Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology

Aneliya
Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology MSc
I chose King’s College London, not only due to the fact that it is located in a cosmopolitan city, but for its well known reputation. It is a world class university with world class status for both thaught and research programs.



The Institute of Psychiatry is the only postgraduate institution in the United Kingdom dedicated to the study and practice of psychiatry and related subjects. King’s College London and the Institute of Psychiatry not only had the specific program that I was looking for; they had a brilliant board of teachers and professionals that combine professionalism and quality research with warmth and fun. My course leader and supervisor were extremely supportive and compassionate making my experience truly memorable.



I loved the fact that studying at King’s College London gave me the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world and to learn more about their cultures. I would highly recommend King’s College London and the Institute of Psychiatry to all students considering a postgraduate education.

Oxana
Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology MSc
OPP is a unique programme that combines the study of organisational psychology and psychiatry. I was interested to learn about mental health disorders, how people’s mental health can be affected when facing pressure at work and what are the interventions that organisations can employ to make sure they keep their staff engaged and performing at their best.

I enjoyed the wide range of subjects covered on the course and the opportunity to have access to the latest research in the field. I also enjoyed being part of the IoP community, where communication and exchange of ideas is highly encouraged by the tutors. Having the opportunity to work on real life examples and case studies, by putting into practice all the theory acquired on the course was something else I really enjoyed doing. Moreover, having colleagues from different backgrounds and cultures meant everyone could bring different perspectives into discussion, which made the whole learning process even more dynamic.

Completing the course at the IoP has offered me the knowledge and preparation to take on a career move. A few months after completing the course, I left a permanent role in management consultancy to pursue psychology. My MSc in OPP and experience in business offers me the right skills to succeed in a wide range of roles, including human capital development and business psychology. I am looking forward to putting into practice everything I learnt on the course.

Paul
UK
Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology MSc
After completing a BSc in Psychology with Clinical Psychology, I was faced with the inevitable dilemma encountered by most psychology graduates: which branch of psychology should I do my graduate study in?
I wanted to keep my options open so I chose the MSc Mental Health Studies (Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology) to gain an up-to-date knowledge of psychology as applied in clinical, as well as organizational settings.
Studying at King's College London and the Institute of Psychiatry has been extremely fulfilling and enjoyable. I believe the comprehensive academic education I have received has put me in a prominent position to achieve my plans of undertaking doctoral training in clinical psychology and ultimately becoming a consultant.
In addition, I am involved with the university's Widening Participation unit as a student ambassador and I represent the university at several 'Aimhigher' projects during which I give presentations at local schools about the benefits of higher education. This has been a good opportunity to gain work experience and meet like minded people.
Finally, I would advise prospective students to take advantage of the plethora of extracurricular activities offered by King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU) clubs and societies, as these will further enhance your experience at King's.

Rong
China
Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology MSc
My first degree was in Economics and I knew I wanted to develop a career in human resource management. Rather than a straight forward human resource management course, I was intrigued by the idea of studying something with a psychology element. Even though I had not previously studied psychology, I liked the idea of learning about how to better understand individuals, as well as their relationship with an organisation. I thought this might have a broader application and would also be a very useful skill. I also liked the idea of studying something new as I like to challenge myself!

I like the fact that there is an emphasis on the practical, we look at how things that we are studying can be applied, rather than focusing on only the theory. I like the range of topics we study and the lectures we have from external speakers is brilliant – we are really lucky to be able to learn from successful professionals from a wide range of organisations.

There is a real range of previous work experience amongst students on the course, some have worked for a number of years whereas others have recently graduated. One of the things I really like about the group is that those with more experience are always keen to share these experiences with those of us with less experience.

Gilly Wiscarson
Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology MSc
The first of its kind in Europe, this programme offers the unique opportunity to study the application of psychological and psychiatric principles in organisational settings. The course offers an introduction to a broad range of organisational psychology topics including personality, leadership, motivation, workplace conflict and organisational change. We also explore stress-related ill health, absenteeism, occupational physical illness, health and safety requirements, and drug and alcohol misuse. Students learn how to design and evaluate workplace interventions to prevent and alleviate these problems. Teaching methods include lectures and workshops, student-led presentations, and external visits to leading organisations. Recent visiting speakers on the course included Professor Adrian Furnham, Professor Rob Briner, Dr Andrew McCulloch, and Andrew Kinder – all leading experts in the field.

My background is in management consultancy, combining business strategy training and business psychology, and I specialise in helping teams within organisations to deal with stress resulting from multiple change. My experience has helped me to design this programme in a way that applies these very important theories to real life organisational situations.

One of the aspects of this course that makes it unique is that students come from varied backgrounds; all hold a first degree - not necessarily in psychology - and this brings a richness of experience which is greatly valued. Some students have the opportunity to join a research project offered by internationally renowned researchers here at the Institute of Psychiatry. Others prefer to develop their own research interests; recent topics have included the comparison in motivation in two different departments of the same organisation; a survey of attitudes and behaviours related to the Blackberry; change in British Airways; line managers' stress prevention behaviour; and bullying at work.

As many students are interested in careers in management consultancy, a Management Consultancy Special Interest Group has been set up and is now attached to the course, which meets on a regular basis to explore key issues in this area.

Feedback from former students tells us that their careers have been enormously enhanced by their MSc Organisational Psychiatry & Psychology qualification. Many have taken on senior management roles in organisations, sometimes in HR and in organisational development and training. Some further their studies in psychology.