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Module Specifications

Archived Version 2018 - 2019

Module Title
Module Code
School

Online Module Resources

NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 15
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Description

This module is designed to engage the candidate in critical inquiry about the philosophical underpinnings of popular models of psychotherapy. Candidates will be encouraged to critically discuss the influence, interconnections and disconnections between philosophy and psychotherapy. It will explore the influences of philosophical paradigms on key aspects of psychotherapy such as conceptualisations of being & humanity, pathology & problematisation, growth and change, responsibility, therapeutic relationship and therapists’ roles. Furthermore, the module aims to assist candidates to articulate and critically examine their own professional and personal philosophies regarding psychotherapy practice and to widen their horizon of understanding about the implicit and explicit influence of philosophy in the world of psychotherapy. Through independent study, candidates will engage in a depth of reading, reflection and critical appraisal of philosophical positions with respect to dominant approaches to psychotherapy.

Learning Outcomes

1. Articulate the influence, interconnections and disconnections between philosophy and psychotherapy.
2. Critically discuss philosophical positions, for example, phenomenology, post-modernism, post-structuralism, constructivism, social constructivism and moral philosophy.
3. Explore different approaches in psychotherapy and debate how each is informed from a philosophical perspective.
4. Investigate and critically discuss what conceptualisations of being & humanity, pathology & problematisation, growth & change, responsibility, therapeutic relationship and therapists’ roles are held by major schools of psychotherapy.
5. Critically appraise the psychotherapy model(s) that influence their practice and describe the philosophical underpinnings of these model(s).
6. Explore the ethical implications of embracing specific psychotherapeutic positions and various ways of viewing and enacting the therapeutic relationship.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture15No Description
Tutorial10No Description
Seminars10No Description
Independent Study90No Description
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

Philosophy, Psychotherapy, ethics, phenomenology, post-modernism, post-structuralism, constructivism
Philosophical positions, e.g. phenomenology, post-modernism, post-structuralism, constructivism, social constructivism and moral philosophy. Philosophical underpinnings of major schools of psychotherapy, for example, Person-centred, Psychoanalytic psychotherapy, Systemic psychotherapy and CBT. Conceptualisations of being & humanity, pathology & problematisation, growth & change, responsibility, therapeutic relationship and therapists’ roles. Ethics, philosophy and psychotherapy

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment% Examination Weight%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Reassessment Requirement
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
Unavailable
Indicative Reading List

  • Miller Mair: 1989, Between Psychology and Psychotherapy”:, Routledge,
  • Bermudez, J.L.: 2005, Philosophy of Psychology, Routledge, New York and London,
  • Zizek, S: 2009, In Defense of Lost Causes, Verso, London,
  • Foucault, M.: 2006, The History of Madness, Routledge, London,
  • Pope, K.S., & Vasques, J.T.,: 2007, Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling: A Practical Guide., Jossey-Bass, CA,
Other Resources

None
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