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Course description
This course is a private
qualification aimed at the helping professional in private practice, those who
already have the core qualifications for their career, or those interested in
the subject. Many courses in counselling, psychotherapy, coaching or
hypnotherapy, general nursing, social care, complementary medicine or New Age
arts do not include a systematic study of abnormal psychology, and this course will fill
gaps in knowledge and make it easier to communicate with the medical profession,
psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and other
professionals, and to understand psychology books and papers.
The course may be used as a useful preparation for further training in
psychology, psychotherapy, mental health work, etc. or as a professional
development diploma which may be displayed alongside your existing
qualifications to show additional specialist knowledge. You will be able to add
the letters Dip.Ab.Psych. after your name.
The course can benefit any person who regularly comes into contact with the
mentally ill or those with behavioural problems, e.g. therapists, professional
carers, home managers and staff, volunteers, charity workers, pastors, probation
officers, police officers, magistrates, legal workers, prison staff, etc.
Please note that this course is not related to HNC/HND or NVQ
qualifications. It does not give you automatic entry to British universities and
is not a path towards UK Chartered Psychologist status. It is not a
qualification in counselling or psychotherapy and does not confer the ability to
treat patients. Many of the conditions covered in this course are serious
medical problems which will need the attention of a psychiatrist (a medical
doctor specialising in mental illness).
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the course covers (this
syllabus is subject to change):
The nature of abnormal behaviour
The history of psychopathology
The role of science in abnormal psychology
Current approaches to abnormality
I - Biology
II - Psychoanalysis
III - Humanistic and Existential theories
IV - Learning theories and Behaviour Therapy
V - Cognitive Theories and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
The Diathesis-Stress Perspective
Eclecticism and Different Perspectives
Classification and diagnosis of abnormal behaviour
Clinical assessment procedures - psychological and biological
Cultural diversity and bias in assessment
Research methods in studying abnormal behaviour
Anxiety disorders: phobias, panic, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
post-traumatic stress disorder
Somatoform disorders including body dysmorphic disorder and conversion disorder
Dissociative disorders including Dissociative Identity Disorder
Stress, health and the link between body and mind
Heart disease, asthma, hypertension and stress
AIDS prevention and the behavioural sciences
Social status, ethnicity, gender and health
Therapies for psychophysiological disorders
Eating disorders - etiology and treatment
Mood disorders - general characteristics (depression, mania, bipolar)
Mood disorders - psychological and biological approaches
Mood disorders - therapies
Childhood and adolescent depression
Suicide
Schizophrenia: description, etiology, history, therapies
Substance-related disorders: alcohol abuse, smoking, marijuana,
sedatives/stimulants, LSD/hallucinogens, etiology of substance abuse, therapies
for alcohol dependence, treatments for illegal drugs, prevention
Personality disorders: classification, description, therapies (including
borderline and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders)
Sexual and gender identity disorders including gender identity disorder and
sexual dysfunctions: descriptions, etiology, therapies
Childhood disorders: ADHD, conduct disorder, learning disabilities, retardation,
autistic disorders. Descriptions, etiology, treatments.
Abnormal behaviour in the elderly: discussion of social issues, old
age and psychological disorders, brain disorders (dementia, delirium ),
psychological disorders in old age, treatment and care, therapy with older
adults
Does psychological therapy work? general issues, psychoanalytic therapies,
client-centered therapy, gestalt, behavioural and cognitive techniques, couple &
family therapy, community psychology, integrative therapies, cultural/racial
factors
Legal and ethical matters: criminal and civil commitment, ethics in
therapy and research
A university-level textbook of over 600 pages is required as the
main book for the course. Apart from
the main text, at least 3 other books will be required for the special topics
(see below).
Finally, the student takes 3 set taught units on special topics. These units
will be selected by the course tutor, according to the student’s interests, from
the distance learning units available to us.
Special Topics
Counselling Skills
Understanding Psychiatric Drugs
Symptoms of Mental Illness
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Introduction to Psychotherapy
Anorexia and Bulimia
Dissociative Disorders
Schizophrenia
Integration of Traditional Healing Practices (available to qualified counsellors/psychotherapists/mental
health workers
only)
(requests for other topics will be considered)
Method of assessment
Continuous assessment - there is no final exam.
Students will be asked to write brief essays after reading certain chapters.
The questions set on the main syllabus will be broadly-based, allowing the
student to demonstrate general understanding of the issues covered in the
textbook and to include any necessary facts that support the answer given.
Further questions will be issued on the supplementary reading required for the
additional specialist topics. All assessment work may be done at home and
e-mailed or posted to the college.
Web support
For those students with
access to the Internet, there is a vast number of authoritative websites with
information on psychology, mental health and other relevant subjects. We will
introduce students to many such sites, containing, in total, huge virtual
libraries of information.
Entry qualifications
No particular qualification is required for entry. However the student
should have a high standard of written English, the ability to cope with
technical vocabulary, and should be able to cope with textbook material of
Advanced Level, NVQ level 3 or first year university standard.
Certification and further study.
A certificate suitable for framing will be issued to successful graduates.
Since this is not a practitioner diploma, it is not geared towards entry to a
professional society.
This diploma carries credit towards a distance degree from
Calamus International University in counselling psychology and related fields.
(CIU is a non-UK, private, university with private accreditation.)
Note: details of the course, fees, textbooks, syllabus and other information are
subject to change at any time.
apply for
this course
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