1 GROUP COUNSELING PSYCHOTHERAPY PSYC 538 001 SPRING 2014 Professor Danice Brown Ph D Office Alumni Hall 0124 E mail danicbr siue edu Phone 618 650 5391 Class Location Alumni Hall 0201 Class Days Wednesday Time 10 00am 12 50pm Office Hours Tuesday Thursday 10 00am 11 00am and by appointment Course Description This course is designed to familiarize students with the essential concepts theories and applications relevant to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy with groups Students will engage in lecture readings and in class activities The course will emphasize a pluralistic approach to psychotherapy including a variety of theoretical orientations and addressing multicultural issues Required Texts Readings Corey G 2012 Theory and practice of group counseling 8th ed Belmont CA Brooks Cole Yalom I D Leszcz M 2005 Theory and practice of group psychotherapy 5th ed New York Basic Supplemental readings are indicated throughout the syllabus and are available on line Handouts for most class sessions will be available on BlackBoard and should be printed out and brought to the appropriate class session In class film Corey G Corey M S 2006 Groups in action Evolution and Challenges Belmont CA Brooks Cole Barlow S H Burlingame G M Fuhriman A 2000 Therapeutic applications of groups From Pratt s thought control classes to modern group psychotherapy Group Dynamics Theory Research and Practice 4 1 115 Counselman E F 2008 Why study group therapy International Journal of Group Psychotherapy 58 2 265 272 Nichols M P 2011 The essentials of family therapy Boston Allyn Bacon Course Requirements Grades will be based upon performance on the following Graded Activity Class Participation Group Process Reflection Papers Group Proposal Paper Group Proposal Presentation Midterm Exam Final Exam Points 15 45 15 points per paper 50 25 50 50 Course Grades 90 100 A 80 89 B 70 79 C 60 69 D below 60 F 2 Assignments Group Process Reflection papers Students will view a film documenting the group therapy process from start to finish Students will be asked to reflect on the film and respond to discussion questions regarding important considerations for the earlier stages of the group i e forming a group and initial stage the middle stages i e transition stage and working stage and the final stage of group i e ending stage Students should relate their reflection to the material discussed in lecture and the text books Group Proposal Paper Each student will complete a group proposal paper Students will develop a proposal for a specific counseling or psychotherapy group that would commonly exist at a mental health agency e g psychiatric hospital community agency college counseling center Students must include at least five recent no earlier than 2006 scholarly journal articles in their discussing their justification and description of the group Students must discuss their proposed group topic with the instructor prior to initiating their research Each proposal must be unique and will be accepted on a first come first served basis Students are encouraged to select a group topic that they have not previously researched The proposal must include 1 Title and description of the proposed group 2 Setting in which this group would take place 3 Reason for selecting the specific group topic and the applicability of such a group to the setting of interest 4 Discussion and rationale for the type structured vs non structured size format duration and intended clientele of the group 5 Procedures for recruiting selecting and preparing members 6 Intended goals and purpose of the group 7 Specific theoretical orientation s to be applied in the conduct of the group and procedures related to theoretical orientation that may be incorporated e g skill development process focus and a rational for using your specified theory 8 Discussion of possible ethical issues that need to be addressed 9 Discussion of possible cultural issues that may be need to be addressed Group Proposal Presentation Each student will give a brief 15 20 min presentation on their group proposal Students will respond to questions and suggestions from the instructor and their fellow classmates Students will be graded based on the presentation of the material i e clarity and thoroughness and their responses to questions suggestions These suggestions can be used to improve the final version of the proposal submitted Exams There will an essay question midterm exam covering the first half of the material There will also be a final exam given on the last day of class Students must take the exams at the scheduled time Make up evaluations will be considered with documentation for absence if the student contacts the professor PRIOR to the time of the exam Course Expectations Blackboard All lecture notes handouts and assignments will be put on Blackboard Please download and print lectures and handouts before class There may be times when I need to communicate with you and I will use the Blackboard email system to do so Please check your email regularly e g at least once per day on business days Also the department utilizes all psychology major s SIUE e mail accounts to keep you informed of important announcements and events Attendance and Participation Students are required to attend class regularly and to be on time If you are absent for more than 20 of the classes you will be docked one letter grade If you miss class you are still responsible for the material covered that day Participation in class activities and discussions is strongly encouraged Appropriate comments and questions are 3 welcomed However disrespect for others opinions and ideas will not be tolerated Assignments All assignments must be typed double spaced and stapled not paper clipped Assignments must be handed in e mail copies will not be accepted unless previously arranged with me Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date An assignment not turned in at the start of class is considered late and results in the loss of a letter grade for the assignment One letter grade will be lost for each subsequent day the assignment is late Please note that while you are welcome to share your life experiences you are not required to share personal information regarding sexual history history of abuse and neglect psychological treatment or relationships with parents peers or partners If you are having difficulty with any aspects of the course see me as soon as possible Students can come to office hours set