Course description
Programme description
- BPS accredited.
- Unique focus on mentally disordered offenders.
- Students undertake a 75-day clinical forensic placement.
The students we expect to recruit are those who are drawn to both clinical and forensic psychology. Some will wish to train as chartered forensic psychologists. Others will wish to apply for clinical psychologist training. Many would like to keep both options open.
This MSc programme offers them the grounding they need to work with mentally disordered offenders in both clinical and forensic settings. It also provides clinical experience and possibly useful contacts to help students proceed to the next stage of their careers in this demanding field.
The placement module is a particularly distinctive feature of this programme. On enrolment, students are allocated to a forensic placement which they attend for 75 days through the year, ie two days a week. Placements have been arranged at a range of settings, including Broadmoor Hospital, medium secure units and community teams in various locations in SE London, Surrey and Kent.
Programme format and assessment
Module one, module two, module four: seminars, assessed by two essays; module three: seminars, assessed by three-hour
written examination; module five: placement work, assessed by three case studies/essays and a Placement Evaluation
form completed by Placement Supervisor; module six: dissertation.
Programme modules for MSc Clinical Forensic Psychology
Associations between Mental Disorders & Antisocial & Criminal Behaviours (15 credits) (Core Module)
A review of what is known about the aetiology of antisocial and criminal behaviours among persons with mental disorders. Aims to: help students gain an understanding of antisocial and criminal behaviours among persons with mental disorders; help students gain an understanding of recent evidence concerning the aetiology of antisocial and criminal behaviours among persons with mental disorders; help students gain an understanding of methodological issues that impact on the interpretation of results of investigations reviewed above; prepare students to be able to critically review new findings in the field. Assessment will take the form of two take-home examinations, comprising questions requiring the student to review required readings and lecture notes and provide written answers of 1500 - 2,500 words.
Dissertation - Clinical Forensic Psychology (60 credits) (Core Module)
The dissertation is intended to assess students' ability to conduct research in real world settings. It involves the selection of a researchable problem, the design of a study that addresses the problem, appropriate analyses and the evaluation of the adequacy and usefulness of the solution. Practical implications for professionals working in the field of study should be identified and expanded upon where appropriate. The dissertation may consist of new analyses of data collected to address a clearly specified research question. Alternatively students may collect new data of their own or conduct secondary data analysis or meta-analyses. Dissertations that consist solely of reviews of the literature and contain no new analyses of data will not be acceptable. The dissertation should be between 10,000 and 15,000 words in length.
Practice in Forensic Psychology (60 Credits) (Core Module)
This module provides experience of working in a forensic setting and an understanding of the use of security as a therapeutic tool. It trains students to develop forensic skills in the engagement of mentally disordered offenders including psychological assessment, formulation, management and treatment of mentally disordered offenders within a multi-disciplinary setting. Students gain superior knowledge, skills and psychological experience of: administering, scoring and interpreting psychometric tests to evaluate personality traits, attitudes towards offending and psychopathology; conducting comprehensive risk assessments and develop risk management plans; administering HCR-20 and PCL:SV risk assessments, summarising results and developing a risk management plan. Additionally, this module provides advanced opportunities to develop basic interpersonal, technical and communication skills required for effective analysis of problems related to professional practice, and for effective design, implementation and evaluation of forensic interventions. Students learn to: model a professional approach to colleagues and potential clients mindful of equality, ethical and human rights issues; to facilitate self-reflection in support of personal and professional development via constructive feedback to enable students to conduct research and clinical practice; to select, administer and interpret appropriate psychometric assessment tools for use with Mentally Disordered Offenders. During a clinical forensic placement, students apply knowledge learned in other modules and develop practical clinical skills. Students receive a minimum of one hour weekly supervision from a designated Placement Supervisor, who will be a Clinical or Forensic Psychologist. Students are expected to complete a minimum of five written reports (excluding the case studies) reflecting different types of work conducted on placement. This module is assessed by the Forensic Placement Evaluation Form completed by the Placement Supervisor at the end of the placement, and by three case studies of 4000 -5000 words each.
Research Methodology in Clinical Forensic Psychology (15 Credits) (Core Module)
An in-depth research methodology module. Students attend the advanced core modules in research methods, statistics and ethics for six hours per week each Thursday during term one.
Risk Management, Treatment & Services for Mentally Disordered Persons (30 Credits) (Core Module)
In this module students will review: recent discussions in the scientific and clinical literatures concerning the reasons for assessing risk of future violent behaviour; recent findings concerning the validity of various strategies for assessing risk of violent behaviour among persons with mental disorders recent empirical findings concerning the impact of treatment programmes and components of treatment and services on reducing violent and antisocial behaviours and criminal offending among persons with mental disorders. The objectives of this module are to: gain an understanding of the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offenders; gain an understanding of the evidence base for psychological and biological treatments for mentally disordered offenders, including those with diagnoses of psychotic disorders and personality disorder; gain an understanding of methodological issues that impact on the interpretation of results of the literature reviewed above; gain an understanding of the organisation of forensic mental health services and how these services can be evaluated; prepare students to be able to critically review new publications on treatment interventions in mentally disordered offenders Assessment will take the form of two take-home examinations, comprising questions requiring the student to review required readings and lecture notes and provide written answers of 1500 - 2,500 words
The Psychology of the Legal & Investigative Process (15 Credits) (Core Module)
This module comprises a 75-day placement in a forensic setting. Students spend two days a week on placement throughout the programme. The module aims to provide experience of working in a forensic setting and an understanding of the use of security as a therapeutic tool. It trains students to develop forensic skills in the engagement of mentally disordered offenders including psychological assessment, formulation, management and treatment of mentally disordered offenders within a multi-disciplinary setting. Students gain experience of: administering, scoring and interpreting psychometric tests to evaluate personality traits, attitudes towards offending and psychopathology; conducting comprehensive risk assessments and develop risk management plans; administering HCR-20 and PCL:SV risk assessments, summarising results and developing a risk management plan. Additionally, this module aims to: develop the interpersonal, technical and communication skills required for effective analysis of problems related to professional practice, and for effective design, implementation and evaluation of forensic interventions; model a professional approach to colleagues and potential clients, mindful of equality and ethical issues and acknowledging the human rights of those with whom they come into contact; facilitate self-reflection in support of personal and professional development via constructive feedback to enable students to conduct research and clinical practice.. During their placement students will have a designated Placement Supervisor who will be a Clinical or Forensic Psychologist. Students will receive a minimum of one hour per week supervision from the placement supervisor. This module is assessed by the Forensic Placement Evaluation Form completed by the Placement Supervisor at the end of the placement and three written assignments of 4000 -5000 words each (two case studies and one essay).
