Postgraduate Degrees in Clinical Psychology
Psychology
Master of Psychology (Clinical)
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
Applications for 2010 close on October 12
Online application forms are available from here.
Why Obtain Clinical Training at UNE?
This is the best time ever to enter the UNE clinical training programs. There are several reasons for this:
1. The UNE clinical programs prepare students to help fill the unmet need for clinical psychologists in Australia. Recent changes in Medicare provide money for clinical services, but the country lacks a sufficient number of clinical psychologists to provide those services, with an especially acute shortage in rural areas. At the completion of our clinical masters, students are eligible for registration as psychologists.
2. The UNE clinical programs offer students stimulating, practically oriented training. In the first year students receive extensive training in assessment and treatment and then provide, under close supervision, assessment and therapy to clients with psychological disorders. Every unit and training experience is set up to help ensure that students are able to provide a wide range of high-quality clinical services by the time they graduate.
3. The instructors in the clinical programs are friendly, helpful and determined to help students succeed.
4. Graduates of the clinical programs have diverse career options. Some who have become eligible for the clinical college now work in private practice. Others work for agencies, where their skills are in high demand.
5. We have 12 Commonwealth supported places for new clinical students in 2009. Australian students admitted for 2009 who pay their annual fees at the start of the year will pay only about $4,200* per year.
6. Australian students transferring to the PhD(Clinical Psychology) at the end of the first year of the Masters program receive exemption from fees for second to fourth years, under the Research Training Scheme (RTS).
7. Applicants from rural, regional or remote locations who meet eligibility requirements may be able to obtain scholarships funded by either of two sources. First, there is the Department of Health and Aging. Under the Mental Health Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme (MPSS) up to $15,000 is available per year. The deadline for applying for this scholarship is October 12. Students may apply before they are admitted to the program. Second, there is the NSW Department of Health and Aging. The NSW Rural Allied Health Scholarships provide funding for up to $10,000 per year.
8. Students completing a practicum in a rural setting may be able to obtain a placement grant of $650 per year from the NSW Health Department.
9. Students who continue on for a PhD may be able to obtain a UNE Strategic Doctoral Scholarship of $30,000 per year for up to three years http://www.une.edu.au/research-services/pgstudy/scholarships/strategic.php or an Australian Postgraduate Award of about $20,000 per year for up to three years.
Programs:
Psychology at UNE offers two professional programs, the Master of Psychology (Clinical) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology). The programs prepare students for careers in Departments of Health (hospitals and clinics), Community Services, Rehabilitation Services, Disability Services, Alcohol and Drug Services, Private Practice, and elsewhere.
The Australian Psychology Accreditation Council has accredited the programs so that successful completion will result in: (a) eligibility to register as a psychologist in Australia; (b) eligibility to become a member of the Australian Psychological Society; and (c) completion of the academic requirements for membership of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Clinical Psychologists.
The MPsych(Clin) provides professional training in clinical psychology whilst the PhD(ClinPsych) is a research professional doctorate which combines professional training with the research training of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Students initially apply to the MPsych(Clin) program. On completion of the first year of the program, application may be made to change from the MPsych(Clin) to the PhD(ClinPsych).
Master of Psychology (Clinical)
The MPsych(Clin) program comprises requirements normally completed in two years of full-time (FT) study or four years of part-time (PT) study. FT students enrol as internal students for the first year of study (PT students for the first two years), and as external students for the second year of study (PT students for the third and fourth years). The program consists of coursework, research and practicum experiences.
First Year (on-campus)
The on-campus coursework takes place first semester.
Coursework modules include:
- Adult psychological disorders
- Psychological assessment
- Interventions with adults
- Clinical child psychology
- Professional practice
Thesis Preparation: This unit helps covers research methods and statistics that students are likely to use in their thesis research and in applied clinical work. The primary outcome of the unit is a sound thesis proposal.
Clinical Psychology Placement I: This placement is undertaken in the first year after extensive clinical skills training and intensive supervision with a single client. The placement is completed in the UNE Psychology Clinic. Within this placement students take on a broad range of cases.
Second Year (on-campus or off-campus)
- Clinical Health Psychology
- Forensic psychology
- Private Practice in Clinical Psychology
- Psychopharmacology
- Working with Older adults
Thesis: This unit consists of the completion of an empirical research project and submission in the form of a journal manuscript of 9,000 to 15,000 words by the end of October.
Clinical Psychology Placements II & III: These placements provide experience in dealing with a wide range of client problems across various age ranges and settings.
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
The PhD(ClinPsych) program comprises requirements completed in four years of FT study. The first year of the PhD(ClinPsych) program is the same as for the MPsych(Clin) program. The program consists of coursework, research and practicum.
Eligible domestic higher degree research students may be awarded an Exemption Scholarship to cover the cost academic tuition fees.
Second Year (on-campus)
Coursework units are the same for a Masters of Psychology (Clinical).
Thesis: The thesis requirements are as for the PhD degree.
Clinical Psychology Placement II: This placement is usually undertaken in a rural or remote setting.
Third Year (Internal or External)
Thesis: The thesis requirements are as for the PhD degree.
