Entry requirements
Only open to master’s students in Psychology with specialisation Clinical Psychology or Health and Medical Psychology and research master’s students track Clinical Health Psychology.
Description
Basic Therapeutic Skills is a course in professional skills in which the student will learn to understand and apply basic psychotherapeutic skills in a clinical and health psychological setting. Work group sessions consist of supervised and unsupervised meetings where students practice therapeutic skills, reflect upon the therapeutic process with other students and staff, and discuss relevant literature. A central tenet is the process of self-monitoring and reflecting upon one’s own professional development as a therapist.
Course objectives
From a theoretical perspective students will understand what patients need from a psychotherapeutic relationship in order to benefit from treatment.
From a practical perspective students will learn basic therapeutic skills (such as observational skills, establishing rapport, therapeutic interviewing, handling crises) to facilitate and manage a psychotherapeutic relationship.Students will also take the first step in using themselves as an instrument in monitoring and evaluating psychotherapeutic processes.
Timetable
For the timetables of your lectures, work groups and exams, please select your study programme in:
Psychology timetables
Semester 1: Lectures Work group sessions
Semester 2: Lectures Work group sessions
Registration
Course
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions.
Master’s course registration
Mode of instruction
5 two-hour lectures and 2 three-hour work group sessions each week, during 7 weeks. Full attendance is mandatory. Work group sessions consist of supervised and unsupervised meetings where students practice therapeutic skills, reflect upon the therapeutic process with other students and staff, and discuss relevant literature. A central tenet is the process of self-monitoring and reflecting upon one’s own professional development as a therapist.
Assessment method
Assessment will be based on:
Full attendance to all work group sessions;
Engagement in a learning process, which implies an active participation in the work group sessions and a willingness to reflect on professional development; and
Written reflections on experiences in managing the therapeutic relationship and building basic therapeutic skills
Students write a final report on their professional development as a therapist.
The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud.
Reading list
Heaton, J.A. (1998). Building Basic Therapeutic Skills. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Additional reading will be supplied by the staff
Contact information
Dr. Hendrik M. Koopman (for specialisation Clinical Psychology)
hkoopman@fsw.leidenuniv.nlDr. V. Janssen (for specialisation Health and Medical Psychology)
vjanssen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl