Postgraduate training conference of Faculty of Psychology

Faculty of Psychology, USSH Hanoi is the leading institution that trains Psychology in Vietnam at all three levels from bachelor's to doctoral. It currently offers 02 Master's programs in research-based Psychology and applied Clinical Psychology and 01 Doctoral program in Psychology.

At the conference, to give feedback on further improving the quality of training and solving the difficulties faced by the Faculty in postgraduate affairs, the partcipants discussed the proposal to increase the amount for internships and field trips in the curriculum for Clinical Psychology; the consolidation of linkages between the Faculty and employers at hospitals and centers; and the introduction of more applied master's programs according to the Faculty's capabilities and market demands.

Assoc.Prof.Dr Truong Thi Khanh Ha -  Dean of the Faculty of Psychology presents the report on its postgraduate affairs

Assoc.Prof.Dr Tran Thanh Nam (University of Education, VNU Hanoi) said the applied program in Clinical Psychology should focus on practical experiences and case-by-case treatment, therefore is best studied fulltime and continuously. But this causes difficulties to learners as they are already employed. The evaluation of their performance cannot only based on the number of hours and cases but on the actual quality: what the results show, how often learners address the cases, and how much support they provide for their patients and clients.

Assoc.Prof.Dr Tran Thanh Nam

Doctor Cong Huan (Bach Mai Institute of Mental Health) said the Institute has established the Faculty of Clinical Psychology 3 years ago where master's and doctoral candidates of Faculty of Psychology have been studying and doing internships. However, the amount of time for them is only 1-2 months, not enough for the research fellows to get familiar with their tasks and create profiles for all cases.

Mrs. Ha (Institute for the Psychological Studies of Drug Abusers) agreed with the opinion that the time for practice at institutions has to be increased so that learners can not only grasp counseling techniques but also "imbue themselves" with ethical principles by directly advising each client. She also proposed further connecting the Faculty with psychology institutions and suggested the Faculty opened more specialized minors pertaining to the practical needs of these institutions.

Prof.Dr Nguyen Huu Thu (Faculty of Psychology) said the Faculty should evaluate and summarize its postgraduate affairs and learn from other institutions in advanced countries in the world to construct programs of its own but in accordance with common trends and attractive to learners. Some majors can be formed in collaboration with hospitals, research institutes, and counseling and treatment centers such as Psychology for the elderly. In addition, the Faculty should find ways to engage businesses and employers in its training processes.

Assoc.Prof.Dr Le Van Hao (Deputy President of Institute of Psychology) speaks at the conference

Concluding the conference, Vice Rector Hoang Anh Tuan highly appreciated the efforts spent by the teachers and master's and doctoral candidates at the conference.

The Vice Rector emphasized that recently, VNU Hanoi and USSH's postgraduate training and that of other universities have been saturized and therefore the number of master's and doctoral candidates have decreased in all groups of majors. One of the main causes is learners increasingly pay attention to the practical side of their study, which aims to help them find a job for their future career, pressuring training institutions to renovate their teaching methods and improve their quality.

Vice Rector Hoang Anh Tuan

USSH pays special attention to postgraduate affairs and propose they have to follow practical needs. Psychology is a major that combines both theory and practice, so the University encourages the Faculty of Psychology to increase the duration of practical sessions, internships and field trips for learners.

On the introduction of new majors, Vice Rector Hoang Anh Tuan shared the University's viewpoint: apart from maintaining the quality of traditional basic programs, USSH encourages establishing new majors that are highly practical and in line with market trends. The Faculty of Psychology can refer to other majors of USSH such as Social Work and Anthropology to design its own new majors.

Finally, the Vice Rector hoped the Faculty will become a pioneering unit in innovating postgraduate affairs that is able to keep its position as a leading institution in Vietnam specializing in Psychology.