Co-designed with practicing clinical psychologists and academics in the School of Psychology at Queen’s, this postgraduate certificate provides Psychology graduates with a foundation in clinical psychology. The programme aims to enhance students’ knowledge of the application of psychological theory in a health and social care setting and helps them to appreciate and develop therapeutic and professional practice skills. Graduates who have completed the programme will be able to apply their knowledge of motivational interviewing and other therapeutic modalities (e.g. CBT, Systemic) and identify intervention goals; possess foundational skills of psychological assessment and formulation and be aware of issues relating to working in services that offer psychological care and will be sensitive to wider team dynamics and team culture.
The closing date for applications for this course is the 16th August 2024. Late applications will not be accepted. There is expected to be high demand for this programme so applying as early as possible is recommended.
This course does not confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society. This course does not provide a qualification to register as a clinical psychologist.
Applications for this course received after 16th August 2024 may not be accepted
Foundations in Clinical Psychology highlights
Career Development
The programme teaching is relevant to careers in clinical psychology. It is also relevant to those students who may decide to pursue further post-graduate study in psychology.
Internationally Renowned Experts
Students on the programme will be taught about therapeutic and professional skills used in clinical psychology practice by dedicated staff who are prominent, influential researchers or practitioners in the field.
Student Experience
The programme offers key knowledge and skills in the application of psychological theory to clinical presentations as well as foundational professional practice, ethics and therapeutic skills.
The programme will be delivered remotely and will comprise one 30-credit module - Professional Issues & Therapy Processes in Applied Psychology (PSY7114); one 20-credit module; - Introduction to Therapeutic Skills (PSY7120) and one 10-credit module - Supervised Study Project in Therapeutic Skills.
Teaching will take place on one half day each week.
Learning and Teaching
Those who teach on the programme are experts in professional psychology including clinical and health psychologists and our teaching is research-led, inspired by research in the area. Our lecturing team is committed to your learning and development and offer a dynamic and engaging educational experience.
The School of Psychology at Queen’s has a distinguished history in educating undergraduate and postgraduate students. The School operates a single honours undergraduate degree, three taught MSc degrees, professional Doctorates in Clinical Psychology and Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology, and a highly active research PhD programme.
We operate a proactive system of student support. The Postgraduate Advisor of Studies will guide and support you through your time with us, supported by the School’s knowledgeable and friendly administrative staff, and your personal tutor. There are also a range of wider facilities including excellent library facilities, careers advice, student support, and IT services.
Good communication between staff and students is central to our learning community, we operate a Student-Staff Consultative Committee specifically for taught MSc programmes. This committee comprises elected representatives from each of the taught postgraduate programmes, the Director of Postgraduate Taught Education, programme directors and the School Manager. This Committee is a platform for students to promptly raise any concerns they have and provides the School with an avenue to update students on matters affecting both the School and the broader University.
There are regular town halls involving all students who wish to attend, and our student representatives provide crucial feedback and engagement throughout the year. We aim to build a supportive learning environment that stimulates students to do their best work.
We provide students with a range of opportunities to learn and have included some further information on these below.
Lectures, seminars, and workshops
Lectures and workshops provide information about a topic and the basis for further self-directed study. They also provide an opportunity for class discussion, questions, and feedback. We will also deliver group supervision where students are, using clinical case examples, supported to practice, reflect and apply concepts and ideas through interaction with each other and their teaching staff. Workshops offer the opportunity to learn and practice skills for example therapeutic skills.
Self-guided study
Self-guided study is an essential part of any postgraduate course including private reading and research, preparation for assignments, and reflection on feedback.
Assessment
We will assess your performance in a variety of different ways:
The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.
This module runs alongside PSY7120 during weeks 1-12 in semester 2 in the 2024/2025 academic year and is available only to those enrolled on the PGCert Foundations in Clinical Psychology programme. This Supervised Study Project is designed for students concurrently enrolled in PSY7120 - Introduction to Therapeutic Skills. Taught by qualified clinical psychologists, PSY7120 equips students with foundational therapy skills and an understanding of therapeutic models such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. Building on the knowledge gained in PSY7120, this module requires students to reflect on a hypothetical clinical case and write a report on how they would assess, formulate, and develop a treatment plan using one of the approaches covered in PSY7120.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Formulate a clear and feasible plan for assessing, formulating, and developing a treatment approach for a hypothetical clinical case.
