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Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title PP-Advanced Psychotherapy Practice
Module Code NS617 (ITS) / PST1029 (Banner)
Faculty Science & Health School Nursing, PsyT & Comm Health
Module Co-ordinatorGemma Kiernan
Module Teachers-
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 20
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
Coursework Only
As above
Description

This module incorporates three key components of the taught Doctorate Programme, 1) psychotherapy practice 2) psychotherapy supervision / consultation and 3) personal / professional development, which together form a core stream over the first year of the programme. The purpose of this module is to enhance candidates’ knowledge, skills and reflexive capacity in order to facilitate advanced integration of theory, practice and research and of their personal and professional selves. Candidates are expected to engage in advanced psychotherapy practice, psychotherapy consultation / supervision, personal awareness work, in-class presentations, class based discussion and experiential work, and self-directed learning activities. This work will be recorded in their personal journals and presented in their Professional Portfolio, which provides evidence and a record of their personal and professional development over the duration of the module.

Learning Outcomes

1. Practice and Supervision related competencies: • Demonstrate advanced competency in clinical practice with complex cases. • Critically appraise a range of therapy models / approaches to clinical practice. • Engage in multi-dimensional case conceptualisation and case management and advanced integration of theory, practice and research. • Integrate knowledge of best practice in psychotherapy and engage in critical debate about practice issues. • Demonstrate understanding of how the self of the therapist influences the therapeutic relationship and therapy process. • Demonstrate competence in therapeutic decision-making (e.g. incorporating legal and professional regulations and obligations
2. Personal and Professional development related competencies: • Demonstrate a capacity to give critical, enabling feedback to peers. • Demonstrate capacity to integrate feedback from peers and facilitator. • Demonstrate emotional and psychological availability to engage in critical self and relational reflection. • Demonstrate increased capacity in personal / professional integration. • Demonstrate ability to appraise personal and professional strengths and limitations.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Class Presentation16Presentation and discussion/critique of practice models and therapeutic strategies
Group work12Clinical Supervision Group
Group work12Personal Awareness Group
Independent Study360Including clinical practice work, self directed learning and reflection, assessment preparation (portfolio preparation)
Total Workload: 400

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

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
PortfolioPractice: 1. In-class presentation of practice model 2. Self-directed learning report Supervision: 1. In-class presentations of case related material 2. Clinical competencies self-evaluation 3. Supervision group report 4. Self-directed learning report Personal / Professional Development: 1. Reflective essay on key learnings from year 1 2. Personal awareness group report 3. Self-directed learning report100%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories:
Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module.
Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Bolton, G.: 2014, Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development, 4th Ed, Sage, London,
  • Florio, C.: 2010, Burnout and Compassion Fatigue, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 9781452885902
  • Hawkins, P. and McMahon, A.: 2020, Supervision in the Helping Professions, 5th Ed., McGraw- Hill/ Open University Press, London,
  • Kaur, Rupi: 2022, Healing Through Words, Simon and Schuster, UK,
  • Lane, D.A., Corrie, S.: 2012, Making Successful Decisions in Counselling and Psychotherapy, McGraw Hill, England,
  • Mahon, D.: 2023, Evidence Based Counselling and Psychotherapy for the 21st Century Practitioner, Emerald Publishing, UK,
  • Page, S. & Wosket, V.: 2015, Supervising the Counsellor and Psychotherapist,, 3rd Ed., Routledge, London,
  • Norcross, J. C., & Lambert, M. J: 2019, Psychotherapy relationships that work. Volume 1: Evidence-based therapist contributions, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press., New York,
  • Reeves, A. & Bond, T.: 0, Standards and Ethics for Counselling in Action, 5th ed, Sage, London,
  • Wing Sue, D., Sue, D., Neville, H., Smith, L.: 2019, Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, 8th ed,
  • Wosket, V.: 2016, The Therapeutic use of Self: Counselling Practice, Research and Supervision, Routledge, London,
Other Resources

65348, 0, European Association of Psychotherapy’s (EAP: 2013) framework of core competencies in practising psychotherapy. (http://www.europsyche.org/download/cms/100510/Final-Core-Competencies-v-3-3_July2013.pdf),

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