Training a child requires high mental strength. However, not many people have this mental strength. Therefore, this article will list and explain the top free online courses on child psychology that will help you to build the mental strength required to train a child.
Child psychology or child development deals with the psychological processes of children and the differences between these processes with those of adults. It also explains how children develop from birth to the end of adolescence.
It is not always easy parenting a child, but it’s rewarding. From birth to adulthood, children pass through many developmental stages.
In the same vein, genetic, environmental, and cultural factors affect their development. When this happens, it’s usually difficult for the parent to examine and understand what they are passing through. Now, this is where the services of a child psychologist are employed to help the parent understand the child’s feeling better. There are trade schools where you can start your journey in psychology.
Can I study child psychology online for free?
Yes. You can get free online courses on child psychology. The online courses are self-paced as they offer you the opportunity to combine work and/or family with your studies.
Additionally, free online courses on child psychology bear the same curriculum and certification as the on-campus program. You will acquire the skills and knowledge required to thrive in the field.
You don’t have to bother searching on the internet for child psychology courses because it has been compiled for you in this article. Keep on reading below to see the courses.
How do I train to become a child psychologist?
Here are the steps you will take in order to become a child psychologist:
1. Complete a related bachelor’s degree program
You will have to complete a bachelor’s degree in General Psychology or Counseling. This will give you the basic knowledge to advance to child psychology.
Courses to be offered at the undergraduate that will be relevant for a graduate degree in child psychology include Child Development, General Psychology, Statistics, Behavioral psychology, Research methods, Child and adolescent psychopathology, Theories of personality, Abnormal psychology, Trauma and crisis, Developmental psychology, Social Sciences, Family interventions, and Neuropsychology.
2. Enroll in a graduate degree program
Before you can work as a child psychologist, you must have to acquire a graduate degree in the field. If you wish to practice on your own, you will need to acquire a doctoral degree.
Acquiring a master’s degree in the field can only qualify you to become a mental health counselor, however, you will not have the legal rights to carry out psychological testing. It will take you between two (2) and three (3) years of full-time study to complete the master’s degree program.
To become a full-fledged psychologist, you must acquire a doctoral degree or Psy.D. With this, you will have the legal right to diagnose patients. It will take you between five (5) and seven (7) years to complete the Ph.D. program. You will focus on child development or clinical child psychology.
3. Complete an internship
Upon completion of your graduate degree program, you will undertake an internship program. During the internship program, your work will be under the supervision and guidance of a professional child psychologist.
Meanwhile, the practitioner will have to endorse your work upon completion of the internship. It takes a minimum of one year to complete the internship program.
4. Apply for licensure
Once you complete the internship program, you will take and pass a licensing exam before you will be licensed as a professional clinical psychologist or a professional psychologist.
The exam for Professional Practice of Psychology is administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board.
5. Acquire board certification
Upon acquiring your license, proceed to a postdoctoral fellowship in a job role that requires child psychology. The postdoctoral fellowship will take you one or two years to complete. It will qualify you to take the board examination of the American Board of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (ABCCAP).
Before taking the exam, you will have to submit practice samples that the ABPP will examine. If the ABPP approves your application, you will be qualified to take the exam.
Once you pass the exam, the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) will certify you as a board-licensed psychologist.
6. Get a job
Now that you have acquired board certification as a professional child psychologist, you can seek jobs in mental health clinics, hospitals, research centers, legal firms, and schools. You can as well start up your own private clinic or consultation service.
Free Online Courses on Child Psychology
Below are free online courses on child psychology that bear a similar curriculum and certification to the on-campus child psychology program:
- The Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development
- Introduction to Child Psychology – Accredited Certificate (Udemy)
- Child & Adolescent Development
- Child Psychology Career Certificate By Penn Foster Career School
- Handling Children in a Health Care Setting
- Professional Child Psychology Diploma
- Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings
- Child Psychology Courses
- Creating an Effective Child Welfare System
- Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice
- Developmental Psychology: A Journey of Growth within Relationships
The Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development
In this course, you will learn about the child’s brain. You will get to know the impact of neurological composition on a child’s development.
The course will also explore ways in which factors like forced migration affects the future of children.
In addition, you will learn how our understanding of early child development has been influenced by neuroscience, sociology, anthropology, and other studies.
This course is designed for advanced undergraduate students and graduates in international development, teaching, nursing and medicine, and other fields that deal with important concepts and practices in early child development.
It is also designed for teachers and health care practitioners that wish to know the biological and societal factors affecting the children they are working with.
The course is created for sustainable development professionals who wish to know the lifecycle of needs and support required to assist children worldwide such as practitioners working for international aid organizations and nonprofits in the areas of poverty, nutrition, and education
- Certificate available at $49
- Start date: 17th of January to 1st of September Annually
- Duration: 8 weeks (2-4 hours per week)
- Venue: SDGAcademyX (online)
Introduction to Child Psychology
In this free online course on child psychology, you will learn about child behaviour, parenting styles, relationships and socialization, cognitive development, and counseling.
The course is made up of syllabuses such as Child Psychology, Environmental and Socio-cultural Factors in Development, Family & Schooling Factors in Development, and Cognitive and Emotional Development.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will gain the knowledge and skills to understand parenting styles, understand how infants attach to their parents and caregivers, know-how public schools Vs. Homeschooling can affect child development and recognize the influence of parental separation and divorce on the child’s mental health.
The course imparts knowledge about the language, emotions, and cognitive development of children.
As one of the free online courses on child psychology, introduction to child psychology is accredited by the International Association of Therapists (IAOTH).
