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Module Specifications..

Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Integrative Model 2
Module Code NS510
School 38
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Mary Kirwan
Semester 2: Joanne Cleary-Holdforth
Autumn: Mary Kirwan
Module TeachersJoanne Cleary-Holdforth
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
None
Array
Description

Building upon NS509, this Module leverages students’ evolving understanding/appreciation of a model of integration to begin the process of constructing a personal integrative framework that resonates with their own personal values and belief systems. Students’ appreciation of an Integrative model will be deepened through class discussions and descriptions of relevant vignettes from the facilitator’s own experience as a psychotherapist. In addition to the IICPs core model of Integration, students will learn how other related perspectives can be drawn from. By drawing on their own personal experiences of seeing ‘real-life’ clients under supervision, students will hone their skills in applying the concepts they are learning in the classroom to the real world of psychotherapy. In addition, students will learn to view their clients within the broader context of culture and society.

Learning Outcomes

1. Appreciate the implications of the professional roles of counsellor and psychotherapist including ethical and social responsibilities
2. Appreciate how different theoretical perspectives, including Psychosynthesis, Rogerian, psychodynamic and interpersonal are combined in an integrative model of practice
3. Distinguish levels of meaning in the client’s narrative presentation, and plan the therapeutic process accordingly
4. Identify potential difficulties in the therapeutic relationship, including transference and counter-transference, understand their role and respond to them effectively.
5. Expand their perspectives on a client’s presentation by considering the broader social, political and economic factors, such as prejudice, that may have a bearing on the client’s presentation.
6. Demonstrate their personal integration of theory and skills with their own readiness to practice.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture32Attending and participating fully in 8 class seminars per academic year
Independent Study27Sourcing books and articles from reading list, reading in-depth (including note-taking where appropriate) in preparation for participation in class dialogue.
Directed learning15Tape and Report of tape: Students are asked to tape a 20 minute session with either a peer or a ‘real-life’ client and submit for assessment with a written commentary of their session including brief content, central theme, process recording and an exploration of the therapeutic relationship
Group work6Students gather in groups of four to discuss material arising out of class lectures
Independent Study15Time to reflect on how the theories and approaches discussed in class resonate (or not) with one’s own personal experiences and belief systems
Assignment Completion30A 2000 word case study, reflecting a real-life case, focusing in depth on the unfolding therapeutic process from an Integrative perspective
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Development of students’ own coherent integrative framework.
Building upon their evolving appreciation of the benefits of using an Integrative approach (see NS 509) versus adhering to a single theoretical orientation, students will begin to reflect on and construct an integrative framework that resonates with their own personal values and belief systems .

Models of Integration Continued
Through readings, class discussions, and descriptions of relevant ‘vignettes’ from the facilitator’s own experience as a therapist, students will expand their knowledge and skills of the practise of Integration. As well as deepening their appreciation of the model adhered to at IICPS (Humanistic and Psychosynthesis), students will gain an appreciation for how other related perspectives, such as ‘Relational’, Interpersonal, and Psychodynamic can be integrated into their models to enhance their understanding of, and responses to a client’s presentation.

Case conceptualisation, Exploration, and Treatment Planning
Drawing on their own experiences as Trainee Psychotherapists under supervision, students will start to conceptualize the case of a ‘real life’ client within an Integrative framework. Through class dialogue, and by bringing examples drawn from their ‘real life’ sessions to class, students become skilled in the parallel process of responding to their clients in the here and now while simultaneously conceptualizing and hypothesizing in relation to the theoretical framework that best fits the client’s presentation and then planning a course of treatment accordingly.

The reciprocal influences of psychotherapy and society
Through readings and class discussions, students learn to expand their perspectives on a client’s situation by taking into account the context of the client’s history and experiences within the broader context of the cultural milieu and society at large. Students will be encouraged to consider how factors such as politics, the economy, and other cultural events can shape the personal experiences and interpretations of clients. This section pays particular attention to societal factors such as prejudice and oppression.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
ParticipationTape and report of peer/client session: A 20-minute transcript of a session with either a client or a peer and a report of same. Report must include brief context, central theme,a detailed ‘process analysis’ of a minimum of 10 minutes and an exploration of the therapeutic relationship. Assessment criteria will be provided in class.50%
AssignmentCase Study: A 2000 word case study, reflecting a real-life case, focusing in depth on the unfolding therapeutic process from an Integrative perspective50%
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Evans, K. R.,Gilbert, M.C.: 2005, An introduction to integrative psychotherapy, Palgrave MacMillan, . Basingstoke, 978-0333987261
  • Gilbert, M., Orlans, V.: 2011, Integrative Therapy, Routledge, Hove, 978-0415413770
  • Lapworth, P., Sills, C.: 2009, Integration in Counselling & Psychotherapy, 2nd edition, Sage, London, 978-1848604445
  • Marshall, S.: 2004, Difference and Discrimination in Psychotherapy and Counselling, Sage, London, 978-1412901185
  • Mahrer A. R.: 1989, The integration of psychotherapies, Human Sciences Press, New York, N.Y., 978-0898854121
  • Mahrer, A. E.: 2008, Psychotherapeutic Change, W. W. Norton & Co, New York, 978-0393334623
  • Slife, B.D., Williams, R.N., Barlow, S.H.(Editors): 2001, Critical issues in psychotherapy, Sage Publications, London, 978-0761920816
  • Casement: 2002, Learning from our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and Beyond, Routledge, Hove, 978-1583912812
  • Cooper, M: 2008, Essential Research Findings in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Sage, london, 978-1847870438
  • DeYoung, P.: 2003, Relational psychotherapy, Brunner-Routledge, New York, 978-0415944335
  • Hycner, R.: 1993, Between Person and Person, Gestalt Journal Press, Gouldsboro, 978-0939266234
  • Maroda, K.J.: 2004, The power of countertransference, Routledge, New York, 978-0881634143
  • Mearns,D., Cooper, M.: 2005, Working at relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy, Sage, London, 978-0761944584
  • Moane, G.: 2010, Gender and Colonialism, Macmillan Press, New York, 978-0333994290
  • Spinelli, E.: 2007, Practising Existential Psychotherapy, Sage, London, 978-1412907750
  • O'Brien, M.,Houston, G.: 2007, Integrative Therapy, 2nd edition, Sage, London, 978-1412912112
Other Resources

None
Programme or List of Programmes
GDPCGDip in Counselling & Psychotherapy
Date of Last Revision28-OCT-10
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