Argosy University—Chicago Campus
CRN 1115; PP7080; Section C9; Course title: Personal and Professional Development
2007-2008
Faculty: Jerome Wilczynski, Psy.D.
Core Faculty, Counselor Education Programs
(773) 848-1361 private practice phone
(312) 777-7677 university office phone
Co-leaders: Eric Kortanek & Danielle Tipping
Group dates: Thursdays from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Meeting dates in the fall semester are Sept. 27; Oct. 4, 11, 25; Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29; Dec. 6. Meeting dates in the spring semester are Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31; Feb. 7, 14, 28; Mar. 13, 20, 27; April 3, 10. We meet for the group weekend in Lake Geneva, WI, the dates for which are May 16, 17, and 18.
Recommended Texts (do not purchase; on reserve in the library):
Irvin Yalom’s The Theory & Practice of Group Psychotherapy
Carl Rogers’ Carl Rogers On Encounter Groups
Program Outcomes: The Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University Chicago Campus is an APA accredited program (APA, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-336-5500). This program is designed to educate and train students so that they may eventually be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. To ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum provides for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice. The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University Chicago Campus emphasizes the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services. Specific objectives of the program include the following:
· Goal 1: Prepare professional psychologists to accurately, effectively, and ethically select, administer, score, interpret, and communicate findings of appropriate assessment methods informed by accepted psychometric standards and sensitive to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.
o Objective 1a: Accurately and ethically administer and score various psychodiagnostic instruments.
o Objective 1b: Accurately interpret and synthesize assessment data in the context of diversity factors, referral questions, and specific objectives of the assessment, and organize and communicate results in writing and orally.
o Objective 1c: Examine psychometric properties of psychological assessment instruments, and use that knowledge to evaluate, select, administer, and interpret psychological tests and measures appropriate for the client, the referral question, and the objectives of the assessment.
· Goal 2: Prepare professional psychologists to select, implement, and evaluate psychological interventions consistent with current ethical, evidence-based, and professional standards, within a theoretical framework, and with sensitivity to the interpersonal processes of the therapeutic relationship and the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.
o Objective 2a: Synthesize the foundations of clinical psychology, including psychopathology, human development, diagnosis, diversity, ethics, and various therapeutic models in clinical applications.
o Objective 2b: Select, plan, and implement ethical and evidence-based interventions with sensitivity to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.
o Objective 2c: Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively implement and participate in psychological consultation and supervision.
Objective 2d: Demonstrate personal development and self-reflective capacity, including growth of interpersonal skills, and therapeutic relationships.
· Goal 3: Prepare professional psychologists to analyze the complexity and multidimensionality of human diversity, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to understand diverse worldviews and the potential meaning of social, cultural, and individual differences for professional psychological services.
· Goal 4: Prepare professional psychologists to examine the historical context and the current body of knowledge of biological, cognitive, affective, developmental, and social bases of human functioning.
· Goal 5: Prepare professional psychologists to critically evaluate the current and evolving body of scholarly literature in psychology to inform professional practice.
The Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology has been designed to educate and train students to enter a professional career as MA level practitioners. Argosy University/Chicago Campus provides students an educational program with all the necessary theoretical and clinical elements that will allow them to be effective members of a mental health team. The program introduces students to basic clinical skills that integrate individual and group theoretical foundations of applied psychology into appropriate client interactions and intervention skills. In addition, the Program offers excellent preparation for those considering application to the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.
Course Objectives
1. Experiential learning about how you relate in a group context, e.g., increasing one’s self-awareness. Because the group has a non-directive format you can get to know each other and share experiences and information in the way you feel most comfortable.
2. The study of group phenomenon, dynamics, and group relations. The achievement of this objective will aid in preparing you for positions of group leadership and professional group facilitation.
3. The mutual creation of the group environment and process in which all participants can express his or her own person, and try out new and risky behaviors is essential to group process that engenders self-growth and furthers your self-awareness. Toward this end, the group leader and co-leaders are not responsible for maintaining and creating the process of the group; this responsibility rests on the “shoulders” of all the members of the group equally.
Learning Tasks
The group context provides a kind of laboratory in which we observe our own emotions, reactions, thoughts, and behaviors and that of other group members. Within each of the major theoretical orientations in psychology, we find theories that attempt to describe individuals’ behavior in groups and the influence that groups exert upon members. Your learning will be greatly enhanced during this course through exposing yourself to the texts that are recommended as well as the writings of any other group theorists that are of interest to you.
