Psychology Plus: Knowledge

Interviewing is a crucial means of gaining information in a variety of real-life contexts; including police, intelligence, health and mental health settings.  However, one of the issues is in being able to detect when someone is lying to you. 

The three techniques we will cover in this short course will be: 

1. The anticipated/unanticipated question technique.  This will cover the art of posing questions that are central to the narrative (and therefore important) but which a liar might not anticipate being asked. 
2. The Strategic Use of Evidence technique (also called SUE).  This looks at how disclosing certain types of evidence at specific points during the interview might increase the cognitive load on the liar. 
3. The Scharff technique.  This relies on giving the interviewee the illusion of knowing it all and asking for confirmation/disconfirmation of statements.

Careers: Forensic Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Criminal Justice and Security Careers

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers

Duration: 2 consecutive days
Date: May/June 2021 (exact date and time TBC)
Availability: 24 places
Contact: [email protected]

Interviewing is a crucial means of gaining information in a variety of real-life contexts; including police, intelligence, health and mental health settings.  However, it is important to use interview techniques which maximise the possibility of someone remembering the information and which use approaches that make an interviewee feel comfortable.  

This one day course will introduce you to the basic principles underpinning the ECI, develop your skills in establishing rapport and give you practice in the ECI and the “sketch” cognitive interview as both an interviewer and a participant.  

Careers: Forensic Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Criminal Justice Careers

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers

Duration: 1 full day
Date: May/June 2021 (exact date and time TBC)
Availability: 18 places
Contact: [email protected]

This two-day course can provide you with a 'taster' for further training in counselling, potentially leading to professional qualification.

Counselling is a well-established and empirically based therapeutic intervention widely used in our Health, Well-being and Social Care sectors. It is also integral to maintaining well-being in the private and other vocations in the public sectors, e.g. nursing, fire service etc. This 2-day course can provide you with a 'taster' for further training in Counselling, potentially leading to professional qualification. Many professionals in private, public and voluntary sectors also choose to attend this course to further develop and enhance existing interpersonal skills. Counselling skills are used in a wide range of professional disciplines and help in the development of clear communication to achieve better outcomes. 

* N.B. This opportunity is only open to level 5,6 and MSc Students

Careers: Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social and Welfare careers

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers, Other Psychology Careers

Duration: 2 full days, consecutively 
Date: May 2021 (exact date and time TBC)
Availability: 25 places
Contact: [email protected]

Assessment of cognitive skills is used both in psychological research and in applied practice (for example by Educational, Occupational and Clinical Psychologists).  

This short course will introduce you to some of the standardised assessments used to assess cognition, considering their history, their use in practice, their strengths and their limitations.  

You will be given the opportunity to have a go at using these assessments in practice.  In addition, we will consider dynamic assessment as an alternative approach to understanding cognitive abilities.

Careers: Vocational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Academic Psychology

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers

Duration: 2 days including practical guidance and self directed report writing
Date: May 2021 (Date and time TBC)
Availability: 12 places
Contact: [email protected]

Video Interaction Guidance is a therapeutic intervention used to develop attuned interactions between individuals.  

It can be applied in a range of contexts, supporting the development of effective communication and positive relationships within families, and within education and healthcare settings.  It involves filming a positive interaction, making short clips of attuned moments and watching these back with the client to guide them to notice what they are doing, thinking and feeling when things are going well.  In this interactive workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn about the psychological theories underpinning Video Interaction Guidance, before practicing some of the key skills underpinning Video Interaction Guidance (video editing and taking part in a shared review of video clips with the client).  Through this you will also have the opportunity to reflect on your own strengths in communication.

Careers: Educational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social and Wellbeing Professions

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers, Other Psychology Careers

Duration: 2 days
Date: May 2021 (Date, time, location TBC)
Availability: 6 places
Contact: [email protected]

A well-known significant factor known to affect an individual’s psychological and physical well-being is ‘stress’.

This one day course will offer a sound introduction to Stress Management’ (morning session 9am-12pm) and ACT (afternoon session 1-3pm). The objective of the course is to provide current theoretical and empirical knowledge of stress management and ACT that is supported by evidence-based research. The course will include skills-based strategies to manage stress and distressful situations. There will be a practical session on the principles of ACT followed by a series of mindful-based ACT activities (as recommended by the NHS) which you can take part in and for future use.

Careers: Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Academic Psychology

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers

Contact: shakiela.davies@southwales.ac.uk

This is a half-day workshop which introduces the concept of Motivational Interviewing or MI for short. 

This technique was initially developed for work in clinical settings by Psychologists and Counsellors to enable people to live healthier lives. For example, to support people in stopping smoking or to lose weight. However, it can be used in any situation where a person desires to change their behaviour. The strategies used within MI aim to increase someone’s desire to change and some of these techniques will be explored in this workshop. MI helps to build self-awareness and empowers the person to make the changes they wish to see in their own lives. This workshop will be interactive and will provide an opportunity to learn and develop skills which will be particularly useful for counselling and coaching work. However, the applicability of Motivational Interviewing encompasses all occupations which require people skills. 

Careers: Counselling Psychology, Social and Welfare Professions, Clinical Psychology

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers, Other Psychology Careers

Contact: [email protected]

Developed and delivered by Rhi Kemp, the University’s Trans Role Model, this training is designed to help you start feeling confident in supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) colleagues, clients and any other Trans or GNC people in your life.

The training will include:

1. An overview of legislation relating to Trans equality
2. Insight into the lives of Trans and GNC people in the UK 
3. Information on language and questions to use around and with Trans and GNC people
4. Guidance on how you can support Trans and GNC people

There will be an opportunity to discuss your own concerns/worries and questions over this subject in a safe environment and the opportunity to put new skills and language into practice.

Careers: Counselling Psychology, Diversity Awareness, Inclusive work

Find out more: Traditional Psychology Careers

Duration: One afternoon
Date: Date, time, location TBC
Availability: 20 places
Contact: [email protected]

This online course will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies and their application in psychological intervention and healthcare.

Artificial intelligence and virtual reality have become widely used within psychology, and have the potential to be of tremendous benefit when combined with different research tools, such as eye-tracking devices and EEG equipment. This course will be delivered by Dr Liucheng Guo, a visiting professor with expertise in both the theoretical and practical applications of AI and VR. 

This is an excellent opportunity for students to explore how new technologies can be of benefit within healthcare, and potentially may open up a new research/career path for students.  Site visits to industrial partners who develop and use AI and VR technologies might also be arranged.

Careers: Cognitive Psychology, Computing and Engineering, Digital Health Care

Find out more: Health and Social Care Careers

Duration: 12 sessions, 1 hour per week, 12 weeks
Date: November 2020 (Date and Time TBC)
Availability: 80 places
Contact: [email protected]