Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health (2013 entry)

MSc, 1 year full time/2 years part time

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Subject overview

Ranked in the top 10 in the UK in The Complete University Guide 2012-13 and The Sunday Times University Guide 2012, and 14th in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2013.

Rated 12th (of 76 universities) in the UK for research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 95 per cent of our research was rated as recognised internationally or higher, and 60 per cent rated as internationally excellent or higher.

We are one of the largest psychology units in the UK with almost 40 teaching faculty, as well as a large community of postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. This provides an intellectually stimulating and supportive environment for postgraduate research and study.

We have excellent facilities with newly refurbished office and laboratory space at the centre of the Sussex campus.

We are able to offer supervision across a broad range of areas encompassed by our four research groups:

  • Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental and Clinical Psychology, and
  • Social and Applied Psychology.

We have strong collaborative links with the School of Life Sciences and the Department of Informatics as well as with the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

ESRC recognition

All of our MSc and MRes degrees (except the MSc in Experimental Psychology) are recognised as meeting the standards set by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for direct entry to a +3 doctoral scholarship.

Programme outline

This degree provides a thorough grounding in research training relevant to clinical psychology and a broad understanding of mental health service provision.

This research-orientated MSc focuses not only on equipping you with advanced research skills but also emphasises the importance of research evidence and the ability to assess this critically and constructively.

This MSc is aimed at graduates eventually seeking a place on a DClin Psych clinical training degree and at existing professionals in other health-related disciplines. It is run in conjunction with the Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.

A wide range of staff and guest lecturers, including local practitioners, teach on this MSc, with our faculty having research strengths in psychopathology and clinical psychology.

We continue to develop and update our modules for 2013 entry to ensure you have the best student experience. In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.

On this course, you take a series of taught modules that will enable you to gain knowledge and skills in key areas of clinical psychology and mental health, including:

  • four subject-specific modules (60 credits), two in the autumn term and two in the spring term, covering topics such as common mental health problems and treatment models
  • four modules in research methods and data analysis (60 credits), which will help you gain expertise in the key research approaches used in this field, including specialist techniques in clinical research skills and a range of quantitative and qualitative methods
  • a substantial research project in your chosen field (60 credits), supervised by a member of faculty specialising in that area. 

Assessment 

The taught modules are assessed by a variety of methods that include term papers, presentations and unseen examinations. The project is assessed by a dissertation. 

Also refer to School of Psychology: MSc dissertations and projects

Back to module list

Advanced Research Methods in Psychology

15 credits
Summer teaching, year 1

In this module you will learn about various advanced research methods and statistical techniques in psychology, by exploring their theoretical basis and their practical application. The module is typically taught as a set of two-day workshops in which particular methods are considered in detail. You are expected to study three methods (ie attend three workshops) from the selection that is offered. The options available to you are likely to include the following: Methods in Appetite Research; Discourse Analysis for Psychology; Experiment Generators: Use of Eprime; Eye Tracking; Item Response Theory; Longitudinal Data Analysis; Meta-analysis; Multilevel Modelling; Service User Involvement in Clinical Research; Structural Equation Modelling; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); and Voice Analysis and Re-Synthesis.

Behavioural and Cognitive Theories of Addiction

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module considers both behavioural and cognitive theories of addiction. You will cover: the use of behavioural experiments in animals and human volunteers to study drug and alcohol seeking behaviour; psychological bases of drug and alcohol dependence, priming, craving, tolerance, and sensitisation, and the role of these processes in drug-seeking behaviour and relapse; cognitive and behavioural approaches to the treatment of substance abuse; and integration of evidence from the cognitive and behavioural levels of analysis with that from the social and biological levels of analysis.

Clinical Psychology in Action

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module will give you a broad overview of how our understanding of lifespan issues in psychology can be used to help people suffering from psychological distress. You will explore the developmental and emotional tasks that we face as we move through our lives and highlight how psychological difficulties can emerge during each of these stages. Examining the impact of secure and insecure models of attachment will be a consistent theme running through this course although other influential models of psychological developmental will also be described and reflected upon.

