Dissertation Project in Systemic Clinical and Health Psychology

Recommended Prerequisites

It is recommended the frequency, with approval, of 1st semester units of the Master in Systemic Clinical and Health Psychology. The student must have good knowledge of English (reading) since many bibliographic references are in English.

Teaching Methods

Theoretical/practical teaching using expositive and active methodologies and tutorial guidance.

Active methodologies include search, critical analysis and discussion of scientific articles and research projects. From a set of themes proposed by the teachers of the master the students will, with tutorial guidance, prepare the research project of their master's degree dissertation, following the model of project submission to FCT. This work composes 50% of the evaluation, with the remaining 50% obtained through a written test.

Learning Outcomes

The student should begin the process of developing a researcher and specialist identity in the area, namely: i) to acquire knowledge about the specificities of research within the systemic approach, in the clinical and health fields; ii) to develop skills to critically evaluate scientific production, and to understand the importance of supporting their professional practice in empirically validated knowledge; iii) to be able to identify problems and research objectives about specific themes of the area; iv) to incorporate methodological and research skills in the elaboration of research projects with reference to the systemic perspective.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Introduction: a) specificities of research in the context of the systemic approach; b) dilemmas and controversies; c) ethical norms and principles.

2. The research project: a) stages of preparation of a research project; b) elements of the project according to the FCT submission model (title, keywords, summary, state of the art, objectives, detailed description, annexes, references); c) themes of research in Systemic Clinical and Health Psychology for framing the dissertations.

3. Search, reading and critical interpretation of research in the area (systematic literature review, empirical studies using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies).

4. Writing scientific articles: the scientific writing according to the APA style.

5. Writing the research projet.  

Head Lecturer(s)

Maria João Rama Seabra Santos

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 40.0%
Project: 60.0%

Bibliography

Davies, M. B. (2007). Doing a successful research project: Using qualitative or quantitative methods. Palgrave Macmillan.

Heatherington, L., Friedlander, M. L. Diamond, G. M., Escudero, V., & Pinsof, W. M. (2015). 25 Years of systemic therapies research: Progress and promise. Psychotherapy Research, 25(3), 348-364.

Miller, Miller, R. B., & Johnson, L. N. (2014). Advanced methods in family therapy research: A focus on validity and change. Routledge.

Sprenkle, D. H., & Piercy, F. P. (2005). Research methods in Family Therapy. Guildford Press.

Stanton, M., & Welsh, R. (2012). Systemic thinking in couple and family psychology research and practice. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 1(1), 14-30.

Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) (2019). Guide to publishing in psychology journals (2nd. Ed.). Cambridge University Press.