MA Understanding Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse

Examine the impact of being abusive or being abused. You will look at theoretical perspectives considering abusiveness and its impact in different international, cultural and social contexts.

• This MA Understanding Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse is unique and represents the first psychologically informed programme of its kind.
• It is particularly suitable for people wanting to increase their grasp of the interplay between mental distress, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
• Your learning will be underpinned by a unique synthesising of psychodynamic, systemic, cognitive behavioural and social theories to examine the impact of being abusive or of being abused. The programme focuses on looking at practice and research from these theoretical perspectives and will consider abusiveness and its impact in different cultural and social contexts from childhood to older age.
• The learning will be provided by a cross-disciplinary team that covers approaches from the social work, community and youth work, cross-sectoral arts, and therapeutic approaches including art and dance psychotherapy, psychodynamic, counselling and cognitive behavioural approaches.
• The programme will offer a blended learning approach with a mixture of online and face-to-face contact. The online components will be largely focused on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge through computer-mediated activities via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
• The classroom-based content of the programme will have an emphasis on experiential and reflective learning, which will help you understand the process of identifying, assessing and managing both perpetrators and victims. This aspect of the programme will be delivered in blocks (including some Saturdays) to make the study more accessible to working adults.
• You may take individual modules separately (see below) or exit with a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.

Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with the programme.

Other ways to study

This programme is available via Distance Learning or by studying individual modules as part of a Continuing Professional Development plan.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Doireann Larkin.

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject. You must also be able to demonstrate significant experience in either health and social care, psychological therapies, or experience from the third sector in a specialist abuse service.

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Where this degree can take you

It is expected that a number of professionals will use either the course credit or the degree to supplement their CPD portfolios, which are a requirement for the majority of these professionals.

For workers with extensive experience this programme (or its constituent courses) will provide a sound basis in theoretical knowledge and current research, which will help them develop their current work and increase their potential for further advancement in the field.

The UK has developed recognised forms of intervention in this field that have an international application and relevance. Issues regarding domestic violence and sexual abuse have an international public health and human rights dimension, which makes the programme internationally relevant.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.

Skills you'll gain

The MA will develop skills including:

• A knowledge various theoretical perspectives
• An understanding of cross-disciplinary work within the field
• An understanding of the different international, cultural and social contexts from childhood to older age within the field