Course info

Overview

This course provides an introduction to the new and expanding field of prevention science, which involves the systematic study of interventions to decrease maladaptive behaviour and their consequences, as well as promote healthy, adaptive behaviours.  It explains how preventive interventions focus on lessening risk factors and reinforcing protective factors in order to discourage processes leading to pathologies or dysfunctional behaviors.

The course will offer detailed descriptions of the design, evaluation and implementation of existing interventions – both universal and targeted - in the domains of education (i.e., school-based programs), psychosocial wellbeing and mental health. It will address the central question of identifying how and for whom the intervention works. Challenges related to the quality, fidelity and sustainability of implementation of prevention and intervention programs will also be emphasized. In addition, students will learn about the statistical tools needed to test the effectiveness of such interventions and will be given the opportunity to apply this knowledge.

Study Methods  

This course includes six lectures and three tutorials (lab sessions). During the seminars, students will get to apply knowledge gained from the lectures by designing their own intervention.

Attendance and participation in all three tutorials is mandatory. Learning outcomes will be assessed via attendance, assignments during  tutorials, a final group project, and a learning diary.

Learning outcomes

After completion of the course, students will be able to:

·       Understand how to use research findings and theory to develop prevention programs

·       Describe examples of prevention and intervention programs in school contexts and in psychopathological contexts, including the design and implementation processes

·       Identify and apply relevant statistical methods to test the effectiveness of interventions, including the examination of moderating factors of effectiveness

·       Identify and describe the difficulties involved program implementation

·       Apply recently acquired knowledge to the design of their own intervention