Clinical Psychology Subjects List 2025: Check Semester-wise Subjects & Syllabus

Uses theories and knowledge to diagnose

Uses information related to the social and economic background also

Requires a PhD.

Doesn’t require a PhD.

Psychopathology

Psychopathology is a study of mental disorders and abnormal behaviour in patients. The main components of the study are:

• Loss of freedom and inability to understand the alternatives

• Loss of connection with one’s inner self and the inability to be productive

• Dissociation with people

• Mental distress

Community psychology

Community psychology studies the effect of community on people's mental well-being and health and how people form connections within their communities and social circles. The subject enables psychologists to look for disturbing or unpleasant situations in a community and understand their effect on the mental health of its residents. It focuses on several factors such as:

• Cultural environment

• Political environment

• Economic environment

• International influences

Statistics in Psychology

Statistics in Psychology helps students to understand data in a better manner and to reach a definite conclusion. Psychologists can discover patterns and arrive at viable conclusions to help the patients.

Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology refers to studying human growth and mental development that includes cognitive, physical, social, and intellectual aspects of human growth. It covers several stages of human development, such as:

• Healthcare

• Education

• Medicine

• Social work

Counselling Psychology

The subject covers the study of human behaviour and ethical and professional boundaries. Counselling can be various kinds like:

• Event counselling

• Performance counselling

• Professional growth counselling

Psychology of Late Adulthood

The subject deals with the psychological study and understanding of people between 60-75. It covers several aspects of their mental capabilities like:

• Physiological changes

• Psychological changes

• Social changes

Sports Psychology

Sports Psychology covers the mental well-being of sports persons and athletes. It talks about the co-dependency of an athlete's physical and psychological health. The sports psychologist works with the athletes to manage their mental health and the stress associated with the sport.

Health Psychology

Health Psychology focuses on the biological, social, and psychological factors affecting the health and fitness of people. It focuses on how some patients manage their illnesses and why some do not follow medical advice.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology is also known as the science of the brain. It covers how the brain functions and remembers and recalls essential information. Cognitive psychology includes:

• Use of language

• Problem-solving

• Attention span

• Perception

Psychological Analysis

Psychological analysis is also known as Psychoanalysis. It is used to understand the person’s inability to learn and understand things.

1

• Foundation of Human Behaviour

• Experiments in Psychology

• Child Psychology

• Schools of Psychology

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Definition and Goals of Psychology

• Methods of Research in Psychology

• Attention: Meaning and concept

• Psychological experimentation

• Weber’s law and its verification

• Concept of development

• Stages of prenatal stage

• Development during infancy

• Introduction to early childhood

2

• Cognitive Processes

• Physiological Psychology

• Measurement in Psychology

• Adolescent Psychology

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Learning

• Memory and forgetting

• Nervous system and its functions

• Biochemical basis of behaviour

• Testing in psychology

• Reliability, validity and norms

• Cognitive and social development

• Personality development and issues

3

· Research methods

· Abnormal psychology

· Health psychology

· Basics of personality

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Sampling and its types

• Cross-sectional search

• History of depression

• Model of abnormal behaviour

• Health-promoting

• Stress and coping

• Genetics of Personality

4

• Social psychology

• Statistics in psychology

• Psychology of intelligence

• Industrial psychology

• Gender studies

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Social perception

• Aggression: causes & prevention

• Types of statistics

• Construct of intelligence

• Emotional intelligence

• Structure of a production unit

• Work motivation

• Gender discrimination

• Sex-related comparison

5

• Psychology of Adulthood and Ageing

• Psychotherapeutic Intervention I

• Guidance and Counselling

• Neuropsychology

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Indian theory of Ashrams

• Concerns of Ageing

• Mesmerism and Hypnotherapy

• Psychodynamic therapies

• Vocational Guidance

• Risk in counselling profession

6

• Psychotherapeutic Intervention II

• Integrated Psychological Interventions

• Disability and Rehabilitation

• Project

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Evidence-based Psychotherapies

