Outline

Overview

The unit provides an initial clinical experience supported by small group supervision, to be followed by the unit PSTY5204, structuring learning in psychodynamic practice. The initial focus is on assessment for psychotherapy and the structure of short term psychodynamic intervention as comprising initial, middle and ending phases. Students will bring suitable cases with audio-taped sessional material from their work setting or an affiliated psychotherapy program and begin 2 therapies, both short term psychotherapies of 10-15 sessions or one short term therapy and a longer term therapy, with cases continuing in PSTY5204. This second option is open to those enrolled in the Grad Dip or Masters or requires Departmental permission. Supervision will focus on the micro-skills of engagement and attunement and use of language, assessment of states of mind and formulation and the construction of a safety plan, frame and contract. Students will gain skills in: developing the therapeutic relationship; identification of coping mechanisms, dissociation, transference and countertransference; the use of feeling/affective language and metaphor; managing the vicissitudes of therapy; construction of a goodbye letter. Students will gain a grounding in reflective practice, ethical conduct and self-care.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PSTY5203
Academic unit	Brain and Mind Science
Credit points	3
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	PSTY5201
Assumed knowledge ?	This unit assumes a working clinical knowledge of basic counselling
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Joan Haliburn, joan.haliburn@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Janine Stevenson, janine.stevenson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Participation in seminars Active participation	10%	-	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Supervision Students must make sure they get their supervisor to mark off after	25%	-	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Viva Patient Writing the final case study - patient 1 in Semester One	30%	Formal exam period	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Draft case study Each supervision or on the same day if time does not permit	10%	Week 07	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final case study Written assignment	25%	Week 14 (STUVAC)	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Supervision

Supervision will take place on a weekly basis. Trainees are required to see two patients, whom they are required to source from their own practice/place of work, one in the first semester and one in the second semester. Students are to present the following at each supervision:

a summary of the last session,
two important points about changes made,
a comment about the therapeutic relationship and the therapist’s subjective experience of the patient,
supervision of audio-recording,
and maintenance of supervision rubric provided, and signed by supervisor.

Case study (draft)

2000 word essay including a presentation.

Case study (final)

3000 word essay including a presentation.

The Clinical Viva – STDIP – Oral exam

45 minute presentation

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

All assignments must be submitted by the due date. Students are expected to manage their time and to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines. Assessment items submitted after the due date without an approved extension using a special consideration or special arrangement form or request will incur the following penalties: • Late assignments that have not been granted extensions and are of a standard to receive a pass or higher mark will attract a penalty of 5% of the maximum mark per day (or part thereof) late including weekend days (e.g. if the assignment is worth 40 marks, the penalty is 2 marks per day late) until the mark reaches 50% of the maximum mark (e.g. 20 marks if the maximum is 40 marks). • Assignments that are not of a pass standard will not have marks deducted and will fail regardless. • Assignments submitted more than 10 days late without prior approval from the unit of study coordinator will not be accepted and will be given a zero (0) mark.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Short Term Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (STDIP) – introduction to the essential principles and key criteria	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	The theoretical basis- the conversational model	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Attachment theory and its role in STDIP	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Techniques, process and structure	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Early phase of STDIP- a trauma-informed assessment	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Early phase- the therapeutic relationship	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Early phase – the psychodynamic formulation (PDF)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Early phase: identifying separation anxiety if any	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Treatment planning	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Identifying coping styles	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Processing coping styles	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	The middle phase: identifying affect and working with affect expression	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	The end phase: ending with the beginning in mind	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

There are no other requirements for this unit.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 3 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 60-75 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Haliburn, J., & Author. (2018). An Integrated Approach to Short-Term Dynamic Interpersonal Psychotherapy: A Clinician’s Guide (First edition.). Boca Raton, FL, Routledge
Meares, R., & Author. (2012). Borderline Personality Disorder and the Conversational Model: A Clinician’s Manual. W. W. Norton & Company. Inc. N.Y.
Hobson, R., (1985). Forms of Feeling: The heart of psychotherapy. (First edition.). London, Routledge

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. describe the essential principles of STDIP and be able to communicate it to patients
LO2. discuss the key criteria for applying STDIP, taking into account trauma history
LO3. demonstrate a good understanding of techniques, process and structure of STDIP
LO4. be aware of therapist competencies required and patient suitability
LO5. become familiar with a trauma-informed assessment and the phase approach
LO6. recognize the importance of the therapeutic relationship
LO7. recognise the role of anxiety and coping mechanisms in maintaining homeostasis
LO8. be able to develop a succinct psychodynamic formulation
LO9. identify problems, prioritize and arrive at a focus of work with the patient
LO10. have an ability to identify transference and countertransference
LO11. develop the ability to utilise transference interventions
LO12. recognise the role that coping mechanisms play, develop the capacity to facilitate affect expression and understand the role of relational difficulties in symptom formation
LO13. be able to use the model satisfactorily in different symptom presentations
LO14. be able to tailor the model to suit dyadic therapy with parent/infant/child, if relevant to the trainees’ work
LO15. be able to identify separation anxiety and manage it at different stages of STDIP
LO16. be able to write a helpful good-bye letter towards the end of therapy
LO17. develop the capacity to end therapy appropriately and be cognisant of ethics
LO18. develop an adequate knowledge of psychopathologies commonly encountered
LO19. develop the required competencies in short term dynamic psychotherapy
LO20. organise further/on-going treatment, review, or top-up of therapy appropriately

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

We value your feedback about any aspect of the unit of study and your experience as a student of Sydney Medical School. To help ensure our courses meet your needs and maintain a high standard, we welcome your feedback at any time and we ask you to complete the Mid-Semester Evaluation Survey and the unit of study Evaluation Survey at the end of the semester. You can also rate any component of the unit using our star rating system found at the bottom of many pages as you progress through the unit. Your ratings and comments are anonymous and specifying what you liked and didn’t like about any of the learning materials, assessment items, discussion forums, feedback etc will help us to target our improvement efforts. Please note that your participation in this unit of study permits de-identified information about your learning experience and interaction with learning resources to be used for the purpose of improving the student learning experience.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit.

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

PSTY5203: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Practice A

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Supervision

Case study (draft)

Case study (final)

The Clinical Viva – STDIP – Oral exam

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect