Entry requirements
Personality, Clinical and Health Psychology or a similar course. For admission requirements, please contact the study advisor
Description
This course focuses on different forms of psychotherapy and research into its effectiveness. The first introductory lecture provides a short history of psychotherapy and information about a Critically Appraisal of a Topic (CAT). Students learn how to systematically search relevant scientific literature for a clinical vignette and formulate a clinical recommendation based on their findings. The following four lectures will discuss the theoretical basis and techniques of some of the main models of psychotherapy (i.e., psychoanalytic, client-centered, cognitive-behavioural and family therapy). Finally, three lectures will provide an overview of research findings in psychotherapy. Besides presenting research into the effectiveness of psychotherapy, these lectures also present research into the importance of theoretical orientation, therapist, client and relational and technical factors for therapy outcome.
In addition to attending the lectures, each student completes a Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) based on a clinical vignette. The students need to systematically search for relevant scientific literature and formulate a clinical recommendation based on their findings.
Course objectives
Students will acquire:
An understanding of the theoretical basis and techniques of various psychotherapies;
Skills in translating scientific knowledge into the daily practice of psychotherapy (CAT); and
Knowledge of the research evidence of the effectiveness of psychotherapies.
Timetable
For the timetables of your lectures and exams, select your study programme.
Psychology timetables
Registration
Course
Students need to register for lectures and exams.
Instructions for registration in courses for the 2nd and 3rd year
For information on registration periods consult the bachelor course registration
Elective
Elective students have to enroll for each course separately. For admission requirements contact your study advisor.
Exchange/Study abroad
For admission requirements, please contact your exchange coordinator.
Examination
Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date; students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination.
Registering for exams
Mode of instruction
8 2-hour lectures. The lectures present the theoretical basis and techniques of some major models of psychotherapy as well as an overview of research findings in psychotherapy.
Each student also completes a Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) based on a clinical vignette. The students need to systematically search for relevant scientific literature and formulate a clinical recommendation based on their findings.
Assessment method
The following information has to be studied for the final exam:
a. all the chapters of the custom edition of Wedding and Corsini (195 pages excluding references);
b. all the chapters of the book of Cooper (155 pages excluding references);
c. the power point presentations of each of the lectures (including the information on the Critical Appraisal of a Topic).
The integral exam consists of two separate parts: completing a CAT and a multiple choice examination. The final grading is calculated on a 70% (multiple choice): 30% (CAT) weighting. The resit will also consist of both a CAT and multiple choice examination. It is not possible to resit part of the examination.
Each assignment will be checked for plagiarism. The CAT will be graded with zero points when not uploaded on time, with one point if rated as ‘insufficient’, with 2 points when rated as ‘sufficient’, and with three points when rated as ‘good’.
The multiple choice exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions with four answering categories.
The Faculty of Social and Behavioural 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.
Reading list
Leiden University custom edition of Danny Wedding and Raymond J. Corsini (Eds.) (2014), Current Psychotherapies (10th edition). Boston: Cengage Learning.
Cooper, M. (2008). Essential research findings in counseling and psychotherapy. Los Angeles: Sage.
Both books will become/are available at the book counter of Labyrinth.
Please note that there is a special and more affordable Leiden University custom edition of Danny Wedding and Raymond J. Corsini (Eds.) (2014), Current Psychotherapies (10th edition) only containing the 6 chapters (out of the 16 chapters of the total book) that are part of the examination. Moreover, the previous 9 editions of the book of Wedding and Corsini markedly differ from the present 10th edition and studying these previous editions is totally at your own risk.
Contact information
Prof. dr. Philip Spinhoven
spinhoven@fsw.leidenuniv.nl