Master of Science in Counselling Psychology

This course looks at cultural competency and ethics as integral elements of professional practice. The course covers the ethical issues inherent in the practice of psychological related professions (i.e., Counseling, Psychotherapy, Assessment, Research, consultation and Supervision and Training). It is designed to provide students with an understanding of ethical principles and standards concerning psychology related professions. Students will also learn about how their own values and attitudes and biases can impact their practice. Students will also learn about what constitutes ethical dilemmas that can arise in the practice of psychology, awareness of and understanding of the decision-making steps to take when addressing ethical issues. This course specifically addresses issues of ethics and cultural competence, including the development and provision of culturally competent services and ethical issues specific to the UAE society. Students will develop knowledge and skills to prepare them to practice ethically during their internship and beyond.

This course explores psychological disorders, their symptomatology, prevalence and course. It also examines the various ways that psychopathology is conceptualized, and the implications this has for the treatment and prevention of psychological disorders. The course will critically examine DSM5 categorization and classification of psychiatric phenomena, contrasting this traditional nosologically approach with newer symptom centric and transdiagnostic perspectives. The course will explore case conceptualization and biopsychosocial theories of aetiologia, maintenance and relapse in the domain of psychological disorders. Uniquely, the course will also consider religio-cultural factors pertinent to the conceptualization of mental health in the context of the United Arab Emirates and the broader Arabian Gulf region.

The course critically evaluates cognitive/metacognitive, psychodynamic, social and cultural models of disorder and the psychotherapeutic interventions each model engenders. Exploring the theoretical basis for techniques and modalities of psychotherapy this course exposes students to many of the most effective interventions used by contemporary clinical and counseling psychologists. Students will understand the similarities and differences between interventions and how those differences arise from differing underlying theoretical models. The course will trace the rise of psychodynamic models through to behavioral and cognitive approaches, with a final focus on the newer - third wave - approaches to prevention and intervention.

This course aims to develop the students’ understanding of the professional aspects of practicing psychological counseling. The students will be introduced to the theoretical, legal and ethical basis for qualifying for licensure to practice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The students will become familiar with the latest licensure guidelines, codes of conduct and ethics, regulations and procedures for practice and maintenance of licensure issued by the Department of Community Development (DCD, Abu Dhabi) and Community Development Authority (CDA, Dubai), as well as any other relevant federal guidelines. The students will become aware of the centrality of continuous learning and continuous professional development as necessary conditions not only for maintenance of licensure, but also to ensure optimal professional performance and client support. The students will also become aware of important ethical and practical issues that arise when providing counseling services to the culturally diverse population in the UAE. In addition, the students will also become familiar with the concept and practice of professional supervision (peer and line-manager), and how it forms a vital part of reflexive, aware, renewal- and development-oriented psychological practice. The course will prepare the students to launch their careers by solidifying and expanding their understanding that personal skill development, self-care, reflexiveness are inextricably linked to ethical successful practice of counseling psychology. .

This module will identify the specific issues in the assessment of psychological disorders, and emotional and mental health problems in adults. Students will understand basic approaches and principles of psychological assessment and develop skills in the use of different assessment modalities, such as clinical interview, observation and psychological testing. Students will be familiarized with the administration, scoring and interpretation of several commonly used instruments for the assessment of different aspects of disorders and functioning. At the end of the course, students will understand and be knowledgeable about the multi-method, multi-source, multi-setting approach to assessment of adults with common mental health problems also factoring in cultural context.

This course explores Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience with a focus on their intersection with Psychopathology as relevant to Counseling Psychology. It examines the neural mechanisms supporting a range of cognitive processes (e.g., attention, memory, reasoning and decision making) and explores the changes in cognition observed in adult populations experiencing specific mental health problems or symptoms. The course also introduces students to cognitive neuroscience methods (e.g., structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, transcranial electrical stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, positron emission tomography) utilized in clinical settings and research.

Building on the theoretical basics explored in PSY520 (cognitive, behavioral and person-centered approaches), this course covers topics related to several psychological intervention approaches in counseling psychology, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based practice. It aims to provide the academic, practical, and research skills needed to further professional development in counseling psychology, psychotherapy, and adult mental health-related contexts. The course also aims to deliver a range of therapeutic strategies and intervention skills using different approaches to counseling and psychotherapy and acquire the knowledge and skills required to examine diverse prevention and counseling strategies critically and interventions. Students will develop a clearer understanding of the implications and applications of underlying theoretical approaches, methods, and skills for these strategies and be given opportunities to experience and practice components of interventions within a cultural context. This course further aims to enable students to critically assess and undertake research relevant to interventions and prevention in mental health and psychological well-being. Knowledge and skills learned in this course will also help prepare students for the practicum/ internship.

Pre-requisite: PSY620

This course will deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of the contemporary public health issues and challenges, both in theory and practice. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of frameworks and models explaining a health behavior change on individual and interpersonal levels as well as in the broader community setting. Students will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of major public health problems and the determinants of health and disease. Students will be trained to acquire and practice their skills of designing, implementing and evaluating a public health intervention program. With the help of the problem-based learning techniques, students will be encouraged to think critically and to work their way from problem to solutions while working systemically in small teams throughout the course.

