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An introduction to Addiction Psychology and Counselling

Programme structure and credits

Postgraduate credits are distributed equally over the three years. Those who exit at the successful conclusion of Year One will be awarded the PgCert Addiction Studies. Those who continue, exiting after the successful conclusion of two years study, will qualify for the PgDip Addiction Psychology and Counselling. As such, they will have satisfied the required training component for professional accreditation by FDAP. Students who continue into Year Three will complete a dissertation, and may choose to focus their project on counselling, or on the psychology of addiction, an area of specialisation within the Department of Psychology. Students successfully completing the entire course will graduate with an MSc Addiction Psychology and Counselling.

Courses, teaching and assessment

The principal counselling objectives are:

– Models of Working and their Integration: Introduces you to the principal models of working with clients, together with practical experience

– Professional Development and Ethics: Explores the fulfilment of ethical and professional good practice

– Effective Strategies and Techniques in Addiction Counselling: Teaches you to become practiced in effective approaches to addiction counselling with individuals in group, family and one-to-one therapies including 12 step, cognitive-behavioural and motivational enhancement therapies

– Treatment Contexts: Familiarises and prepares you for work in a range of treatment and community settings

– Personal Development and Robustness: Develops your understanding and management of the emotional demands of working and training as an addiction counsellor.

The principal objectives of the psychology units are:

– The Psychological Concept of Addiction: Exploration of addiction in historical and socio-cultural contexts

– Development of Addictive Behaviours: Examination of the psychological processes, including an examination of the neuropsychology of drug action, and both medical and non-medical use of drugs

– Theories of Addiction: Critical examination of the theoretical positions underlying different treatment strategies, psychology of treatment settings, and appreciation of social psychological processes in the perception and diagnosis of psychological problems

– Research Methodology: Facilitates your understanding of research methodology as evident in addiction and health research publications.