COURSE NAME: Existential Psychotherapy

COURSE NUMBER: PP8683 COURSE NAME: Existential Psychotherapy TERM: Fall 2007 INSTRUCTOR: Amberly Panepinto, Ph.D.

PHONE: 312-777-7686

FAX: 312-777-7747

ALT PHONE:

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Title Man’s Search for Meaning Author(s) Viktor E. Frankl Copyright 2006 Publisher Beacon ISBN 080701429X Edition Title Existence Author(s) May, Angel & Ellenberger Copyright 1958 Publisher Basic Books ISBN 1568-212712 Edition

Page 2 This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO

Page 3 Argosy University COURSE SYLLABUS PP8683 Existential Psychotherapy

Faculty Information Faculty Name: Amberly Panepinto, Ph.D. Campus: Chicago Contact Information: Phone: 312-777-7686 Email: [email protected] Office: 1306 Office Hours: Th 9-11 or by appt

Course description:

This course focuses on the key elements and theoretical underpinnings of existential philosophy and their application to an existential understanding of personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. Case material will be drawn upon throughout the course to concretize the theory being studied.

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Textbooks:

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: APA. ISBN# 1557987912

Frankl, V.E. (2006/1959). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. Boston: Beacon. ISBN# 080701429X

May, R., Angel, E. & Ellenberger,H. (1958). Existence. New York: Basic Books. ISBN# 1568-212712

Page 4 Yalom, I. (2000). Love’s Executioner. New York: Perennial. ISBN# 0060958340

Yalom, I. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books. ISBN# 0465-02-1476

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 15 Weeks

Contact Hours: 45 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Program Outcomes: The Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University Chicago Campus is an APA accredited program (APA, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-336-5500). This program is designed to educate and train students so that they may eventually be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. To ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum provides for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice. The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University Chicago Campus emphasizes the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services. Specific objectives of the program include the following:  Goal 1: Prepare professional psychologists to accurately, effectively, and ethically select, administer, score, interpret, and communicate findings of appropriate assessment methods informed by accepted psychometric standards and sensitive to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients. o Objective 1a: Accurately and ethically administer and score various psychodiagnostic instruments. o Objective 1b: Accurately interpret and synthesize assessment data in the context of diversity factors, referral questions, and specific objectives of the assessment, and organize and communicate results in writing and orally.

Page 5 o Objective 1c: Examine psychometric properties of psychological assessment instruments, and use that knowledge to evaluate, select, administer, and interpret psychological tests and measures appropriate for the client, the referral question, and the objectives of the assessment.  Goal 2: Prepare professional psychologists to select, implement, and evaluate psychological interventions consistent with current ethical, evidence-based, and professional standards, within a theoretical framework, and with sensitivity to the interpersonal processes of the therapeutic relationship and the diverse characteristics and needs of clients. o Objective 2a: Synthesize the foundations of clinical psychology, including psychopathology, human development, diagnosis, diversity, ethics, and various therapeutic models in clinical applications. o Objective 2b: Select, plan, and implement ethical and evidence-based interventions with sensitivity to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients. o Objective 2c: Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively implement and participate in psychological consultation and supervision. Objective 2d: Demonstrate personal development and self-reflective capacity, including growth of interpersonal skills, and therapeutic relationships.  Goal 3: Prepare professional psychologists to analyze the complexity and multidimensionality of human diversity, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to understand diverse worldviews and the potential meaning of social, cultural, and individual differences for professional psychological services.  Goal 4: Prepare professional psychologists to examine the historical context and the current body of knowledge of biological, cognitive, affective, developmental, and social bases of human functioning.  Goal 5: Prepare professional psychologists to critically evaluate the current and evolving body of scholarly literature in psychology to inform professional practice.

Course Objectives:

1. Students will be able to understand and articulate key components of existential theory and therapy.

2. Students will be able to conceptualize cases through an existential formulation.

3. Students will be able to think critically about the theory and its application to therapy.

Page 6 4. Students will enhance their own self-awareness and articulate their reactions to the material and the increased sense of self- awareness.

5. Students will integrate existential theory with cultural considerations for culturally sensitive case conceptualizations.

Attendance/Participation

Students are expected to attend all class meetings. Arrangements must be made in advance if you need to miss a class. Please contact me either by phone or email. You will be responsible for material covered in that class. I will expect a 1-2 page reaction paper focusing on the readings for any day that you will miss. Any student who has more than 2 unexcused absences will fail the course.

Students are expected to participate in class. Much of class will be in discussion format, and students will be able to focus on areas of particular interest to them.

Assignments

1. Students will submit three discussion questions during almost every class. These must be typed and prepared before class. These questions will be used to fuel discussions and should prompt students to think critically when reading the material for class. Students will not need to submit discussion questions for the first class and dates when other assignments are due. Additionally, each student can choose one other week during the semester when they will not submit discussion questions. If you miss a class, you still must submit discussion questions.

2. Self-awareness reaction paper – Students will submit a 2-3 page reaction paper focusing on how the course material to date has impacted them personally and professionally. The main questions to consider: how has the increased awareness of the human condition impacted you personally and professionally? This can include (although you do not need to include all) discussion of case formulation, intervention, self-awareness, worldview, and relationships.

3. Existential analysis paper – Students will submit a 5-7 page paper focusing on the existential analysis and critique of one chapter in Yalom’s Love’s Executioner. You must choose a chapter from the book that was not covered in class. In your paper, you will explicate the ways existential theory is apparent in the case conceptualization and his intervention. You should also critique the

Page 7 chapter. For example, what is missing and/or contradicts the theory? How useful is conceptualizing the case through existential theory? What do you think about Yalom’s conceptualization and intervention? Paper should be in APA format.

4. Final paper – Case conceptualization – Students will submit a 5-10 page paper where students will provide an existential case formulation of one of your cases. Your case conceptualization should include brief sections on identifying information and presenting problem. The bulk of your paper should focus on the case formulation. You will also provide treatment recommendations. Finally, you should conclude with a 1-2 page critique of the utility of existential conceptualization and intervention for the case. Although I will allow 10 pages, you do not necessarily need to submit a 10-page paper. I would prefer a shorter, more succinct paper than a long paper that rambles or includes only loosely relevant information. If you are not currently doing clinical work, please talk with me about an alternative assignment. Paper should be in APA-format.

Schedule will be given before the beginning of class.

Grading Criteria

Grading Scale Grading requirements A 100 – 93 Attendance/participation 10% A- 92 – 90 Weekly Assignments 10% B+ 89 – 88 Final paper 35% B 87 – 83 Ex. Analysis Paper 30% Self-awareness 15% B- 82 – 80 100% C+ 79 – 78 C 77 - 73 C- 72 – 70 D+ 69 – 68 Library Resources D 67 – 63 D- 62 – 60 Argosy University’s core online collection features more than 21,000 full-text journals, 23,000 F 59 and below electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science,

Page 8 Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. All electronic resources can be accessed through the library’s website at www.auchicagolib.org. User IDs and passwords are distributed during orientation, but can also be obtained at the circulation desk, calling 312-777-7653, or by e-mail at [email protected].

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Library Online Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach fundamental and transferable research skills, including selecting sources appropriate for academic-level research, searching periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluating and citing information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosyu.edu/infolit/

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Page 9 Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Page 10