Year 1
This introductory course covers the basic principles of counseling and psychotherapy. The course introduces both the theoretical and empirical knowledge on which different therapeutic approaches are based. The course covers areas such as diagnosis, intervention techniques as well as an understanding of the dynamic nature of human behavior. Students will explore the meanings underlying the role of counselor and psychotherapist and what different characteristics and behaviors are needed to become an effective counselor and psychotherapist. The course emphasizes the requirement of all counselors to be willing to explore their own stereotypes and prejudices as a means to developing an understanding of client experiences. Issues relating to a culturally diverse client population will also be explored, as well as how the cultural context of clients should be considered in determining the appropriate interventions.
One of the primary goals of both counselors and psychotherapists is an evaluation of a client’s problems or concerns. This course provides the necessary knowledge and skills required by students in order to make an accurate assessment of a client’s issues. To facilitate this process, this course surveys a variety of different assessment tools and tests that are available to counselors and psychotherapists. These range from Neuropsychological tests to tests of cognitive function and personality. The course will relate the results of such tests, along with the results of structured client interviews and behavioral observations, to the diagnosis of different psychological problems. The course will cover the main categories of mental illness based on the ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (or DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association. The course will raise the awareness of students to the often subjective nature inherent in the diagnosis of psychiatric and psychological disorders. The course will also review the different therapeutic avenues open to both counselors and psychotherapists based on a given diagnosis.
This course is focused on the practical aspects of providing counseling and psychotherapeutic services to clients. The course covers a variety of practical skills, such as empathic listening, dealing with client anxieties and general case management. The course covers how to develop strong person-to-person relationships with clients, at the same time being ever mindful of the professional responsibilities of counselors and psychotherapists. Other practical issues such as resistance, transference, confidentiality and conflicts of interest will also be covered. This course will also explain the ethical principles and issues that relate to the work of counselors and psychotherapists, giving students a sound basis on which to make ethical decisions and how to educate the client about their rights.
The course covers a variety of theories and approaches which are focused on the relational aspects of human behavior. Many individuals who seek counseling for a family issue typically demand a rapid resolution to a problematic symptom. Such counseling is therefore often short-term and solution-focused. The course will cover how specific counseling goals are determined by a collaborative process between the counselor and the individual or family. The course will emphasis an integrative approach to family and marriage counseling, with goals, interactions and observations all considered as a means to promote change. The major theoretical perspectives on group and family dynamics will be reviewed along with how this knowledge can be used to facilitate behavioral change.
This course covers the psychological and behavioral issues and problems specific to children and young adults. Behavioral disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder are covered, including the skills and knowledge required to deal with these disorders. In addition to these challenging disorders, the course will also cover more commonplace problems associated with growing up, such as issues of identity and gender. The course will also provide the skills needed for the guidance and advice often needed by young people with respect to family, friends, school and choices concerning their future and well-being. Practical aspects of confidentiality and ethics specific to counseling children and young adults are also covered throughout the course.
Stress is becoming an increasing problem in all aspects of everyday life, especially in the workplace. This course covers the psychological and sociological basis of stress, including the causes and forms of stress. The course explains how stress can lead to feelings of frustration and the sometimes destructive effects stress can have on personal well-being, relationships and health. An individual’s perception and subjective appraisal of the causes of stress are critically evaluated within the context of the individual’s personality and life circumstances. Techniques of modifying an individual’s behavioral responses to stress are reviewed along with strategies for coping and minimizing stress. The course will explore more severe cases of stress including burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder. The course also covers the effects of stress on physical health and practical approaches to health improvement such as nutrition.
Taking as its basis an understanding of the psychology of groups and the social structure of the workplace, this course provides students with the skills required to facilitate harmony and well-being within the workplace. The course relates aspects of decision making in groups, group polarization and ‘groupthink’ to an individuals sense of belonging and purpose within the working environment. The course provides a sound practical understanding of mediation processes between both individuals and groups within the workplace and the strategies and techniques employed to facilitate the resolution of workplace issues and conflicts. The psychological consequences of prejudicial attitudes such as sexism within the workplace are also explored, as well as practical approaches to dealing with prejudice and stereotyping. Ethical issues relating to problems within the workplace will also examined, such as whether problems should be reported to managers or whether employee confidentiality should be respected.
This course covers three of the most important mainstream approaches utilized in psychotherapy. Behavioral Therapy is based on psychological theories of learning and is most commonly used to treat individuals with highly specific behavioral problems, such as phobias and social anxiety disorders, through techniques such as systematic desensitization. Cognitive Therapy recognizes the importance of internal thought processes as a determinant of human behavior and its therapeutic approach focuses on examining and modifying these processes to achieve changes in behavior. Humanistic Therapy (or Client-Centered Therapy) emphasizes providing a supportive emotional climate within which the client can determine the pace and direction of the therapy. All three of these therapeutic approaches are examined in detailed in this course, with their relative strengths and weaknesses compared. The course will also provide students with the ability to decide which therapeutic approach may be most suitable for a particular client.
Addiction comes in many forms, from drug addiction to addiction to video games, gambling or the internet. The consequences of addiction both for the individual client and for their family and friends can often be hugely destructive. Addictive behavior, like most human activity, is a learnt behavior, and the principles of both classical and instrumental conditioning will be explored during the course in relation to addiction. The course will also explore measures of "impaired control" in addiction and in clinical interventions, such as desensitization and aversive conditioning. Students will gain an understanding of how certain addictive behavior, for example gambling, is strongly related to the structure of the addictive activity. These structural features along with different personality traits provide the seeds for the development of addictive behavior. As well as an understanding of the basis of addictive behavior, the course will also cover the different therapeutic approaches used to modify and eliminate such behavior. This includes techniques based on stimulus control, counter-conditioning as well as more cognitive approaches.
Year 2
The Dissertation is the final component of the course, integrating the theoretical and applied knowledge from the taught modules into a substantial project designed to both develop and test student’s depth of understanding of the field and their ability to work independently within it. For the Dissertation, students work individually with a supervisor on a project. The Dissertation topic is chosen in consultation with the supervisor and work cannot commence until a formally written Dissertation Proposal have been agreed with the university.
This course further develops the practical aspects of providing counseling and psychotherapeutic services to clients. The course will provide students with genuine, real-world experience of counseling and psychotherapy, both as a practitioner and as a client. To be an effective counselor or psychotherapist, it is important to learn and understand yourself, to be aware of how your life history has shaped your own opinions and even prejudices. During this course students will undergo a number of sessions of personal counseling within which they will have the opportunity to critically evaluate themselves in the structured context of a counseling session. For this we plan to work together with the Catholic Family Advisory Service and other organisations to allow the students to experience counseling and therapy from the ‘client’s point of view’. We believe that this understanding is a vital component of a prospective counselors training and development. The second component of this module will provide the students with real experience of listening to different individual’s problems, feelings and difficulties, and to provide them with appropriate advice and guidance. We plan to utilize our links with Caritas in Macau to provide access to ‘real’ clients initially over the telephone help lines that Caritas operate within Macau. Throughout this module students will meet to share and discuss their experiences with one another and with IIUM staff, to provide support for students and to facilitate the learning experience afforded by their real-world experiences.
