Syllabus for
Master of Science (Psychology-Clinical )
Academic Year  (2023)

One of the first departments to be founded in Christ (Deemed to be University), the Department of Psychology has grown in leaps and bounds with innovations in curriculum, pedagogy and ground-breaking initiatives. The Vision of the Department of Psychology is to promote high academic standards and scholarship in psychology, by creating an optimal and enriching learning environment, fostering on going professional and personal development and contributing effectively to societal needs. The Department in Delhi NCR campus was initiated in 2019 and runs a range of programmes that include Certificate courses, Undergraduate programmes, Post Graduate programmes with two specializations and Research degree in psychology (Ph.D.). Through these programmes we encourage students to consider careers and life missions that integrate psychological understanding to life. Our programmes integrate scholarship with professional awareness are service oriented and are encouraged to embrace humane values in their vocation.

1. The Vision of the Department of Psychology is to Promote High Academic Standards and Scholarship in Psychology, by Creating an Optimal and Enriching Learning Environment, Fostering Ongoing Professional and Personal Development and Contributing Effectively to Societal Needs. The Department realises its vision to promote high academic standards through a continuous and dynamic curriculum review process based on feedback from peers, professionals, potential employers and students. A variety of student-centred teaching and training pedagogies are practised by the faculty members. Prominent among them are the use of seminars, experiential methodologies, laboratory training, conferences, workshops, field based studies, and film based discussions and interactions with field experts, practise and we offer courses that are cutting edge in the field of psychology. Students who complete programmes in Psychology from the University demonstrate high degrees of self.

The Department of Psychology offers a two-year full-time M Sc program in Psychology with specialization in Clinical Psychology. Keeping pace with the disciplinary advances the program would address knowledge about psychological functioning at individual and social levels in an all-encompassing manner. With the goal of acquiring specialized knowledge, the program would allow students to nurture their academic interest in clinical psychology, along with personal growth and awareness. The spirit of interdisciplinary growth is kept in view while conceptualizing a three-tier system- A) CORE COURSES in the first three PG semesters (courses, which can be considered to be fundamental in giving PG students a larger perspective of Psychology as a social science discipline, irrespective of specialization); B) SPECIALIZATION COURSES (specific theory courses within the subject of Clinical Psychology); and C) ELECTIVE COURSES ( a wide variety, across all disciplinary specializations, primarily conceptualized by individual faculties (based on their own interest/expertise), offered from time to time and chosen by students according to their preference. The program would strive to prepare competent professional psychologists who would excel in knowledge, orientation, and practice in psychology, with high ethical standards and social relevance.

Assessment pattern for PG programmes offered by Department of Psychology

Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) for all courses : 70%

End-Semester Examination  (ESE): 30% (30 marks out of 100)

Continuous Assessment

The assessment and grading of the students will take place in the following manner:

• A formative assessment of the competencies is carried out the beginning of the course. This is not graded.
• Assessment of the acquisition of the competencies is done continuously throughout the course with a minimum of one assessment per month.
• Two CIAs have to be submitted which will be graded on 30 and 35 marks respectively. 

Class engagement: 05 marks

Attendance : 05 marks

CIA 1 and 2 are conducted by the respective faculty in the form of different types of assignments within the stipulated time for awarding the marks.

The students have to attain minimum pass marks in each assignment or will have to repeat the assignment within the time stipulated by the department.

Marks scored by the students for CIA will be displayed in the student login within a week after the last date of submission of marks by the faculty. Any discrepancy shall be informed immediately to the faculty concerned for correction of marks.

