Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module introduces students to the components and determinants of health and covers a range of approaches to understanding and improving health using psychological principles. It covers theoretical and applied aspects of the relationships between clinical psychology and health.

Students will develop a good understanding of the wider role of clinical psychologists in promoting health and become familiar with the approaches taken by professionals in these roles; this will include the interface between the professional disciplines of health and clinical psychology.

Students will also develop an in-depth awareness of contextual influences on health and health behaviour, including stress, social support, socioeconomic status and sociodemographic characteristics. This will include a particular focus on health inequalities and the role of psychology in addressing these.

Outline Of Syllabus

These topics are covered. They are integrated and will not necessarily be taught in the order set out here.

•       What is health? An introduction to the relationship between psychology and health
•       Mortality and physical morbidity differentials in people with mental health problems
•       Conceptual models of health-related disorders and their application
•       Health inequalities
• Health and clinical psychology & chronic physical health problems, including pain (acute and chronic)
• Addiction
• Key theories of behaviour change
• Development and evaluation of interventions to change health related behaviour
• Critical issues in psychology & health

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module students should be able to:

1.       Be aware of the role of clinical psychology in a health context and apply psychological principles to
understanding health;
2.       Have detailed knowledge of frameworks to understand cognitions, behaviours and emotional responses to
help address health related problems;
3.       Understand the role of contextual factors in health, health behaviours and behavioural interventions;
4.       Have a clear understanding of strategies used to critically evaluate research relating to the
intersection between clinical psychology and health;
5. Be aware of the different roles of clinical (and health) psychologists in health-related fields and
understand the overarching holistic approaches utilised in practice.

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module students should be able to:

1.       Analyse and critically appraise approaches to and theoretical frameworks of health related conditions,
behaviours and emotional responses through the lens of clinical psychology;
2.       For a range of given physical and mental health conditions understand and evaluate behavioural
determinants and interactions with the wider context;
3.       Find, read and appraise key information from psychological papers, and appropriately summarize findings;
4.       Conduct a critical evaluation and synthesis of relevant research regarding an area of the intersection
between clinical psychology and health (behaviour), its determinants and/or approaches to change, and
produce a research poster to summarise this information;
5.       Support a line of mature and well-developed argumentation using an evidence base;
6.       Use the available knowledge to present research-based approaches to identified health problems;
7.       Use negotiation, communication and collaboration skills to solve problems as part of (virtual) small
groups;
8.       Actively consider ethical issues involved in intervening to change behaviour and/or treat mental and
physical health problems and specify potential strategies to address such issues.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Present-in-person lectures will be the main way to impart factual knowledge and to stimulate interest in the topic areas. To attain the intended knowledge outcomes and skills in full, it will be essential that students engage in private study before and after the taught sessions. Students will be directed to carry out their own research into the subject area. This will foster their critical thinking and independence which will in turn feed into their assessment preparation. The cohort will take part in present-in-person (PIP) workshop sessions to engage students in discussion, debate and collaborative tasks with the session facilitator and with each other.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

In order to encourage research-led thinking and practice the application of psychological principles to health problems, students will prepare a research poster focusing on a specific area of health and/or behaviour change in that domain. They will submit this poster online. This will also help prepare them for the poster component of their dissertation module. An essay, also to be submitted online, will provide students with the opportunity to showcase their command of the research literature and their evaluative and synthetic skills in relation to key questions and central issues of clinical health psychology. The essay questions are sufficiently broad to allow a certain amount of discursive freedom whilst at the same time requiring concision to fit within the word limit.

General Notes

N/A