Psychotherapy: Theory And Practice, I

PSYC 541-001 PSYCHOTHERAPY: THEORY AND PRACTICE I FALL, 2008

CLASS MEETINGS: MONDAYS, 4 – 6:40 PM 3 CREDITS

Professor: Michelle H. Mamberg, Ph.D. Office: 334 Hart Hall Phone: (508) 531- 2515 e-mail: [email protected] homepage: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/mmamberg/

Office Hours: MON: 1:30 – 2:30 pm TU: 2:00 – 3:00 pm TH: 2:00 – 3:00 pm Or, by appointment

TEXTS James, R.K. & Gilliland, B.E. (2003). Theories and Strategies in Counseling and Psychotherapy, 5th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. [ISBN: 978-0-205-34397-3] http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_james_psycho_5/

Okun, B. F., & Kantrowitz, R. E. (2008). Effective helping: Interviewing and counseling techniques, 7th ed. Monterey, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing. [ISBN: 978-0-495-00625-1] http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl? fid=M20b&flag=student&product_isbn_issn=9780495006251&discipline_number=7

ARTICLES Cushman, P. (2002). How psychology erodes personhood. Journal of theoretical and philosophical psychology, 22(2), 103 – 113.

McAdams, D. (1998). The role of defense in the life story. Journal of personality, 66(6), 1125-1146.

Salmon, P., Sephton, S., Weissbecker, I., Hoover, K., Ulmer, C., & Studts, J. (2004). Mindfulness meditation in clinical practice. Cognitive and behavioral practice, 11, 2004, 434-446.

Wilson, M. (1993). DSM-III and the Transformation of American Psychiatry: A History. American journal of psychiatry, 150(3), 399-410.

Yalom, I. D. & Leszcz, M. (2005). Chapter 1 in The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, 5th ed. NY: Basic Books, p. 1-18.

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OVERVIEW PSYC 541-001 Dr. Mamberg

This second-year course is designed to provide a clinician with a broad overview of various theories of psychotherapy and counseling used for treatment and prevention in adult populations. In this course you will examine and apply various approaches to psychotherapy including: psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, behavioral, and systems perspectives. No single orientation will be espoused, rather, students will be expected to understand and apply treatment strategies based on a developmental-integrative model. A combination of lectures, class activities, readings, video clips, films and writing assignments will be used. Understanding the material at both theoretical and practical levels will be emphasized as much as is possible. Various perspectives will be reviewed to help illuminate the ways that psychologists intervene with persons in distress. Students will be expected to take an active, analytic and critical approach to the material they learn. Questioning of this material is not only encouraged, it is expected. This syllabus will serve as your road map for the course. It provides information essential to both learning the material fully and following the structure of the course. Bring this packet to each class, so you can note any changes to the schedule. While we will generally follow the class grid, it may be altered to accommodate class needs. You will, of course, be notified of such changes.

II. COURSE GOALS

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to… 1. Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to reflect upon theoretical issues relevant to the practice of psychotherapy with adults.

2. Demonstrate an ability to understand psychological difficulties and their treatment from various perspectives and to articulate an integration of these perspectives for use in one’s own clinical practice.

3. Show an understanding of normal and abnormal psychological functioning including affective, cognitive, behavioral, relational and systemic aspects which pertain to effective psychotherapy.

4. Discuss how social and cultural contexts impact both clients’ and therapists’ understandings of psychological struggles and how that understanding relates to effective psychotherapy.

5. Be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of each theoretical approach to psychotherapy and how to choose appropriate techniques based on clinical formulations of client personality, interpersonal (relational) factors and cultural relevance.

6. Demonstrate an advanced ability to form an integrative model of understanding and treating adults.

III. ATTENDANCE, PREPARATION & PARTICIPATION

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A. Attendance is expected. This is an intensive course which centers around reading and discussion; therefore class participation and attendance are both important and expected. Attendance will be taken for each class and will be logged into a separate page in the gradebook each week. View this page periodically to check for discrepancies.

B. Preparation is vital. 1. Be Prepared for Class. It is your responsibility to stay current with the syllabus. It is expected and required that you complete all assigned readings prior to class. To maximize your learning and retention, read the entire assignment before class and highlight any sections that you found confusing. You are encouraged to come to my office hours with any questions which cannot be addressed in class. If you are unable to engage in a group activity or discussion during class because you have not completed the assignment, your participation grade will be significantly impacted.

2. Form Study Groups Although each student is expected to work independently on submissions and exams, study groups will help you to integrate course material as you learn it. If you meet with fellow students throughout the semester, you can think through the readings together and talk about how what you are hearing about in class relates to the assigned readings. Meeting on a regular basis is usually more effective than only meeting to study together right before an exam. Such groups work best when they consist of 3-5 students, please see me if you are unable to form study groups.

3. Access Technological Support. This course will use both the Blackboard.Com Course Page AND my own webpage to disseminate information and documents. Thus, you need to be prepared to access both sites periodically to obtain course material.

C. Participation. Consistent, informed and active participation is expected of all students. Please bring the day’s assigned reading to class. Most sessions will involve discussion of one of your text chapters, some days we will also view films or video clips. Take notes on visual material and exercises just as you would lecture. Active participation means that not only should you be prepared for class, you should also show that you have thought through the reading. Each student will also be expected to contribute by presenting one of the assigned readings for class discussions. Presentation assignments will be discussed further in class; they are expected to take about 45 minutes each. The participation grade is worth 25% and takes account of your assigned presentation, attendance and punctuality, preparation and, most importantly, discussion. Participation Grades are based on the following scale:

Truly Exceptional 10 Excellent 9 Good 8 Average 7 Below Average 6 Barely there 4 - 5 Poor / Disruptive 1 - 3

IV. REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION PROCESS

A. Exams (50%) 1) There will be one in-class exam and one final exam. Each of the exams counts for 25% of your grade, for a total of 50%. The questions will be primarily extended essay papers and may be in class or assigned as take-home exams. The test questions will be drawn from lectures, class activities, and videos, as well as from reading assignments and the textbooks. Some questions will be drawn exclusively from readings which are not directly covered in class, so it is your responsibility to make sure you understand everything in the assigned readings. Make-up exams will not be allowed except in extreme circumstances.

B. Final Project (25%) There will be a final project which will be described in a separate hand-out. It will include in-depth analysis of our assigned readings and your own experience. The entire final project counts for 25% of your grade. It’s focus will be to help integrate the course material, while displaying your depth of understanding. Good writing matters in graduate papers and will affect your grade on this assignment. Use other members of the class or your friends to critique early drafts of your writing in terms of both style and content before you submit your work. The analyses in your papers must be demonstrably based on evidence and reason, not mere assertion or personal belief. Be sure to explain your points clearly and always cite sources whether quoted or paraphrased, according to A.P.A. style.

C. Grading You will be able to access your grades during the term via an Excel spreadsheet found on my course webpage (or, possibly on Blackboard.com). The following weighting system will be applied to compute your Final Grade:

Mid-Term Exam: 25% Final Project: 25% Participation (includes presentation): 25% Final Exam: 25%

FINAL GRADE: 100%

D. Academic integrity Please be sure to familiarize yourself with what constitutes plagiarism and other matters of academic dishonest by carefully reading the college’s policies (in the student handbook) on academic integrity. A good source for determining how best to reference others’ work is the APA publication manual, available at the library and online. If you have questions on the use of source materials, feel free to ask any professor for clarification of any issue that strikes you as ambiguous. Likely consequences of academic dishonesty are a failing grade for the first instance and, subject to formal action by Bridgewater’s administration, suspension or dismissal from the College.

E. Special Accommodations In compliance with BSC policy and equal access legislation, I am available to discuss appropriate accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Request for academic accommodations should be made during the Drop/Add period so that appropriate accommodations can be made. Students must register with Disability Resources in Boyden Hall for disability verification and determination of reasonable accommodations.

V. CLASS SCHEDULE

Date Class Topic Reading Assignments September 8 1. Introduction / General overview

September 15 2. Psychotherapy and Counseling: The J&G, Ch. 1 Medical, Systems and Human Okun, Ch. 1 Relations Models Wilson (1993) September 22 3. The Therapeutic Relationship VI. J&G, Ch. 4; VII. J&G Ch. 5 VIII. Okun, Ch. 2 September 29 4. Interpersonal Communication IX. J&G, Ch. 2 X. Okun, Ch. 3 XI. McAdams (1998) October 6 5. Initial Stages of Therapy XII. J&G, Ch. 3 XIII. Okun, Ch. 4 October 13 No Class: Columbus Day October 20 6. Behavior Change Strategies XIV. J&G, Ch. 7 XV. Okun, Ch. 7

October 27 MID-TERM EXAM November 3 7. Therapeutic Goals and Termination XVI. J&G, Ch. 9; XVII. J&G, Ch. 10

November 10 8. Strategic and Short-term Focused XVIII. J&G, Ch. 11 Therapies XIX. Okun, Ch. 8 November 17 9. Crisis Management; XX. Okun, Ch. 9 Stress Management XXI. Salmon, et al (2004) November 24 10. Systems Approach and Group XXII. J&G, Ch. 12 Psychotherapy XXIII. Yalom, chapter 1 December 1 11. Integration: Eclecticism, Diversity XXIV. J&G, Ch. 13 and Self-Reflection XXV. Okun, Ch. 10 December 8 12. Sociocultural Context of Therapy Cushman (2002) Course Integration and Goodbye

12/15/08, 4pm FINAL EXAM

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