COU-768 Techniques and Skills in Psychotherapy

This is an advanced course in techniques and skills in psychotherapy, designed expressly for second year or advanced students in mental health counseling and related disciplines. Emphasis will be on the application of selected theoretical constructs in working with clients in general and with deaf and hard of hearing clients in particular. An important aspect of the course is on therapist attitude, techniques, and skills essential in effective treatment of clients with specific psychological problems and disorders. Psychotherapy approaches with difficult clients or those resistant to treatment will be an integral aspect of the course. It is a student therapist-centered course, attentive to his or her development and growth as a therapist. The method of instruction is primarily hands-on experiential activities and will include supervised simulated therapy sessions, role play, student-therapist videotape replay and feedback, videotapes of actual therapy sessions featuring real clients and master therapists, psychotherapy case presentations, demonstrations, and live observations. The didactic aspect will include reviewing and analyzing psychotherapy research.