Throughout the module you will gain a detailed understanding of how clinical psychologists work with individuals at different life stages and with the types of psychological difficulties that emerge at each stage. Each teaching session will provide you with an overview of the topic area which will then be grounded and consolidated through case examples. You will be encouraged to take part in practical and explorative exercises to reflect on your own psychological and lifespan development and to use this to help you deepen your understanding of the psychological difficulties suffered by others. There will also be opportunities to conduct practical exercises which will help to illustrate and 'bring to life' the types of psychological interventions offered in clinical practice.

Common Mental Health Problems: applying causal models to clinical practice

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module describes some of the main psychological disorders and discusses contemporary accounts of their causes or aetiology. You will cover topics including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders and disorders of childhood and adolescence. These topics are chosen because they represent some of the most prevalent of psychological disorders, consist of some of the most thoroughly researched disorders where our understanding of their causes has become relatively well developed, and also represent disorders which are of contemporary interest, either because of media interest (eg eating disorders), or because they give you an insight into broader ethical and political issues related to psychopathology, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or antisocial personality disorder.

Communication and Health Promotion

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module focuses on communication and health promotion. We will attempt to define both communication and health promotion, before exploring some of the influences that communication has on health and evaluating the implications of communication research for health promotion. In particular we will consider the influence of patient-provider communication and information provision on health-related outcomes. In addition we will study some of the main theories of persuasion and attitude change and consider how these might be used to guide the development and design of health promotion campaigns. We will then turn our attention to health promotion, and consider a number of different perspectives on and approaches to health promotion. Additionally we will look at issues of measurement within health promotion, before studying the ethics of health promotion, and considering issues relating to autonomy, empowerment, paternalism, exploitation and potential harm that may be caused by health promotion campaigns.

Ethics, Philosophy and Methods of Research

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module will consider the conceptual foundations of psychological research and is divided into three key elements.

Ethics and research governance - during this part of the module you will learn about the ethical principles and guidelines relating to research in psychology, in particular the BPS code of conduct and how it applies to research studies, and the UK frameworks for research governance. The ethical issues involved in using animals to study psychology will also be addressed.

Philosophy of Science - you explore different approaches to what it means for psychology to be scientific and why it matters. Half of the material considers classic philosophy of science as represented in the views of Popper, Kuhn and Lakatos and how they apply to psychology. The remaining material considers the foundations of statistical inference, comparing the conceptual basis of orthodox (Neyman Pearson) statistics with that of Bayesian statistics. The aim is to clear up popular misconceptions in interpreting statistics, not to teach any particular statistical technique.

Qualitative methods - are becoming increasingly important in psychology and related disciplines (eg, biology, medicine, sociology). Nevertheless, heated debates continue to rage about their essential qualities (if any) and 'quality' (if any). In this part of the module we will examine all aspects of qualitative research, from (claimed) philosophical underpinnings, through method selection, project planning, ethical considerations, data collection, data analysis, and the production, assessment, and presentation of results, though to the scientific, practical, ethical, and theoretical benefits of the end product(s). Particular attention will be given to the prospects of developing qualitative methods that are truly complementary to quantitative ones

Health Psychology and Social Context

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module introduces you to health psychology and to fundamental theoretical and empirical issues that require attention and consideration by researchers working in this field. While acknowledging the importance of the biopsychosocial perspective, you will pay particular attention to social dimensions of health and health-related behaviours. You will also be introduced to perspectives and explanatory frameworks from disciplines other than psychology, in order to locate the enterprise of health psychology within a broad framework of approaches to health, health-related behaviours and health outcomes.

Linear Models in Statistics

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

In this module you will learn to use parametric statistical methods for exploring relationships among variables, including correlation, bi-variate and multiple linear regression, and logistic regression, as well as methods for comparing means between groups such as t-tests, Anova, Ancova and Manova. You will become familiar with the use of SPSS, a popular data-analysis computer package. More specifically, you will learn to understand when it is appropriate to use each type of statistical tool, how to run the analysis using SPSS and accurately interpret its output, and finally how to present the results in an appropriate format.

Research Dissertation

60 credits
Spring & summer teaching, year 1

This module enables you to undertake a piece of psychological research under the supervision of a member of faculty who is expert in the relevant area. For clinical psychology students this may involve collaboration with a field supervisor in the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust. You will be involved in the design and execution of a substantial piece of empirical research on a topic that is relevant to your module. The dissertation will consist of a research report detailing the project you have carried out or been involved with. 

