Clinical Psychology and Public Mental Health
In this Master’s emphasis, you will learn to look at clinical and health psychology from a global, sociocultural perspective. Whether as a clinician, policy-maker, activist or researcher, you will be able to integrate individual, societal and cultural factors in the care of people with impaired mental health.
Programme Highlights
- Analyse the current trends in global mental diseases and their socio-cultural dimension
- Experience opportunities and risks of conventional and digital psychological interventions for individuals and groups
- Understand the complexity of psychological well-being to help others thrive
- Learn to develop balanced mental health programmes in a world shaken by global crises
What you will study
The programme focuses on combining classical clinical psychology with modern approaches in health psychology. Given the drastic increases in mental illness worldwide, severe global crises, and constant technological advances, individual and non-individual-centred psychological intervention methods are taught and practised. As a student in this programme, you will learn about the following topics:
- Psychopathology, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders
- Epidemiology of mental illness and biostatistics
- Determents of mental and emotional health and the prevention of disease
- Health systems across different cultures and regions
- Psychotraumatology, crisis intervention and psychosocial health care
- Psychology of digitalisation and artificial intelligence
- Psychological well-being
Programme Structure
The Master’s programme consists of eight compulsory modules, the duration of study is four semesters in full-time study. In the first year of study, the theoretical foundations and specialised in-depth knowledge are taught in lectures, seminars, and practical exercises.
In the second year of study, internships under the guidance of psychologists and an independent research project are carried out within the scope of a Master’s thesis.
The programme concludes with a Master’s examination. Graduates will receive the academic degree “Master of Science, MSc.” (120 ECTS credits).
Career Paths
This Master’s programme is aimed at graduates of the Bachelor’s programme in Psychology with an international orientation. The skills gained optimally prepare students for work as psychologists in clinical settings and in the psychosocial field. As experts in global mental health, graduates take on significant roles as decision-makers in politics and the private sector.
Career paths include:
- Clinical psychologist (please check the legal requirements to get licensed and work as a clinical psychologist; in Austria an additional postgraduate training is required)
- Health psychologist (please check the legal requirements to get licensed and work as a health psychologist; in Austria an additional postgraduate training is required)
- School psychologist
- Mental Health Officer (i.e.; setting up and developing mental health programmes in national and international institutions and places of work)
- Programme officer in international organisations such as UN, WHO, EU, etc.
- Mental health activist
- Researcher in the fields of epidemiology and mental health
- Organisational consultant
Teaching language: English
Contact
Ass.-Prof. Thomas Ditye, MRes PhD
Head of the International Psychology Programmes
thomas.ditye@sfu.ac.at
International Study Service Center Psychology
psychology@sfu.ac.at
Sigmund Freud Private University
Faculty of Psychology
Freudplatz 1
A-1020 Vienna, Austria