Course Requirements
1. Attendance at all group meetings and the weekend in Lake Geneva is absolutely required. You will not, under any circumstances, receive credit for the course if you miss the final group weekend (so plan ahead!). If you are going to be absent (from class, not from the weekend in Lake Geneva) or there is an emergency, contact me at (773) 848-1361 or by email to alert me to this fact.
2. A paper (no longer than 8 pages) which describes your personal experience as it is informed by your reading of theory about group development will be due in April (exact date TBA). Your observations and conclusions about the group process and its impact on you are a rich source of mutual learning.
3. In order to aid in the preparation of your final paper, you are encouraged to keep an observational journal after each group meeting. Attend to all observable phenomena in the group. Your aim is to sharpen your observational, descriptive, and analytic abilities as you function as a participant-observer. The following questions may stimulate this process of recording and analyzing your experience:
§ How do physical settings influence group behavior? Social context?
§ What are the means by which information is transmitted in the group context?
§ How are norms established?
§ How is deviance controlled?
§ Who has explicit authority in the group? Who has implicit authority?
§ What are the manifestations of authority and leadership?
§ Do subgroups form within the group? Within meeting or outside of the group?
§ What is the “work” of the group and how does it get performed?
§ What are the incentives, goals, and sanctions that are applied in the situation?
§ What behaviors stimulate the application of sanctions?
§ What can you learn about yourself in groups?
§ Are you fearful, confident, a leader or a follower?
§ Do you play a range of roles or a consistent role?
§ What is the intersection of your behavior with other features of your identity: gender, race, ethnicity, ability status, religion, cultural identification, sexual orientation, nationality, social class?
§ What are the emotional states and feelings associated with your participation in the group?
§ How do freedom and safety interact within the group?
Try to record your reactions, observations, thoughts and theorizing at the end of the group or within 24 hours if possible. These journals will serve as a rich source of data that will enable you to formulate your ideas for your paper at the end of the course.
In particular, make a careful distinction between observations and inferences between what you observed happening and the meaning you attribute to the events. For example, is a judgmental attitude being attributed to a group member who is observed being silent in the group?
Grades
Grades for PPD are credit/no credit. A credit grade will be given for faithful attendance at the group meetings (you may not miss more than 1 group meeting during a semester), a good-faith effort to participate in the group, participation in the group weekend, and completion of the paper in April. A grade of no credit will be assigned if the student fails to attend the group weekend in Lake Geneva, misses more than 1 group session per semester, fails to turn in a paper (see next paragraph for details about the paper) or appears to not be invested in the group process (e.g. appears to be resting or sleeping, not paying full attention to the group experience, or doing any type of work not related directly to our group process). Additionally, because this is a class required by your curriculum, you are to attempt, to the best of your ability, to adhere to interacting with each other in accord with the express purpose of this course (i.e., to deepen your sense of self-awareness in group contexts). How process groups tend to function in a non-directive client-centered framework will be explained to you at the outset of the course. You are expected to enter into this type of group interaction in order to receive credit for the course.
There will be no specifically assigned readings from the texts. However, you will be required to utilize the texts for your final paper. Therefore, non-inclusion of material from the text(s) within the body of your paper will constitute failure of the paper requirement for the course and consequently will cause the student to receive a grade of no credit, even if you meet all the other requirements for the course.
Confidentiality
All disclosures in the group should be accorded complete, disciplined confidentiality. While you may wish to discuss the group with other group members outside the group or with other non-group member classmates, be extremely careful to protect identities of all members, including the faculty and co-leaders.
Please feel free to make an appointment to see the co-leaders or me to discuss personal concerns about the group that may or may not become necessary.
Disability Statement
It is the policy of the Argosy University/Chicago to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodation to complete the instructor’s course requirements, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedure for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodation will be provided to students upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. It is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor in order to receive the requested accommodations in class. In a effort to protect student privacy, Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors.
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism Statement
The University seeks to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity. Any work submitted by a student must represent original work produced by that student. Any source used by a student must be documented through normal scholarly references and citations, and the extent to which any sources have been used must be apparent to the reader. The University further considers resubmission of a work produced for one course in a subsequent course or the submission of work done partially or entirely by another to be academic dishonesty. It is the student’s responsibility to seek clarification from the course instructor about how much help may be received in completing an assignment or exam or project and what sources may be used. Students found guilty of academic dishonesty or plagiarism shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the University.
Technology Statement
Argosy University encourages the use of technology throughout the curriculum. Examples are: computer discussion threads, overheads, video tapes, on line syllabus and assignments, etc.
I have read and understand the syllabus for the 2007-08 PPD course as outlined by Dr. Wilczynski. I agree to abide by all requirements contained within this syllabus.
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