Fourth Year (Internal or External)
Thesis: The thesis requirements are as for the PhD degree.
Clinical Psychology Placement III: This third placement can be undertaken in a variety of settings but cannot be commenced until the thesis has been submitted for examination.
The Clinic
Field Placements
The practicum component of the clinical psychology programs consists of an intensive internal practicum and two external placements. External placements generally need to be supervised by experienced clinical psychologists. APS accreditation guidelines allow one external placement in which on-site supervision is provided by a health professional who is not a clinical psychologist, if a clinical psychologist at the university provides back-up supervision. There are few clinical psychologists in the New England region, so students may be required to complete two external placements outside the region. The clinical programs have been structured with this in mind so that coursework and placements are not scheduled concurrently, thus enabling students to travel away from Armidale. Completing external placements in different geographical regions adds to the breadth of clinical training. UNE cannot meet expenses arising from completing external placements, but some funding may be available from NSW Health for rural placements. Each placement can be completed at the rate of 2, 3 or 4 days per week.
External Enrolment
There is considerable demand for clinical training to be offered in the distance education (i.e. external) mode, a form of education pioneered by UNE. However, we in the clinical program do not believe that it is possible to offer adequate training in clinical psychology exclusively in the external mode. Hence, UNE programs are structured so that the components of clinical training that necessitate internal enrolment (e.g., clinic placement and some coursework) have been packaged together at the beginning of the program leaving the remaining components to be completed via external enrolment.
Students completing the MPsych(Clin) full-time are committed to being in Armidale for two or three days per week during their first year. In second year, students attend brief residential schools. External placements can be completed anywhere providing that students cover an adequate range of clinical experiences and appropriate supervision can be arranged. Research projects can be completed at UNE or elsewhere. All research projects will be supervised by UNE staff but joint supervision with professionals in the field can be arranged.
Staff
The core academic staff of the clinical programs are all experienced practising clinicians as well as teachers and researchers:
Associate Professor John Malouff
Special interests: Evaluating the efficacy of psychological interventions, evaluating the effects of methods of increasing client adherence, and determining associations between Big 5 personality characteristics and specific types of psychopathology.Dr Amy Lykins (starting work soon)
Special interests: My research interests are primarily in the areas of human sexuality and sexual health, specifically: 1) the development and nature of sexual preferences; 2) female sexual health issues; 3) sexual dysfunctions and disorders—their development, assessment, and treatment; and 4) gender identity and gender identity disorder. I am particularly interested in studying the cognitive underpinnings of the aforementioned topics using psychophysiological (e.g., EEG, genital plethysmography) and cognitive-based methodologies (e.g., eye-tracking, dot-probe paradigm).Dr Dianne Shanley
Special interests: perceptions of mental health and mental health service delivery.Other staff in Psychology with expertise in related areas include: Dr Rhonda Brown — health psychology; Professor Brian Byrne — reading disorders; Dr Debra Dunstan — chronic pain; Associate Professor Don Hine — environmental and public health issues; Dr Graham Jamieson — Cognitive-neuroscience of executive control, and hypnosis and conscious states; Dr Drew Khlentzos — rationality, consciousness, mental representation and language acquisition; Dr Jennifer Loh — well-being, lifespan developmental psychology, cross cultural and organisational psychology; Dr Ian Price — addictive disorders; Dr Nicola Schutte — emotional intelligence; Dr Bruce Stevenson — autism; Dr Andrew Talk — Neurobiology of learning and memory; Dr Einar Thorsteinsson — health psychology; and Dr Sue Watt — social psychology. Some guest lectures/workshops will also be provided by staff in other UNE departments and by health professionals from outside the University.
Fees* and Financial Assistance
The present full fee per year for the clinical masters is $15,360*. However, in recent years all of our students have received government subsidies (commonwealth supported places) that reduced the amount to about $4200* per year if paid upfront or about $5200 per year if payment deferred. Students who transfer to the Clinical PhD after completion of the first year Clinical Masters are ordinarily exempt from fees under the Research Training Scheme. For more information about financial assistance, see Why Obtain Clinical Training at UNE
Eligibility
Eligibility to apply for the MPsych(Clin) is based on holding an APS accredited honours degree in psychology at the level of at least second class honours or equivalent qualification.
Eligibility to apply for the PhD(ClinPsych) is based on holding an APS accredited honours degree in psychology at the level of at least second class honours division one or equivalent qualification. It is expected that applicants will usually have also completed the first year of the MPsych(Clin).
Potential applicants for the programs who have completed their degrees at universities other than UNE should submit full documentation related to their qualifications to Psychology so that equivalence can be established. Qualifications completed outside Australia must be assessed for equivalence by the APS.
Advanced Standing
Advanced standing for the first year of the PhD(ClinPsych) may be granted to applicants who have completed the first year of the MPsych(Clin) or equivalent. Advanced standing will only be considered for first year work
Applications:
The deadline for completed applications and referees' reports is the 12th October.
Applications will be submitted online and are opening in early August.
Online application forms are available from:
http://www.une.edu.au/for/future-students/postgraduates/admissions.php
Enquiries:
Email: Libby Fitzgerald
Telephone: (02) 6773 3189