Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024

Module PSYC3577: PSYCHOLOGICAL PRACTICE

Department: Psychology

PSYC3577: PSYCHOLOGICAL PRACTICE

Type Tied Level 3 Credits 10 Availability Available in 2023/24 Module Cap None. Location Durham
Tied to C800

Prerequisites

  • 120 credits from Level 2 Psychology modules offered on C800

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To familiarise students with a range of key counselling and psychological therapies
  • To enable students to experience demonstrating some core counselling skills

Content

  • Selection for the module will be competitive, based on a short written statement submitted by each interested student
  • Counselling and some key psychological therapies e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, Transactional Analysis and Solution-Focused Approaches
  • The primary focus is on one-to-one work but there is some coverage of the groupwork modality too

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Students will have an understanding of some key approaches to counselling and psychological therapies
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Students will obtain basic skills in conducting therapeutic one to one interventions with clients/patients
Key Skills:
  • Listening
  • Establishing rapport
  • Demonstrating ethical practice and related basic clinical skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, some small group work, role plays, discussions and reading lists
  • These modes of teaching provide students with knowledge of the key theories and some of the skills needed in psychological practice
  • There will be a role play for the formative assessment and a role play for the summative assessment which will be based around some of the core skills of psychological practice

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Seminars - models and skills practice 10 1 per week 2 Hours 20
Preparation and Reading 80
Total 100

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 50%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Examination 2 hour 100%
Component: Practical Exercise Component Weighting: 50%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Basic Clinical Skills Demonstration Exercise 10 minutes 100%

Formative Assessment:

Practice session on basic clinical skills demonstration exercise. Feedback will be given on the day. Group feedback will be summarised afterwards for a shared learning opportunity within 2 weeks.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University