Psychotherapy
Master of Medicine (Psychotherapy)
(MMed(Psychotherapy)) KC012
Master of Science in Medicine (Psychotherapy)
(MScMed(Psychotherapy)) KC045
| Course | Credit points for award |
Duration part-time |
|---|---|---|
| MMed(Psychotherapy) | 72 | 3 to 6 years |
| MScMed(Psychotherapy) | 72 | 3 to 6 years |
Overview
Psychotherapy covers a range of techniques employed to improve an individual's mental health. Mental illness is more common than many people think – an estimated 800,000 Australians are affected by depression each year. Often mental illnesses are unrecognised and remain untreated.
The aim of this program is to train clinicians to deal effectively with people with psychological disorders that are not helped by more traditional psychotherapies. These include personality disorders, generalised anxiety disorder, dysthymia and chronic depression.
The therapeutic approach taught by this program is based on the Conversational Model (Hobson, 1985; Meares, 2000, 2005), but also incorporates concepts from other schools, including Self Psychology, Intersubjectivity Theory, Trauma Theory and Memory Systems Theory. These ideas are centred around concepts of the self, notions of boundary formation, the empathic mode of listening, a focus on subjective experience, and unconscious traumatic memory systems.
To qualify for the degree, candidates must complete 72 credit points comprising coursework, supervised clinical work and a research treatise. The program is taken part-time, normally over three years.
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program candidates will have achieved proficiency as psychotherapists to the point of gaining professional recognition with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP) and the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). Successful candidates will have learnt to apply psychodynamic principles to a variety of clinical settings. Successful candidates will also have gained competency in psychodynamic concepts to the point of being capable of publishing in the field and participating in relevant scientific meetings.
Further Information
The program has six strands:
- Grand rounds: Designed to encourage open and free discussion and to help in the formulation of new and emerging ideas, with participation by the faculty and candidates alike. These will be of one hour duration and will be attended by all the candidates and all the supervisors. An area of interest or controversy in the current psychotherapeutic field will be presented by a supervisor, candidate or invited guest, followed by discussion.
- Seminars: These will be approximately one and a half hours duration and will be held every week of the academic year. One member of the faculty will lead the seminar group for a whole semester.
- Practical work: Candidates will be expected to undertake psychotherapy with assigned patients during the three years of the course. They will be expected to begin with their first assigned patient early in their first year and to begin with their second patient early in their second year. By the middle of the second year all candidates will be seeing two patients, each for at least two sessions per week. The course requirement is that one patient be seen for a minimum of 100 sessions and a second patient be seen for a minimum of 200 sessions prior to the completion of the course.
- Clinical supervision: The clinical supervision will be conducted weekly for the whole of the academic year. All candidates will be expected to present sessions for weekly supervision. In addition, candidates may be required to present, from time to time, sessions in the form of process notes or by means of video tape. During the first year supervision will be conducted either individually or in small groups of two candidates for one and a half hours per week. During the second and third years, there will be weekly group supervision as well as individual supervision each week with a second supervisor.
- Reading: Candidates will be given some reading material and a reading list at the beginning of the year and may be asked to prepare a seminar periodically.
- Assessment: Assessment is an ongoing process during the whole year with a clinical viva and an essay paper at the end of the year. A course book will be issued at the beginning of the course in order to provide a permanent record of the candidate's progress in meeting the course requirements. At the end of each semester a candidate will be required to have their supervisors record what progress has been made during that semester in both the theoretical and clinical strands. At the end of the first year there will be a clinical viva in which they will be expected to present an example of their psychotherapy sessions on audiotape to the examiners. This assessment will focus on clinical and theoretical issues. In addition candidates will be expected to write an essay of 2–3000 words, either from a list of selected topics or a subject of their own psychotherapeutic interest.
Assessment in the second year will be ongoing and conclude at the end of the year with an essay paper and a clinical viva as in Year 1. Candidates are encouraged to write essays in Years 1 and 2 on a theme that can be further developed in Year 3 as a treatise. There will be a two-part assessment at the end of the third year subject to satisfactory progress in clinical work. The first part is a clinical presentation to the members of the faculty which may be based on the material of the treatise. The second part requires completion of a research or theoretical treatise of 7–10,000 words.
Degree Resolutions
Sydney Medical School resolutions and the printed handbook are the official statement of Faculty policy. The resolutions contained in the printed handbook are accurate as at November 2010. If a conflict is perceived between the content of the printed handbook and information available elsewhere, Sydney Medical School resolutions and the information available in the handbook online shall always take precedence. See the handbook online website:
http://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/handbooks_admin/medicine.shtml.
See the Policy Online website: http://sydney.edu.au/policy, for copies of University policies.
Master of Medicine (Psychotherapy)
These resolutions must be read in conjunction with applicable University By-laws, Rules and policies including (but not limited to) the University of Sydney (Coursework) Rule 2000 (the 'Coursework Rule'), the Resolutions of the Faculty, the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006 (as amended) and the Academic Board policies on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism.