This course will provide students instruction in various advanced quantitative and qualitative research methodologies used in psychology. The course will be conducted following two related and complementary themes, critical thinking and research methodology. Students will be involved in formulating relevant research questions, implementing appropriate research methodologies, and in becoming critical consumers of the existing research literature. The course will help students sharpen their critical thinking skills, enabling them to critically appraise and meaningfully contribute to the increasingly global evidence base. Students will learn how to choose the most suitable research design and statistical tests for a study considering the research question of a study. Students will also learn to use statistical software programs such as SPSS and R to analyze data and will learn how to interpret and report research findings. The course will support students to further develop skills which will be critical for their master’s project/thesis and for their professional work after graduation.

This course will introduce students to the theory, principles, and skills of Motivational Interviewing (MI) as an evidence-based counseling approach designed for behavior change, applied in the context of groups and families. Understanding the principles underlying group counseling and family counseling will provide students with the opportunity to explore a range of learning activities that contribute to developing the skills needed to design interventions in a variety of settings and from a life-span perspective. The students will have the opportunity to practice the counseling skills required to work with families and groups in counseling. This course will prepare students for internship as well as for their career.

Historically, psychology has placed great emphasis on the identification and treatment of psychological disorders. Recently, the field has broadened its perspective to include a focus on well-being, happiness and personal fulfillment. This course examines the scientific research and theory of psychological wellbeing and happiness. Topics include the nature of happiness, gratitude, the mind-body connection, the biological basis of positive emotions, emotional intelligence and the characteristics of successful relationships and healthy communities.

This course explores the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based approaches to treatment and recovery, with students gaining hands-on experience of CBT for addiction as well as motivation enhancement therapy. This course will provide students with a deeper understanding of psychological and neurobiological models of addiction and considers the role of public policy in responding to addiction as well as future directions in addiction treatment and research.

This is a special topics course, where various areas of relevance to counselling psychologists will be given extra focus to enhance the student’s ability to practice and undertake research across a wide range of mental health problems and difficult life issues. This course will explore etiological-models, assessment techniques and treatment modalities for trauma and grief. The core practical focus is on second and third wave evidence-based approaches to helping people overcome/ process complicated grief and psychological trauma, leading to improved mental wellbeing.

This is the first period of supervised professional experience in the form of a clinical internship for all students. In total, the first clinical placement requires 300 hours of professional experience in the counselling field, or other suitable external placement setting. Students work under the supervision of experienced clinical/counseling/health psychologist supervisors. This internship provides an opportunity to develop counseling psychology competencies to a level consistent with expectations for this stage of training as a counseling psychologist.

This is the second period of supervised professional experience in the form of a counselling internship for all students. In total, the first clinical placement requires 300 hours of professional experience in the counseling field, or other suitable external placement setting. Students work under the supervision of experienced counselling clinical or health psychologists and academic supervisors. This placement provides an opportunity to develop some core counseling competencies to a level consistent with expectations for this stage of training as a counselling psychologist. In contrast to internship one, internship two provides a greater emphasis on client-facing experience in the form of assessment, evaluation, intervention and psychoeducation.

Pre-requisite: PSY690

The primary focus of this course is for students to conduct and produce an independent research-based thesis. Students will acquire and apply essential theoretical knowledge surrounding research design/methods, a range of psychometric assessments as well as problems with various measurements used in a counselling setting. The course has been specifically designed to allow students to individually demonstrate competence at Master’s level in selecting a relevant research topic, integrating knowledge from multiple courses, searching a variety of databases to identify relevant scholarly literature and demonstrating critically evaluation, handling data appropriately, practical activity planning and time management, as well as producing a high quality thesis which is publishable. Students will be assigned a range of readings to complete which are aimed at providing a summary of essential aspects and topics related to the development, evaluation as well as the conduct of counselling psychology research.

Moreover, students will understand the essential elements of proposing and publishing an empirical study including research question formulation, hypotheses generation and testing, study design, methods and procedures. Particular attention will be given to various types of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research designs which are common in the field of counseling psychology. Throughout this course, students will also acquire knowledge about research validity and methodological issues, they will acquire a deeper understanding of ethical considerations and adhere to these guidelines when conducting their research, and they will apply their extensive knowledge of data analysis strategies. Research topic selection will take place in consultation with an academic supervisor, and a suitably qualified field supervisor, if necessary. The research topic must be aligned with the program and, where possible, with the concentration the student is undertaking. Students will be encouraged to undertake novel research that, where applicable, is sensitive to the socio-cultural context of the United Arab Emirates and aligned with the national needs. These are expected to be of appropriate complexity level and should potentially serve as a basis of further research and practice specialization. The major milestones of this course include: 1) students will produce a thesis proposal, including a literature review section, a research question, a testable hypothesis as well as a detailed methods section; 2) students will present their proposal in a meeting to faculty and peers to gain feedback; 3) students will conduct their study following faculty approval of the procedures and methods described in the proposal and ethical approval from the research ethics committee; 4) students will independently analyze the data they have collected and complete their thesis draft which will be reviewed by the supervising faculty who will provide feedback for each section of the students report, allowing them to modify and improve it prior to submission; and 5) students will present their thesis to faculty and peers.