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The MSc courses within the Mental Health Studies Programme offer a unique opportunity to extend your knowledge of mental illness in a world class research and teaching environment.

Ultimately the success of the programme is judged by the experience and benefits accrued to our students. From our student feedback, this programme equips you to apply for a career in clinical psychology, enhances promotion prospects in nursing and occupational therapy, and offers the opportunity of a career in research and teaching in Higher Education.

Our belief is that excellence in teaching needs to be underpinned by excellence in research and needs to be delivered through the highest quality lecturers. We are very fortunate in being able to offer this rare combination on the Mental Health Studies programme.

Dr. Sukhi S Shergill

We are located in the Denmark Hill campus of King’s College London:

Mental Health Studies Programme
Institute of Psychiatry
Addictions Sciences Building (ASB)
Room B3.05 (3rd floor)
4 Windsor Walk Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AFUK

E: mhsp@kcl.ac.uk
T: 020 7848 0193
F: 020 7848 0126

Staff in the Programme Office are here to answer all your questions with respect to current and prospective study on one of our courses. The Programme Office team consists of: 

Ms Christine Cheung, Senior Programme Administrator
E: mhsp@kcl.ac.uk

Christine is responsible for administering the 'student lifecycle' from admission and registration through to graduation, for setting up and maintaining all administrative systems, such as student records, and for handling all student enquiries. Christine also provides administrative support to the team of academic staff and to the Programmes Manager, ensuring the smooth operation of the programmes.   

Dr Katerina Koutsantoni, Programmes Manager (BA, PhD, Counselling Skills professional Certificate)
katerina.koutsantoni@kcl.ac.uk

Katerina is Programmes Manager for the Mental Health Studies courses and for other postgraduate taught programmes wihin the Institute of Psychiatry. She has a background in UK Further and Higher Education in such positions as English Literature lecturer, English for Academic Purposes tutor, English as a Foreign Language tutor, examiner, exams supervisor, moderator, researcher, administrator and project officer. Katerina is responsible for co-ordinating the operation of programmes with respect to course/module design and approval, admissions policies, examinations procedures and regulations, delivery of teaching, financial matters, space issues, liaison with students.  

Dr Mohammad Majid al-Rifaie, Electronic resources Officer [BSc (hons), MPhil, PhD (Artificial Intelligence & Swarm Intelligence)]
m.majid@kcl.ac.uk

Mohammad is the E-Resources Officer for the Mental Health Studies programmes. He has previously worked as a visiting tutor at Goldsmiths, University of London. His background is in computing and his interest focuses on the inter-connections between artificial intelligence, swarm intelligence, robotics, digital art and computational creativity. Mohammad, among other things, is responsible for co-ordinating the e-learning resources for the programmes within the Institute of Psychiatry and making sure that the virtual learning system is running smoothly. 

Opportunities for clinical placements within the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust are available through the Mental Health Studies Programme. All placements are different and finding placements can be a complicated process, but we are here to help! Previous placements have included work with people suffering from schizophrenia, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and also opportunities to volunteer in IAPT services.

Feedback has been very positive from students and clinicians involved previously, so you are encouraged to become actively involved in the scheme this year. Placements do not count towards any assessment in your Master's course.

What must I do to get a placement?

Obtain CRB and OH clearance

During the Admissions process students receive Occupational Health forms and Criminal Records Bureau forms for completion. It is important to return all forms as soon as possible as both OH checks and CRB checks are compulsory for placements. The more you can chase up these clearances the faster you will get them. Please let us know once you are cleared on both.

Send your CV and completed placement form to the placement coordinator

All students are asked to provide their CV and a completed placement form before enrolment. If you're interested in a placement and have not already done this, complete the placement form here and send it with your CV to MHSP Office. 

You may be able to find a placement without our assistance using your own contacts. If you do this please let us know for our records.

What are the placements usually like?

Placements usually commence before the start of the second term (January) and last for 3-6 months. Students are matched using their CVs and the 'placement and project form' described above to suitable placements. The placement may then wish to interview you. All placements are voluntary without reimbursement. The amount of supervision offered is usually determined by those offering the placement. The course cannot offer individual clinical supervision.

How likely is it I will get a placement?

The Mental Health Studies Programme only acts as a facilitator for placements and we cannot guarantee anyone a placement, although we will do our best to help you find one. The scheme is relatively new and is expanding to cater for as many students as possible. The more flexible you are about what placement you do, where and when, the more likely it is you will get one.

Who do I speak to about this?