Students who either fail   or do not appear for   CIA  will have to apply for repeat CIA immediately after publishing the results of each CIA component. Application to be forwarded  through the HoD and Dean to the Office of Examinations and obtain necessary approvals. Number of chances for repeating each CIA is only one

. Students who  fail in the  CIA  in a semester have to apply for CIA repeat of the whole course in the subsequent semester

End Semester Examination

• The End semester (competency) examination for the theory as well as practical courses is held at the end of the semesters .
• The End semester (competency) examination might take place in the form of written examination, project submission and Viva Voce examination and managed by Office of Examinations
• Generally the duration of is 2 hours but it may vary for certain courses.
• Absentee's parents will be alerted through SMS within 1 hour after the commencement of the examination.
• ESCE for all courses will be conducted for 50 marks and reduced to out of 30 marks
• Hall ticket with timetable and seating allotment is compulsory for ESCE which can be downloaded from the Student Login or obtained from the department office.
• Dress code of the University should be followed during the examination days except wearing ties.
• Permission for admission to the ESCE is granted only if
• A student has passed in CIA’s for that course with a minimim grade for overall CIA.

o   A student has at least 85% of the attendance in aggregate at the end of the semester.

o   The Vice-Chancellor is satisfied with the character and conduct of the student.

For 2 and 8 credit courses, a similar system will be followed with marks adjusted accordingly. All Internships, practicum, seminars and research related courses will follow the same pattern.

Pass Criteria

A student shall pass each course with a minimum aggregate score of 50 marks with minimum of  50%  for CIA and 40 % for ESE. The overall aggregate to pass a semester is 50%.  Student failing a course due to less than minimum in ESE  shall repeat the ESE while his/her internal scores shall remain valid.

All other regulations pertaining to assessment and evaluation are same as other programmes of the CHRIST (Deemed to be University)

 urse Course Prerequisites (if any) NIL Course Description This course will introduce students to the domain of academic writing and its intricacies. Every student, regardless of his or her area of interest, will be called upon to use an academic style of writing at different levels and at various points in time. This course will therefore seek to impart such knowledge about the styles of writing used in the current academic scenario. It will provide students with opportunities in the classroom setting to practice such styles, both individually and in collaboration with others

This course has been conceptualized in order to inculcate awareness about legal and ethical aspects of practicing Clinical Psychology in India. It highlights the commonly encountered ethical dilemmas in clinical practice and facilitates ethical decision making in a multicultural context. The courses also address licensure and certification issues in clinical psychology practice in India.

The Developmental Psychology course for Clinical Psychology builds upon principles of human development acquired at the undergraduate level. This course examines research in developmental psychology as it applies to real-world situations. The goal is to acquire a greater understanding of factors influencing development, such as biological, hereditary, environmental, or cultural effects that describe, explain and predict developmental changes in humans over the lifespan. The focus will almost exclusively be on typical development. As such, the course will not focus on therapeutic approaches, interventions, or clinical populations. We will examine how knowledge of developmental perspectives can inform parenting decisions, education, public policy, interventions and clinical practice. As this course is only a semester-long, it would be impossible to cover in-depth the entire field of applied developmental psychology. Instead, we will focus on selected topics related to child and adolescents in cognitive development and socio-emotional development and have separate discussion on adulthood and aging theories and its impact on adult development. 

This course is offered to students in the first semester to introduce them to the tradition of quantitative research in psychology. It begins by discussing the philosophical foundations of quantitative research followed by the scientific basis of research. Students are expected to see the links between scientific process of research and development of clinical psychology. Students will be introduced to research designs and process of research in quantitative methods. The course also provides opportunities to practice skills of research in laboratory setting.

 This course introduces students to mental health issues in clinical psychology by introducing clinical psychopathology. The use of diagnostic assessments using both DSM V-TR and ICD 11 will be explored in this course. Students will also be encouraged to integrate the bio-psycho-social model of health and illness with clinical interventions. 

 This Course intends to familiarize students with an introductory knowledge of the topics and methods of biological psychology to create an understanding of the underlying biological foundations of human behavior

This course will introduce students to the tradition of qualitative research in social sciences with an emphasis of its applicability in psychology. Different methods of collecting qualitative data are discussed. Methods of Qualitative data analysis are also touched upon. Along with courses on research in the first and second semesters, this course intends to provide students with the theoretical background to develop their research proposal.

