SUBJECT

Introduction to Adult and Child Clinical Psychology

lecture

Faculty of Education and Psychology

Psychology BA

Autumn/spring semester

Aim of the course:
The main goal of this course is to provide insight into the theoretical background, applications
and practice of clinical psychology. An overview of the mental disorders, their symptomatology,
epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and special needs during therapy are provided. This course
shows equally mental and behavioral disorders in adulthood, childhood and adolescents. In
addition, aim of this course is to introduce to cultural and historical aspects of mental disorders
and to show the diagnostic systems. The theoretical knowledge is complemented by clinical
practice where the students can know competencies for clinical psychology.

Learning outcome, competences

knowledge:
An overview of the mental disorders, their symptomatology, epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis
and special needs during therapy are provided.
attitude:

• explorative
• empathetic, congruent, with unconditional positive regard
• supportive

skills:

• knowledge of characteristics of mental disorders
• identification of mental disorders based on symptoms
• get in touch with a patient with mental disorder
• form and maintain an ethically proper relationship with patients

Content of the course
Topics of the course

• Introduction, historical background, diagnostic systems and methods of assessment in clinical psychology, models of abnormality
• Depressive disorders, bipolar and related disorders
• Anxiety disorders, somatic symptom and related disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, trauma- and stressor-related disorders
• Impulse-control disorders, substance-related and addictive disorders
• Personality disorders
• Eating disorders and sexual dysfunctions
• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Other childhood-onset disorders
• Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
• Dissociative disorders and neurocognitive disorders
• Clinical psychology in practice (mental health services, guidelines, evidence-based practice)
• Psychotherapies

Compulsory reading list
Barlow, D.H., and Durand, V.M. (2015). Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 7th Edition (Wadsworth Publishing).

Recommended reading list
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Pub.