Module Information

Module Identifier
PS32300
Module Title
Sex and relationships in psychotherapeutic practice
Academic Year
2021/2022
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Pre-Requisite
Pre-Requisite
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Portfolio  Portfolio 4000 Words  70%
Semester Assessment .2 Hours   Observation and reflective summary  Observation of counselling skills practice and 750 word reflective summary  30%
Supplementary Assessment Portfolio  Portfolio 4000 Words  70%
Supplementary Assessment .2 Hours   Observation and reflective summary  Observation of counselling skills practice and 750 word reflective summary  30%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of love, relationships and diversity within the counselling context.

Identify and apply models and techniques appropriate to couples counselling

Demonstrate an understanding of couples and relationships therapy.

Select and apply appropriate strategies to facilitate counsellor-client communication in simulated counselling settings

Demonstrate the importance of building effective relationships and rapport in counselling

Demonstrate critical self-awareness and deep self-reflection in your development and practice in counselling

Demonstrate the importance of active listening skills and helping strategies in counselling

Brief description

Building on Skills and Theory 1 & 2, this module will explore further counselling and psychotherapeutic theories and approaches, with a particular focus on love and relationships, including couples counselling, and continue to enable the development of counselling skills through experiential learning. This module is also designed to help you think creatively and critically, developing skills that will enable you to apply psychology and counselling to address a wide range of personal, professional and societal needs, and provide a basis for PG study and training in counselling.

Content

Theories and approaches to relationships counselling
Gender, Sexuality, and Relationships (including Diversity) concepts
Theories, approaches and concepts of love, intimacy, and romantic relationships
Critical reflective practice in counselling
Applying counselling skills 3 (Sex and relationships): communication, active listening, interpersonal skills and self-awareness; and adapting these skills to couples counselling.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Successful completion of the module is very much dependent on a high level of engagement with the theories, techniques and practical skills, and an openness to personal critical reflection and self-awareness. Ongoing group and personal development work, in particular, will encourage a critical mind that – with self-awareness – will facilitate a continual cycle of learning. Over the course of the module, students can identify any barriers in reflection and development, building on the feedback
Students will have developed advanced skills, in PS12120 and PS22120, to identify and access supporting literature to extend material introduced in lectures, and their own literature review, to facilitate the completion of coursework elements. These skills will be assessed in the portfolio assessment
Students will have developed advanced team and group work skills (in modules PS12120 and PS22120) and will continue to develop these skills by undertaking a range of group-based activities and reflecting critically on the nature of group dynamics, performance and their own role within the group structure. Also, due to the nature of the module, students will play an important role in developing a group identity and helping to create a supporting learning environment for their peers.
Students will have the opportunity to continue developing a wide range of advanced counselling-specific skills, which help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate the theory and practice of counselling. These include advanced communication skills and critical interpersonal skills and self-awareness.
Successful completion of the module relies on full engagement with bibliographic resources (e.g., Web of Knowledge and PsycArticles). Students will also use ICT skills (Microsoft Office and VLE Blackboard) in completing their portfolio and reflection assessments.
Advanced communication skills in the counselling context are a key element of this module, and will have been accumulated in PS12120 and PS22120. The further development of these skills is via lectures (in relation to couples counselling), and they are also practiced and developed during practical sessions and assessed via observation. Students will reflect critically on their development in this domain during their supervisory session, and assessed in the critical reflective summary.
Personal development and career planning: This module builds on advanced personal development, reflection and self-awareness that are primarily facilitated through reflection, a supervisor meeting, group activities and practical sessions (which they have already undertaken in modules PS12120 and PS22120). Thus, the applied nature of this module will enhance students’ understanding of counselling as providing them with the opportunity to begin to ‘try out’ a potential career path in the helping p
Each practical will enable learners to apply theoretical material from the lectures to be developed and applied critically to solve particular problems relating to counselling practice. This ability will be formally assessed via the observational component.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6