In this course, students will spend four hours a week or a total of 30 hours during the semester involved in supervised community service. Students are encouraged to work alongside NGO’s or other professional bodies. Students will engage in activities such as children, adolescents and youth teaching/tutoring, community organization, psychological assessment, and mental health awareness. Reflections on their interactions are an integral part of this course. Student engagement will be assessed by the supervisor.

Course objectives

This course will help the learner

● To choose a community-based organization that they are interested in working with.

● To support organizations to help the community.

Course Description: In this course the students are required to identify and select a topic of their interest to conduct research on.

Course Objectives:

This course intends to help the learner

● identify a research problem

● develop a research proposal to study the problem

This Course intends to familiarize students with an introductory knowledge of the topics and methods of biological psychology to create an understanding of the underlying biological foundations of human behavior

Course Objectives: At the end of this course, students will be able to:

● Identify basic brain structures and related functions

● Describe contemporary research methods for studying brain and behavior

● Interpret how drugs and hormones influence behavior

● Identify the process by which memories are formed

● Analyze the neurological pathways related to hunger, emotions, and sleep

● Recognize the ways various emotions are expressed

● Describe biological and social origins of sexual behavior / motivation

● Differentiate lateralization of brain function and language development

● Apply biological elements to common psychological disorders

Course Description: This course extends the learning in Quantitative research methods in Psychology by introducing students to the measurement and statistical techniques in research. Students will be given opportunity in this course to practice in labs the techniques of tool construction and statistical analysis. Students will be trained in software packages such as SPSS and Excel.

This course introduces students to mental health issues in clinical psychology by introducing clinical psychopathology. The use of diagnostic assessments using both DSM V-TR and ICD 11 will be explored in this course. Students will also be encouraged to integrate the bio-psycho-social model of health and illness with clinical interventions.

Course objectives:

•To understand the etiology and current classificatory systems of mental disorders

•To learn about the different symptoms, courses and prognoses of mental disorders

This course is part of the first years master's program in Clinical Psychology and comprises a core methodology that underlies the understanding of both normal and abnormal human behaviour. This course contributes to the Clinical Psychology program objectives of (a) developing domain knowledge (b) enhancing observation skills and critical analysis (c) inculcating evidence-based inference and finally (d) enhances self awareness and self regulation. At the same time the course also exemplifies the University expectation of excellence and service and contributes to the following graduate attributes of academic excellence, professional excellence and personal enhancement. This course will provide students with an understanding of normal mental processes and their relationship to brain, mind and behavior. This course will give an overview antecedents and influences on Cognitive Psychology and the basic concepts from an information-processing and computational perspective. Domain wise understanding of cognition will be highlighted in the understanding of attention and perception. The course will require the use of labs and experiments to demonstrate concepts in the course. Application to the practice of evaluating behaviour in the context of clinical psychology will be highlighted in this course.

This course will cover issues in the assessment of personality using self-report measures and cognitive functions such as intelligence and memory. This course is meant to provide students with skills of administering, scoring, interpreting and conveying report in clinical settings using simulated labs and field exposure. A part of this course will be linked to community service course where students will conduct free assessment camps in community settings such as schools catering to poor students; NGO’s working with children etc.

The basic objective of this course is

● To introduce central concepts of psychological measurement – personality and cognitive functions.

● To critically examine psychometric considerations, methodologies, data acquisition, data analyses, and communications related to real world applications of

using psychometrics within social science and educational environments.

This course aims at providing students with the skills of clinical interviewing, assessment and formulations in order to help them prepare for clinical work in their practicum.

In this course, students will spend four hours a week or a total of 30 hours during the semester involved in supervised community service. Students are encouraged to work alongside NGO’s or other professional bodies. Students will engage in activities such as children, adolescents and youth teaching/tutoring, community organization, psychological assessment, and mental health awareness. Reflections on their interactions are an integral part of this course. Student engagement will be assessed by the supervisor.

Course objectives

This course will help the learner

● To choose a community-based organization that they are interested in working with.

● To support organizations to help the community.

Psychotherapy-1 is a post graduate course offered in the third semester to students of Clinical Psychology (MPCL). The course aims to integrate the theoretical knowledge imparted through prior courses such as History  and Philosophy of Clinical Psychology (MPS 131), Theories of Personality (MPS 132), Biological foundations of Behaviour (MPS 135, MPS 235), Law and Ethics in Clinical Psychology (MPS 231), Psychopathology-1 (MPS 232) and Psycho Diagnostic Lab (MPS 251) with therapeutic skills than can be applied in clinical settings, thereby fostering  graduate attributes of academic excellence while upholding the vision of the department by nurturing professional development. Furthermore, it builds upon essential elements of functional competencies, ethical and reflective practise within the scientist-practioner model. This course has been conceptualized with an intention to orient students to the theoretical foundations, processes, skills and techniques underlying different psychotherapeutic approaches for the treatment and care of persons with mental illness.  A review of evidence-based practices for psychological interventions, ethical dilemmas in decision making, legal mandates for therapeutic professions and reflective practices in psychotherapy will explored. Designed as an introductory course in psychotherapy, it allows students to walk the bridge that connects theory with practise and in turn helps them comprehend and reflect on the psychotherapeutic assessments and interventions during their clinical internship

This course will help the learner understand 

·     The elements of psychotherapeutic process

·     Theoretical foundations underlying different psychotherapeutic approaches

·     Therapeutic skills and techniques unique to each psychotherapeutic approach

·     Evidence based practices for psychological interventions and their specific areas of application

·     The ethical guidelines that govern decision making during the therapeutic process

·     The need and significance of reflective practices in psychotherapy

●      Describe the psychotherapeutic process, discuss psychotherapy research, identify training needs and supervision requirements.

●      Describe the theoretical foundations underlying various psychotherapeutic approaches, the skills and techniques associated with them.

●      Identify evidence-based practices specific to particular mental health conditions.

●      Develop psychotherapeutic case formulations using different therapeutic approaches 

●      Critique the strengths, limitations and the unique features associated with each form of psychotherapy.

This course has been conceptualized in order to critically address theory informing group and family therapy and facilitate the development of mastery n developing treatment plans based on empirical research. This Course is meant to provide students of clinical psychology an opportunity to examine the theoretical underpinnings of group and family therapies. Students will be encouraged to view the historical and cultural contexts within which group psychotherapy and family and marital therapy (including couples counseling) has emerged.

Course objectives: This course will help the learner to

Gain a familiarity with historical aspects of family and group therapies

Assess and conceptualize dynamics that contribute toor maintain pathology

Plan appropriate interventions to address the same

Understand the historical aspects of family and group therapy

Assess family and group dynamics in a structured manner

Critically analyze the nature of theory informing couples, marriage and family therapy

Develop treatment plans for couples and families.

Examine the relevance of group therapy as a preferred treatment plan for clientele with psychological dysfunctions.

This course has been conceptualized in order to critically address theory informing group and family therapy and facilitate the development of mastery n developing treatment plans based on empirical research. This Course is meant to provide students of clinical psychology an opportunity to examine the theoretical underpinnings of group and family therapies. Students will be encouraged to view the historical and cultural contexts within which group psychotherapy and family and marital therapy (including couples counseling) has emerged.

Course objectives: This course will help the learner to 

Gain a familiarity with historical aspects of family and group therapies

Assess and conceptualize dynamics that contribute to or maintain pathology

Plan appropriate interventions to address the same

Understand the historical aspects of family and group therapy

Assess family and group dynamics in a structured manner

Critically analyze the nature of theory informing couples, marriage and family therapy

Develop treatment plans for couples and families.

Examine the relevance of group therapy as a preferred treatment plan for clientele with psychological dysfunctions.

Course Description

This course aspires to inculcate intersectional understanding of sexual orientation and and gender identities with special focus on South Asia. This course will sensitise students on recent advancements in the area of sexuality and gender for application in psychological services in light of various judicial pronouncements on LGBTQIA+ rights.

Course objectives:

-To inculcate basic theoretical understandings of sexuality and gender

- Appreciate and evaluate the history of the intersection among psy disciplines, law, society and marginalised sexual subjects

- Engage with LGBTQIA+ people with enhanced sensitivity employing queer affirmative principles.

Clinical neuropsychology addresses the link between brain and behaviour. Neuropsychological assessments provide a scientific way of quantifying and describing the cognitive, behavioural and emotional sequelae of changes in brain function caused by damage or disease. This module introduces you to neuroanatomy, neuropsychological assessment, and neuropsychological rehabilitation.

This course aims to sensitize the students about the nature, characteristics, and etiology of learning disabilities. The course has been designed to impart theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to deal with children and adults struggling with various learning difficulties and disabilities. Keeping in mind the rising number of cases with learning disabilities coming to clinical and other mental health setups, the course aims to introduce the students with various assessment tools and techniques used for screening and certification of learning disabilities, especially the ones relevant in the Indian settings. The course will further provide scope for students to learn various intervention strategies (educational remediations, institutional and psychological) which can be applied to mitigate the impact of learning disabilities on individuals as well as family and caregivers.

The course will help the learner

1. To understand the nature, concept, definition, and theoretical underpinnings of learning disabilities (LD).

2. To screen and identify the individuals having LD and to diagnose the subtypes of LD

3. To draft reports based on psychological/educational assessments of individuals with LD.

4. To prepare intervention plans for individuals with LD

This course has been designed keeping in mind that individuals to a large extent are shaped by interaction between them and their surroundings. The focus, here, is on understanding how cognitions, feelings and behavior are impacted by physical environment (both natural and built). Therefore, Environmental Psychology is considered as an interdisciplinary approach which provides an in-depth understanding of the role of environment in providing opportunities and hindrances for optimal human performance and sustainable development.  

Course Objectives: This course will help the learner to

• Understand various perspectives on human-environment interrelationship

• Be aware of the impact of physical surroundings on human behavior 

• Apprehend psychological barriers to pro-environmental actions 

• Gain a familiarity of various strategies to promote pro-environmental wellness behaviors.

Course Description: This course aims at providing students with the skills of clinical interviewing, focusing on specific techniques and techniques to interview specific clinical population and help them prepare for clinical work in their practicum.

Course Objectives:

This course will help the learner

1. Understand and develop skills of assessment and case history taking in specific clinical population.

2. Develop specific techniques that promote positive Doctor-Patient relationship.

Course Description: Students shall complete an observership at an agency providing mental health services for a minimum of 30 days. 

Course Objectives: The course will give an opportunity to

• Observe clinical practice under the supervision of a mental health professional.

• Understand different facets of clinical practice 

This course has been conceptualized to empower the students with skills of preparing a research manuscript and aiming to publish the same. 

Course Objective: This course will help the learner to gain familiarity and develop skills associated with the processes of data collection, data analysis, writing a manuscript and publishing it.

Course Description: This course has been conceptualized in order to provide knowledge in social psychology to conceptualize the subject matter of the social individual in its deepest sense.  Building from the preliminary knowledge of social psychology at the undergraduate level, this course offers learners a more hands-on experience in social behaviour dynamics. 

This course is structured to provide students a culturally informed and contextualized view of the discipline.  Students are encouraged to appreciate and analyze the changing cultural diversity in the present Indian society, therefore, equipping them to approach social issues with its implications. The course will be augmented with field work and labs to enhance learning.

Course Objectives:

This course will help the learner to gain familiarity with :

• The historical development of social psychology as a discipline, its nature and critical issues and current debates within it.
• The plurality and multiple research designs and methods that can be employed to undertake research in social psychology with an-depth understanding of the ethical issues associated with them.
• The nature of how the self and identity develop in a social and cultural context and how individuals engage in the processes of social perception and social cognition.
• An understanding of social interactions in the context of interpersonal relationships, group dynamics and aggression.

The diverse social issues that exist in society and the application of social psychological principles and theories to address these issues, with a special focus on mental health in India.

Course Description: This elective is aimed at providing students an understanding of the inter-links between psychology and education. Application of psychological principles to educational settings will be imparted in this course. An understanding of Biological foundations of behaviour and developmental psychology is a pre-requisite for this course. Completion of this course would equip students to deliver clinical interventions in educational settings. 

This course will help the learner to

• Understand the Educational Psychology field, Interventions and Research Models.

• Gain knowledge of  Educational Psychology theories and conceptual frameworks.

• Develop skills on various models and strategies of Educational Psychology assessment and intervention with students, parents, teachers, educators and other professionals. 

• Develop a critical, creative and intended approach regarding psychological intervention in different educational settings.

The prime focus of the Forensic Psychology course is to introduce the students to the representative areas of forensic psychology and orient how psychology research contributes to the legal system. The course includes an overview of the methods used by forensic psychologists to investigate and control crimes, including criminal profiling. It gives insight into what forensic psychologists have discovered, how they have made these discoveries, and how they contribute to the legal system. Emphasis will be given to the most prevalent mental health issues associated with forensic evaluations and how forensic psychologists assists law enforcement agencies and juries to determine criminal responsibility and punishment. Psychological underpinnings and motivation behind the serial killing, spree killing, mass murder, and recidivism will be discussed.

Course Description: This course aims at imparting knowledge on concepts of crisis and trauma. It will provide inputs on stages of crisis and trauma, and skills for dealing with crisis and trauma at personal,interpersonal and community levels. This course will also help the students gain knowledge on techniques relevant to crisis and trauma management and enable the students to understand the clinical outcome of crisis and trauma events so that they are able to plan out strategic interventions accordingly

Course Objectives:

• To provide the students an opportunity to learn the concept of Crisis and Trauma Counselling - skills training, case management and family education

To educate the students on crisis and trauma assessments and legislations related to it

This course furthers the aims of psycho diagnostics – 1 and provides students with an opportunity to develop skills in assessment, administration and scoring and interpretation of psychological test ( projective, aptitude and neuropsychological with adults and childeren)

Course Description: This course has been conceptualized in order to equip the students with the necessary skills of publishing their manuscript in an academic journal and presenting their research work in a conference. The process will be supervised by the respective research supervisors.

Course Objective: 

• To help the learner gain familiarity with the process of publication

To help the learner gain exposure to seminars and conferences

Course Description: During Supervised clinical practicum students spend 200 hours engaging in clinical practicum in a mental health agency. Students are expected to attend group and individual supervision both on site and campus. As a follow-up of the theoretical and basic skill inputs the students have received in various clinical psychology specialization papers during II and III semesters, students need to learn clinical skills.

This course will help the learner to demonstrate

• Basic diagnostic and assessment skills.
• Interviewing skills.
• Basic therapeutic skills to engage in brief sessional work with clients.

Personal development as (future) clinicians.

This is a final end-of-the-academic-program internship for 30 days. Students are required to search, examine and carve their niche in the field. The basic purpose of this internship is to create awareness for the students about the areas that they want to specialize in and also to charter their future course of action. 

By the end of the internship, the student shall be able to 

1. Understand and bridge the gap between the theoretical knowledge and practical skills they have gained in four semesters,  in a clinical setting of their choice and interest