Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Humanistic Counselling and Psychotherapy
Module Code	NS507
School	School of Nursing and Human Sciences
Online Module Resources
Module Co-ordinator	Semester 1: Mary Kirwan Semester 2: Mary Kirwan Autumn: Mary Kirwan
Module Teacher	Mary Kirwan
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the structure, content, research base and practice implication of humanistic, person-centred therapy. The module will examine and appraise a number of theories, including Carl Rogers person-centered personality theory, and a number of approaches that these theories have led to: Person-Centered therapy, Re-Evaluation Counselling, and Gestalt therapy. This module provides a platform of theory and knowledge about Humanistic Counselling and Psychotherapy, together with some simulated role-play andreal-life experiential practice, which facilitates students in appropriately integrating the Humanistic approach into their developing psychotherapy practice.

Learning Outcomes

1. Discuss the historical influences on, and appraise the place of Humanistic therapy within the overall framework of counselling and psychotherapy
2. Explain the principles and concepts that link different humanistic perspectives.
3. Compare and contrast Humanistic models, and the applications stemming from these models
4. Identify contexts in which the different Humanistic models can be appropriately applied, and apply basic techniques from the models.
5. Analyse Rogers person-centered personality theory, and the underlying basis to Rogerscore conditions for effective therapy.
6. Appraise the theory of Re-Evaluation Counselling, and how it can be used to promote self-understanding and growth.
7. Justify the use of Gestalt therapy, and explain the contexts where it may be most appropriate to use a Gestalt approach

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Seminars	32	Attending and participating fully in 8 class seminars per academic year
Independent learning	42	Sourcing books and articles from reading list, reading in-depth (including note-taking where appropriate) in preparation for participation in class dialogue.
Group work	6	Students gather in groups of four to discuss material arising out of class lectures
Independent learning	15	Time to reflect on how the theories and approaches discussed in class resonate (or not) with oneâ€™s own personal experiences and belief systems
Assignment	30	Writing one 3,000 word essay that demonstrates both accomplishment of learning outcomes and appropriate level of academic writing skills
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

Historical Influences in the development of Humanistic Therapy.
Through readings and class discussions, this section studies the roots of Humanistic psychology in the context of the evolution of the overall field. It looks at how the humanistic model evolved in order to address perceived limitations of previous models such as psychoanalytic and cognitive-behaviourism in explaining the human psyche..

Carl Rogers Personality Theory..
This section examines in detail the structure and core elements of Carl Rogershumanistic personality theory, including the concept of innateself-actualisation tendencies of individuals. Using reading, and class dialogue, it reflects on how the humanistic view of the person differs from previous views..

The person-centered approach to psychotherapy;.
This section discusses the implication of Carl Rogers personality theory on the therapeutic process. Through readings and lively group discussions, this section demonstrates how Carl Rogers humanistic view of the person led to his postulation of a number ofcore conditions that need to be present for the therapeutic process to be effective, – congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding. Through simulated practice (two people in pairs taking turns as therapist and client), participants start to acquire some of the skills to establish Rogerscore conditions within a simulated therapeutic setting..

The Theory of Re-Evaluation Counselling.
This section discusses Harvey JackinsRe-evaluation Counseling theory, based on the humanistic view of innate potential, zest, and lovingness. Through reading, discussions, and experiential practice (Counsellor and client), the section explores how the methods ofRe-evaluation Counseling, leading to emotional discharge, can recover blocked innate potentiality..

Gestalt Therapy:.
This section focuses on phenomenology and field theory and how these perspectives informed an array of Gestalt therapeutic approaches. Once again, reading, discussions, and simulated practice (two people taking turns in counseling and being counseled), are used so that participants start acquiring knowledge and skills for utilizing Geltalt techniques appropriately..

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Essay	Describe which concepts in the humanistic approach to counselling and psychotherapy mean most to you – and why?	100%	n/a

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
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List