The Role of the Psychologist 2 - Understanding, Skills Training and Practice

The four courses comprising The Psychologist Role (30 credits total) aim to provide students with knowledge and experience of different types of psychological work. Students will also gain a broad understanding of the personal and relational prerequisites as well as professional competence required of psychologists, in addition to the ability to reflect on the importance of these factors.

This series of courses is central to the ongoing suitability assessment, cf. Regulations on suitability assessment in higher education, § 2 and 4. An ongoing suitability assessment is carried out throughout the course of one’s studies, as it is based on the student's professional and personal disposition for working as a health professional.

Core topics for this course are professionalself-development, empathy, communication, patient perspectives and psychological work in organizational systems.

Knowledge:

• The students have acquired broad knowledge of the importance of communication skills in psychological practice.
• The students are familiar with the organization of the health- and welfare systems in Norway.

Skills:

• The students can reflect on the role of relational competence and communication skills in psychological practice.
• The students can reflect on their own values, roles, and functioning in their interactions with patients and collaborating parts.
• The students demonstrate a good ability to use the Norwegian language clearly and functionally in the learning activities of the course and adapt their communication to the situation and the recipient.

General competence:

• The students acknowledge the relationship between personal prerequisites and professional skills in psychological practice.
• The students can reflect on, and discuss, ethical dilemmas related to psychological practice.
• The students have an insight into how individuals’ rights concerning integrity, dignity and autonomy can be met in psychological practice

With exception to the course-wide lectures, the students shall be divided into groups of around 10 students, with each group being led by a course tutor and a student assistant. These will be the same groups as were allocated in PSYK4301 - The Role of the Psychologist 1. The activities for the groups involve discussions and practical exercises relating to practicing the role of a psychologist.