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. This program spends little or no time on finding potential causes of difficulties. The focus is on what children or adolescents need 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. As the therapist, you are the expert of the process of the solution focused method. However, the participants, the parents, the teachers and the children are the experts in finding their own solutions.
Kids’ Skills may seem a simple method; however, the implementation requires a new attitude, especially on the part of the therapist! 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-focused interventions
Students will learn basic skills in applying the main therapeutic interventions within the sessions
Students will learn basic skills in applying the main therapeutic intervention in contact with parents / caregivers and teachers
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 programme.
Timetable
Social Skills Training (2014-2015):
“Lectures”: T.b.a.
Registration
Course
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions. Please consult the Instructions registration
Mode of instruction
Six plenary lectures, 16 workgroup meetings. The 16 workgroup meetings in these course involve peer consultation and supervision.
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
The Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. 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.
Additional articles
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.
Tjin A Djie, K. (2013) Beschermjassen: Transculturele hulp aan families. Assen: Van Gorcum.
Additional articles
Contact information
Drs. Erica Bohnen
Room 3B49
Tel: +31 (0)71 527 3381
E-mail: bohnen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl