Introduction to Psychotherapy

The lecture presents the main psychotherapy schools, basic results of

psychotherapy research, different contexts of psychotherapy usage, and

career paths for psychotherapists.

This is an introductory lecture to the “Psychotherapy” specialization. Main

goal of the course is to create a broad mental map of the psychotherapy

field that will allow to assimilate in an effective way new knowledge and

skills taught during other classes from psychotherapy specialization. The

lectures will include presentations of the main psychotherapy schools:

psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavior therapy,

cognitive therapy, person-centered therapy, existential psychotherapy,

integrative and eclectic psychotherapy (including multimodal therapy and

Wachtel’s behavioral-psychoanalytical psychotherapy) and new

developments in psychotherapy. The second part of the lecture focuses

on the research in psychotherapy: methodological issues and results of

effectiveness and process-oriented empirical studies. Though the focus of

the lecture is on individual psychotherapy of adults, in the third part of

the lecture there will be time to discuss psychotherapy of families,

couples and groups. Moreover, in the part III “Practice” the issue of

technology in therapy will be also covered. At the end of the course the

issue of psychotherapy as a profession will be discussed. During this final

classes we would like to answer questions like “what is the motivation to

become psychotherapist?”, “what is the role of supervision and selfexperience

in the process of psychotherapists’ education?”, “what are the

career paths in psychotherapy field?”. The very final class will be about

specificity of psychotherapeutic treatment of severely disturbed patients

at the inpatients psychiatric wards, especially people diagnosed with

schizophrenia.

1. Introduction

 Chapter 1. Prochaska, J., & Norcross, J. (2014). Systems of psychotherapy: A

transtheoretical analysis. 8

th edition. Stanford: Cengage Learning.

PART I Theory

2. Psychoanalysis, psychoanalytical and psychodynamic psychotherapy

 Chapter 2 and 3. Prochaska, J., & Norcross, J. (2014). Systems of psychotherapy:

A transtheoretical analysis. 8th edition. Stanford: Cengage Learning.

3. Behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy

 Chapter 9 and 10. Prochaska, J., & Norcross, J. (2014). Systems of psychotherapy:

A transtheoretical analysis. 8th edition. Stanford: Cengage Learning.

4. Person-centered therapy, existential therapy, emotion-focused

therapy and systemic therapy

 Chapter 4, 5, 6 and 12. Prochaska, J., & Norcross, J. (2014). Systems of

psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis. 8th edition. Stanford: Cengage

Learning.

Test #1

5. Integrative and eclectic psychotherapy

 Chapter 16 and 17. Prochaska, J., & Norcross, J. (2014). Systems of

psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis. 8th edition. Stanford: Cengage

Learning.

6. New developments in therapy: Schema Therapy (ST), Mindfulness-Based

Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP),

Compassion Focused Therapy (SFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT),

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT); Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), Dialectical

Behavior Therapy (DBT), Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP).

 Chapter 11. Prochaska, J., & Norcross, J. (2014). Systems of psychotherapy: A

transtheoretical analysis. 8th edition. Stanford: Cengage Learning.

More obligatory readings will be presented at the beginning of the course.

PART II Research

7. Research methods

The obligatory readings will be presented at the beginning of the course.

8. Efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy

 Chapter 2 and 3. Cooper, M. (2008). Essential research findings in counselling

and psychotherapy: The facts are friendly. London: Sage Publications.

Test #2

9. Client and therapist factors

 Chapter 4 and 5. Cooper, M. (2008). Essential research findings in counselling

and psychotherapy: The facts are friendly. London: Sage Publications.

10. Factors connected with psychotherapeutic relationship and

techniques.

 Chapter 6 and 7. Cooper, M. (2008). Essential research findings in counselling

and psychotherapy: The facts are friendly. London: Sage Publications.

PART III Practice

11. Technology in therapy

 Boswell, J. F., Kraus, D. R., Miller, S. D., & Lambert, M. J. (2015). Implementing

routine outcome monitoring in clinical practice: Benefits, challenges, and

solutions. Psychotherapy research, 25(1), 6-19.

 Clough, B. A., & Casey, L. M. (2015). The smart therapist: A look to the future of

smartphones and mHealth technologies in psychotherapy. Professional

Psychology: Research and Practice, 46(3), 147-153.

 Vincent, C., Barnett, M., Killpack, L., Sehgal, A., & Swinden, P. (2017). Advancing

Telecommunication Technology and its Impact on Psychotherapy in Private

Practice. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 33(1), 63-76.

12. Therapy format: individual, group, family and couple therapy

 Chapter 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Gabbard G. O., Beck J. S., Holmes J. (eds.). (2005). Oxford

textbook of psychotherapy. New York : Oxford University Press.

Test #3

13. The role of psychotherapy in a psychiatric inpatient ward.

Psychotherapy in schizophrenia.

 Chapter 14. Gabbard G. O., Beck J. S., Holmes J. (eds.). (2005). Oxford textbook

of psychotherapy. New York : Oxford University Press.

Retake of the tests

14. The role of supervision.

 Chapter 42. Gabbard G. O., Beck J. S., Holmes J. (eds.). (2005). Oxford textbook

of psychotherapy. New York : Oxford University Press.

15. Career paths in psychotherapy. How to become a psychotherapist?

Course summary.

Additional readings:

Wedding D., Corsini R. J. (eds.). (2011). Case studies in psychotherapy.

Brooks/Cole.

1. The student demonstrates basic knowledge of theories and

techniques applied in psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral

psychotherapies, humanistic-existential, systemic and

integrative/eclectic psychotherapies.

2. The student demonstrates knowledge of basic results of the studies

on psychotherapy process and effectiveness. She or he is acquainted

with basic methods used in psychotherapy research.

3. The student demonstrates basic knowledge of the possible usage of

technologies in psychotherapy.

4. The student is acquainted with a variety of forms (individual, group,

family, couple therapy), contexts of applying psychotherapy (e.g.

individual practice, psychiatric ward) and the necessary conditions to

become psychotherapists.

The assessment is based on three criteria (maximum 100 points):

1. the results of 3 tests (3x25 points each=75 points maximum). The

tests have a part of a multiple-choice test (50% of points) and a part

with open questions (50% of points);

2. an individual work (25 points). Preparation of an video interview with

a psychotherapists on a previously given topic and own commentary.

The video should be the extract of the most important parts lasting

ca. 10 minutes. The best videos will be shown during the lecture (in

case of technical problems interview in a written form can be also

accepted);

If you are not satisfied with the score from the tests, you can write the

retake for each of the tests. The score of the retake will be valid even if

the grade is worse than without the retake, with the exception when the

result of the retake would lead to not passing the class.

Criteria for the grades:

points grades

96 - 100 5,5

89 - 95 5

82 - 88 4,5

75 - 81 4

68 - 74 3,5

60 - 67 3

Attendance rules

Attendance is obligatory. Two unexcused absences are allowed and

additionally 5 absences with valid excuse will be accepted without any

consequence. For each of the absence above these limits the students will

lose 5 points.