Skip to main content
Unit of study_

PSTY5209: The Long Conversation 2A

2024 unit information

This unit builds on the Long Conversation 1A and 1B (PSTY5207 and 5208), providing supervision, continuing in semester 2 with The Long Conversation 2B (PSTY5210) to support the clinical experience of running a second intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy of 2 sessions per week in the Conversational Model, while continuing supervision of a first case. Individual and small group supervision will centre on listening to audiotaped sessions of the psychotherapies of patients brought from the student's workplace or allocated from the Westmead Psychotherapy Program, discussing assessment, formulation and the establishment of frame and contract, and the relevant initial, middle and ending phases of therapy. Supervision will focus on the microprocesses of the interaction including attunement, affect, transference, countertransference and co-transference, states of mind and language. The student will develop and refine skills in sensitive, responsive and reflective practice to foster the conversational flow of the therapy, the development of the therapeutic relationship and the patient's self, and higher levels of reflective capacity and coherence to allow the processing of trauma and the integration of traumatic experience. The way the difficult past repeats itself in the therapy and is then addressed therapeutically will be explored. This unit represents a higher order of knowledge, skills and attitudes in psychotherapy, preparing the student for specialist psychotherapy practice.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Brain and Mind Science

Code PSTY5209
Academic unit Brain and Mind Science
Credit points 3
Prerequisites:
? 
PSTY5201 and PSTY5205 and PSTY5207 and PSTY5208
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
None
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

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

  • LO1. Understand and apply the clinical framework in psychodynamic psychotherapy
  • LO2. Understand and apply the general principles of the CM, as outlined in identified readings
  • LO3. Become familiar with reporting on the experience of therapy within the expectational field.
  • LO4. Be able to articulate an ethical basis for longer term therapy.
  • LO5. Describe the relational factors that shape the development of self with a particular focus on the use of empathy.
  • LO6. Distinguish between boundary crossings and boundary violations.
  • LO7. Apply the need for recognition and validation in practice.
  • LO8. Work with situations of reversals, impasse and disruptions in therapy
  • LO9. Discuss the major principles of psychodynamic therapy including the role of feeling and responsiveness, the capacity to picture things with the patient and work with the minute particulars.
  • LO10. Develop a flexible technique adaptable to a range of specific clinical presentations

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Westmead, Sydney
Semester 1 2024
Online Westmead, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Semester 1 2020
Online Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Westmead, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Online Westmead, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Westmead, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Online Westmead, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Westmead, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Online Westmead, Sydney

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.