Leader: Ms M Lynch

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2008 (Off-campus)

Synopsis

This unit is designed to present an introduction to the theoretical principles underlying the practice of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy and crisis work. Areas covered will include assessment and treatment issues.

Objectives

This unit is designed to give students knowledge of the several modes of shorter term psychotherapeutic response and their attendant practices. The unit, as one of the final units of the program, will attempt to overview the course and reflect upon the effective use of psychoanalytic psychotherapy skill in a range of non-traditional applications.
On completion of this unit the student is expected to:

1. have an understanding of the historical development of short-term therapy;
2. have an understanding of the models and central issues of short-term, brief and crisis therapy;
3. understand the application of short-term, brief and crisis therapy to the age and developmental stage of the particular child or adolescent;
4. have an understanding of the use of transference and counter-transference and interpretation in this work through detail case examples;
5. understand the importance of the development of skills through training prior to undertaking this work; and
6. reflect upon the application of psychoanalytic understanding to the variety of needs present in child and adolescent community mental health auspices.

Assessment

Regular written assignments
Final written assignment
Interactive assessment via a residential workshop
1. Residential Workshop 20%
2. Essay 40%
3. Essay 40%

Prerequisites

DCP0001, DCP0002, DCP0003, DCP0004, DCP0005, DCP0006