Research Methods in Clinical Psychology

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module explores the role of research in the context of clinical psychology. The module begins by describing what research is, and then discusses a number of ways in which research in clinical psychology can be conducted, with special attention being paid to the role of the scientist-practitioner and the scientific method. The module then considers what kinds of questions clinical psychologists are interested in addressing and how they might go about answering them. The bulk of the module is concerned with describing and evaluating a range of research methods used by clinical psychology researchers. The module includes discussion of the practical and ethical issues that clinical psychologists are likely to encounter while undertaking research. Finally, this module explores the translation of research findings into the practice of clinical psychology, and what promotes and restricts the application and development of evidence based practice in the NHS context

Treatment Models and their Evaluation

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module gives you a broad overview of the types of psychological and psychosocial interventions employed by clinical psychologists in healthcare settings. Each teaching session will provide you with an overview of the intervention strategies employed when working with particular types of psychological difficulties, with material being grounded in real case examples. You will also be encouraged to take part in practical and reflective exercises to consolidate your learning and to gain a stronger sense of what it might be like to do this work in practice.The teaching sessions will focus on the types of psychological difficulties that are commonly faced in clinical practice.

Throughout the module, you will be encouraged to critically appraise the strengths and potential limitations of each treatment approach. Significant emphasis is placed on the role of psychological formulation in ensuring effective treatment of planning. You will also learn how clinical psychologists draw on their broad understanding of the academic discipline of psychology to develop new and creative intervention strategies.

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Entry requirements

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in psychology or a closely related subject.

Overseas entrance requirements

Please refer to column A on the Overseas qualifications.

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications table, contact the University.
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Visas and immigration

Find out more about Visas and immigration.

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each section. Internet TOEFL with 95 overall, with at least 22 in Listening, 23 in Reading, 23 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

Additional admissions information

The closing date for applications is 31 March 2013. Applications are traditionally held until this deadline passes and decisions are made once all on-time applications have arrived. Applications received after the deadline will only be considered if places are available.

For more information about the admissions process at Sussex

For pre-application enquiries:

Student Recruitment Services
T +44 (0)1273 876787
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

For post-application enquiries:

Postgraduate Admissions,
University of Sussex,
Sussex House, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877773
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk 

Related programme

Fees and funding

Fees

Home UK/EU students: £5,5001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £5,5002
Overseas students: £16,2003

1 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.

Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust for Postgraduate Study (2013)

Region: UK
Level: PG (taught), PG (research)
Application deadline: 1 October 2013

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust are offering bursaries to Postgraduate students following any postgraduate degree courses in any subject.

Sussex Graduate Scholarship (2013)

Region: UK, Europe (Non UK), International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 16 August 2013

Open to final year Sussex students who graduate with a 1st or 2:1 degree and who are offered a F/T place on an eligible Masters course in 2013.

Faculty interests

Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience

The Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience research group has interests in:

  • the application of basic neuroscience and behavioural techniques in rodents to study the neural bases of drug addiction
  • the application of human psychopharmacology techniques to explore the detailed effects of drugs on human behaviour and cognition, as well as both preclinical and clinical investigations of the cognitive and other psychological deficits associated with long-term use of drugs such as ecstasy and alcohol
  • the neurobiology of motivation, with specialist interests in the control of ingestion, and
  • the cognitive neuroscience of human memory and attention, and especially research on deficits associated with disorders such as dementia and schizophrenia.

There is a close inter-relationship between animal, human and clinical work. On the animal side, the Sussex group is one of the strongest groups in any UK university for the behavioural characterisation of transgenic mice, and enjoys collaborative links with molecular geneticists, with the neighbouring Sussex Centre for Neuroscience and with the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS). On both the human and the animal side, the group has long-standing links with clinical health professionals across the county.

Professor Pete Clifton How brain systems regulate feeding behaviour, side effects of antipsychotic drugs on body weight.

Dr Hans Crombag Neurobiological and behavioural mechanisms of appetitive learning and memory, contextual learning processes in relapse.

Professor Theodora Duka Alcohol and nicotine addiction: human studies of conditioning, adaptive mechanisms. 

Dr Sarah King Techniques to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of stress and drugs on brain and behaviour. 

