The online modules of the MSc in Psychotherapy Studies, and some of the online modules for the DProf, the DCPsych, the MA in coaching, the MSc in working with diversity, the MSc in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Related Neurodevelopmental Conditions, and the MA in existential and humanistic pastoral care.

Author: Digby Tantam

 

April 2018 A message for all current students

We are changing our methods of assessment.  Please look at your handbook in detail, but in brief, you will have to pass both the assignment(s) and a rating by your tutor of your participation.  This will be based on attendance at the forums and the chat, feedback from other students on your forum posts, your hyperlink posts to Link Critic, and your participation in any group activities such as the mock tribunal on the ethics course.

If this causes you any issues, please post in the Board of Studies forum, so that we can discuss the problems at the next Board.

We will also be moving to yet another theme, 'Boost', that is better supported by Moodle. This is to fix a problem with the Turnitin plug in.  

Research Preparation and Programme Planning Winter 2018

PTS 1030 Quantitative Research Island Autumn 2018

A ten week course covering the following:

  1. The principles of critical enquiry and the distinction between meaning and causes.  Scepticism and Occam’s razor
  2. Probability theory and its application to inference.  Chance, and its measurement. 
  3. Statistics, distributions, the normal distribution, means and variance.
  4. Collecting and displaying data. Types of data e.g. continuous, dichotomous.  Parametric and non-parametric statistics.
  5. Types of research: on populations.  Sampling and surveys. Confounding and selection bias.
  6. Types of research: on individuals.  Selection, tests, interviews, questionnaires, self-ratings, observer ratings.
  7. Questionnaire design.  Psychometric properties.  Consistency. Reliability.  Validity.
  8. Planning and designing a study.  Power calculations.  Ethics. Randomizing, control, wait list designs.
  9. Statistical significance.  Practical significance.  Replication and meta-analysis.  Specificity and sensitivity: receiver operating characteristics. 
  10. Reading and learning from the literature.  A practical exercise.

Glossary of psychotherapy terms

A glossary of psychotherapy terms in Dutch, French and English

Case studies for Island courses 1-4

There is one brief study for each week of the course

PTS 1050 Well-being and health Autumn 2018

A ten week course, covering different viewpoints on well-being and relationship to health:

  1. Introduction, definitions, and interrelations between topics
  2. philosophy
  3. health economics
  4. psychology
  5. medicine
  6. spirituality
  7. psychotherapy, counselling, and coaching
  8. values
  9. relationships
  10. being well remembered

PTS 2030 Psychoanalytic theory and practice

A ten week course covering:

  1. Precursors of psychoanalysis. Mesmer and the Nancy school, theories of the cognitive unconscious, Breuer, actual neurosis, 19th. century accounts of child abuse, Kraftt-Ebbing, and the Project
  2. Screen memories and the Oedipus complex, hysteria, repression, the return of the repressed, transference, the topographical model, resistance, the semiology of symptoms
  3. The elaboration of meta-psychology, drive theory, the structural theory of the mind, narcissism,  fixation of sexual development.  The critiques of Jung, Adler, and Groddeck.  The defence of Anna Freud.
  4. Fairbairn, Rivers, and anthropology.  The problem of reality.  Child analysis. Klein.  Object relations theorists. Kernberg
  5. Empiricism and psychoanalysis.  Balint, Winnicott, Grinker, Bowlby
  6. Empiricism and psychoanalysis 2. Developmental psychology.  Kanner, Bick, Mahler, Spitz, Stern
  7. Ego and identity: ego psychology, Erikson, self psychology of Kohut
  8. Language and psychotherapy: the French school, Deleuze, Lacan
  9. Modern developments: relational, interpersonal, intersubjective
  10. Critiques of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic responses: the hermeneutic turn, narrative theory, feminist, Marxist, and queer theory critiques, empirical critques (Gruenberg), ad hominem critiques (Masson). 

PTS and DEV Research supervision

You will need at least 3 terms of research supervision to help you to prepare your MSc dissertation--perhaps more.  You can arrange any method of regular contact with your supervision.  Most students and supervisors use email, but you can also use Skype or our own video conferencing software provided by the Existential Academy.  You can also ask to have access to a chatroom or a forum on this site.  Let Digby Tantam know if you want this.

Please note that we will require you and your supervisor to complete termly reports.  These are available in 'School documentation'.

PTS 1040 Qualitative Research Methods Autumn 2018

A ten week course covering:

  1. Human and social science methods vs. natural science methods
  2. Induction and theory building.  Hermeneutics, interpretation, personal meaning and subjectivity, narrative versus objective truth.  Experience vs. reality.
  3. Grounded theory and thematic methods, discourse analysis, participant-observation, template analysis
  4. Phenomenological approaches
  5. Formulating a research question.
  6. Locating and selecting research participants.
  7. Methods of data collection and validation.  Semi-structured and unstructured interviews.
  8. Illustrations, anecdotes, case studies.  The role of rhetoric in science and practice.  Self-reflection.  Reflexivity.  Ethical considerations.
  9. Designing and conducting qualitative research.\
  10. Mixing methods: the relative strengths and limitations of qualitative and quantitative research.  Mixed qualitative methods.