Study information

Clinical Seminars and Reflective Practice II

Module titleClinical Seminars and Reflective Practice II
Module codePYCD012
Academic year2024/5
Credits30
Module staff

Dr Margherita Margiotti (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

All

All

All

Number students taking module (anticipated)

12

Module description

You will participate in a series of seminars each year, during block weeks and your Learning Sets. These are supervision group-meetings conducted by a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. In these meetings you will take it in turns with other participants to describe your clinical work with patients and to reflect with other participants on their clinical work. You will also complete a reflective account in year 3/ year 4, and write up one of your training cases in year 4. 

 

All other stage one modules are a pre-requisite to this module. All other stage two modules are a co-requisite to this module. This module is taught in the third and fourth year of your study. 

 

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to enable you to deepen your clinical skills by allowing you to learn from each other.In a small supervision group, you will follow clinical cases on a week-by-week basis, facilitated by a senior clinical supervisor. 

 

In addition, there will be seminars in which you will become familiar with the origins and development of supervisory practice and the development of supervision theory. You will read and discuss key papers and books on supervision. You will also consider with your peers, your own and their experiences of supervision and consider the uses and limitations of supervision.In thinking about how the individual is situated in a family group, social and organizational context, you will use your understandings to reflect on your own work within institutions or organisations or to discuss situations where you may act as a consultant or facilitator to institutions, organisations or working groups. 

 

One element of this work will include reflecting on the process of supervision. Throughout the programme you have been having supervision of your clinical work probably from several supervisors and in this module, you will be reviewing the whole subject of clinical supervision. You will be introduced to the literature and draw on this experience and perhaps supervisory experiences elsewhere to consider what clinical supervision consists of and what use may be made of it. You will think about how you make use of supervision and what your approach might be in the future, as a supervisor. 

 

Finally, in this module you continue to explore and develop your understanding of psychoanalytic and systems-psychodynamic perspectives on institutional and organisational life. This will include how groups can organise themselves defensively, in the face of overwhelming affective experiences that cannot be contained by the group. You will be encouraged to participate in an experiential learning situation where large and small group processes can be explored and reflected upon.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Critically reflect upon patients’ clinical material, upon your own clinical work and upon the therapeutic process more generally (thus building future supervision skills) to gain a detailed understanding of applicable techniques and processes for your area of professional practice.
  • 2. Critically reflect upon other practitioners’ clinical work and therapeutic processes more generally, in a facilitating and supportive manner (thus building on future supervision skills).
  • 3. Monitor, understand and discuss your own clinical experience as a psychotherapist in independent clinical practice including an awareness of your limitation from the perspectives of your own understanding, the setting in which you are working, and the likely demands that may be made by the treatment of any particular patient.
  • 4. Digest and select amongst the multiple perspectives provided by other programme members and your supervisor to aid the creation and interpretation of new knowledge.
  • 5. On completion of the module undertake psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapy treatments as an ethical and competent independent practitioner.
  • 6. Understand how clinical supervision works and the framework within which it takes place, to demonstrate a detailed understanding of applicable techniques to your area of professional practice.
  • 7. Demonstrate a capacity to reflect on group processes in institutions and organisations.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 8. Organise a coherent record of your clinical work with training cases, selecting and focusing on salient aspects of your own learning and development and of patients’ development.
  • 9. Link theoretical concepts with actual clinical experience to aid the creation and interpretation of new knowledge and a detailed understanding of applicable techniques and advanced academic study.
  • 10. Understand the uses of countertransference and parallel process in supervision as opposed to analysis or psychotherapy to aid understanding of applicable techniques in your professional practice.
  • 11. To be able to simultaneously be an engaged member of a group and also reflect upon your own and other members’ engagement.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 12. Use self-reflection effectively in your work with patients and in your own development.
  • 13. Work collaboratively and constructively with other group members to aid the creation and interpretation of new knowledge.
  • 14. Develop self-awareness both clinically and personally as a central pillar for psychoanalytically informed clinical work as well as using this to monitor the effectiveness of the therapeutic process.
  • 15. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of supervision to gain a detailed understanding of applicable techniques.
  • 16. Describe and compare different understandings of systems psychodynamic and psychoanalytically informed approaches to groups, institutions, and organisations.
  • 17. Where possible to demonstrate the capacity to organise or play a participatory role in an organisational group and use your countertransference/research reflexivity to understand its psychodynamics.

