Home > Information

Education Articles and Information

Education features and articles. Find information on a wide range of education topics in Ireland.
Reset
Legal Secretary Courses

Legal Secretary Courses

Legal secretaries are responsible for administration and secretarial work and provide a supporting role towards […]

Admin and Office Skills

Hair and Beauty Courses in Dublin

Hair and Beauty Courses in Ireland

Have you wanted to find a new career path, learn new skills or simply need […]

Hair and Beauty

Adapting to College Life

Adapting to College Life

In life and living, there is no avoiding change, and one of the biggest changes […]

Third Level and CAO

There are many branches of psychology to specialise in; child psychology is one of the most frequently studied specialty areas. Child Psychology focuses on the mind and behaviour of children from prenatal development through to adolescence. This area of psychology deals with the mental, emotional and social development of children. All strands of child psychology are distinct and different from adult psychology. Children are no longer seen as a different and smaller version of adults. Today, psychologists, recognise that child psychology is unique and complex. When child psychologists look at the development of a child, they take into account, not only internal factors, like genetics and personal characteristics - but contextual factors like their environment, which includes: social relationships, their cultural world, along with their socio-economic context. For example: children raised in households with a high socio-economic status tend to have greater access to opportunities, while those from households with lower socio-economic status may have less access to such things as healthcare, quality nutrition and education. Such factors can have a major impact on child psychology. Contexts are also constantly interacting and a child psychologist will examine these interactions also. A child psychologist's ultimate task in not just to gather information that goes towards explaining a child's existence, but to use that information to improve parenting, education, child care and psychotherapy. Some child psychologists use information gathered in the discipline of Child Psychology in a therapeutic/counselling setting. By having a solid understanding, how children grow, think, and behave; parents and professionals working with children can be better prepared to help the kids in their care. No matter what population a child psychologist chooses (whether toddlers or teens), his or her focus will be on helping understand, prevent, diagnose and treat developmental, cognitive, social and emotional issues. If you are considering studying child psychology - expect to study the following topics: Genetics Environmental Influences Prenatal Development Social Growth Personality Development Language Gender Roles Cognitive Development Sexual Development The work a child psychologist undertakes depends upon where they work. Some professionals counsel young clients in therapeutic situations (as noted earlier), while others work in research to explore different aspects of child psychology including giftedness and development disabilities. Career options could range from working as an adolescent psychologist, specialising with teenagers who suffer from psychological illness or distress including eating disorders, depression or anxiety to working as an educational psychologist, which involves the study of how people learn, including topics such as student outcomes, the instructional process, individual differences in learning, gifted learners and learning disabilities. As a child psychologist, you must have a strong curiosity about a child's behaviour and a desire to use your knowledge to help them. Those who choose to work with children must have the patience and skills to communicate with young clients who have not yet developed the cognitive or verbal capacity to express the problems that are causing them distress. This can make the process of diagnosing and treatment difficult and more prolonged. This work can be very demanding. You will need to be resilient and not become burdened by the problems you encounter. Whether you want to become a Child Psychologist or simply want to develop an understanding of child psychology - there are many routes you can take. There is no direct qualification leading to being a 'Child Psychologist'. You either need to train as a clinical psychologist, then specialise in child psychology, or train in Educational Psychology to work with children in education. The first step to becoming a Psychologist in Ireland is to study for a primary degree at honours level in Psychology at University. There are psychology degree programmes available in most universities including: Dublin City University, Trinity College, NUIG and the University of Limerick, amongst others. The BA in Psychology is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland. For those who wish to become professional psychologists, it is important to remember that the undergraduate degree is only the first stage in professional training that will require an additional two to six years of study and supervised experience. Queens University in Belfast offer graduates the opportunity to study: Educational Child & Adolescent Psychology. NUI Galway offer graduates the opportunity to complete their Doctor of Psychological Science (DPsychSc) in Clinical Psychology. This is a taught doctoral programme that provides professional training in clinical psychology. The programme is provided in partnership with clinical psychology services in the Health Services Executive and other health service agencies. The overall objective of the programme is to produce competent and capable clinical psychologists for the Irish health service, through the provision of high quality training in the clinical, academic and research elements of clinical psychology. All trainees have placements in mental health settings working with both child and adult clients. Child Psychology Courses (NON CAO): The College of Management and IT (CMIT) run a FETAC (LEVEL 6) Child Psychology course. This is a course is designed to provide the learner with an understanding of child psychology relevant to childhood education and care settings, and to equip the learner with the knowledge and skills required to understand child psychology from 4 to 18 years. The module leads to a Level 6 component award on the National Framework of Qualifications. This course is ideal for: teachers, childcare workers, youth workers, childcare supervisors and childcare managers. Portobello Institute also run a Child Psychology course. The aim of this course is to introduce the student to the methods, language and practice of child psychology. It examines the core issues in relation to psychological development including language, thinking and socialisation, with particular focus on the emergence of the child as an individual. A knowledge of child psychology is useful when working in any setting that involves children. Understanding their development stage and how a child's contextual world might affect them emotionally and mentally - will go towards providing children with appropriate responses to their needs. If you wish to pursue a full-time career as a child psychologist - expect both a demanding but rewarding career. Like most careers, but specifically when working with children, it is best to have a genuine interest in a child's behaviour and well-being, rather than just an interest in the general area of study. Click Here to View Childcare Courses on Findacourse.ie

Child Psychology Courses

There are many branches of psychology to specialise in; child psychology is one of the […]

Counselling and Psychology

Autumn Evening Courses nad part time night courses

Autumn Evening Course Options for Part Time Learners

September and October are jam-packed with exciting opportunities to sign up to new learning experiences with many […]

Miscellaneous

HELS Links Scheme for QQI progression to CAO

Higher Education Links Scheme – HELS

Progression Routes into Higher Education The Higher Education Links Scheme (HELS) gives further education learners […]

Further Education and PLC

management courses

Management Training Courses

Modern managers are expected to have the ability to think creatively on top of having […]

Management

Sales Training Courses

Sales Training Courses

Do you have the ‘gift of the gab’? Perhaps you are the persuasive sort that […]

Marketing, Sales and PR

CAO courses Ireland

CAO Second Round Offers and Other Options

For many students, a college place will await them after the first round of offers […]

Third Level and CAO

Taking a Gap Year

Taking a Gap Year

A gap year is a deferred year of study, usually taken between second and third […]

Job Skills and CPD

Pre Nursing Courses

Pre Nursing Courses

Pre-nursing courses are designed to give a solid foundation in the theory and practice of […]

Healthcare and Medical

Available Vacant Places CAO Third Level

CAO Vacant (Available) Places

CAO Vacant places (also called Available Places) is a facility which enables students to apply […]

Third Level and CAO

Europass

About Europass

Europass is an EU initiative to help people make their skills, and qualifications clearly understood […]

News and Features

leaving cert helpline

Leaving Cert Results Helpline

Trying to make sense of your Leaving Cert results? The Exam Helpline 2019, provided by […]

Third Level and CAO

PLC Courses - Benefits and Application Procedures

PLC Courses – The Benefits

With much of the focus for leaving cert students being on CAO applications, it is […]

Further Education and PLC

CAO offers and application process

Round Zero Offers – CAO

Each year the CAO issues offer in a variety of stages, the first of these […]

Third Level and CAO

Evening Courses

Evening Courses

Are you looking for a career change? Making up lost time? Do you need a […]

Miscellaneous

fitness instructor courses

A Career in Health & Fitness

With bountiful opportunities for professionals in the many health and fitness fields, the range and […]

Fitness and Health

CAO Offers & Acceptance

CAO Offers and Acceptance Process

The Central Applications Office (CAO) have a helpful online video tutorial aimed at students who […]

Third Level and CAO

plc course application

Further Education – The PLC Application Process

Further Education can be described as education and training which occurs after second level schooling […]

Further Education and PLC

cao alternatives

Alternatives to the CAO

The CAO is the dominant method of gaining entry to college in Ireland (Click here […]

Third Level and CAO

coping with unemployment

Coping with Unemployment

The trouble with unemployment is that ‘the minute you wake up in the morning you’re […]

Job Skills and CPD

Medical Secretary Courses in Ireland

Medical Secretary and Administration Courses

Medical administrators and secretaries play an important role in the successful operation of medical or […]

Healthcare and Medical

choosing CAO course

Choosing the Right Third Level Course

Reports from recent years have highlighted the importance of course choices in third level education. […]

Third Level and CAO