Psychology 642 – 10 Martin Weinstein

Insight Psychotherapies Fall, 2000

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of two of the most prominent types of insight psychotherapies: the psychodynamic and client-centered approaches. This course will be multifaceted and will focus on class discussion and small group activities, viewing videotapes, and experiential components designed to develop skills associated with the two approaches. The first three classes will focus on the role of the therapist and ethical and multicultural issues. Following this, there will be several sessions on the client-centered approach and then several sessions on the psychodynamic approach.

In each class you will be given assigned readings. In some classes you will also be given homework exercises and assigned brief papers (2-3 pages). These papers are designed to help you think critically about the readings and the concepts addressed in this course. Papers are due the following class after they are assigned. The will be graded on a scale of 10(A) to 1(D). Papers handed in late will lose one point per week.

In most classes we will discuss your views of the readings and exercises in small groups and as a class. Active participation in discussions is very important. To prepare for these discussions, you should take notes on the readings and have at least two well thought out questions, criticisms, or observations that you are prepared to discuss in class.

To develop an appreciation for the complexities of the client-centered approach, you will be expected to participate in a counseling-like experience lasting four sessions with other members of the class. You will participate both as a counselor and as a client. You will be expected to write a paper describing the counseling experience, primarily from your perspective as a counselor. The paper should be 13-17 pages. It is due not later than November 29. Papers will be graded on a scale of 10(A) to 1(D). Papers handed in late will lose one point per class. To gain a deeper appreciation of some of the key concepts associated with the psychodynamic approach, you will be assigned four experiential exercises focusing on free association, transference, resistance and termination.

All submitted papers should be well organized, edited carefully for grammar and spelling, typed double-spaced, and in APA style (see Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, fourth edition). Papers should be stapled and include your name, the assignment date, and a title. Include page numbers on the upper right hand side of all pages except the cover page.

Because the way this class is structured, it is very important that you attend each class and arrive promptly to class. If you will be unable to attend a class, expect to arrive late, or are having any other difficulty meeting course requirements, you should contact me as soon as possible.

Unless you receive permission from me to miss class, your grade may be lowered for each class you miss by one half of a letter grad (e.g., if you miss two classes without talking with me, your grade will be lowered from an "A" to a "B"). If you miss a class, you are still responsible for the work. You are expected to contact another student in the class to find out what you missed.

Your grade for the course will be based on your counseling paper (50%), brief papers (35%), and class participation (15%). Your class participation grade is based on the degree to which you actively and thoughtfully participate in small and large group discussions.

Required Texts

Kirschenbaum, H., & Henderson, V.L. (Eds.). (1989). The Carl Rogers reader. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Usher, S. (1993). Introduction to sychodynamic psychotherapy technique. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.

American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (4^th ed.). Washington D.C.: Author.

Optional Texts

Weiner, I. (1998). Principles of psychotherapy (2^nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

Corey G. (2001). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (6^th ed.). Belmont,

CA: Wadsworth.

In addition to the texts, you will be expected to read other articles which will be placed on reserve in the library.

In order to take Psychology 642, you must have completed the following prerequisites:

Master’s degree students must have passed the competency requirements and taken Psychology 505 and 520 (520 may be taken concurrently). Psy. D. students who entered the program with a Master’s degree must have taken Psychology 520.

To develop an appreciation for the complexities of the client-centered approach, you will be expected to participate in a counseling-like experience with other member of the class. You will participate both as a counselor-in-training and as a client. The class will be divided into small groups (3 or 4 students). You may decide who will be in your group. Once you have decided this, you must then choose your counselor-in-training and client. You should choose your small group and your counselor-in-training and client by the end of the third class (September 20).

The counseling-like experience will consist of four sessions and will begin after the fifth class has been completed (October 4). There will be one session per week; this will last over a four-week period. The session will be outside of our regularly scheduled class time. The counselor and client should decide on a time and day to meet and regularly meet at this appointed time (e.g., Monday at 5P.M.). Each session should last approximately 50 minutes. In total you will have eight 50-minute sessions: four sessions as a counselor and four as a client. If you are unable to meet with your counselor or client during a given week, please let me know as soon as possible.

