| CODE | PSY5626 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Core Placement 1 Educational Psychology - Children and Adolescents | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This is the first core placement for trainees to develop their practical psychological skills. It consists of a placement equivalent to one and a half days per week throughout the first year. Trainees will have the opportunity to observe psychologists and other professionals working with children and adolescents in various services and then engage in supervised practice themselves. The placement is divided in two parts. Part 1: in the first seven weeks, includes shadowing of psychologists in a variety of settings as well as a practical workshop on psychotherapeutic interventions (35 hours). Part 2: In the second seven weeks of the first semester and the whole of the second semester, trainees will be engaged in psychological work with children and adolescents in collaboration with and under the supervision of a psychologist. They will spend a minimum of 9 hours on site engaged in supervised practice, including one hour per week of direct supervision. They will also have one hour of group supervision per week. The first weeks will include more observation and shadowing of a psychologist/related professional working with children and adolescents. Trainees will subsequently take 4 cases (two child and two adolescent) under supervision,usually from intake to a concluding stage or substage by the end of May. They will at the same time continue to take opportunities for collaborative assessment and intervention with their supervisor and other psychologists to develop an understanding of the various roles of psychologists in their area of specialisation. More details on the tasks involved in this placement are found in the Mpsy practicum guidelines which are to be found on the website. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit is aimed at enabling participants to develop an understanding of and relevant skills in the practice of psychology in education. They will become aware of the various roles that psychologists are involved in and develop and practice relevant interpersonal, ethical, assessment and intervention skills. They will start practicing the various skills in supporting children and young people both through direct work with young clients as well as through consultation with families, schools and communities. They will also learn how to benefit from both individual and group supervision. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - recognize the professional characteristics pertaining to the role of the psychologist in education settings; - describe the legislation, public policies and administrative rulings that guide the delivery of psychological services and provide services consistent with these legal provisions; - display an attitude of care and respect for all children and young people and other clients; - demonstrate a reflective approach to working with clients and collaboration with colleagues; - demonstrate an evidence based approach to assessment and intervention; - describe the major challenges facing children and adolescents; - evaluate the current and potential role of the psychologist in the services where they are placed; - analyze the different kinds of services through which psychologists can support children's learning and development; - describe the importance of supervision. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - demonstrate a broad range of competences related to psychological assessment and intervention with children and adolescents; - apply the skills needed to carry out assessments and interventions with children and young people with a range of psychological difficulties; - demonstrate culturally responsive practice in helping children and young people and families of all ethnic, religious or other backgrounds feel welcome and respected; - develop and implement strategies to promote understanding of and removal of barriers to the wellbeing and development of all children and young people; - demonstrate skills in the interviewing of children and young people and their carers; - design and carry out assessments and intervention in light of a child or young person's stage of development, learning styles, strengths, and needs; - identify when and how to assess and make referrals to other professionals to provide clients with additional support services and other relevant resources; - demonstrate use of resources and other community based support services for adaptive and assistive devices for children and young people with exceptional needs; - demonstrate skills in presenting casework during group supervision. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts Bartolo, P.A. (2015). The Role of Psychologists in Inclusive Settings. In D. Chambers (Ed.), Working with Teaching Assistants and Other Support Staff for Inclusive Education (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Volume 4). Bingley, UK: Emerald. Group Publishing Limited, pp.49 - 63. Kelly, B., Woolfson, L., & Boyle, J. (2008). Frameworks for Practice in Educational Psychology: A Textbook for Trainees and Practitioners. London: Jessica Kingsley.Merrell, K., Ervin, R.A., Peacock, G.G. (Eds.) (2012). School Psychology for the 21st Century Second Edition: Foundations and Practices. New York: Guilford. Supplementary texts Anderson, R. & Dartington, A. (1998). (Eds). Facing it out. Clinical perspectives on adolescent disturbance. London: Karnac. Branstetter, R. (2012). The School Psychologist's Survival Guide (Jossey-Bass Teacher Survival Guide). San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Mash, E.J. & Terdal. L.J. (latest edition): Assessment of childhood disorders. New York: Guilford. Sattler, J.M. (latest edition) Assessment of children. San Diego CA: Jerome M Sattler Publisher Inc. |
||||||||||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: BPSy (Hons) | ||||||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar and Practicum | ||||||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Roberta Attard Paul A. Bartolo (Co-ord.) Daniel Mercieca |
||||||||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||||||||||