Psychology in practice, 19.5 credits

Passed results of the Study Programme in Psychology semester 1-6 comprising 180 credits and at least 15 credits from semester 7.

Students who have failed their clinical placement course/module after demonstrating serious deficiencies in understanding, skill, or professional attitude, and done this to the degree that client or patient safety or client / patient / employer trust for the healthcare have been jeopardised, will qualify for a new clinical placement only after completion of an individual action plan.

Students should advance their understanding of methods and professional attitude relevant to the profession of Psychologist according to the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100).

Module 1: On completion of this module, the student should
- be able to plan, execute, document, and report the information of a psychological assessment within the field that is relevant for the workplace
- based on relevant reports be able to analyse and draw conclusions on the application of evidence-based psychological treatment or other evidence-based measures
- demonstrate the ability to independently select and actively apply interview methods such as Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- be able to plan, carry out and evaluate teaching and/or supervision relevant to patients/clients/family/staff at the workplace
- demonstrate the ability to take supervision and to cooperate with the supervisor and other staff members in order to develop a professional attitude
- be able to independently apply their understanding and experience in a practical/professional context
- be able to independently integrate understanding and skills to solve/handle complex problems and situations
- be able to demonstrate to identify knowledge gaps of import for the field

Module 2: On completion of this module, the student should
- be able to describe other professional roles relevant to workplace tasks and be able to emphasize the specific competence of the Psychologist profession
- be able to reflect on ethical and legal issues at the workplace and independently be able to relate these to current governance and legal documentation
- be able to account for the goals of a workplace and its role in society, its regulations and its organisation as well as the role of a psychologist's role in it
- be able to reflect on the disciplinary foundations of the field and thereby demonstrate an understanding of current research and development results as well as the relationship between research and proven experience and its import for evidence-based psychological practice

The course consists of two (2) modules.

The psychologist internship is given as a continuous period equivalent to 13 weeks of full-time studies. The course consists of practical psychology work tasks under supervision of an authorised psychologist with appropriate professional or vocational experience. At the start of the internship, an individual study plan must be approved by the Course Coordinator. The supervisor is to give the student relevant and varying assignments based on the expected learning goals, the individual study plan and the tasks available at the workplace. The internship is intended to afford the student a thorough understanding of the psychologist profession. Likewise, the tasks and the supervision are intended to develop the professional attitude necessary for the professional role. Supervision will be given to the student 1-2 hours/week.

Under the internship, a continuous assessment of the students' achievements takes place.. Half-time- and final assessments are carried out through an assessment protocol.

Besides assignments prescribed by the supervisor at the workplace, the student will have to participate actively in a discussion forum, based on reading instructions from the Course Coordinator. The discussions will address literature studies, previous coursework relevant to the field, as well as experiences from the workplace where the student is active.

The internship placement is assigned to the students based on agreements between Karolinska Institutet and national, county council, municipal, and private activities.

The internship, participation in the discussion forum, and the written assignment are compulsory. The course coordinator decides whether, and if so how, absence from compulsory course elements can be made up. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

Part 1 The student's achievements during the psychologist internship are assessed continuously by the supervisor based on an established assessment protocol applied at mid-point and final assessments. To achieve a passing grade in the final assessment, the student must attain minimum level 2 (good understanding/ skills/ability) according to the assessment protocol items relevant for the internship workplace. The psychologist internship is compulsory. To achieve a passing grade the student can not be absent from the placement more than one work week (five working days).

The module is graded Fail or Pass.

Part 2 The student must participate in the discussion forum and submit a written assignment. The student chooses one of two appointed subjects for the written assignment (ethical and legal issues or issues related to evidential and proven experience).

The module is graded Fail or Pass.

Both modules must be completed with a Pass grade for a passing grade for the internship.

Limitation of the number of examinations: The Psychologist internship can only be taken two times and a student can only be graded twice. For more detailed information, see Guidelines for examination compiled by Karolinska Institutet. Guidelines in case of failure: The Course Coordinator can interrupt an internship for a student if the student shows such serious deficiencies in understanding, skills, or attitude that client or patient security or the patients/ clients/employers' trust for the activities/the healthcare is jeopardised. If an internship is interrupted, the student fails the module. This counts as a taken course. In such cases, an individual action plan must be established, where it is made explicit what activities and examinations are required before the student can again take the course. .

The transition rules follow KI's local guidelines for examination.

Course evaluation takes place in accordance with KI's local guidelines. Results and possible actions are communicated to the students via the course web page.