3 ECTS credits
90 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 4003740FNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
For this course you have to meet certain enrolment requirements. For an overview of the enrolment requirements check https://www.vub.be/en/studying-vub/practical-info-for-students/study-guidance/study-path/individual-study-path#paragraph--id--71647 Students must have taken ‘Developmental Psychopathology’ (not for students from SCH 45 SP) and 'Psychodiagnostics Children and Adolescents' before they can enroll in Case Studies in Psychopathology: Children and Adolescents.
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Department
Klinische- en Levenslooppsychologie
Educational team
Smadar Westreich (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
12 contact hours Lecture
10 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
30 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

Case Studies Psychopathology Children and Adolescents (CSPCA) deepens assessment and intervention concerning clinical issues of youth and their environment according to professional guidelines. To monitor the realization of such guidelines, this course uses the FACE© stressbalance model and the accompanying FACE© method (Facilitating Adjustment of Cognition and Emotion, see handbooks and publications).

The FACE©-approach is an evidence-based conceptual and methodological framework to: 

- guide the initial risk assessment with the youth and his environment (the clientsystem),

- on a macro-level, efficiently and rapidly map the clientsystem’s (perceived) load of problems and resources,

- on a micro-level, discern sources of risk and resiliency in the clientsystem’s thought, feel, and action dynamics, with attention to neuroplasticity and epigenetics,

- deduct leads for change and readjustment of the youth’s and their family’s ‘Psychological Balance©’; or orient adequate referral when needed. 

The student, as a soon-to-be active clinician, monitors professional conduct by learning to self-critically and (culture)competently adjust his or her modes of thinking, feeling and acting with the client(system).

During this course, students develop their clinical mastery regarding child and adolescent psychopathology by composing a guidelined workpiece of a case study wih a youth, according to the FACE-approach for professional assessment and intervention monitoring. This workpiece focusses on transparent, evidence-based assessment and intervention with the chosen youth and his/her environment.

In short, Case Studies Psychopathology Children and Adolescents operates as an interactive course where students, through active participation, have the opportunity to grow towards an 'end-of-cycle' synthesis and integration of evidence-based scientific knowledge, constructive self-critical insights and initial practice experience.

See learning platform for the current semester's course focus and guidelines.

Students thus learn to acquire the following learning results that are integratively reflected in the individual clinical workpiece. Students are able to: independently propose an initial risktaxation for the chosen youth;  use the FACE©-approach to map the clientsystem’s overall stressbalance in a problem-solving, resiliency oriented manner; efficiently screen the clientsystem’s individual cognitive-emotional dynamics using appropriate instruments and/or (FACE©-)tools; propose, following the aforementioned screening appropriate intervention or referral ; and self-critically evaluate and where needed readjust his/her own role during their clinical work according to the FACE©-approach.

Contact: during contact sessions, through email and by appointment.

Prof. Dr. Smadar Celestin-Westreich

Dept. of Developmental and Life Span Psychology

Faculty of Psychology & Pedagogy

Vrije Universiteit Brussels

E-mail: Smadar.Westreich@vub.ac.be

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Powerpoint presentaties en ad hoc capita selecta, Celestin-Westreich Smadar
Handbook (Required) : Diagnostiek van kind, opvoeding en gezin, met MyLab (digitale training), Celestin-Westreich, Smadar, Celestin, Leon-Patrice, 1ste, Amsterdam: Pearson, 9789043037327, 2021
Handbook (Recommended) : Observeren en rapporteren, met MyLab (digitale training), Celestin-Westreich, Smadar, Celestin, Leon-Patrice, 3de, Amsterdam: Pearson, 9789043033817, 2017
Practical course material (Required) : Casuïstiek aangebracht door student; ad hoc testmateriaal en/of relevante klinische documentatie
Additional info

See learning platform at the start of the semester for current guidelines.

The study materials concern the theory and the practice of this course.

Students bring their own material of a clinical case with a youth from their internship to independently accomplish their workpiece.

Contact sessions (live or digital) help students in the conceptual and methodological progress on their clinical case study through different didactic modalities (e.g. class, intervision, supervision, student presentations).

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

See Course Aims.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Workpiece with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

    Note: The exam integrates theory and practice. For the exam, students deliver a work piece of a clinical case study with a youth.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The course evaluation consists of the following categories :

The written exam determines 100% of the course evaluation.

The exam integrates theory and practice. For the exam, students deliver a work piece of a clinical case study with a youth.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Psychology: Clinical Psychology (only offered in Dutch)