Course Syllabus

European Clinical Psychology

 

 

Semester & Location:	Summer 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 3 credits
Core Course Study Tours:	Vienna
Major Disciplines:	Human Development, Per-Medicine/Health Science, Psychology
Faculty Members:	Veronika Leonova  (current students please email using the Canvas Inbox)
Program Contact:	Department email address psy.cns@dis.dk
Time & Location:	Time: 09:00-12:00 most days with exceptions  Location: Fi6-Metro 104

Description of Course

Prerequisites: A course in Psychology at the university level.

In this clinical psychology course, we will focus on the way the field is approached within a European context. We will start with the study of historical and cultural issues, and as the summer unfolds, we will study different psychotherapeutic schools and their view on the etiology of psychological problems. The main focus will be on adult mental health.

 Throughout the course, we'll discuss controversial issues in the field and consider differences in American and European approaches to treatment. One goal of the course is to make these theoretical discussions concrete and applicable to real-life scenarios as experienced on field trips and study tours and via case studies. Aside from lectures, other methods of instruction will be group discussion, student papers, and illustrative videos.

Although we will apply what we learn, this is primarily a theoretical course.

 

Learning Objectives

In this course, you will learn to reflect critically on theory, application, and research within the field of clinical psychology and consider the European perspective. You will be asked to evaluate different perspectives, concepts, and practices throughout the summer. This course is designed to help you begin thinking about specific approaches to treating a variety of clients.  The field of clinical psychology is rapidly moving toward a theory of differential treatment; rather than asking: “What is the best theory of counseling and psychotherapy,” we are increasingly asking:  “What treatment, by whom, is most effective for this individual, with that specific problem, and under what set of circumstances?”

During our field studies and study tours, you will also see how clinical psychology is applied in real-world settings, where you will be able to analyze, compare and contrast different perspectives in selected European clinical contexts.

More specifically, you will:

• Become familiar with important concepts and issues surrounding the field of clinical psychology in Europe.
• Become familiar with some of the most prevalent treatment approaches and understand the links between these different approaches and their potential impact on clients.
• Become more knowledgeable about the controversial issues in clinical psychology.
• Describe, understand, and begin to use the major foundational ideas in psychotherapy. These skills include empathy, active listening, and recognizing different worldviews.
• Define, understand and use the terminology of several psychotherapeutic schools.
• Analyze case studies and argue for a specific treatment approach.
• Describe and understand various methods of Psychological Assessment.
• Think divergently about a single phenomenon.
• Consider the European perspective.

 

Faculty

Veronika Leonova

Specialist degree in Clinical Psychology (Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2011). Jungian Analytical Psychotherapy education (Moscow Association for Analytical Psychology, 2012). Worked as a clinical psychologist in various institutions and taught as an external lecturer at “The Higher School of Psychology” in Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. In Denmark since 2015. She works with adolescents and adults, conducting individual and group therapy in private practice and as a volunteer in NEFOS. With DIS since 2017.

 

Readings

Required Textbooks (DIS library):

• Pomerantz, A. M. (2013). Clinical psychology: Science, practice, and culture. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Frankl, V. (1946). Man’s Search For Meaning. London: Rider.

Required Articles and Other Media on Canvas:

• Readings are uploaded to Canvas. References provided at the end of this syllabus.
• Additionally, occasional short videos will be provided on Canvas to supplement the written materials.

 

Study Tour

Theme: Vienna—Exploring Clinical Psychology’s Origins

Purpose: There is nowhere in the world where the history of Clinical Psychology is more evident than in Vienna, Austria. Students will gain valuable understanding about the lives of the Great Masters and the historical contributions that were made in the field of clinical psychology during the first half of the twentieth century.

Orientation: You will have a presentation in class before departure and study tour booklets will be posted on Canvas to download.

Assignments: In small groups, students will be required to prepare for our academic visits by preparing questions and taking notes during the presentation. Instructions are provided on Canvas.

