In 2009 a new MSc Course with an emphasis on emotion was set up at Bournemouth University by Roger Baker, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Simon Thompson, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Neuropsychologist.  It is a one year MSc on 'Foundations of Clinical Psychology'. 

The idea is:

• to act as a stepping stone for psychology students to get into clinical psychology training courses

• to help students develop an in depth understanding of psychological disorders and a variety of different types of psychological therapy

• to prepare students for the many diverse types of therapy roles now opening up in the NHS

The course does not qualify students to practice as clinical psychologists in the UK but is a first step in a clinical psychology pathway.

The course draws on the expertise of clinical psychologists and therapists in the south of England to create a rich and interesting experience. There are lectures/workshops/seminars from over 40 different experts in their field, including Professor Sue Clarke (Personality Disorder), Professor Michael Jacobs (Psychotherapy), Professor Jonathan Cole (Phenomenology), Professor John Hall (history of Clinical Psychology/former government adviser on clinical psychology, Professor Peter Thomas (Medical Epidemiology), Professor Steve Ersser (Health related interventions), Professor Roger Baker (Anxiety Disorders) and many others.

The course has six components:

• roots of psychological disorders  (series of lectures and workshops by experts)

• range of psychological disorders  (series of lectures and workshops by experts)

• range of psychological therapies  (series of lectures and workshops by experts)

• practical and organisational aspects of working in the NHS and Legal Systems (series of lectures and workshops by experts)

• research methodology (series of lectures and workshops by experts)

• a two month clinical placement and literature review dissertation

There are several experts in the south of England who specialise in emotion based therapy, including emotional focussing (Prof Les Todres), ACT & CAT (Prof Sue Clarke) and Emotional Processing (Prof Roger Baker). Inevitably, the course has a greater emotion-based therapy approach than many clinically related courses.

Queries about the course:

Queries about the course: Simon Thompson (simont@bournemouth.ac.uk).
General queries: enquiries@bournemouth.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0)1202 524111,
Fax: +44 (0)1202 962736
Further information:  http://onlineservices.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses/Course.aspx?course=640&school=DEC&level=pg&code=MSCPDT&mode=ft
How to apply: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/futurestudents/apply/index.html
You’ll get the quickest response if you send the application to the course secretary, rmuir@bournemouth.ac.uk