| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 01250212 | Faculty of Humanities | Department: Psychology |
| Credits | Duration | NQF level |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 2 years | Total credits: 180 | NQF level: 09 |
This programme provides integrated professional and advanced academic training equipping the student to function as a Clinical Psychologist and leads the student to be able to apply for an internship in Clinical Psychology and, thereafter, undergo a Professional Board Exam in Clinical Psychology. After successful completion of a Professional Board Exam, the student can then apply to the Professional Board for Psychology of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for registration as a Clinical Psychologist. Such registration will be subject to any professional conditions and requirements stipulated by the Professional Board for Psychology and the HPCSA at the time of registration.
Closing date for applications: 31 May annually.
The degree comprises one year of full-time academic study and one year of professional training: 50% of the programme entails advanced theoretical and practical coursework; and 50% entails a research component, which takes the form of a mini-dissertation. In addition, the degree entails a period of professional internship in Clinical Psychology.
A. Coursework - Component A (Year I): Advanced Theoretical Education and Training
Each student must participate in and successfully pass a core curriculum of coursework modules. A pass mark of at least 50% must be obtained in all the coursework modules.
B. Coursework - Component B (Year I): Advanced Practical Education and Training
Each student must participate in the clinically supervised assessment, management, treatment, and case presentation of patients in clinical and therapeutic settings, arranged by the Department of Psychology.
C. Research Component (Year I & II): Mini-dissertation (KLS 895)
A mini-dissertation on an appropriate topic as approved by the Head of Department of Psychology and the Postgraduate and Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Humanities must be completed and passed before the MA degree in Clinical Psychology can be conferred. A pass mark of at least 50% must be obtained in the mini-dissertation module. A draft article for publication in a recognised scientific journal must be submitted together with the completed mini-dissertation.
D. Internship Component (Year II): Internship in Clinical Psychology (KLS 896)
Each student will be required to independently secure and successfully complete a professional internship in Clinical Psychology with an internship site accredited and recognised by the Health Professions Council of South Africa for such an internship. For the internship, each student will be required to meet all the standards of professional and clinical competence outlined by the Professional Board for Psychology and the Health Professions Council of South Africa, as applicable at the time of the internship.
Assessments
?i. In order to pass a module, a final mark of at least 50% must be obtained.
ii. Progress in modules is assessed through a variety of theoretical as well as practical and applied activities in a process of continuous assessment.
iii. The final results for the coursework and mini-dissertation modules will only be published after confirmation of the results by the examination commission of the Faculty of Humanities. No results will be released beforehand.
General Requirements for Progression to Year II of the Programme:
i. All requirements for Year I of the programme must be met before proceeding to Year II of the programme.
ii. Should all the requirements of Year I not be met, Year I may not be repeated and the student will have to leave the programme.
iii. Should the student wish to continue, they will have to reapply for admission in accordance with the rules applicable to the selection process for all new applications.
iv. No coursework module may be carried over from Year I to Year II.
Specific Requirements for progress to internship Progression to an Internship in Clinical Psychology:
i. The rules and regulations as laid down by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), as amended, will apply.
ii. All programme and pass requirements of the MA (Clinical Psychology) degree must be successfully completed and the assessment thereof processed through the necessary committees of the University.
iii. All coursework modules must be completed within Year I.
iv. The mini-dissertation module must be completed within two academic years, with sufficient satisfactory progress demonstrated by the end of Year I.
Professional misconduct:
Enquiry with regards to possible professional misconduct within the programme: Should a student be considered in breach of any professional rule, regulation, code of conduct, or legislation as laid down by the Professional Board for Psychology or the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), or the legislation governing the conduct and training of Clinical Pyschologists (as health professionals) the student may be required to present themself before the executive management committee of the Department of Psychology and the Deanery of the Faculty of Humanities for an enquiry in order to ascertain whether or not the matter should be referred to the Professional Board for Psychology, the HPCSA, or the appropriate statutory authority, for a further investigation.
Discontinuation from Participation in the Programme:
The Dean may, on the recommendation of the Head of the Department of Psychology, conduct an enquiry into the alleged conduct and/or fitness of the student to practice. Possible outcomes of this process could include, but will not be limited to, the discontinuation of the student’s participation in the programme during an academic year. This decision will be considered by the management committee of the Department and various aspects of the student’s progress and conduct within the programme will be assessed. The student will have the opportunity to respond and make representations regarding the allegations brought against them.
Module content:
*Closed – admission to this module is subject to departmental selection for the MA in Clinical Psychology.
The aim of this module is to equip students with the advanced knowledge and applied skills to undertake a clinically comprehensive process of psychological assessment. The module focuses on: (1) the multi-dimensional and contextually appropriate clinico-diagnostic and psychometric assessment of patients across the lifespan; (2) the clinical management of patients within the context of multi-disciplinary health care; (3)the neuropsychological bases of clinical assessment and patientmanagement; and (4) psychological assessment for forensic and psycho-legal purposes. This is accomplished by means of professional training in the clinical theory and practice of psychodiagnostic assessment, multi-disciplinary patient management, psychometric theory and testing, clinical neuropsychology, as well as forensic and psycho-legal assessment.
Module content:
*Closed - admission to this module is subject to departmental selection for the MA in Clinical Psychology.
The aim of this module is to equip students with the advanced theoretical knowledge and practical skills which underpin contemporary, evidence-based, and context-sensitive clinical psychological interventions with patients across the lifespan. The module focuses on the: (1) clinical conceptualisation; (2) therapeutic implementation; (3) critical evaluation; and (4) contextual application of different models of psychotherapy, which span promotive, preventative, curative and supportive strategies of clinical intervention. This is accomplished by means of professional training in individual, relational, familial, and group-based psychological interventions.
Module content:
*Closed – admission to this module is subject to departmental selection for the MA in Clinical Psychology.
The aim of this module is to equip students with the professional knowledge and skills required to competently practice clinical psychology. The module focuses on the acquisition and development of professional skills related to: (1) ethically and legally compliant practice; (2) clinical assessment; (3) diagnostic formulation; (4) treatment planning; (5) therapeutic interventions; (6) report writing; (7) personal-professional reflexivity; and (8) casepresentation. This is accomplished by means of the clinically supervised assessment, management, and treatment of patients across the lifespan, in different clinical settings.
Module content:
*Closed – admission to this module is subject to departmental selection for the MA in Clinical Psychology.
The aim of this module is to equip students with advanced theoretical and empirically informed knowledge of psychopathology and psychological distress across the lifespan. The module focuses on a comprehensive and complex knowledge of clinical psychopathology as well as a critical awareness of conceptual issues and current research related to: (1) international and indigenous nosologies and aetiologies of psychological disorders; (2) theories and evidence in child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric psychopathology; (3) the contextually peculiar prevalence, culturally diverse, and socio-structural manifestation of psychological distress; (4) public mental health; and (5) psychopharmacology. This is accomplished by means of professional training in the diagnosis and treatment of clinical psychopathology within diverse patient populations through individual, communal, as well as policy development and programme design interventions.
Module content:
*Admission to this module is subject to departmental selection for the MA in Clinical Psychology.
The aim of this module is to equip students to conduct independent and relevant research and to ensure that students are capable of critically evaluating research within the Humanities and Social Sciences, broadly, and Psychology, in particular. In this regard, students will be required to write an independent dissertation on a topic which is approved and supervised by the Department of Psychology. During this process students will be required to: (1) write and present an appropriate research proposal for ethical approval; (2) research and write a literature review relevant to their selected research topic; (3) collect data relevant to their research question; (4) analyse the data; and (5) formulate their research findings in a coherent and logical manner.
Module content:
*Admission to this module is subject to departmental selection for the MA in Clinical Psychology.
The aim of this module is to enable students to participate in a period ofprofessional internship in Clinical Psychology. In this regard, students willbe required to independently secure and successfully complete aprofessional internship in Clinical Psychology with an internship siteaccredited and recognised by the Health Professions Council of SouthAfrica for such an internship. To complete the internship students will berequired to meet all the standards of professional and clinical competenceoutlined by the Professional Board for Psychology and the HealthProfessions Council of South Africa, as applicable at the time of theinternship.
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