 

Guest Lecturers

• Lisa Smith is a psychologist specialized in psychiatry and psychotherapy. She does research on avatar therapy at the Copenhagen Research Center for Mental Health – CORE. 

Approach to Teaching

I focus on creating an open and challenging learning environment, where there’s room for questions, discussions, group work, and case studies. It is important for me to motivate and inspire my students to develop their own critical thinking skills by engaging them in the learning process as active collaborators. In class I expect you to be present, ask questions and participate in discussions. All opinions and points of view are welcome within the context of constructive discussion. I also believe that in studying psychology personal growth and change is as important, as learning theory and strive to create a safe room for everyone to express their personal response to our material.

You can always ask me additional questions before and after class or via e-mail, which I ‘ll do my best to answer within 24 hours.

 

Expectations of the Students

One of the main objectives of this class is to become familiar with the various concepts, theories and controversial issues pertaining to the field of clinical psychology. In this context, critical thinking and reflexivity on your own part is crucial. If you are willing to critically explore your own attitudes and engage fully in discussions and other class activities, you will learn more, and it will be easier for you to meet the course objectives.  I also expect you to have done the reading and watched any video materials for each class session to better allow you to participate in class discussion.

 

Grading

Assignment	Points
Attendance and Participation	20
Discussion Board	30
Group Project	15
Final exam	35
Total	100

Attendance and Participation (20 points):

Your attendance and active participation are essential in this course. Class meetings will be a mixture of lectures, group activities, debates, and videos; questions and discussion are expected. Class participation is a major component of the course. You will need to be present and participate to receive full credit. You must attend every class. Excused absences only include serious illness. All other absences are unexcused.

Discussion Board (30 points):

Our class has a discussion board on Canvas (similar to Facebook), where we can start and/or continue our classroom discussions, virtually. Each class day (see below for specific requirements), you will be required to post about the assigned readings of the week, at my prompting. I will start the thread with a few questions about the assigned reading, and you are required to respond to me, or to your classmates’ responses. These are short, quick 100-word responses (entered into Canvas) that are due at the start of each class, as indicated in the course schedule. There is a discussion post before each class but you are allowed to skip any 2 discussions if you feel like it.  Your goal is to respond to the assigned readings/videos in preparation for in-class discussion. No journal entries will be accepted after the start of class, as one purpose is to enhance discussion preparation. 

Rubric is available here: Discussion Board Rubric

Group Project (15 points):

This assignment is related to your Study Tour. Students will be assigned to small groups with which they will complete a project related to the study tour. More specifically, each group will be assigned one academic visit to be in charge of.  The group would be in charge of 1) introducing the visit for classmates, 2) preparing and asking questions at the visit and 3) summarizing the visit for the rest of the class, in written form. A written document is due on June 27 at the start of class. More guidelines and rubric for this assignment is available on Canvas under Assignments - Group project.

Final Exam (35 points):

The final exam will consist of some multiple-choice but mostly - critical analysis questions. The exam will be a compilation of information from the whole course – including all assigned readings and study tour visits. To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.

 

Academic Accommodations

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter on the first days of class. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support academicsupport@dis.dk

 

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes, guest lectures, workshops and field studies. If you miss a class for any reason please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes, the Office of Academic Support and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences, you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. 

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment: DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.   Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Policy on late papers

Late discussion posts will not be accepted.  Late papers will lose 5 points for every day they are late.  For example, a 20 point paper would receive 15 points on the first day that it is late,  a 10 points the second day that it is late, and so forth.

Computer and Cell phone use

Computers and cell phones are not allowed unless we are doing a writing assignment in class.  You may bring them to class, but will be asked to close them or shut them down, while there is a lecture or group work.  They are also not allowed on study tours or field studies.

Policy for Students Who Arrive Late to Class:

Please arrive several minutes before class begins. It is very distracting when students arrive late, you lose important information by missing the opening minutes, and it is especially rude if we have guest speakers. Please plan ahead so that you leave plenty of time to get to class on time. If you are late - come in quietly. Students who are repeatedly late for class will receive a lower participation grade. 

 

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