The scheme is co-ordinated by the MHSP office, and is overseen by the Programme Director, Dr Jenny Yiend.

The MHSP Interdisciplinary Seminars explore subjects related to psychology and psychiatry. Although not mandatory, they give students the possibility of expanding their knowledge on neuroscience, art, artificial intelligence, psychoanalysis and economy. They also give the unique chance to reflect on matters pertaining to present society and evaluate their link with modern psychology and current neuroscience findings in an alternative and unconventional manner. They are designed to help students develop independent and alternative thinking by enhancing their ability to develop a personal and mature understanding on psychology and psychiatry.

These seminars are open to anyone working or studying at the Institute of Psychiatry and aim to stimulate debate and increase the exchange between professionals and different points of view.  The Seminars' co-ordinators are Dr Stefania Bonaccorso, Madeleine Oakley and Dr Katerina Koutsantoni.

Term 1 concentrates on the more biological aspects of Psychiatry, covering the basics of Neuroanatomy, Neuropsychopharmacology, Neuroimaging, Neuropsychological Assessments and Artificial Intelligence.

Term 2 covers diverse subjects such as Psychoanalysis & Transactional Analysis, Disability & and the mental health of carers. The latter part of the Programme looks at the interface between Psychiatry, Psychology and the cinema, literature and art.

Each year several of our students join one of the highly sought after DClinPsych programmes while others are accepted onto related PhD programmes.

More information about studying for a PhD or MPhil at the Institute can be found on the IoP website.

91% of alumni say the course helped them in their career

Listed alphabetically below are some examples of jobs our alumni had before and after completing our MSc courses.

Professional Progression

Job Before Taking Course	Job After Completing Course
Actor	Accreditation of In-Patient Wards
Administrator	Assistant Clinical Psychologist
Banking Executive	Assistant Psychologist
Care Assistant for Children with Learning Disabilities	Clinical Educator for Mental Health & Addictions
Care Home Manager	Clinical Psychologist
Charge Nurse	Clinical Researcher
Charity Outreach Worker	Community Support Worker
Clinical Nurse Specialist	Consultant & Workplace Mediator
Community Mental Health Nurse	Corporate Trainer
Deputy Director of Nursing	Corporate Training Design Consultant
Deputy Unit Nurse Manager	Deputy Team Leader (Nursing)
Full-Time Student	Director of Occupational Health
In-Patient Service Manager	Investigations Manager & Clinical Performance Investigator
Nursing & Research Assistant	Lead Clinician
Physiotherapist	Management Consultant
Project Manager in the Volunatry Sector	NHS Mental Health Advisor
Psychology Intern	Performance & Well-Being At Work Consultant
Psychotherapist	PhD Student
Registered Mental Health Nurse	Private Psychotherapist
Residential Mental Health Worker	Psychologist
Staff Grade Doctor	Registered Mental Health Nurse
Staff Nurse	Same Job - Higher Salary/Promotion
Volunteer	Same Job - More Confidence

Would Alumni Recommend the Programme?

• *Sample "Other" Answers:

• Depends on the career path of the individual
• Only if they are sure that they are interested in mentally ill people
• Yes, if they wish to have a general background in clinical psychology.
• Depends on persons needs

Why Students Chose This Programme

	Mental Health Studies	Organisation Psychology & Psychiatry
Reputation of IoP	56%	45%
Reputation of King's	52%	55%
To Further My Career	81%	91%
For Personal Interest	52%	27%
Other	4%	18%

Below are some examples of recent publications by students on the MSc Mental Health Studies:

2013

Lloyd, L.C., Hemming, C., Tracy, D.K. (2013). Service users’ experiences, understanding and hopes about care in an inpatient intellectual disability unit: a qualitative study. Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 2013; 7(4), epub ahead of print.

Vergunst F, Fekadu A, Wooderson S, Tunnard C, Rane L, Markopoulou K, Cleare AJ (2013). Longitudinal Course of Symptom Severity and Fluctuation in Patients with Treatment Resistant Unipolar and Bipolar Depression.  Psychiatry Research, (in press). 

2012

Koutsantoni, K. (2012). Manic depression in literature: the case of Virginia Woolf. Medical humanities 38.1: 7-14.

Yiend, J., Saranne W, and Ian K. (2012). Peer observation of teaching: The interaction between peer review and developmental models of practice. Journal of Further and Higher Education: 1-20.