2. Apply theoretical knowledge to practical case scenarios.
3. Present findings in a well-structured written report.
Skills
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Understand how to go about assessing, formulating, and developing a treatment plan.
2. Have foundational skills in writing clinical reports.
3. Experience group supervised clinical practice
Professional Issues & Therapy Processes in Applied Psychology
Overview
HSC and Mental Health Services, TI practice
Ethics, Equity and Boundaries
Handling information and Report Writing
Reflective Practice/Professional Regulation
Working in Teams
Principles of behaviour change
Positive Behavioural Support
Motivational Interviewing 1 and 2
Common factors in psychological therapy
Outcome evaluation/clinically significant change
Learning Outcomes
Having completed the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
Knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of concepts of mental health and mental ill health and a range
Knowledge of behaviour change principles
Awareness of issues related to working in complex systems and understand boundaries of own competence.
Awareness of, and sensitivity to importance of team dynamics and team culture.
The ability to self-reflect and knowledge and understanding of self-regulation
Appreciation of a range of professional skills including appreciation for equality, diversity, ability to gather patient-centred information, and ethical principle
Knowledge, and competence in using ‘common factors’ to engage with and gather information from people
Skills
On completion of the modules students will be able to:
Apply basic psychological knowledge to health and social care context
Begin to apply their knowledge of behaviour change principles to analyse behaviour and identify intervention goals.
Taught by qualified clinical psychologists, this module sets out to equip students with some foundation level therapy skills and an understanding of how therapeutic models are used across applied contexts. Models that will be taught include:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Motivational Interviewing
Via interaction in roles plays, and skills practice sessions, alongside lectures
Outlining the theory guiding therapeutic practice, students will gain skills in:
creating a basic case conceptualisation (formulation), selecting therapy methods to change behaviour, applying foundation level therapy skills and self reflection.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Be able to notice and articulate links between underlying theory and clinical practice
2. Be able to apply an appropriate theoretical model to a specific case.
3. Describe how basic clinical skills are used in clinical practice.
Skills
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Apply foundational therapy skills in practice
2.Link theory to practice
A 2.2 Honours degree, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University, which has been accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). All applicants are required to submit a supplementary form with one mandatory question which will be assessed.
A limited number of fully funded places (provided by the Department for the Economy) are available for this programme. Where there are more eligible applications received than places available, the academic selectors for this programme will make offers in rank order based on academic merit and potential as evidenced in the totality of the information provided in each application. We will operate a waiting list as required to allow us to fill all available funded places. If you have not been selected for a funded place, we will accept self-funded or employer-funded applicants, if spaces are available.
Further information is available at the link below.
Closing date for applications is Friday 16th August 2024 at 12 noon. However, we encourage applicants to apply as early as possible. In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal earlier than the deadline. Notifications to this effect will appear on the Direct Application Portal against the programme application page. https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/skill-up-flexible-skills-fund/
International Students
Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region. Use the dropdown list below for specific information for your country/region.
International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.
The PGCert Foundations in Clinical Psychology is likely to be of interest to students considering careers in Clinical Psychology or who want to undertake other post-graduate study. We expect some graduates to go on to complete professional training in these areas whilst others may forge careers in the health service, or in the third sector.
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
1EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
No tuition fees are payable by eligible students for the programme as it is funded by the Department for the Economy’s Skill Up programme. Please refer to https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/skillup for further information.
Applicants must meet the entry criteria for the course and be:
• over 18 years of age;
• eligible to work in Northern Ireland;
• settled in Northern Ireland, and has been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least three years; or is a person who has indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK
All Students
Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.
Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.
Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.
If a programme includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.
Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.
There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study. Tuition fee loan information.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas (excluding Initial Teacher Education/PGCE, where undergraduate student finance is available). Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.