Admission requirements
Master’s students with specialisation Child and Adolescent Psychology
Description
In the field of youth care, we use a variety of methods to support children, adolescents and parents. Within the Master in Psychology, specialisation Child and Adolescent Psychology, students have the opportunity to learn about and apply some of these methods.
In this course, we will use Ben Furman’s programme Kids’ Skills. This is a solution-based programme which is grounded in family therapy. Inviting all parties involved (parents, children, care-givers, teachers) to have input and participate is a characteristic aspect of family therapy.
Ben Furman, a Finnish psychotherapist/psychiatrist, has designed a playful and practical approach to solving difficulties of all kinds. By means of a 15-step-programme, children and adolescents overcome difficulties in a positive and constructive way by learning new skills. Little or no time is spent on finding potential causes of the difficulties. The focus is on what children or adolescents have to learn. To learn new skills, you need all the support you can get from your environment. Instead of blaming parents or teachers, we invite them to give input about the skill that needs to be learned. Because of this and because of the way the programme is structured, parents/care-givers become actively involved and responsible. They take on a supportive role in relation to the child and therefore contribute significantly to the learning process. It is not the expert who provides a solution to the problem, but rather all the participants, including the child, who will find a solution under the guidance of the expert.
Kids’Skills may seem a simple method; however, the implementation requires a new attitude, especially on the part of the expert! Students will work together with small groups of children at school or at home during this course.
Course objectives
Students will acquire knowledge of the theoretical background of solution-based interventions
Students will learn basic skills in applying the main therapeutic interventions
Students will learn to look at problems and their solutions in a different way as a result of working with the programme.
Students will be taught to reflect on their therapeutic attitude and interventions and to report on the progress and outcome of this training.
Timetable
Social Skills Training (2012-2013):
Mode of instruction
Five plenary lectures, peer consultation and supervision sessions.
Assessment method
Active participation in the supervision and peer consultation sessions
Theory-based reflection reports describing the actual interventions
Meta-reflection report
Evaluations from parents, teachers and peer consultation group
From January 1, 2006 the Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted the Ephorus system to be used by instructors for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. Please see the information concerning fraud .
Blackboard
Information on blackboard.leidenuniv.nl
Reading list
Compulsory reading:
For international students:
Furman, B., (2007). Kids’ Skills. playful and practical solution-finding with children. St Luke’s innovative Resources, Australia ISBN0 9580188 9 8
Kim Berg, I., Steiner, T., (2003) Children’s solutions work. WW Norton & Co, ISBN13 9780393703870.
For Dutch students:
Furman, B (2007). Kids’ Skills. op speelse wijze vaardigheden ontwikkelen bij kinderen. (2e druk) Nelissen Soest.
Kim Berg,I., Steiner, T. (2010). Het spel van oplossingen. Oplossingsgerichte psychotherapie voor kinderen. Uitgeverij Pearson Assessment And Information.
Registration
Course enrolment
Students need to enrol for the course via uSis on the master’s introduction and course enrolment day that takes place at the start of each semester. Please, consult the master’s agenda Psychology.
Contact information
Drs. Erica Bohnen
Room 3B49
Tel: +31 (0)71 527 3381
E-mail: bohnen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl