MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care

Why Dundee

This training course for psychology graduates is jointly run by the Universities of Dundee and Stirling, in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland, and a number of NHS Psychological Services across Scotland.

On completion of this masters level course trainees will be equipped with the core skills for assessing and treating adult patients who are suffering from a range of common mental health disorders, typically presenting in Primary Care NHS settings.

This highly demanding 12-month course will focus on Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy approaches and on applying evidence-based psychological interventions to the assessment and treatment of mental health problems.

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)

The University of Dundee has been given a Gold award – the highest possible rating – in the 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

Read more about the Teaching Excellence Framework

Teaching & Assessment

_{How you will be taught}

• Lectures
• Clinical skills workshops utilising role play
• Talks by NHS based clinicians
• Individual and group based clinical supervision sessions
• Comprehensive on-line resources to support workshops

The course team has produced a library of DVD based training resources that are available for trainees to purchase for a nominal sum.

Regular telephone and email contact between course team members and trainees is a feature of this course to support your daily clinical activities.

_{How you will be assessed}

• Trainees will carry out a systematic review of published evidence relating to a primary care mental health issue
• Two examinations
• Trainees will write two case reports of patients to whom they are delivering treatment
• An essay on procedures around initial assessment of patients

Three placement based assessments of your clinical competence.

_{What you will study}

All of the modules are core and must be passed to gain the master's qualifications

Assessment, diagnosis & formulation

• Provides knowledge of the essential ingredients of collaborative therapeutic relationships and of the evidence linking the therapeutic alliance to treatment outcomes in Cognitive -behavioural Psychotherapy

Principles and methods of psychological therapy

• Provides knowledge of general factors implicated in onset, maintenance and restitution of common mental health disorders within a CBT framework

Common mental health disorders in primary care

• Provides the theoretical and clinical knowledge of the prevalence, aetiology, presentation, course and differential diagnosis of common mental health disorders in the context of the evidence base for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural treatment for common mental health disorders presenting in primary care

Professional & ethical issues

• This module examines common ethical dilemmas which may affect psychologists in their therapeutic work. The module will emphasize the need to consider the consequences of the therapist’s actions in relation to ethical issues in: communication, informed consent, diversity, boundaries, competence and fitness to practice, confidentiality and organizing services/clinical governance, as well as how to avoid conflicts of interest and put client’s best interests first.

Research, evaluation & outcome

• This module aims to strengthen your understanding of the methodological and statistical principles of psychological research and their relevance to evidence-based outcomes while helping you develop the ability to critically evaluate psychological research methodology and outcomes

Research dissertation

• This module gives the trainee the experience of conducting a clinically relevant research project in an NHS setting. This helps you to develop a clear understanding of what 'evidence based practice' is while engaging with relevant literature as early as possible in an attempt to answer a specified research question

Employability

This is an NHS Scotland funded training course designed to produce graduates with the qualification to work as Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology, an NHS Scotland role.

On successful completion of the course graduates are eligible to apply for these posts as well as other related posts that may be advertised. While specifically an NHS Scotland role, accreditation by the BPS and BABCP has increased the acceptance of this qualification in other parts of the UK.

Your Application

Successful applicants to the course must begin an application to the BABCP for student membership prior to beginning training in January.

Applications for this course will be open for three weeks from Friday 26 July 2019 till 3:00pm on Friday 16 August 2019.

You apply for this course via the UCAS Postgraduate website which is free of charge. You can check the progress of your application online and you can also make multiple applications.

You'll need to upload relevant documents as part of your application. Please read the how to apply page before you apply to find out about what you'll need.

Visit the MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care page on the University of Dundee website for more details!