PSY8030 Group Interventions

Contents

• Staffing
• Requisites
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

REQUISITES

RATIONALE

There are mental health problems for which group interventions are implicated as best practice, especially those requiring the acquisition of social and communication skills, and the building of self confidence and self esteem in the presence of others. Group interventions also provide a source of therapy and support where individual assistance is not feasible due to lack of resources. This course compliments the individual intervention courses in the program to provide practitioners with skills in a variety of techniques to meet the needs of client groups and community health organisations.

SYNOPSIS

This course provides students with an understanding of conceptual underpinnings of group therapies and evidence of their efficacy in application to particular mental health problems. Students will acquire knowledge of group processes, skills in facilitating these processes, methods for assessing outcomes and related ethical and professional issues.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students should be able to:

1. explain various conceptual models of therapeutic group intervention (assessed through the essay component);
2. critically use research regarding the evidence for group interventions for particular mental health issues (assessed through the essay component);
3. explain how group interventions can improve individual health and well-being (assessed through the essay component);
4. develop and demonstrate appropriate screening protocols for participant selection (assessed through the essay and group practice component);
5. design and conduct evaluation of group processes and outcomes (assessed through the essay and group practice component);
6. identify ethical and professional issues involved in group therapy (assessed through the essay and group practice components);
7. demonstrate pre-group design and planning (assessed through the group practice component);
8. demonstrate group marketing (assessed through the group practice component);
9. recognise and facilitate group processes at different stages (assessed through the group practice component);
10. explain termination processes.

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Free, ML 2007, Cognitive Therapy in groups: Guidelines for Practice, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane, Qld.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Andrews, H.B 1995, Group Design and Leadership: Strategies for Creating Successful Common Theme Groups, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

Brabender, V, Fallon, A E & Smolar, A 2004, Essentials of group therapy, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.

Chazan, R 2001, The group as therapist, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London; Philadelphia.

Corey, M 2005, Groups: process and practice, 7th edn, Brooks/Cole/Thomson, Belmont, CA.

Kline, WB 2003, Interactive group counselling and therapy, Merrill Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

White, J 2000, Treating anxiety and stress: A group psycho-educational approach using brief CBT, Wiley, Chichester.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Due Date Workshop 2

2.

Due Date Workshop 2 and 3

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, forum discussion and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. There are three compulsory on-campus workshops during the semester.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item. Students also need to be able to demonstrate that they have acquired the competencies described under Assessment Notes.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

This version produced 27 May 2008.