What does this master's programme entail?

The mission of the ‘Child and Adolescent Psychology’ programme is to facilitate children’s and adolescents’ optimal development. During this one-year programme we empower students to then empower young people to successfully negotiate the hurdles inherent to development. This requires accounting for the young person's family and school contexts and the other contexts in which they live (e.g., culture and free time). In pursuing this mission, we focus on the following:

• Building students’ knowledge and skills, as well as a professional and scientific attitude, based on a strong theoretical background and real-life practice.
• Fostering student’s understanding of the transactions between young people, the systems around them, and the helping professional.
• Helping students stay informed about new developments in the field.
• Responding to each student’s needs by providing diverse solutions for academic and practical challenges, via individual mentoring.
• Ensuring that students wishing to enter the Mental Health (GZ) or School Psychologist post-Master’s programs are eligible.

The programme offers intensive courses in understanding, assessing, and treating the wide range of psychological and educational difficulties that may be experienced by young people.

Students can orient their study programme towards work with young people in clinical and/or educational settings.

Reasons to choose Child and Adolescent Psychology at Leiden University

• You will receive personal guidance within the master specialisation and you will have a mentor who will help you with choices and progress.
• You will acquire sound knowledge, but you will also be trained in practical skills in the intensive courses that we offer.
• If you finish this master specialisation Successfully, you will be able to investigate, treat and make a connection with children with psychological and educational issues. Besides, you are also an expert in the field of normal development of children and youngsters; which makes you part of a dynamic group who holds our future in their hands.

Child and Adolescent Psychology: the right programme for you?

Child and Adolescent Psychology could be the right programme for you if you would like to learn:

• about theoretical models of social-emotional and cognitive development and the interplay of risk and protective factors in atypical development;
• about ways to differentiate atypical from typical development and the use of classification systems of childhood disorders;
• how to carry out intelligence assessment with a child or adolescent;
• how to deliver behavioural training to a child;
• how to deliver cognitive therapy to an adolescent and/or solution-focused therapy with small groups of children;
• to choose and apply the most appropriate intervention strategy for each problem area

Career prospects

A master's degree in Psychology at Leiden University combines theoretical knowledge with academic and professional skills, making you an attractive candidate for many employers.

Skills after graduation

Students who complete this master’s specialisation are qualified for any position requiring a degree in psychology, as well as for general research positions and academic policy-making positions. They can come to work in mental health care or education and will come in contact with a wide range of people dedicated to the psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents.