MSc in Clinical and Health Psychology

Programme Content

The Master in Clinical and Health Psychology aims to contribute to the professional development of psychologists, in accordance with the international guidelines established by EuroPsy, the European Certificate in Psychology, and the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses, in order to standardize training and the access to the labour market, both in Portugal and Europe. This cycle of studies comprises 120 ECTS and a duration of 2 years divided into 4 semesters, corresponding to 60 ECTS each year and 30 ECTS each semester. Under the defined syllabus, the Master in Clinical and Health Psychology includes:

a) An organized set of twelve courses, distributed among different scientific areas, which correspond to 60 ECTS, equally distributed by the 1st and 2nd semesters;

b) A scientific dissertation to which corresponds to a total of 30 ECTS, that will be developed in the 3rd and 4th semesters;

c) A supervised internship corresponding to a total of 30 ECTS, that will take place in the 3rd and 4th semesters.

Objectives

The Master in Clinical and Health Psychology aims to:

- Plan and construct a research project, selecting, according to the study objectives, the methodology of data collection and quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis, and applying data analysis procedures, namely statistical tests or content analysis, depending on the characteristics of the data;

- To evaluate the psychometric properties of instruments of psychological assessment;

- To deepen and apply knowledge regarding the main theoretical constructs inherent to the cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, psychodynamic and systemic models and to the different skills, attitudes and strategies of intervention used by the therapists of these different theoretical models;

- Apply the theoretical principles inherent to each model in the analysis of cases and in the planning of intervention objectives and strategies;

- To develop adequate ethical reasoning, making use of the Code of Ethics of the Order of Portuguese Psychologists;

- To master psychological assessment procedures and assessment interview skills in different psychopathological disorders and different health settings, taking into account their specificity of use with children, adults and in geriatric settings;

- Prepare psychological reports;

- Plan psychological, health, stress and coping interventions in the context of illness and pain and in the promotion of well-being and quality of life;

- Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the interventions.

Why choose this course

The Master in Clinical and Health Psychology aims to guarantee the continuity of training for graduates in Psychology; compliance with the directives emanating from the European space for training in psychology; and also the development of competencies that enable professional practice and favour the mobility of psychologists in European space. In order to promote the skills needed to develop effective responses to the demands of the labour market, this cycle of studies offers training that links the transmission of solid scientific knowledge to practical and real situations of work contexts.

Career prospects

The Master in Clinical and Health Psychology allows the professional practice, namely in:

• School groupings
• Scientific Associations
• Recreational, cultural and social associations
• Municipal councils
• Rehabilitation centers
• Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People
• IPSS
• Psychotherapeutic and Counseling Offices
• Hospitals, clinics and health centers
• Community intervention projects
  

  Program content

  The MCHP aims to develop students’ knowledge regarding scientific research methods, different models of psychological intervention, and the use of psychometric instruments. Similarly, it aims to promote the acquisition of skills that enable students to understand, predict and assess individual disorders and imbalances, and to promote personal development and adaptation in different contexts of psychological intervention in the health and clinical domains.