Syllabus plan

  1. The epistemology of psychoanalysis. 

  1. The analytic process vs the therapeutic alliance. 

  1. Interpretation and mutative factors of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. 

  1. Reconstruction and insight; “not knowing beforehand”/ “without knowledge, memory and desire” 

  1. The patient that is difficult to reach. 

  1. Variations on the analytic ‘frame’.  

  1. Varieties of the analytic attitude.  

  1. Countertransference revisited/Embodied countertransference. 

  1. Transference revisited.   

  1. Defenses and resistance revised. 

  1. On endings. 

  1. Ethics revisited. 

 

Guided and self-directed reading and regular presentations to group in workshop format.   

Clinical case presentation and facilitated group discussion with peers.   

Completion of written case studies. 

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
802200

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities 80Seminars/discussions within the whole group (64 x 1.25 hours)
Guided Independent Study220Reading and preparation for assignments

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Seminar participation Ongoing throughout module 1-17Oral
Formal presentation of clinical work in the Clinical Seminar part of the Learning Sets 75 minutes1-17Oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Year 3 Reflective account on participation in a group relations conference; or on organising and facilitating an organisational consultation; or a reflective practice group; or write up your training case in a way that demonstrates understanding of a specific clinical phenomenon; or psychoanalytic process as it occurs in the treatment.503000 words max1-17Written
Year 4 Write up one of your training cases in a way that describes the course of the therapy and also your development as a therapist.505000 words max1-17Written
*Summative assessments must be passed individually to pass the module; failure in this assessment will lead to failure in the module and the programme. 0
0
0
0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Year 3 Reflective account on participation in a group relations conference; or on organising and facilitating an organisational consultation; or a reflective practice group; or write up your training case in a way that demonstrates understanding of a specific clinical phenomenon; or psychoanalytic process as it occurs in the treatment. 3000 words max 1-17Minor amendments 4 weeks; Major amendments 8 weeks
Year 4 Write up one of your training cases in a way that describes the course of the therapy and also your development as a therapist. 5000 words max1-17Minor Amendments 4 weeks Major amendments 8 weeks

Re-assessment notes

In relation to your Clinical Seminars and Reflective Practice II Seminar assignment submissions, where you have been given amendments, major or minor, you will have the opportunity to submit an amended version of your Report, which addresses the points made in the feedback you are given, by the marker(s) and moderator. You must also write a letter to the marker, accompanying your resubmission, which describes how you have addressed the points made in the feedback. You will have 4 weeks to complete minor amendments and 8 weeks to complete major amendments. 

 

If you have major amendments and your resubmission is marked as needing minor amendments, you will then have 4 weeks to resubmit a second time. If you have minor amendments and if on re-marking your resubmission still requires minor amendments, you will gain a ‘fail’ mark. If you fail an assignment you will be given the opportunity to submit a completely new submission and will have 8 weeks to do this in. 

 

If you again fail,you will then have failed in the module and consequently you will have failed the programme also and your registration as a student of the University will be terminated. 

 

More information regarding assessment of pre-dissertation modules can be found here: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/pgr/professionaldoctoratepgr/#assess including the Flowchart of professional doctorate assessment process. 

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Core reading: 

  • Berman, E. (2000). Psychoanalytic Supervision: The Intersubjective Development. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 81(2):273-290. 

  • Bion, W.R. (1989) ‘Two Papers: The Grid and the Caesura’ (London: Karnac) 

  • Carpy, D. (1989) ‘Tolerating the countertransference: A mutative process’.  International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 70, 287 

  • Freud, A. (1937) ‘The ego and the mechanisms of defence’ (London Hogarth Press 

  • Freud (1915) ‘The Unconscious’ Standard EdXIV 

  • Freud, S. (1920) ‘Beyond the Pleasure Principal’. Standard EdXVIII. 

