Outline

Overview

This unit will support students to build skills, knowledge and attitudes in research methods in psychotherapy, mental health and trauma-informed care appropriate to critical and reflective practice in Psychotherapy. This learning will provide a foundation for appraisal and design of psychosocial research and further scholarship in the area. The student will gain an understanding of the case study, qualitative and quantitative methods, and mixed methods approaches, linguistics and dyadic research and the applications of these methods to epidemiological, process and outcomes research. The student will also develop and demonstrate critical thinking that considers philosophical approaches and analytic investigation. The student will be able to describe the research cycle. The student will apply the concepts to critical appraisal of journal articles and synthesise learning by proposing a research project.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PSTY5206
Academic unit	Brain and Mind Science
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	NURS5101
Prerequisites ?	PSTY5201 and PSTY5202 and PSTY5203 and PTSY5204 and PSTY5205
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	This unit assumes a working clinical knowledge of basic counselling and mental health, commensurate with a clinician having worked 2 or more years in a setting with general health counselling or mental health clients.
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Lea Crisante, lea.crisante@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Janine Stevenson, janine.stevenson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Essay/presentation - draft Research proposal/Student presentation	10%	Week 07	1000-2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay/presentation - final Research proposal/presentation	50%	Week 13	2000-3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Skills-based evaluation	Discussion boards Post and reply required for weekly discussion boards	40%	Weekly	Post-minimum 250 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Discussion Boards: Students are required to participate in discussion boards each week. These will contain 3 questions that students need to address each week and will each remain open for a maximum of 2 weeks. Every week, each student is expected to make a post of no less than 250 words including one or more references and to make a response of no less than 150 words to one of the other students’ posts.

Essay (draft):

In Week 7, students will be required to do a verbal presentation of their research proposal by preparing a video of their presentation.

A draft essay based on the student’s research proposal will need to be submitted in Week 7 as a formative submission of between 1000 and 1500 words. It needs to be appropriately referenced with no less than 10 references cited. Students will be given written feedback to use in the further development of their proposal and final write up of their research proposal.

Essay (final):

In Week 13, students will be required to do a verbal presentation of their research proposal by preparing a video of their presentation.

The final essay submission will need to be submitted in Week 13. It is expected that the verbal presentation and written essay have incorporated feedback that has been provided regarding the draft essay. A length of 2000-2500 words is required with appropriate references and a bibliography of at least 20 references which are cited appropriately.

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	Introduction to Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 02	Research Design in Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 03	Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 04	Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 05	Introduction to Mixed Methods in Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 06	Developing a Research Proposal	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 07	Presentation	Online class (2.5 hr)
Week 08	Case Study Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 09	Developing a Case Study	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 10	Epistemology in Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 11	Research Interviews	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 12	Ethics in Psychotherapy Research	Independent study (2.5 hr)
Week 13	Presentation	Online class (2.5 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Study Commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1-1.5 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 90 - 120 hours of student effort in total.

Classes (Handbook)

There is a weekly Discussion board (1 hour) and online modules (average 1.5 hours per week). In addition there is a weekly 1 hour lecture ThinkTank Grand Rounds that is common to this unit and other units of study in the M.Med/Sci Med (TIP) program. Students also are expected to do reading as prescribed and to participate in discussion boards and complete other assignments.

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 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

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

Vossler, A & Moller, N. (2015) (Eds.) The Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Handbook. Sage: London.

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 purpose and goals of psychotherapy research
LO2. understand contemporary issues in psychotherapy research e.g. psychotherapy effectiveness, evidence-based practice
LO3. appreciate the history of psychotherapy research and implications for contemporary research practice eg., quantitative versus qualitative research, epistemological issues
LO4. understand research designs and methods used in psychotherapy research
LO5. identify the differences between quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research
LO6. analyse and critique published papers
LO7. understand how to write a literature review
LO8. understand the use of standardised measures in clinical and research contexts
LO9. describe the ethical issues in conducting psychotherapy research
LO10. appreciate the significance of practitioner-based psychotherapy research
LO11. understand the research cycle and its application to the development of a research proposal
LO12. describe the rationale, methods and techniques of qualitative research
LO13. explain the purpose and use of the case study
LO14. Develop a research proposal on a specific research question

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.

Class is now online with weekly discussion boards. No f2f required except possibly in week7/13 for presentations Assessments have complete changed due to the nature of the course.

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

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PSTY5206: Psychotherapy Research Methods

Semester 1, 2020 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect