Clinical Coursework IV is comprised of a number of sub-units covering advanced topics in clinical psychology and facilitating the consolidation of knowledge and skills.  The sub-units that comprise this course are:

• Health Psychology
• Working with Special Populations
• Attendance at Advanced Workshops presented by 3rd year DPsych students

Health Psychology (Convenor: Professor Don Byrne) 2 hrs/week

This course will provide an overview of contemporary models and theories of health psychology, covering its history and origins, current definitions, principal models of explanation, stress as a core concept, life events and other stressors, social networks and supports, psychosocial aetiologies and epidemiology. By the end of the course trainees will be familiar with the major theories of stress and the evidence identifying both general and situation-specific stressors; competently identify the psych-social factors associated with the onset or worsening of a range of human illness and assess these in a clinical situation and competently apply the broad range of clinical psychological intervention shown to be of use in the management of human illnesses. Assessment involves consideration of a detailed case description and the formulation of assessment and treatment plans based on that case material.

Working with Special Populations (Convenor: Dr Jay Brinker)

4 full day workshops

These courses focus on assessment and interventions with specific populations that often present special challenges and require special techniques. Workshops include working as a clinical psychologist with people with personality disorders, particularly borderline personality and dialectic behaviour therapy, and working with the elderly.

Advanced workshops

12 to 24 hours of workshops

As part of the requirements of PSYC8104, students are required to attend and participate in some of the workshops presented by the 3^rd year DPsych students as part of their Advanced Practice Workshop sub-unit and other specialist workshops presented by invited experts.

Enrolment in postgraduate clinical psychology units is usually restricted to students enrolled in the Master of Clinical Psychology, Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) or Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) at the School of Psychology. 

This course may be available with the written permission of the Director of Clinical Training Program. 

Applicants must be eligible for registration as a psychologist in the ACT. 

There are no required texts - both textual and original journal material will be assigned regularly during the program.

The following three books are, however, excellent sources of information on health psychology. They will be referred to during the course and for anyone contemplating a career in health psychology or in a general hospital, they should be considered as standard shelf works:

Baum, A., Newman, S., Weinman, J., West R. and McManus, C. (Eds) Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Goreczny, A.J. and Hersen, M. (Eds) Handbook of Pediatric and Adolescent Health Psychology. Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights MA, 1999.

Caltabiano, M., Byrne, D., Martin, P. & Sarafino, E. (2002) Health Psychology: Biopsychosocial Interactions - An Australian Perspective. John Wiley and Sons, Brisbane. (Note: this is the textbook used in the third year undergraduate course in Health Psychology and will be of most use to those who have not studied the area at undergraduate level.)