The study programme in a nutshell
The Clinical Psychology master’s track offers an in-depth academic programme focused on complex psychological problems in adults, with space for theoretical, practical, and research-oriented training. In the first part of the academic year, you will take courses on topics such as addiction, personality disorders, and severe mental illness, while developing your research or clinical skills. In the second part of the year, you will conduct independent scientific research in the field of clinical psychology and may choose to complete a practical internship in mental healthcare to gain professional experience.
You choose one of two learning tracks:
- The clinical track, in which you develop therapeutic skills through Dutch-language practicum sessions. You will practise treatment approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy and couple therapy, and may opt to do a practical internship in a mental healthcare setting.
- The research track, in which you explore topics such as brain functioning and cognitive-emotional processes. You will follow English-language lab training and collaborate with students from the “Brain & Cognition” master track.
Please note: You select one of the two tracks at the programme's start. Both tracks lead to the same degree: Master of Science in Psychology, specialisation: Clinical Psychology. Your transcript will indicate the specific courses and practical components you completed. It is not possible to follow both tracks.
In order to graduate, all students need to write a master's thesis based on a research internship. Practical internships are not obligatory and may be hard to find for students in the Clinical Psychology specialisation who do not speak Dutch.
Click on a course title to view its description.
Course descriptions
Clinical track | Curriculum
Block 3
5 EC
In this course you will study severe mental illnesses such as psychotic spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and their comorbid conditions. In an urban context, severe mental problems not only go hand in hand with other unfavourable psychological conditions such as violence, substance use and dissociation but also require a different approach when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. People with chronic psychotic symptoms, whether or not in combination with several social problems such as homelessness and forensic problems, often require a more multidisciplinary approach in which not only their symptoms are treated but a case management approach with assertive outreach elements is needed.
In this course you will learn the etiological aspects of severe mental illnesses on psychological level (“which psychological variables are involved”?), biological level (“what goes wrong in the brain”?) and societal level (“what is the role of urban context”?). You will learn to identify severe mental illnesses and learn to take a critical position regarding DSM-driven diagnosis and learn alternative diagnostical systems such as RDOC or holistic person-driven approaches. Information from previous courses will be integrated in this course and you will learn that severe mental illnesses are almost always combined with other disorders and/or severe social problems. You will learn appropriate treatment approaches for these problems (care vs. cure) and learn about the legal and ethical constrains of these treatments.
2 EC
Block 5-8
Practical Internship (optional), Research Proposal and Thesis
32 EC
Research track
Block 3
5 EC
In this course you will study severe mental illnesses such as psychotic spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and their comorbid conditions. In an urban context, severe mental problems not only go hand in hand with other unfavourable psychological conditions such as violence, substance use and dissociation but also require a different approach when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. People with chronic psychotic symptoms, whether or not in combination with several social problems such as homelessness and forensic problems, often require a more multidisciplinary approach in which not only their symptoms are treated but a case management approach with assertive outreach elements is needed.
In this course you will learn the etiological aspects of severe mental illnesses on psychological level (“which psychological variables are involved”?), biological level (“what goes wrong in the brain”?) and societal level (“what is the role of urban context”?). You will learn to identify severe mental illnesses and learn to take a critical position regarding DSM-driven diagnosis and learn alternative diagnostical systems such as RDOC or holistic person-driven approaches. Information from previous courses will be integrated in this course and you will learn that severe mental illnesses are almost always combined with other disorders and/or severe social problems. You will learn appropriate treatment approaches for these problems (care vs. cure) and learn about the legal and ethical constrains of these treatments.
2 EC
Block 5-8
Research Proposal and Thesis (block 5 – block 8)
32 EC