Clinical Psychology

The course aims to provide an overview of the areas of knowledge and intervention of clinical psychology. Starting from the complexity of the concepts of health and mental disorder, it will address the topic of diagnosis (nosographic and functional). Students will be equipped with tools to understand the psychological functioning of individuals with personality disorders and the diagnostic criteria according to the DSM for diagnosing personality disorders. Finally, the course will offer an overview of the main psychotherapy models used for the treatment of mental disorders.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
· Understand the definition of normality and pathology
· Reflect on the complexity of the concepts of health and mental disorder
· Describe the diagnostic process and its tools (interview, tests, observation)
· Understand the differences between nosographic/ descriptive diagnosis and functional diagnosis
· Know the psychodynamic diagnosis of personality: levels of personality organization and types of personality
· Know the definition of personality disorder according to DSM-5-TR and the clinical features of personality disorders in different clusters
· Apply clinical psychology knowledge to recognize signs of psychological distress and hypothesize a diagnosis
· Understand the theoretical foundations of the main treatment models in psychotherapy (psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and systemic-relational)
· Interpret different theoretical models of intervention (psychotherapy models) in relation to the historical context in which they originated