- Certificate available
- Start date: Self-paced
- Duration: 2 hours
- Venue: Udemy (online)
Child & Adolescent Development
This online child psychology course will teach you, about child development from birth to adolescence. In addition, the course will help to sharpen your communication skills, think innovatively, and have a proper understanding of how children and adolescents grow.
The syllabuses contained in this course include Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology, Statistics for Psychology, Lifespan Development, Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence, Child Development, and Adolescent Development.
Knowledge and skills gained from this course will help you to work with children and families.
Successful completion of this course qualifies you for a graduate program in child psychology.
- Start date: Self-paced
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Venue: Southern New Hampshire University (online)
Child Psychology Career Certificate
In this course, you will learn about the fundamental principles of the psychology of children and adolescents. These fundamental concepts will offer you the knowledge and skills required to provide children care and guidance.
The course will explore patterns of growth, change, and stability that happens from birth to adolescence. You will also learn biology and behavior, consciousness, memory, thought and language, intelligence, personality and gender, stress, and community influences.
As one of the free online courses on child psychology, this course will explain the differences between a normal stage in growth and abnormality.
You can acquire a degree in early childhood education by transferring your assignments to Penn Foster College Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Program.
This free online course on child psychology is designed for professionals working with children in education, social, and health fields.
- Start date: Self-paced
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Venue: Penn Foster Career School (online)
Handling Children in a Health Care Setting
In this free online courses on child psychology, students will learn the key concepts of behavior needed to handle a child in a healthcare setting such as a hospital. It will shed more light on how to communicate with a child and the parent as well.
At the end of this course, you will be able to show a high level of confidence in handling the child patient in a health care setting. You will also learn how to sympathize with a child who is passing through difficulties and be willing to help the child over such difficulties.
- Certificate available at $49
- Start date: 17th – 31st of January Annually
- Duration: 4 weeks (1-2 hours per week)
- Venue: National University of Singapore (online)
Professional Child Psychology Diploma
This course on child psychology teaches about early child growth, attachments, child abuse, bullying, and separation anxiety. It will also explore psychology through the toddler stage, depression, and children’s grief and stress.
After completing the course, you will become a professional child psychologist that will help children to fight trauma and emotional stress.
- Certificate available
- Start date: Self-paced
- Duration: 44 minutes
- Venue: Udemy (online)
Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings
In this course, you will learn how the social environment of children including family and society impacts children’s difficulties, development, and strength.
Students will be implored to think critically about current international child protection practices and offer solutions on how to make them stronger.
As one of the free online courses on child psychology, Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings is designed for child protection experts working in international humanitarian settings.
After the course, you will be able to think critically about the different strategies for child protection in humanitarian crises and suggest ways to improve it.
- Certificate available at $50
- Start date: 17th of January to 23rd of June Annually
- Duration: 12 weeks (3-5 hours per week)
- Venue: Columbia University in the City of New York (online)
Child Psychology Courses
Here, Coursera compiles a list of introductory free online courses on child psychology. These courses are offered by top universities around the world. They include:
Everyday Parenting (Yale University): In this course, you will learn the strategies required to instill the behavior that you want in a child. The course also explains the scientific study of thought and behavior.
Children and Adolescents Specialization (University of Colorado): In this course, you will learn how to handle medical conditions, and mental health services, as well as promote healthy practices in educational institutions.
Understanding Child Development (Utrecht University): This course explores child development.
ADHD: Everyday Strategies for Elementary Students (the University of Buffalo and the State University of New York): This course teaches ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
- Start date: Self-paced
- Duration: Variable
- Venue: Coursera (online)
Creating an Effective Child Welfare System
This child psychology free online course will teach you the opportunities and challenges facing the child welfare system.
It will also shed light on the child welfare system’s policies and their impact on children and parents as well as design policies to promote changes in the system.
- Certificate available at $29
- Start date: 17th of January to 15th of February Annually
- Duration: 6 weeks (2-3 hours per week)
- Venue: University of Pennsylvania (online)
Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice
Children and adolescents are faced with several societal hazards including rape, child labor, child marriage, exploitation, and violence in several countries. However, they need their rights to be enforced so that they can grow to their full potential.
In this free online course on child psychology, you will learn about the causes and consequences of failures in child protection. This course will explore international laws, policies, and resources necessary to protect children from any form of harm.
Additionally, the course will give you insights into how to relate legal frameworks and child-rights strategies to the duties of policymakers, lawyers, health workers, educators, law enforcement, and social workers.
After completing this course, you will learn how to apply child protection strategies to your work always.
- Certificate available at $99
- Start date: 17th of January to 9th of September Annually
- Duration: 16 weeks (2-6 hours per week)
- Venue: Havard University (online)
Developmental Psychology: A Journey of Growth within Relationships
This is one of the best free online courses on child psychology created to teach you how people connect in their relationships during early childhood and the developmental processes involved.
You will also learn how relationships during childhood affect us and our intimate relationships, how we raise children, and how it affects our method of work during adulthood.
The course is designed for the public since most people would want to be parents as they will be involved in parenting and child development.
- Certificate available at $299
- Start date: 9th of November to 24th of February Annually
- Duration: 9 weeks (3-4 hours per week)
- Venue: IsrealX (online)
Conclusion
Parents want their children to have a healthy development. However, it is not certain if the child’s behavior is a sign of a normal stage of growth or abnormality. This is where the services of child psychologists are employed to help parents to understand this.
With this understanding, parents can know the best way to connect and interact with their children.
On the other hand, child psychologists figure out abnormalities in children like learning issues, hyperactivity, or anxiety. Child psychologists also help children to diagnose and prevent developmental delays like autism.
The free online courses on child psychology listed in this article will help you to understand child development better.
nagyon szeretnék gyerek pszichológus lenni.
Nagyon szeretnék pszichológus lenni gyerek pszichológus.