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Studying Psychology and Trauma
A flexible, online programme
This innovative programme is studied entirely online, either full or part-time, at PG Certificate, PG Diploma or Master's level. Choose from one of two routes to focus on the impact of trauma on either adults or children and adolescents.
Psychology and Trauma MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert
The Psychology and Trauma postgraduate programme offered in collaboration with the Anna Freud equips students with an up-to-date evidence base in trauma theory and practice. Foundational modules focus on key theories in the field, refining your understanding of how exposure to traumatic events shapes an individual’s experience over the lifespan. Students across both routes start their learning with a shared introduction to the field in ‘Foundations of Trauma Studies – a Lifespan Perspective’. This is followed by a ‘Introduction to Research Skills’, a module which is mandatory for MSc students and optional for those studying PG Cert or PG Dip.
Meet the Programme Directors
Dr Talya Greene
Programme Director (Adult route)
Talya specialises in the mental health consequences of exposure to traumatic events, combining psychological and public health expertise.
Dr Jodie Rawlings
Programme Co-Director (Child and Adolescent route)
Jodie is a Clinical Psychologist with a specialism in working with young people, families and systems.
Read Dr Rawling's academic profile
Dr Vanessa Puetz
Programme Co-Director (Child and Adolescent route)
Vanessa's academic focus is on examining how early adversity affects children's socio-emotional and neurobiological development.
Read Dr Puetz's academic profile
Why study with us?
Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children and families. It has developed and delivered pioneering mental health care for over 70 years.
UCL is ranked first for research power in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience by the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), with more than two thirds of our research in these areas rated as world-leading (4*)
UCL is 1st in Europe and 2nd in the world for neuroscience and behaviour, based entirely on quantitative data relating to scientific papers (2024 National Taiwan University report)
We are ranked 5th in the world for psychology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)
- UCL is the 1st in Europe and 4th in the world for psychology (Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2024)
- We are ranked in the top ten in the world for psychology and clinical and health subject areas (Times Higher World University Rankings 2024 by subject)
UCL is 1st in Europe and 2nd worldwide for citations in neuroscience and behaviour, with more than twice as many published papers as any other European university (InCites Essential Scientific Indicators 2024)
- UCL is 1st in Europe and 10th in the world for papers in the top 5% of their field by citation rate in biomedical and health sciences (2019-2022, CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024)
We use our expertise to shape national and local policy. For example, Professor Peter Fonagy OBE is a mental health specialist member on a UK Parliament Expert Panel and our academics are part of a steering group convened by the Princess of Wales to examine how early life experiences shape the human brain