Developing Highly Specialized Professionals Who Manage Various Psychological Challenges in Clinical Settings
The Clinical Psychology Course aims to nurture students to be successful psychologists with practical skills in various areas of clinical psychology. Career options include related jobs in the medical and health fields (such as hospitals, clinics, and mental health and welfare centers), school counselors (in elementary schools, junior high schools, and senior high schools), as well as instructors and psychological evaluators in welfare fields (for instance child counseling centers and child welfare facilities). The Division of Human Sciences initially consisted of three specialized areas — Pedagogy, Social Welfare, and Psychology — but since the establishment of the Clinical Psychology Course in April 2016, the division reconfigured these areas into two courses, the Human Sciences Course and the Clinical Psychology Course. Furthermore, the Clinical Psychology Center was established on campus as a psychological consultation facility for local residents. In addition to such clinical activities, it is used as an educational training institution for graduate students.
In the master’s level of the Clinical Psychology Course, all students are required to take a foundation subject called Advanced Lectures on Human Sciences I, to learn scientific approaches on analyzing and observing human beings and research methods in each field. In addition, more than 20 advanced wide-ranging subjects are available to students, including Special Studies in Clinical Psychology I & II, Special Studies in Psychotherapeutic Interview I & II (Theory and Practice of Psychological Support), Seminar in Psychological Assessment I & II (Theory and Practice of Psychological Assessment) , Special Studies in Research Method on Clinical Psychology, Special Studies in Administration on Clinical Psychology, Special Studies in Psychiatry (Support Theory and Applications in Medical and Health Area), Special Studies in Psychology of Aging (Support Theory and Applications in Socal Wellfare Area) , Special Studies in Psychology of People with Disabilities (Support Theory and Applications in Socal Wellfare Area) , Special Studies in Projective Technique, Special studies in School Clinical Psychology (Support Theory and Applications in Educational Area), and more.
The social landscape surrounding clinical psychologists in Japan has reached a period of significant change following the long-awaited establishment of the national qualification for Certified Psychologists. Since 2018, this division has been designated as Type I by the Foundation of the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists. It is expected that society will anticipate more of clinical psychologists in the future. Our division’s top priority is to cultivate students’ practical skills to respond to such social demands.