M.A. Psychosocial Clinical Studies
(School of Human Studies)

Duration: 2 years (4 semesters and a summer)

Total Credits: 68

Medium of instruction: English

Number of seats: 35  

Eligibility: Bachelor's degree with 55% marks (or an equivalent grade) from a recognized university. Relaxation of 5% marks for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PD categories.

Reservation of seats: In accordance with Government of NCT of Delhi rules.

The objectives of this 2-year programme are:

•  to recognize the complexity of our inner worlds and  to explore the forbidden realms of thoughts and feelings

•  to see this complex psyche as a source of inner freedom and to aspire towards playfulness and creative action

•   to continue to appreciate the psyche as created and formed by the matrix of social, political and historical forces

•   to appreciate difference and plurality in life and to critically understand the dynamic processes that foster marginalization and exclusion

•  to reach others through a better understanding of ourselves

•  to enable others to deal with their distress through mental health work.

The academic home of this MA programme is the School of Human Studies. The MA in Psychosocial Clinical Studies is the first programme of the School. This MA programme comprises 12 taught courses consisting of:

a)      three interdisciplinary core courses of 4 credits each which will be common to all MA programmes of the School of Human Studies

b)      six core courses specific to this programme of which five are of 4 credits each and one of 2 credits

c)       two electives of 4 credits each and

d)      one course of 4 credits in qualitative methods of research.

Besides these, there are courses which are transacted through seminars, workshops, practicum, project work and fieldwork.

The programme promises to be an enriching journey that combines the understanding of the inner forces of the psyche with the structural and political processes that intermingle in the formation of human subjectivity. Students will be provided an understanding of theories and practices from Psychoanalysis, Critical Psychology, Gender Studies, Disability Studies and Engaged Spiritual perspectives. These orientations will open the prospective psychologist to greater self awareness and empathy towards others while enabling students to understand processes of social marginalization and exclusion.

Students will be exposed to the more popular medical understanding of psychological symptoms. However, the strength of the programme lies in understanding the relationship of clinical processes and symptomatic states to both personal life-history and cultural, political and historical forces. One of the underlying philosophies that inspire this programme is the belief that authentic clinical work emerges from the prospective clinician's openness to review and revisit painful, traumatic and shame-evoking parts in oneself. This is inspired by the Freudian understanding that, “you will never be able to observe in another, what you have not learnt to acknowledge in yourself”. Observing and understanding difficulties in one's life would simultaneously help the student to acquire sensitivity towards potential clients. In addition, the programme will also train those who are eager to enter community work, disability and/or gender studies. The course aims to provide students with theoretical and methodological tools that will enable a critical look at processes that generate marginality. Theories and practices from Gender and Disability perspectives can also be chosen as specializations. While helping the student to develop as a reflective practitioner, promoting an understanding of the Indian cultural context would also be an imperative.

One of the unique strengths of this programme lies in its well developed interdisciplinary courses. Unlike most other MA programmes in Psychology, three of its taught courses are interdisciplinary in their orientation as they draw heavily from anthropological understanding, radical philosophy, political thought and literary writings. This programme thus has a dual ambition. It strives to help the potential psychologist reach psychological depth while promoting a wide range of understanding about social and historical processes. We are also hopeful that some students will be eager to take their understandings further and enter into specialized training in Clinical / Gender / Disability related work at the post Masters level to be initiated by the School of Human Studies in the near future.