# Children’s Mental Health and Early Intervention

**Source**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate/childrens-mental-health-and-early-intervention
**Parent**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate

*In Russian*

Level of education Master

Type of instruction Full-time

Duration 2 years

Programme description

The programme is designed to train psychologists in the field of mental health and early intervention for children and parents. The curriculum includes courses united by a common methodology for conducting research and evidence-based clinical practice in the field of mental health and early intervention for children and parents.

The programme provides students with an opportunity to independently determine their learning path by choosing courses from two block of subjects:

- Children’s mental health (with a focus on research and clinical approaches, based on the adult attachment theory, psychoanalytic paradigm of developmental psychopathology, study of trauma and stress in children, including biobehavioral research)
- Counselling psychology (with a focus on training of researchers in the field of early intervention and psychological counselling of children and parents, including groups at risk)

The programme is most appropriate for applicants with a basic psychological, pedagogical, special (defectological) education and graduates of other specialisations interested in the programme.

Main courses

- Current Issues in Counselling Psychology and Early Intervention
- Mental Health of Personality
- Psychological Interaction and Attachment between Mother and Child
- Methods of Studying Child Mental Health
- Assessment of Development in Clinical Child Psychology
- Psychological Counselling of Children and Parents
- Methods and Forms of Early Intervention
- Early Intervention Programmes for Children with Developmental Disabilities
- Problems of Psychological Counselling of Children deprived of parental care and their families
- Counselling of Clients with Personality Disorders
- Modern Methods of Psychological Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Group Psychological Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Family and Mental Health of Personality
- Areas and Types of Psychological Counselling
- Psychological Counselling of Clients of Various Categories

Our advantages

- The programme is designed to train psychologists in the field of mental health and early intervention for children and parents. The content of the programme covers a range of issues associated with the importance of mental health of individuals for interactions and personal relationships from the early stages of human development in the family. Significant attention of the programme content is paid to specifics of parent-child interactions
- Teaching staff of the programme took leading part in: elaboration of the Development Concept for Early Intervention for Children at Risk of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders in the Russian Federation (in accordance with the Decree № 1839-р of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 31 August 2016); reorganisation of the work of institutions for orphans and children deprived of parental care (in accordance with the Decree № 481 of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 24 May 2014); in major international and domestic scientific research in the field of mental health and early intervention for children and parents, including the "The impact of early deprivation on the biobehavioral indicators of child development" project (№ 14.Z50.31.0027), that won the mega grant of the Government of the Russian Federation
- Teaching staff provide clinical services, including work within the framework of the early intervention programme for children and parents, to different categories of clients in healthcare, education, social development and non-profit organisations, develop and implement social projects to help children and families in difficult circumstances
- Teaching staff of the programme have been trained and continue to improve qualifications in the field of: children’s mental health and development (at the World Association for Infant Mental Health, Society for Research in Child Development); attachment theory (at the Family Relations Institute (USA, Miami), International Association for the Study of Attachment); child psychoanalysis (at the Anna Freud Centre (London), St Petersburg Society of Child Psychoanalysis); psychoanalytic therapy (at the International Psychoanalytical Association); perinatal psychology (at the International Society for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine), etc

Teaching staff

- Rifkat Muhamedrahimov, Research Supervisor of the academic programme ‘Children’s Mental Health and Early Intervention’, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Member of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the organisation of the system of early support for children and adults with disabilities and their families under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation; Member of the World Association for Infant Mental Health; Member of the International Society for Early Intervention; Member of the St Petersburg Psychological Society; author of approximately 300 publications in the field of developmental psychology and clinical psychology; Honoured Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation
- Nina Vasileva, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Full Member of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA); training analyst at the Psychoanalytic Institute for Eastern Europe (PIEE); Honorary President of St Petersburg Society for Child Psychoanalysis; Member of the Editorial Board of the international *Journal of Child Psychotherapy*
- Natalia Andrushchenko, Candidate of Science (Medicine), Associate Professor, Vice-President of the Balint Society (Russia), Member of the Union of Rehabilitation Therapists of Russia and Member of the Association of Paediatric Neurologists of St Petersburg; author of over 50 scholarly publications
- Varvara Anikina, Candidate of Psychology, Associate Professor, Member of the Russian Association of Human Reproduction, and Member of the Professional Psychotherapeutic League; author of over 70 scholarly publications
- Mariya Blokh, Candidate of Science (Medicine), Associate Professor, President of the Association of Perinatal Specialists; Member of the Coordinating Council of the Russian Association of Human Reproduction; Member of the Interdisciplinary Association of Reproductive Medicine Specialists; Member of the Professional Psychotherapeutic League; author of more than 70 scholarly publications
- Irina Arintsina, Candidate of Psychology, Associate Professor; participant in a number of grant-supported studies on early childhood; specialist in early childhood development support

Practical training and career opportunities

##### Professions

The programme trains professionals to independently carry out research, teaching, practical activities. After graduation, students of the programme are ready to provide services in the field of mental health and early intervention for children and parents at governmental and non-governmental organisations

- Psychologist in educational organisation
- Psychologist in healthcare institution
- Social welfare psychologist
- Educational psychologist

Accreditation

The programme is internationally and institutionally accredited by the Direction for Evaluation and Accreditation of the Andalusian Agency of Knowledge (DEVA-AAC), [the Certificates dated 3 May 2019](https://spbu.ru/file/39939/download?token=VD1CgA-2).

[This webpage may contain outdated information. The programme descriptions and admission requirements for the 2026/2027 academic year are currently being updated. For the latest information on 2026/2027 admission, please visit the Admissions Office website.](https://abiturient.spbu.ru/en/)

[Tuition](https://english.spbu.ru/admission/tuition)

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