Addressing attitudes and challenging stereotypes: preparing students for careers in applied psychology

Undergraduate psychologists are among the most likely group to move into therapeutic roles relating to sex offender rehabilitation. A positive attitude and good working knowledge about characteristics of sex offenders improves the therapeutic alliance between psychologist and offender, which is a factor cited as potentially increasing the likelihood of treatment success (Craig, 2005; Timimi 2009). With this in mind, and Given the range of psychology courses now offered by British universities, it was considered important to examine the contributions of different specialities in the breaking down of stereotypical thinking and encouragement of positive attitudes toward stigmatised populations. Establishing success of undergraduate psychology programmes in addressing stereotypical thinking is important for developing courses that produce high-quality psychologists for professional practice in their subsequent careers.