DCES 805 - Adv Techniques in Counseling and Psychotherapy

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As the logical extension of the Advanced Counseling Theories course (DCES 703), this course explores the wide range of techniques, strategies, procedures, and approaches in counseling and psychotherapy, all in the context of successfully treating mental and emotional disorders as well as bringing about enhanced states of wellness, well-being, and psychological freedom. Theory is not a focus for this course so much as actual techniques applied from an advanced integrative perspective. Techniques and procedures taken from such diverse schools as Adlerian, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, Gestalt, existential, mindfulness and concentrative meditation, feminist, multicultural, and couple and family systems are explored. In addition, various models of change and change dynamics are applied, along with research findings on what brings about therapeutic change and positive outcomes in counseling and psychotherapy. Also covered is therapy with difficult clients. Skill building comprises a major part of the course, including empathy enhancement, timing, persuasion, clinical intuition, clinical decision-making, and managing countertransference and projective identifications. The approach of the course is oriented around how to best serve the needs of clients while achieving therapeutic change sooner rather than later.

Prerequisites: DCES 703.