. You'll develop a breadth of general knowledge related to explanatory theories of mental health and illness, in addition to critical approaches to these theories. This will give you a firm grounding relating to theories in this area enabling them to then apply these to real world situations.

The application strand of the module will use enquiry-based learning methods to give you and experience of professional project work across a range of applied areas of interest for mental health. You'll receive an enquiry-task from a set of professional vignettes which originate from real mental health related organisations but are re-framed by the module team to work appropriately as teaching materials and as the basis for the assessment. You then work within a project team to address the enquiry, identifying learning issues to research and explore how theoretical understandings, in alliance with understandings from other related disciplines where relevant, can be utilised to address issues within their vignette. The project team work as a group to produce a PowerPoint presentation (suitable for presentation at a conference or to an organisation). This will synthesise the theoretical and evidentiary literatures that have been drawn upon in order to address the identified learning issues. The presentation will also contain recommendations of how this theory and evidence can be applied within, and have a meaningful impact for, the organisation that supplied their particular vignette. The scenarios are open-ended and may be addressed using the in-depth knowledge and understanding encountered earlier in the course, not only from this module but form other modules on the course (e.g. from methods, theory, practice oriented modules), or by using novel critical understandings (researched and developed by the project team).

Specialist Psychology Essay

This module provides you with the opportunity to comprehensively explore an area of interest in depth, within either Psychological Wellbeing, Mental Health or Forensic Psychology under the supervision of a member of staff who has expertise within that field. The particular area will you focus on will be determined by your individual interests but might consider a specific area of empirical research, philosophical or methodological underpinnings, or might take a more applied focus. Final specific essay titles will be agreed in negotiation between the individual student and their supervisor. You'll be supervised through the small group tutorial programme and will have opportunities to discuss your progress with tutors and peers.

Research Project / Dissertation

This module enables you to comprehensively demonstrate your research abilities in relation to a chosen topic. It also develops your dissemination skills through drafting publications aimed at academic, practitioner and service user audiences.