Dr Eisuke Koya Neuronal ensembles, associative learning, obesity, addiction, synaptic physiology, immunohistochemistry. 

Dr Michael Morgan Substance misuse, impulse control in adolescence and adulthood, psychopathology in substance misusers.

Dr Tamzin Ripley Changes in neuronal plasticity, using behavioural and electrophysiological techniques, and its role in drug abuse.

Professor Jennifer Rusted Psychopharma-cology of human memory, prospective and action-based memory in ageing and dementia.

Professor David Stephens Neurobiological and behavioural mechanisms underlying drug dependence.

Professor Martin Yeomans Appetite control, development of food preferences, dieting as a model of disordered eating and obesity.

Cognitive Psychology

This Cognitive Psychology group has interests in:

  • learning and memory, especially implicit learning (including computational simulations of learning), awareness of knowledge states, memory and consciousness
  • language and communication, especially the behavioural, cognitive and neuropsychological processes involved in language comprehension and production. Our specialty fields include psycholinguistics, specifically pronoun interpretation, text comprehension, children’s difficulties in text comprehension, and fMRI
  • vision and visual perception, where we have particular expertise in visual cognition and attention, face processing, perceptual aspects of driving, perception and action, perception of movement, and the perception of visual art
  • the interaction between perceptual processes and other aspects of cognition, as revealed by the methods of cognitive neuroscience, especially multi-sensory interactions including synaesthesia, the cognitive deficits associated with neurological disorders, and the role of attention and working memory in oculomotor control, and
  • animal vocal communication and cognition, where we have particular expertise in using playback experiments to tackle questions about communication and cognitive abilities in large terrestrial mammals (elephants, red deer, lions) and non-passerine birds (gulls and owls).

We have expertise in the use of specialised technology including acoustic playback, eye tracking, speech analysis and brain imaging. The Clinical Sciences Imaging Centre houses a 1.5T Siemens MRI scanner and PET/CT, and is used particularly by a number of members of this group. 

The Human Psychophysiology Laboratory is extensively used by this group and includes EEG/ERP equipment, TMS, and eye-trackers.

Dr Chris Bird Cognitive processes through comparing the performance of brain-damaged adults with neurologically healthy controls.

Professor Zoltan Dienes How people acquire knowledge they are not aware of having, computational modelling of such learning.

Professor Alan Garnham Language comprehension, particularly inference; sentence processing; reasoning; mental models theory.

Dr Graham Hole Face recognition, age perception from faces, perceptual aspects of driving (especially ‘looked but failed to see’ accidents).

Dr Ryota Kanai Neural processes and computational principles underlying subjective conscious experiences and qualia, the anatomical and functional neural basis of perceptual and cognitive phenomena.

Dr Beena Khurana Visual cognition, the role of attention in motion perception, processing of human faces.

Dr Karen McComb Mammal communication and cognition, functional questions about animal communication and the nature of animal minds. 

Dr Romi Nijhawan Compensation of neural delays in perception and action, flash-lag effect in vision and action.

Professor Jane Oakhill Mental models theory of text comprehension and reasoning, and children’s text comprehension.

Dr David Reby Vocal communication, sexual communication, crossmodal abilities in non-human animals.

Dr Jamie Ward Human cognitive neuroscience using neuropsychology, fMRI, TMS and EEG. Visit Synaesthesia research.

Developmental and Clinical Psychology

The Development and Clinical Psychology research group has a common aim of advancing theoretical approaches to human development and clinical psychology, often through studying applied questions. Approaches include observational and experimental studies, longitudinal analyses of child development, comparative perspectives, dynamic systems, neural network modelling, and experimental clinical psychopathology. We work closely with clinicians and educationalists, and with typical and special child populations. 

Research focuses on six broad themes:

  • social development, family and peer relations 
  • using technology to study and support peer collaboration and cognitive change 
  • emotional adjustment across the lifespan 
  • the aetiology of emotional disorders 
  • gesture and communication, and 
  • word learning and early cognitive development. 

We have several focused labs: Child Anxiety Theory and Treatment (CATT) Lab, Children and Technology (ChaT) Lab, Sussex Family Research Lab, and Word and Object Reasoning Development (WORD) Lab. 

