Psychotherapy Course

Lesson 1 • The Therapeutic Relationship

Examines the alliance between therapist and client as the primary vehicle for change. Introduces concepts of rapport, trust, and relational safety.

Lesson 2 • Ethical and Professional Standards

Covers informed consent, confidentiality, duty to protect, and professional codes of conduct. Establishes the ethical framework governing all clinical decisions.

Lesson 3 • Core Concepts in Mental Health

Defines psychological distress, mental health continuum, and diagnostic frameworks. Grounds students in the conceptual language used across all therapeutic modalities.

Lesson 4 • History and Evolution of Psychotherapy

Traces psychotherapy from early psychiatric models to contemporary integrative approaches. Provides historical context essential for understanding current theoretical diversity.

Lesson 1 • Integrative Case Formulation

Synthesizes predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective factors into a coherent formulation. Students link formulation directly to individualized treatment goals.

Lesson 2 • Standardized Assessment Tools

Introduces validated self-report measures and clinician-rated scales for common disorders. Students select, administer, and interpret assessment instruments appropriately.

Lesson 3 • Diagnostic Reasoning and Differential Diagnosis

Teaches systematic diagnostic reasoning using current classification criteria. Students distinguish overlapping presentations and rule out medical contributors.

Lesson 4 • Treatment Planning and Goal Setting

Guides students in writing measurable, collaborative, and time-bound treatment goals. Plans are aligned with formulation, client values, and evidence-based guidelines.

Lesson 1 • Psychoanalytic Theory Fundamentals

Covers Freudian structural and topographic models, drives, and psychosexual development. Provides the theoretical base for all psychodynamic clinical applications.

Lesson 2 • Psychodynamic Case Formulation

Teaches structured methods for organizing psychodynamic hypotheses about client functioning. Students produce written formulations integrating theory with clinical data.

Lesson 3 • Defense Mechanisms and Resistance

Identifies major defense mechanisms and their clinical manifestations in session. Students learn to recognize and work with resistance therapeutically.

Lesson 4 • Object Relations and Attachment Theory

Introduces Winnicott, Bowlby, and Ainsworth frameworks for understanding relational development. Links early attachment patterns to adult psychological functioning.

Lesson 1 • Cognitive Restructuring Techniques

Teaches Socratic questioning, thought challenging, and belief modification methods. Students practice restructuring distorted cognitions in role-play scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Cognitive Model of Psychopathology

Explains Beck's cognitive model linking thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Establishes the theoretical rationale for all CBT interventions.

Lesson 3 • Behavioral Principles and Techniques

Covers classical and operant conditioning as foundations for behavioral interventions. Students apply reinforcement, extinction, and exposure principles clinically.

Lesson 4 • CBT Session Structure and Pacing

Outlines the agenda-setting, homework review, and session summary format of CBT. Students learn to maintain structure while remaining responsive to client needs.

Lesson 1 • Person-Centered Therapy Core Conditions

Covers Rogers's six necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change. Students practice congruence, empathy, and unconditional positive regard in sessions.

Lesson 2 • Existential Therapy Concepts

Introduces the four existential givens: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. Students explore how confronting these givens facilitates authentic living.

Lesson 3 • Integrating Humanistic Principles

Demonstrates how humanistic values enhance other therapeutic modalities. Students blend person-centered attitudes with structured techniques from other approaches.

Lesson 4 • Motivational Interviewing Foundations

Introduces the spirit and core skills of motivational interviewing for ambivalence resolution. Students practice OARS skills to evoke client motivation for change.

Lesson 1 • Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills

Introduces DBT's four skill modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Students teach skills in individual and group formats.

Lesson 2 • Compassion-Focused Therapy

Introduces CFT's evolutionary model of emotion systems and compassionate mind training. Students use imagery and behavioral exercises to build self-compassion.

Lesson 3 • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Covers the ACT hexaflex model: acceptance, defusion, present moment, self-as-context, values, and committed action. Students practice core ACT exercises with clients.

Lesson 4 • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Teaches the MBCT protocol for relapse prevention in recurrent depression. Students guide mindfulness practices and integrate them with cognitive techniques.

Lesson 1 • Grief, Loss, and Bereavement Therapy

Covers contemporary grief models and therapeutic interventions for complicated bereavement. Students distinguish normal grief from prolonged grief disorder and intervene accordingly.

Lesson 2 • Somatic and Body-Based Approaches

Introduces Somatic Experiencing and sensorimotor psychotherapy for trauma held in the body. Students track somatic cues and use titration and pendulation techniques.

Lesson 3 • Trauma-Informed Care Principles

Establishes the six principles of trauma-informed care: safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural sensitivity. Applies these across all clinical settings.

Lesson 4 • EMDR Therapy Protocol

Covers the eight-phase EMDR protocol from history-taking through reevaluation. Students practice bilateral stimulation and target memory processing in supervised role-plays.

Lesson 1 • Clinical Supervision Models

Introduces developmental, competency-based, and reflective supervision frameworks. Students practice both supervisee and supervisor roles in structured exercises.

Lesson 2 • Therapist Self-Care and Sustainability

Addresses compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout prevention strategies. Students develop personalized self-care plans to sustain long-term clinical effectiveness.

Lesson 3 • Outcome Monitoring and Practice-Based Evidence

Teaches routine outcome monitoring using validated measures to guide clinical decisions. Students analyze session-by-session data to adjust treatment in real time.

Lesson 4 • Managing Therapeutic Impasses

Identifies sources of therapeutic stagnation and strategies for re-engaging stuck clients. Students use supervision and self-reflection to resolve clinical impasses.