Sendt, K., Giaroli, G. and Tracy, D. K. (2012). Beyond Dopamine: Glutamate as a Target for Future Antipsychotics. Review article. International Scholarly Research Network ISRN Pharmacology. Vol 2012, Article ID 427267, doi:10.5402/2012/427267

Pelechova, M., Wiscarson, G. and Tracy, D. K. (2012). Spirituality and the mental health professions. The Psychiatrist Online. 36:249-254. DOI: 10.1192/pb.bp.111.036954

Brown, K. M and Tracy, D. K.  (2012) Lithium: the pharmacodynamic actions of the amazing ion. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology. 0(0) 1–14. DOI: 10.1177/2045125312471963

Falkenburg, J. and D. K. Tracy  (2012), Sex and schizophrenia: a review of gender differences, Psychosis: Psychological, Social and Integrative Approaches, DOI:10.1080/17522439.2012.733405 .

Penn, E. and D. K. Tracy (2012), The drugs don’t work? antidepressants and the current and future pharmacological management of depression,Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2(5): 179–188, DOI: 10.1177/2045125312445469

Tchanturia, K., Hambrook, D., Curtis, H., Jones, T., Lounes, N., Fenn, K., Keyes, A., Stevenson, L. and Davies, H. (2012) 'Work and social adjustment in patients with anorexia nervosa'. Comprehensive Psychiatry. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.03.014 (in press)

2011

Tracy, D. K., Ho, D. K., O’Daly, O., Michalopoulou, P., Lloyd, L. C., Dimond, E., Matsumoto, K. and Shergill, S. S. (2011). It’s not what you say but the way that you say it: an fMRI study of differential lexical and non-lexical prosodic pitch processing. BMC Neuroscience 12:128

Lloyd, L. C., Giaroli, G., Taylor, D. and Tracy, D. K. (2011). Bipolar depression: clinically missed, pharmacologically mismanaged. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology. 1(5) 153 162.DOI: 10.1177/ 2045125311420752

Fisher, H.L., Appiah-Kusi, E., Grant, C. (2012). Depression and anxiety mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and paranoia. Psychiatry Research, 10.1016/j.psychres.2011.12.004.

Lounes, N., Khan, G., Tchanturia, K. (2011) Assessment of cognitive flexibility in Anorexia Nervosa – self-report or experimental measure? A brief report. JINS 17 (1-4) doi.1017/S1355617711000671

Vergunst, FK., Fekadu, A., Wooderson, S., Tunnard, C., Rane, L., Markopoulou, K. & Cleare, AJ. (2011): Longitudinal Course of Symptom Severity and Fluctuation in Patients with Treatment Resistant Unipolar and Bipolar Depression (submitted for publication).

2010

Jacobson, C. Shearer, J. Habel, A. Kane, F. Tsakanikos, E. Kravariti, E. (2010) Core neuropsychological characteristics of children and adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 54(8):701-13.

Kravariti, E., Jacobson, C., Morris, R., Frangou, S., Murray, RM., Tsakanikos, E., Habel, A., Shearer, J. (2010) Memory in intellectually matched groups of young participants with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and those with schizophrenia. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 31(3):864-8. 

Sanghara H. Kravariti E. Jakobsen H. Okocha CI. (2010) Using short message services in mental health services: assessing feasibility. Mental Health Review Journal. 15(2):28-33.

Seaman C, Oldfield VB, Gordon O, Forrester E, Salkovskis PM., The impact of symptomatic hoarding in OCD and its treatment. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2010 Mar;38(2):157-71.

2008

Genders R, Davies H, StLouis L, Kyriacou O, Hambrook D, Tchanturia K (2008) Long-term benefits of CRT for anorexia. British Journal of Healthcare Management. 14(12): Suppl 15-19

Genders, R., Treasure, J., Fernández-Aranda F, Tchanturia, K, (2008) Childhood eating and feeding factors associated with abnormal eating behaviours in British and Georgian females. Int J Child Adolesc Health 1(4): 341-3540.

Hambrook, D., Tchanturia, K., Schmidt, U., Russell, T., Treasure, J. (2008) Empathy, Systemising, and Autistic Traits in Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 47, 335-39

Hambrook, D., Tchanturia K, (2008) Pilot Study Exploring Machiavellianism in Anorexia Nervosa. Weight and Eating Disorders , 13(3), 137-41

2007

Roberts, M., Demetriou, L., Tchanturia, K. (2007) Neuropsychological profile in the overweight population: An exploratory study of set-shifting and detail focused processing styles. Therapy 4(6)