The group is well-supported with lab facilities, including testing rooms for audio-visual recording, software for video editing and analyses, questionnaire scanning facilities, environments for conducting controlled experimental psychopathology studies, and specialised spaces for conducting a range of studies from habituation to clinical interviews. The group has good links with local daycare, schools and colleges.

Professor Robin Banerjee Social and emotional development of pupils, self-conscious cognition and emotion, self-presentational behaviour.

Dr Kate Cavanagh Cognitive biases and reasoning processes in the emotional disorders, increasing access to psychological therapies.

Professor Graham Davey Experimental psychopathology and anxiety disorders, the causes of perseverative psychopathologies.

Professor Andy Field The role of childhood experience in fear acquisition, parenting and child anxiety.

Dr Anna Franklin The development of colour perception and cognition, broader issues in cognitive and developmental science.

Dr Jessica Horst Cognitive development in children under the age of five; language acquisition, infant and toddler categorisation.

Dr David Leavens Non-verbal communication by apes and humans, joint attention, mother-infant interaction, evolution of language.

Dr Bonamy Oliver Child behaviour, using longitudinal, behavioural genetic designs to better understand family and other environmental influences on behavioural outcomes.

Dr Alison Pike Antecedents and consequences of variation in family relationship quality, including marital, parent-child and sibling.

Dr Nicola Yuill Typical and atypical social cognitive development, autism; technology to support children; children’s language development.

Social and Applied Psychology

The Social and Applied Psychology research group has interests in five broad areas:

  • behaviour change: intervention, design and evaluation
  • health psychology
  • identity, culture and well-being
  • intergroup relations and collective behaviour
  • pro-social and moral engagement.

The group has good facilities for laboratory-based research involving video recording of individual and group behaviour, and for conducting online experiments. Links also exist with local schools and hospitals for conducting field research.

Dr Rod Bond Group processes, particularly social influence and reaction to deviants; subjective well-being.

Professor Rupert Brown Intergroup relations: prejudice and prejudice reduction, acculturation processes, hate crime, collective guilt.

Dr Richard de Visser Young people’s health behaviour, sexual health and sexual behaviour, gender and health-related behaviour.

Dr Helga Dittmar Social and psychological dimensions of material goods, compulsive buying; sociocultural influences on body image.

Dr John Drury Crowd behaviour, empowerment and positive psychological change, crowding/density, celebration and ‘atmosphere’.

Dr Tom Farsides Factors that facilitate (duty or empathy) or inhibit (moral phobia or selfishness) positive other-concern.

Professor Peter Harris Cognitive, emotional and behavioural response to risk, especially health risks. 

Dr Donna Jessop Impact of personally relevant health-risk information on behaviour change, fear appeals.

Dr Karen Long Inter- and intragroup relations, social identity theory, social and personal identity as sources of self-esteem.

Dr Paul Sparks Attitude theory applied to environmental and health issues: normative influences and self-identity, decision-making.

Dr Viv Vignoles Self and identity, motivational processes and culture and context influences on identity construction; life transitions.

For more detailed information, visit the School of Psychology.

 

Careers and profiles

Our students have gone on to work as assistant psychologists, and researchers, and to pursue further studies at doctoral level, including doctoral-level clinical psychology training.

Natalie's student perspective

Natalie Barazzone

‘I was interested in pursuing a career in clinical psychology and felt that studying for the MSc in Foundations in Clinical Psychology and Mental Health at Sussex would enable me to build on my knowledge of mental health and conducting research, in addition to furthering my understanding of how clinical psychology is positioned within NHS services.

‘The programme has given me a fantastic grounding to a life-long career. It has provided opportunities to learn directly from psychologists and to carry out clinically relevant and innovative research.

‘I’ve now been offered a place on a clinical psychology training course, and I can honestly say that it’s largely because I’d done the Sussex MSc. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to follow this career path.’

Natalie Barazzone
Research Assistant
Sussex Partnership Trust

For more information, visit Careers and alumni.

School and contacts

School of Psychology

The School of Psychology is one of the largest centres for the study of psychology in the UK, with an academic community of nearly 900 people working in a rich and supportive learning environment.

Dr Kate Cavanagh, Course Director,
School of Psychology,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9QH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877395
E kate.kavanagh@sussex.ac.uk 
School of Psychology

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