• Cognitive Therapy

• Yoga and meditation

• Introduction to disability

• Empowerment and employment

1

• History of Psychology

• Cognitive Psychology

• Research Design & Methods

• Biopsychology

• Experiments

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Origin of Scientific Psychology

• Psychophysics

• Psychoanalysis

• Cognitive Neuroscience

• Attention, Perception, Memory

• Epidemiological research

• APA code of ethics

2

• Theories of Personality

• Lifespan Development

• Statistical Techniques in Psychology

• Psychology of abnormal behaviour

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory

• Roger’s self-theory

• Hippocrates’ theory of personality

• Influence of nature and nurture on development

• Adolescence

• Daily life in late adulthood

• Stress Diathesis model

• Anxiety disorder

3

• Introduction to Clinical Psychology

• Psycho-diagnostics

• Psychotherapy I

• Neuropsychology

• Clinical field training

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• History of Clinical Psychology in India

• Assessment of Clinical Psychology

• Introduction of Psycho-diagnostic Assessment

• Evidence-based psychotherapies

• Freudian Psychoanalysis

• Behaviour therapy

• Neurotransmitters

4

• Childhood disorders

• Psychotherapy II

• Personality Disorder

• Psychological Intervention

Some topics that students would study are mentioned below:

• Models of Child Psychopathology

• Intervention in Children and Adolescents

• Neurodevelopmental disorders

• MCMI, RIBT

Child Psychology

• Introduction to child Psychology

• Physical development and attachment

• Social development

• Aggressive behaviour and Bullying

• Educational psychology of children with special needs

The specialisation would enable the students to understand the mental health issues in children. It covers how the brain of the child functions and how to manage their anxieties and insecurities. The specialisation also covers problems teenagers face and how they should manage their emotions.

Family Psychology

• Human Development and Family relation

• Counselling and family therapy

• Applied Social Psychology

• Marital and Family therapy

The changing social scenarios have resulted in many distress and mental pressures in the family setup. The specialisation would enable the students to tackle complex family-related issues such as maladaptive behaviour towards society, aggression amongst couples and children, and managing healthy marital relations.

Counselling Psychology

• Fundamentals of Psychology

• Psychopathology and Mental Health

• Counselling and Health Psychology

• Counselling Techniques and Assessment

The specialisation would enable the students to help people with advice and guidance. The students would learn to be more involved in support groups and self-help groups to help people struggling with mental diseases.

Human Behaviour

Introduction to psychology

Hilgard Atkinson

The book is well written and covers all main topics, such as psychological development and treatment of psychological disorders. The author has presented different schools of thought relating to modern psychology.

Experiments in Psychology

Obedience to Authority

Stanley Milgram

The book is based on the study conducted by the author Stanley Milgram. The study revealed that people get influenced and affected by obedience and authority.

Child psychology

Child development

Laura. E. Berk

The book is well written and is one of the best-selling books on child psychology. The book covers various topics such as Theory & Research in Child Development, Physical Growth, and Cognitive and Language Development.

Cognitive Processes

Cognition: Theories and applications

Stephen K. Reed

The book highlights the theories relating to the underlying empirical data that establishes a traditional information processing approach to cognitive psychology. The book has up-to-date research data and the syllabus.

Abnormal Psychology

Textbook of Abnormal Psychology

D.H.Barlow

The book is well written, covering the topic of Abnormal Psychology. It talks about the factors behind psychological disorders, such as biological factors and cultural factors.

Statistics in Psychology

Research Methodology: Methods & Techniques

`C.R. Kothari

The book talks about the correct steps of doing research and the right way to design a research methodology.

Psychology of Adulthood

Journey of Adulthood

H. Bee and B.R. Bjorklund

The book discusses the various stages of ageing, from adulthood to old age. The book explains the developmental journey of a human from adolescence to adult years.