3502 - Master of Psychology (Health)

This course, offered by the School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, aims to provide training across the continuum that defines health psychology, including the :

• promotion and maintenance of physical and mental health
• prevention and treatment of illness
• identification of the causes and correlates of health, illness and related dysfunction
• improvement of the health care system; and health policy formation.

The course prepares graduates to practise as health psychologists in a range of settings including hospitals and clinics, community health centres, disability services, alcohol and drug agencies, workers compensation systems, rehabilitation agencies, health education organisations, cancer councils, schools and private practice.

On completion of the course, students will have:

• developed skills in consultation with individuals, organisations, and community groups about psychosocial development and adaptation
• developed an understanding of the biopsychosocial bases of health and illness
• developed skills in the design and implementation of psychosocial programs to promote and maintain health, prevent and treat illness, and rehabilitate persons with disability
• gained advanced knowledge of socio-cultural factors associated with health and illness, organisational structures and the function of health care systems
• gained advanced knowledge of the different models of health care, of issues associated with chronic health problems, of important elements in the patient-practitioner relationship, and of factors in the process of adjustment to loss
• developed skills in the psychological treatments relevant to health and illness (eg pain management, addiction)
• formulated, carried out and reported independent research
• applied research principles, methods and findings to professional practice
• developed skills in evaluation, selection, administration and interpretation of a range of psychometric tests
• understood and applied the APS Code of Professional Conduct to research and practice.

The course has three components:

• residential school attendance and coursework (50 per cent)
• research thesis (25 per cent)
• supervised placements (25 per cent).

Coursework

Coursework is undertaken in the first two and a half years of the course and is comprised of nine units:

• MHP5011 Introduction to health psychology
• MHP5032 Health promotion
• MHP5051 Clinical health psychology
• MHP5052 Counselling and professional practice 1
• MHP5062 Advanced health promotion
• MHP5071 Advanced clinical health psychology
• MHP5072 Psychological assessment
• MHP5081 Multivariate statistics
• MHP5082 Counselling and professional practice 2

Supervised placements

Supervised placements commence in second year and continue during third and fourth year. Three placements in a range of clinical and health promotion settings will be undertaken under the supervision of appropriately qualified psychologists. These placements will generally be completed within the semester teaching period, and the timing will be as follows:

• MHP5102 Placement I (42 days/335 hours), year 2, semester 2
• MHP5112 Placement II (42 days/335 hours), year 3, semester 2
• MHP5122 Placement III (42 days/335 hours), year 4, semester 1

Research

Work towards the thesis commences at the beginning of third year and is submitted at the end of the fourth year. The thesis will be expected to provide a significant contribution to knowledge and/or practice in the field of health psychology and to demonstrate the capacity of the student to carry out independent research. The thesis takes the form of a literature review (4,000-5,000 words) and a research article (5,000-7,000 words).

• MHP5191 Research design and proposal
• MHP5192 Research ethics and conduct
• MHP5193 Data analysis and results
• MHP5194 Writing up and submission

The program has been accredited by Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) for the purposes of registration as a psychologist in Australia and membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

Candidates may apply for full registration as a psychologist in the state of Victoria. Further information about the requirements for registration as a psychologist in Victoria may be found on the Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria's website at: www.psychreg.vic.gov.au.

* Where more than one award is listed, or in the case of double degrees, where more than one award is listed for one or both components of the double degree, the actual award/s conferred may depend on units/majors/streams/specialisations studied, the level of academic merit achieved (eg in the case of 'with honours' programs), or other factors relevant to the individual student's program of study.