Module: PP-Advanced Psychotherapy Practice

Module Specifications

Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	PP-Advanced Psychotherapy Practice
Module Code	PST1029
Faculty	Science & Health	School	Nursing, PsyT & Comm Health
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	20

Description

This module incorporates three key components: (1) psychotherapy practice, (2) psychotherapy supervision, and (3) personal and professional development. The purpose of this module is to enhance students’ knowledge, skills, and reflexive capacity in order to facilitate the advanced integration of theory, practice, and research, as well as the integration of personal and professional selves as psychotherapists. A particular emphasis is placed on developing the capacity to critically engage with psychotherapy research and to apply evidence-informed thinking to clinical practice.

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.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Class Presentation	24	Presentation and critical discussion of students' evolving psychotherapy practice models, including peer feedback and discussion of contemporary psychotherapy research.
Group work	16	Psychotherapy supervision, including clinical case presentations, case conceptualisation and peer discussion.
Independent Study	360	Clinical practice, self-directed learning, critical engagement with psychotherapy research, reflective learning, personal learning journal, and preparation for assessments.
Total Workload: 400

Section Breakdown
CRN	11455	Part of Term	Semester 1 & 2
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	PASS/FAIL	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Gemma Kiernan	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Assignment	Assessment 1 (30%) Advanced Practice Model Presentation Assessment 2 (40%) Research-Informed Case Conceptualisation Assessment 3 (30%) Reflective Integrative Essay	100%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

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

Integrated Pratice, Supervision and Research
This module integrates advanced psychotherapy practice, supervision, and reflective inquiry. Indicative content includes critical engagement with contemporary psychotherapy research, advanced case conceptualisation, and the presentation and critical appraisal of students’ own evolving models of psychotherapy practice. There is a particular focus on the integration of theory, practice, and research, and on the development of an evidence-informed professional identity. Learning activities include seminar-based discussion of selected research literature, student-led presentations of practice models and clinical cases, structured peer feedback, and reflective exercises. Supervision-based reflection on clinical practice is a central feature, alongside ongoing critical appraisal of evidence and its application to therapeutic work.

n/a

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Barkham, M., Hardy, G.E. and Mellor-Clark, J.: 2010, Developing and Delivering Practice-Based Evidence: A Guide for the Psychological Therapies., Wiley-Blackwell.,
Bolton, G.: 2014, Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development, 4th Ed, Sage, London,
Florio, C.: 2010, Burnout and Compassion Fatigue, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 0, 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,
Page, S. & Wosket, V.: 2015, Supervising the Counsellor and Psychotherapist,, 3rd Ed., Routledge, London,
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,
McLeod, J.: 2022, Doing Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Sage Publications Limited, 9781526459497
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,

Articles:

Grover, Naveen Lakhani, Sheetal Emran, Ashti: 2021, Reflective practice in action: an account of psychotherapists' experiences in group work training., Reflective Practice, 22(6), 782–795., 530470
2017: Guidelines for reflective practice in Psychotherapy: A reflection on the benefits of combining moment-by-moment and phase-by-phase mapping in clinical decision making., Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 27(1), 35-46,

Other Resources

1: 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),