Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology

Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology

The Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology is a two-year full-time degree including theoretical, practical and research elements. In the first year, candidates complete a theoretical and practical programme centred at the University, including both coursework and clinical training and supervision. The second year comprises an internship of twelve months duration at a training hospital or other centre approved by the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa). In addition, candidates are required to complete a research report in a suitable area during the two-year period. Persons who hold the degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology are eligible for registration in the category Clinical Psychologist with the HPCSA, dependent on meeting further criteria specified by the Professional Board for Psychology and at their discretion.

Applicants for the programme are selected by a Selection Panel, consisting of staff from both the Discipline of Psychology and the Intern Training Centres. Acceptance is provisional upon several criteria, including acceptable academic performance in an Honours degree and during the first few months of the programme. The program is broadly psychodynamic in orientation and offers good community-based clinical practice experience in the first year. Some components of the course are offered as part of an integrated programme, allowing for contact with counselling and educational psychology trainees and multiple expert input. Click here to download the guide for applicants.

Seminars in Professional Psychology (SPP)

Seminars in Professional Psychology (SPP) is a co-ordinated programme which combines the resources of Clinical Psychology, Community-Counselling Psychology and Educational Psychology. Trainee-psychologists from each of these programmes come together for a variety of seminars and workshops in the areas of psychotherapy, psychological assessment and research. The incorporation of a joint seminar programme within each specific training has many advantages. For example:

• Trainee-psychologists have the opportunity to interact with, and learn from, students in other sub-disciplines
• Trainee-psychologists are exposed to a variety of staff members with different specializations, different training backgrounds and different ways of working
• Trainee-psychologists are able to gain competence in some of the general issues of psychotherapy, assessment and research while still maintaining their programme-specific areas of speciality
• SPP facilitates communication and enrichment between the different sub-disciplines.
• SPP encourages professionalism within and between trainee-psychologists in each of the sub-disciplines.
• SPP offers a structure able to provide some of the core skills necessary for any practising psychologist, while at the same time reflecting the specializations of each Masters training programme.

SPP provides a forum for three different purposes:

• to offer high quality seminars to Masters students in professional training
• to offer a forum for staff to come together around shared professional activities and concerns
• to share information and resources for the Emthonjeni Community Centre. This centre manages client referrals and cases seen, and has been incorporated into the new Emthonjeni Community Centre since 2007.

The module structure is designed to reflect the links between and integrations of specific programmes while at the same time emphasizing each programme?s specific areas of specialization. The Psychotherapy and Assessment modules have both SPP and programme-specific input. This means that trainee-psychologists will attend seminars within their own area of specialization as well as with students from other sub-disciplines. The Research component will be SPP-based.

APPLICATION FOR STUDY
Applications are invited for the M.A. in Clinical Psychology. 

Application Closing date: 20th May 2013
Please visit www.witsclinselections.wordpress.com for regularly updated information

Click here to download the application form.
Download the confidential referee's report form.