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.

First Year (on-campus)

The coursework unit will run from the beginning of ?rst semester to half way through second semester.

Coursework, modules include:

• Adult psychological disorders
• Interventions with adults
• Clinical child psychology
• Psychological assessment of mental health and neurological disorders
• Clinical health psychology
• Professional practice

Thesis preparation: The prime goal of this unit is to assist students to complete the requirement of having a research proposal approved by the end of the unit.

Clinical Psychology Placement I: The first placement is internal and begins halfway through first semester and ends halfway through second semester. This 100 hour placement is completed in the School's Psychology Clinic.

Clinical Psychology Placement II: This will be the first external 40-day placement and must be completed following the internal placement.

Second Year (on-campus or off-campus)

Coursework, modules include:

• Forensic psychology
• Preparing for private practice
• Psychopharmacology
• Working in rural and remote communities, including working with Indigenous Australians
• Working with older adults
• Working with people with chronic and disabling conditions

Dissertation: 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 Placement III: This will be the second external 40-day placement and is usually a compulsory placement in a rural or remote setting.

Clinical Psychology Placement IV: This will be the third external 40-day placement and must be completed by the end of November.

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, modules include:

• Forensic psychology
• Preparing for private practice
• Psychopharmacology
• Working in rural and remote communities, including working with Indigenous Australians
• Working with older adults
• Working with people with chronic and disabling conditions

Thesis: The thesis requirements are as for the PhD degree.

Clinical Psychology Placement III: This will be the second external 40-day placement and is usually a compulsory placement 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 IV: This will be the third external 40-day placement and cannot be commenced until the thesis has been submitted for examination.

The Clinic

The Clinic

A Sketch of the Psychology Building

Practicums

The practicum component of the clinical psychology programs consists of one 100-hour internal and three 40-day 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. Each external placement will involve 40 days attendance at an agency, and can be completed at the rate of 2, 3 or 4 days per week. Placement III is usually a compulsory placement in a rural or remote setting in the New England region.

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. The School of Psychology at UNE is not convinced, however, that it is possible to offer first class training in clinical psychology exclusively in the external mode. Hence, these programs have been 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 only committed to being in Armidale in their first year, other than for attending 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 programs are all experienced practising clinicians as well as teachers and researchers:

Associate Professor Nigel V. Marsh
Special interests: neuropsychology and psychometrics including acquired brain injury (traumatic brain injury, stroke), degenerative (HIV, multiple sclerosis) and congenital (hydrocephalus, learning disabilities, foetal alcohol syndrome) neurological disorders.

Dr John F. O'Mahony
Special interests: social anxiety, neuropsychological evaluation, sexual difficulties, obsessive-compulsive problems.

Other staff in the School of Psychology with expertise in related areas include: Dr Rhonda Brown — health psychology; Professor Brian Byrne — reading disorders; Dr Don Hine — environmental and public health issues; Dr Graham Jamieson — Cognitive-neuroscience of executive control, and hypnosis and conscious states; Dr John Malouff — assessing and teaching interpersonal and emotional skills, childhood shyness, conscientiousness, forensic psychology; Dr Don Martin — application of attribution theory; Professor Bill Noble — psychosocial effects of hearing; 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 — complex decision making and 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 Master of Psychology (Clinical) degree will be Commonwealth Supported (i.e., HECS) Places in 2007.

The PhD(ClinPsych) program is offered on a HECS-HELP basis and eligible students may apply for exemption scholarships under the Research Training Scheme — for further information visit http://www.dest.gov.au/highered/research/rts.htm. PhD(ClinPsych) candidates are encouraged to also apply for postgraduate scholarships.

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 the School of 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
Application materials can be obtained after 31 August from the School of Psychology download web site or from:

Student Centre
The University of New England
NSW 2351
Email:

Telephone: (02) 6773 4444

The deadline for completed applications and referees' reports is the 31 October in each year. Applications should be forwarded to the same address.

Enquiries

Admissions Co-ordinator
Clinical Psychology Programs
The School of Psychology
Telephone: (02) 6773 3012
Email: