B2809 - Practicum Training 6 CFU - Internal (C4)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the activity the intern will be able to apply the appropriate tecniques, procedures and/or tools accordint to a particular aim; to manage critical issues that may arise during their clinical application in professional contexts.

Course contents

PROJECT TITLE: “Psychological evaluation of adult patients suffering from medical pathologies”

The master degree internship has the main objective of developing basic professional skills for prevention, diagnosis, habilitation and psychological support interventions, for individuals, groups, organizations and communities, as well as for research in psychology.

In particular, the contents of this internship include:

1. Knowledge and understanding. Trainees will have to achieve a good knowledge of the typical and confidential acts characterizing the profession of psychologist, including (but not limited to): the use of cognitive and intervention tools for prevention, diagnosis, planning of habilitation-rehabilitation activities, psychological support in hospital settings, aimed at adult patients suffering from different medical conditions, as well as research and teaching activities.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding. Trainees will have to show that they know how to: apply a correct psychological evaluation of the case; use psychological tools and techniques to collect information on the case and the context properly; plan theoretically grounded and evidence-based professional interventions; hypothesize the evaluation of intervention process and outcomes; draft a clinical report; give a final feedback to the patient/caregiver; establish adequate relationships with patient / caregiver / institutions / organizations; establish adequate relationships with colleagues; understanding of the legal / ethical / deontological aspects of the profession.

3. Autonomy of judgement. Trainees will have to develop critical skills and independent judgment regarding each of the typical and confidential acts characterizing the profession of psychologist.

4. Communication skills. Trainees must be able to communicate in a professionally adequate manner with patient, caregivers, colleagues and multidisciplinary team.

5. Learning ability. Trainees must be able to learn new techniques and skills, according to permanent professional training (lifelong learning).

The intern will be involved in the following activities:

• individual or small-group activities aimed at learning methods, tools and procedures relating to the specific application context, i.e. psychological evaluation of adult patients suffering from medical pathologies;

• practical experiences, laboratories, simulations, role playing, projects drafting, concerning tools, methods and procedures aimed at developing the knowledge necessary to operate in the context of psychological assessment in a hospital setting;

• discussion of clinical cases.

Professional contexts of application: HEALTH AND RESEARCH

Area of intervention: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Target users: Adult patients with medical conditions

Professional tools that the intern will acquire: Identification, administration and interpretation of the appropriate tests, according to the objective of the psychological evaluation (such as semi-structured clinical interviews for the evaluation of psychological, psychiatric and psychosomatic distress; self-report questionnaires on sub-clinical psychological distress, psychological well-being and lifestyle); clinical psychological interview techniques; macro- and micro-analysis of the clinical case; fundamentals of consulting scientific databases and using software for statistical analysis.

Readings/Bibliography

Recommended readings:

• Othmer E., Othmer S.C. L’intervista clinica con il DSM-IV-TR. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2004.
• Nussbaum, A.M. L’esame diagnostico con il DSM-5. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2014.
• American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5-TR: Manuale diagnostico e statistico dei disturbi mentali - Quinta edizione (Text Revision). Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2023.

Handouts and supplementary material will be provided by the tutor during the TPV.

 

Teaching methods

The methods used to achieve the skills involve: observation and direct support from the tutor, clinical case discussions with the tutor and/or in group, practical demonstrations, simulations and role playing, group activities with other interns, activities guided and supervised by the tutor, activities in progressive autonomy with deferred supervision by the tutor. In particular:

• In the presence of the tutor: deepening and integration of the intern's theoretical knowledge; application of specific methodological and technical skills related to the profession of psychologist (e.g., use of clinical interviewing techniques, use of clinimetric tools for the psychological evaluation, observation tools, macro- and micro-analysis of the clinical case)

• In progressive autonomy with the supervision of the tutor: individual and/or small-group work aimed at consolidating the acquired skills (e.g., exercises based on clinical cases, formulation of hypotheses for clinimetric evaluations of the current functioning of the patient for diagnostic purposes, identification of any treatment needs, hypothesis of appropriate treatment and formulation of a prognosis, hypothesis of treatment monitoring strategies over time); simulation of psychological evaluation and restitution interviews; individual study.

Places where the activity will be carried out: Laboratory of Psychosomatics and Clinimetrics, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, University of Bologna.

Assessment methods

The tutor will evaluate the skills acquired by the intern, both during the course and at the end of the internship, by means of a standardized procedure prepared by the Department of Psychology. This assessment will result in a quantitative and suitability judgment that will allow the intern to access the Practical Evaluation Test (i.e., Prova Pratica Valutativa).

Teaching tools

Slides, handouts, softwares (such as Microsoft Excel and SPSS).

Office hours

See the website of Sara Gostoli