Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

Which factors contribute to the development of children and adolescents? How and why do emotional, behavioural or social problems emerge? How can such problems be prevented or treated effectively? 

Applying scientific knowledge in clinical practice

The master's programme Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology focuses on both the acquisition of scientific knowledge and its application in professional practice. The internship in the broad field of a clinical child and adolescent psychology is therefore an important part of our programme. In the courses, you will gain specialised, state of the art scientific knowledge and learn about its applications.

Electives

In this one-year Master's programme, you can choose your own specialisation. You can apply for an internship at an institute of your choice, you can choose a thesis topic that fascinates you, or you can take an elective course that will allow you to specialise in the field of Child and Adolescent Psychology. For example, you could do an elective course on juvenile forensic psychopathology, interventions in diverse contexts (such as school), or developmental neuropsychology. You have 5 ECs available to spend on an elective course that you find interesting.

International perspective

An added value of this programme is that it is international, and accessible to students from all over the world. This provides a stimulating mix of students, but above all it allows you to learn about similarities and differences in how children and adolescents grow up, and how mental health care is organized in different countries. As such this Master’s programme will not only allow you to deepen your knowledge of youth mental health care, such as in your internship, it will also allow you to broaden your horizon by learning in an international context.

Driven by clinical experience and research

Lecturers who teach in this master's programme work (partially) in clinical practice and / or conduct scientific research on children and adolescents at Utrecht University. Healthcare psychologists, school psychologists, and cognitive behavioral therapists are involved in the master's programme.

Researchers from these programmes teach courses and supervise the students’ theses. Students also have the opportunity to take part in their research projects as research assistants.

Objective of the programme

This Master’s programme will enable you to develop into a scientist-practitioner who is able to make a difference in the field of child and adolescent psychology. You will learn to integrate knowledge and skills gained in theoretical courses with practical experience obtained during your internship. You will learn how to apply critical scientific thinking to take position in current developments in the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology. 

Prepares for postgraduate training

In many cases, you will meet the entry requirements for the post-master's programmes to become a Mental Health Psychologist and School Psychologist in the Netherlands (but this also depends on the subjects you took during your bachelor's). For international students, formal accreditation needs to take place at an individual level by the national union of psychologists.

You can register as a master's psychologist at the SKJ (Stichting KwaliteitsregisterJeugd) after completing the Master's. In addition, you have the option to obtain your basic psychodiagnostics certificate (BAPD).

World-class university in a lively student city

Choosing Utrecht University means choosing one of the best universities in the country with several renowned international rankings  and twelve Nobel Prize laureates. 

Located in the middle of the Netherlands, Utrecht is a medieval city with a centre small enough to explore on foot, yet large enough to host world-class festivals, fashionable shops, modern architecture and fascinating museums. Find more about what student life is like in Utrecht!