  • Freud, S. (1923) ‘The Ego and the Id’ Standard EdXIX. 

  • Fordham, M. (1974).‘Defences of the Self’.Journal of Analytical Psychology 19 2, 192–199 

  • Fordham, M. (1993). ‘On not knowing beforehand’.Journal of Analytical Psychology 38 127- 136 

  • Grinberg, L. (1970). The Problems of Supervision in Psychoanalytic Education. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 51:371-382. 

  • Hinshelwood, R. (1989) ‘A Dictionary of Kleinian Thought’. (London: Free Association Books). 

  • Isaacs, s. (1952) ‘The nature and function of phantasy’ in ‘New Directions in Psychoanalysis’ (1955) ed Klein, M., Heiman, P., Money-Kyrle, R. (London: Tavistock Publications) 

  • Joseph, B. (1985) The patient who is difficult to reach’. In Giovacchini, ed ‘Tactics and Techniques in Psycho-analytic Therapy’ Vol 2 (New York: Jacob Aronson)  

  • Knox, J. (2003) Archetype, Attachment, Analysis: Jungian psychology and the Emergent Mind. (London: Brunner-Routledge) 

  • Knox, J. (2007) The fear of love: the denial of the self in relationship Journal of Analytical Psychology Vol 52. 5 pp543 

  • Leader, D. (2010). Some Thoughts on Supervision. Brit. J. Psychother., 26(2):228-241. 

  • Martindale, B., Morner, M., Cid Rodrigues, M. &Vidit, J. (1997). Supervision and its Vicissitudes. London: Karnac. 

  • Meltzer, D. (1967) The Psycho-Analytical Process’ (Strath Tay, Clunie Press). 

  • Meltzer, D. (1986) ‘The Apprehension of Beauty’ (Strath Tay, Clunie Press). 

  • Meltzer, D. (1992) ‘The Claustrum’. (Strath Tay, Clunie Press). 

  • Racker, H. (1968) Transference and Countertransference; London Karnac Books, 

  • Rosenfeld, H. (1982) ‘Psychotic States’ (London: Routledge) 

  • Searles, Harold F. (1979) Countertransference and related subjects; selected papers. New York, International Universities Press, Stern, D. N. (1985) ‘The interpersonal world of the Infant’ (New York: Basic Books) 

  • Stern, D. (1992) ‘The ‘Pre-Narrative Envelope’: An Alternative View of ‘Unconscious Phantasy’ in Infancy’. Bulletin of the Anna Freud Centre, 15:291-318 

  • Symington, N. (1996) ‘The origins of rage and aggression’ in ‘Forensic Psychotherapy’, C Cordess& M. Cox editors (London Jessica Kingsley publications) 

  • Watkins, C., Jr. (2015). Toward a research-informed, evidence-based psychoanalytic supervision. Psychoanal. Psychother., 29(1):5-19 

  • Watkins, C., Jr. (2016). Psychoanalytic supervision in the new millennium: On pressing needs and impressing possibilities. Int. Forum Psychoanalysis, 25(1), 50-67.  

  • Wiener, J. (2007). The Analyst's Countertransference when Supervising: Friend or Foe?. J. Anal. Psychol., 52(1):51-69. 

  • Weiner. J, Mizen. R, Duckham. J. (2003) Supervising and being supervised (London: Palgrave). 

  • Winnicott, D.W. (1986) ‘Fear of Breakdown’ in ‘The British School of Psychoanalysis: The Independent Tradition’ ed Gregorio Kohon (London Free Association Books) 

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – you can find methodology references, lecture PowerPoints (usually with references on the final slide) and guides to research. 

Key words search

Psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, psychotherapy, therapy, clinical analysis 

Credit value30
Module ECTS

15

Module pre-requisites

All other stage one modules are a pre-requisite to this module.

Module co-requisites

All other stage two modules are a co-requisite to this module.

NQF level (module)

8

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

27/08/2021

Last revision date

01/02/2023