To help you develop topics to discuss as a client, I strongly recommend that you keep a daily journal of experiences in your life that you consider personally meaningful. The counseling-like experience may be moderately stressful both for the counselor and client. If you feel significant discomfort, I recommend that you speak with me as soon as possible.

I will meet with each of you for 20 minutes to review your experience as a counselor and address any concerns you may have about the exercise. If you would like additional supervision, you may contact me to set up an appointment. The information discussed in the supervision session(s) is confidential and should not be discussed with your client. There may also be peer supervision in small groups. To maximize your learning of this therapy approach, you should audiotape all sessions. These tapes should be erased at the end of the semester.

In this exercise the counselor should use only the client-centered approach. If you are having difficulty using this approach, you should discuss your concerns with me.

Class #1

Assigned September 6; read by September 13:

The Carl Rogers Reader Topic of Education pages 297-334.

On reserve: Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Corey: chapter 2(The Counselor: Person and Professional).

Class #2

Assigned September 13; read by September 20:

On reserve: Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Corey: chapter 3(Ethical Issues), 7(Person0Centered Therapy); chapter 1, p10-13 (Case of Stan).

Basic Skills and Professional Issues in Clinical Psychology by Matthews and Walker: chapter 2 (Finding a Training Placement and Making the Transition from Student to Trainee).

Class #3

Assigned September 20; read by September 27:

The Carl Rogers Reader: chapter 1 ( This is me, p. 6-29); p. 59-87 (A newer psychotherapy; the Directive vs. nondirective approach).

On reserve: Client-Centered Therapy and the Person Centered Approach by Levant and Schlien: chapter 4 (Beyond Reflection: Emergent Modes of Empathy, p.59-75).

Class #4

Assigned September 27; read by October 4:

The Carl Rogers Reader: pages 88-126 (The Case of Herbert Bryan, The Characteristics of a Helping Relationship).

On reserve: Client-Centered Therapy and the Person Centered Approach by Levant and Schlien: chapter 3 (Unconditional Positive Regard: A Controversial Basic Attitude in Client-Centered Therapy).

Class #5

Assigned October 4; read by October 11:

The Carl Rogers Reader: pages 127-168 (Reflections of Feelings and Transference, A Client-centered/Person-centered Approach to Therapy, Ellen West and Loneliness).

On reserve: Case Approach to Counseling and Psychotherapy

Case #6

Assigned October 11; read by October 18:

The Carl Rogers Reader: chapter 12,13,14,19 (Toward a Modern Approach to Values: The Valuing Process in the Mature Person; Shall We Get Married?; What I Learned from Two Research Studies; Toward a More Human Science of the Person).

Class #7

Assigned October 18; read by October 25:

The Carl Rogers Reader: chapter 2,3,4,28 (My Own Marriage; Growing Old: Or Older and Growing; On reaching 85; Do We Need "A" Reality?).

Class #8

Assigned October 25; read by November 1:

On reserve: Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Corey: chapter 4 (Psychoanalytic Therapy).

On reserve: Principles of Psychotherapy by Weiner: chapter 1 (The Nature and Goals of Psychotherapy).

Class #9

Assigned November 1: read by November 8:

Introduction to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Technique by Usher chapters 1-2 (Understanding the Language of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; Starting out).

On reserve: Principles of Psychotherapy by Weiner chapter 4 (Theory and Process of Psychotherapy).

Class #10

Assigned November 8; read by November 15:

Introduction to Psychodynamic pSychotherapy Technique by Usher chapters 3-5 (History Taking and Formulating; Selecting Appropriate Patients; The Ongoing Therapy).

Class #11

Assigned November 15; read by November 29:

On reserve: Principles of Psychotherapy by Weiner chapter 8 (Communicating Understanding: Interpretation).

Introduction to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Technique by Usher chapters 7,8 (Special Challenges Patients Present; Using Uspervision).

Class #12

Assigned November 29; read by December 6:

Introduction to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Technique by Usher chapter 6 (Ending).

On reserve: Principles of Psychotherapy by Weiner chapter 12 (Termination).