Rehabilitation psychology (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

Pass/Fail

Objective

The aim of the course is acquiring basic competence relating to factors associated with personality and motivation that affect human behaviour and interaction.

Course competences:

Ethics
Rehabilitation counselling and guidance
Assessment of needs and possibilities for rehabilitation

Intended learning outcome:

Ethics: You are able to take responsibility for your actions in case management and reflect on the impacts of your personality, values and motivation on carrying out case management in keeping with the principles and values of professional ethics.

Case management and methods in rehabilitation: You know the basics of psychology relating to personality and motivation. You are able to account for changes in personality and motivation over a person's life cycle and support the rehabilitee and their network in the change taking place during the rehabilitation process.

Assessment of needs and possibilities for rehabilitation: You know how to account for the impacts of personality and motivation on the well-being, resources, and rehabilitation needs and possibilities of the individual and the community.

Content

The core content of the course comprises the basics of psychology relating to personality and motivation. On this course students explore how personality and motivation change over the individual’s life cycle and how they affect the individual's well-being and health.

Materials

Korhonen, M. & Perho, H. 2014. Psykososiaalinen kehitysteoria Teoksessa R. Jallinoja, H. Hurme & K. Jokinen (toim.) Perhetutkimuksen suuntauksia. Helsinki: Gaudeamus. (Liitteenä alla, saatavana myös e-kirjana).

Metsäpelto, R-L. & Feldt, T. (Toim.) 2009. Meitä on moneksi: persoonallisuuden psykologiset perusteet. Jyväskylä: PS-Kustannus.

Salmela-Aro, K. & Nurmi, J-E. 2017 tai uudempi painos. Mikä meitä liikuttaa: motivaatiopsykologian perusteet. Jyväskylä: PS-Kustannus. Myös e-kirjana.

Lipponen, K. 2020. Resilienssi arjessa. Duodecim. Myös e-kirjana.

Teaching methods

The course will provide you with basic knowledge of how personality and motivation change over the life cycle and how they affect the well-being and health of the individual.

During the course you will participate in timetabled online teaching, write a small group learning assignment in a process-oriented way throughout the course, study the theories independently and prepare for the exam.

During the course, you will combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience through an example story and a learning task created with your group.

Exam schedules

Material test in Moodle on 12.3.2026 between 8 am - 8 pm.
1st retake on 19.3.26 between 8 am - 8 pm.
2nd retake on 26.3.26 between 8 am - 8 pm.

Student workload

The scope of the course is 5 credits, or approximately 135 hours, consisting of the following parts:

Assignments: a pre-assignment before the first lecture, an exercise on concepts of rehabilitation psychology and group reporting of learning task and related peer assessment, approximately 54 hours.
Examination and preparation for it, about 27 hours.
Lecture notes, course literature, webinars, independent study, approximately 54 hours.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

You are able to describe and justify the key aspects of psychology relating to personality and motivation. You are able to describe how personality and motivation change over an individual’s life cycle and how they affect the individual's well-being and health. You are able to describe how these issues should be taken into account in the rehabilitation counsellor's work.

Qualifications

You know how to act professionally, comprehensibly and dialogically in interactive situations with clients, their networks of family and friends, and other professionals in different operating environments. You are able to justify the significance of person-centered and client-centric work in case management.

Further information

To pass the exercise, 80% of the answers must be correct.
To pass the exam, 70% of the answers must be correct.
The learning task is graded on a scale of pass - pass - fail. In addition, peer comments on the peer learning diaries are required for the learning task to be passed.
The successful completion of the course also requires participation in the scheduled e-learning.

The course may be credited towards the higher education equivalent of the course. The course may not be credited towards high school psychology courses. Credit must be applied for before the first webinar.

Open University of Applied Sciences: 5 places