Health Psychology MSc

University of Staffordshire

This module will explore issues surrounding communication as it impacts upon a variety of health care settings. In particular, the consequences of perceived deficits in this area will be examined for their influence on treatment compliance, regimen adherence, general recovery and adaptation to altered health states. In addition to communication's role in the fields of prevention, preparation and support, the module will examine how communication can act as a vehicle for assessment and devaluation of patients. You will gain knowledge and skills to enable you to progress to working with a range of client groups across the lifespan including: death, dying and bereavement; children?s health and the role of the family in health and illness, the impact of hospitalisation on adults and children; decision making by patients; the ways that factors such as personality, health literacy and emotional intelligence may impact on communication; preparation for stressful medical procedures; and issues related to patient satisfaction.

Students will be required to engage in a professional development programme consisting of interactive workshops, student-led journal clubs, departmental research seminars and asynchronous activities. Content of will cover: professional issues such as codes of conduct, legal and statutory obligations and restrictions on health psychology practice in the UK context; European and international perspectives on health psychology; the future of health psychology in the UK; and how health psychology relates to other disciplines. In addition, students will be supported to engage in reflective practice relating to the knowledge and skills gained to enable them to progress to working within a range of settings and contexts relevant to health psychology. To support this, course alumni will be invited as guest speakers to share information about their own career pathways.

In this module students will be supported to design and plan rigorous, coherent and ethically-sound research in the students’ topic area of choice within the field of clinical psychology. Students will be allocated an academic supervisor who will provide guidance and support in developing a research proposal.

In this module you will explore the psychology of physical health conditions. This will involve examination of key moments in the patient journey for a range of conditions. You will be introduced to psychological theory relating to experiences such as help seeking, diagnosis and self-management and develop a critical understanding of Health Psychology interventions for supporting patients.

The content of this module will introduce you to the knowledge and skills relevant to working with other professionals and a range of client groups across the lifespan. You will be encouraged to compare and contrast a range of interventions applicable to health psychology settings and health and well-being outcomes. You will develop an understanding of the issues relevant to the design and evaluation of a range of interventions including knowledge of: health needs assessment, the process of formulation, based on assessment, which informs choice of intervention, and behaviour change techniques. This module will also cover the legal and statutory obligations and restrictions on health psychology practice in the UK and will recognise the need to take responsibility for your own professional development (e.g. through PDP), and should therefore understand the principles and utility of critical self-reflection for your development as trainee health psychologists.

This module will introduce students to a range of areas and concerns in health psychology and the theoretical constructs that guide its work. Students will examine the broad context and different perspectives of the discipline and be aware of current debates within the field. Content will cover theoretical models of health-related behaviour and cognitions; health beliefs and attitudes; the physiological mechanisms of health and illness; and issues across the lifespan. In addition, students will examine factors which influence health and illness, ranging from individual characteristics to wider determinants of health, and the impact of health inequality on the experience of health and illness. Students will be encouraged to think critically in relation to methods, design, and measurement across these areas.

This module supports students in conducting and disseminating rigorous and ethically-sound MSc-level research in the students’ topic area of choice within the field of clinical psychology. Following ethical approval, students will independently manage, execute and disseminate their dissertation research with support from an academic supervisor.