Students will be required to engage in a professional development programme consisting of interactive workshops, student-led journal clubs, departmental research seminars and asynchronous activities. Content will cover professional issues such as codes of conduct, legal and statutory obligations and restrictions on health psychology practice in the UK context; European and international perspectives on health psychology; the future of health psychology in the UK; and how health psychology relates to other disciplines such as, medicine, behavioural medicine, health policy, and public health. In addition, students will engage in reflective practice relating to the knowledge and skills gained to enable them to progress to working within a range of settings and contexts relevant to health psychology. To support this, course alumni will be invited as guest speakers to share information about their own career pathways. Throughout the module students should recognise the need to take responsibility for their own professional development (e.g., through PDP) and should therefore understand the principles and importance of critical self-reflection for their development as trainee health psychologists.

Career-based Skills Audit (100%, 1500 words)
Students will be required to identify a job/training advert related to their desired career. Students will reflect on and critically evaluate current skills in the context of the person specification / training requirements and produce an action plan for future development (Learning Outcomes 1, 2,3).

Formative feedback will be given in an assessment support session. Students will also be able to send a plan of their skills audit to their allocated academic mentor for individualised feedback.

The assessment will be marked on a pass/fail basis.

Taught sessions, in the form of interactive workshops, will be delivered during which topics related to professional skills in Health Psychology will be explained, discussed and explored. Taught sessions will be complemented by student-led journal clubs and departmental research seminars.

Taught sessions will be supported by independent learning which will include ongoing self-guided reflection, extended reading, preparation for taught sessions, engaging in continuous professional development (CPD) and completing assessment relating activities.

1. Reflect on and review professional practice in health psychology, including recognising needs for further development.
Learning, Reflection.

2. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the principles and utility of critical self-reflection in your professional development.
Knowledge & Understanding, Reflection.

3. Demonstrate the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment and/or further training in health psychology and related fields.
Reflection.

Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment. Web-based databases to review current relevant literature in electronic database format. Internet access. Library. Resource rooms. Supervision space. Identification of suitable placements.
Provision for completion of DBS checks. Guest speakers, including course alumni.

Bolton, G. (2018). Reflective practice: Writing and professional development (5th Ed.). Sage.

British Psychological Society (2021, Dec). Code of Ethics and Conduct. https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy/Policy%20-%20Files/BPS%20Code%20of%20Ethics%20and%20Conduct.pdf

Michie, S., & Abraham, C. (2008). Health psychology in practice. Wiley-Blackwell.

Students must be registered on the MSc Health Psychology.

Students will be required to engage in a professional development programme consisting of interactive workshops, student-led journal clubs, departmental research seminars and asynchronous activities. Content of will cover: professional issues such as codes of conduct, legal and statutory obligations and restrictions on health psychology practice in the UK context; European and international perspectives on health psychology; the future of health psychology in the UK; and how health psychology relates to other disciplines. In addition, students will be supported to engage in reflective practice relating to the knowledge and skills gained to enable them to progress to working within a range of settings and contexts relevant to health psychology. To support this, course alumni will be invited as guest speakers to share information about their own career pathways.