Course resolutions
1 Course codes
| Code | Course and stream title |
|---|---|
| KC012 | Master of Medicine (Psychotherapy) |
| KC045 | Master of Science in Medicine (Psychotherapy) |
2 Attendance pattern
3 Master's type
0.
The master's degree in these resolutions is a professional master's course, as defined by the Coursework Rule.
4 Admission to candidature
(1)
Available places will be offered to qualified applicants according to the following admissions criteria. In exceptional circumstances the Dean may admit applicants without these qualifications who, in the opinion of the Faculty, have qualifications and evidence of experience and achievement sufficient to successfully undertake the award.
(a)
a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery of the University of Sydney or an equivalent qualification;
(a)
a bachelor's degree in a health discipline with first or second class honours from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification;
(b)
a bachelor's degree in a health discipline without first or second class honours from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification. Applicants must have completed work equivalent to a first or second class honours bachelor's degree or pass a preliminary examinations(s) as prescribed by the faculty;
5 Requirements for award
(1)
The units of study that may be taken for the course are set out in the Table of Units of Study: Psychotherapy.
(2)
To qualify for the award of the master a candidate must successfully complete 72 credit points of core units of study.
6 Transitional provisions
Table of Units of Study: Psychotherapy
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
Core Units |
|||
| A student must be enrolled in order to submit the treatise. If a student is not able to submit his/her treatise by the end of his/her 6th semester, he/she must re-enrol in PSTY5108 Psychotherapy Treatise, with the concomitant financial liability, every semester until he/she submits. | |||
| PSTY5101 Psychotherapy 1A |
12 | Semester 1 |
|
| PSTY5102 Psychotherapy 1B |
12 | Semester 2 |
|
| PSTY5103 Psychotherapy 2A |
12 | Semester 1 |
|
| PSTY5104 Psychotherapy 2B |
12 | Semester 2 |
|
| PSTY5105 Psychotherapy 3A |
12 | Semester 1 |
|
| PSTY5107 Psychotherapy Coursework |
6 | P PSTY5105 C PSTY5108 N PSTY5106 Theoretical grounding in the Conversational Model and related approaches to psychodynamic psychotherapy. |
Semester 2 |
| PSTY5108 Psychotherapy Treatise |
6 | P PSTY5105 C PSTY5107 |
Semester 2 |
Further enquiries
Dr Anthony Korner
Phone: +61 2 9840 3335
Fax: + 61 2 9840 3572
Email:
Units of Study Descriptions for 2011
PSTY5101 Psychotherapy 1A
Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Grand rounds; seminars (1.5 hours every week for whole semester); practical work; clinical supervision (45 minutes) every week for whole semester). Assessment: Assessment undertaken on completion of PSTY5102 (i.e. at end of first year): clinical viva plus essay assignment. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Grand rounds: One hour duration and attended by all candidates and supervisors. An area of interest or controversy in the current psychotherapeutic field will be presented by a supervisor, candidate or invited guest, followed by discussion. Seminars: One member of the Faculty will lead the seminar group for a whole semester. Practical work: Candidates will be expected to undertake psychotherapy with assigned patients during the three years of the course. They will be expected to begin with their first assigned patient early in their first year. Clinical supervision: The clinical supervision will be conducted weekly for the whole of the academic year. All candidates will be expected to present sessions for weekly supervision. In addition, candidates may be required to present, from time to time, sessions in the form of process notes or by means of audio tape. During the first year supervision will be conducted either individually or in small groups of two candidates for one and a half hours per week. Reading: Candidates will be given some reading material and a reading list at the beginning of the year and may be asked to prepare a seminar periodically.
PSTY5102 Psychotherapy 1B
Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Grand rounds; seminars (1.5 hours every week for whole semester); practical work; clinical supervision (45 minutes every week for whole semester). Assessment: Assessment for both PSTY5101 and PSTY5102: clinical viva plus essay assignment. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Grand rounds: One hour duration and attended by all candidates and supervisors. An area of interest or controversy in the current psychotherapeutic field will be presented by a supervisor, candidate or invited guest, followed by discussion. Seminars: One member of the Faculty will lead the seminar group for a whole semester. Practical work: Candidates will be expected to undertake psychotherapy with assigned patients during the three years of the course. They will be expected to begin with their first assigned patient early in their first year. Clinical supervision: The clinical supervision will be conducted weekly for the whole of the academic year. All candidates will be expected to present sessions for weekly supervision. In addition, candidates may be required to present, from time to time, sessions in the form of process notes or by means of audiotape. During the first year supervision will be conducted either individually or in small groups of two candidates for one and a half hours per week. Reading: Candidates will be given some reading material and a reading list at the beginning of the year and may be asked to prepare a seminar periodically.
PSTY5103 Psychotherapy 2A
Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Grand rounds; seminars (1.5 hours every week for whole semester); practical work; clinical supervision. Assessment: Assessment undertaken on completion of PSTY5104 (i.e. at end of second year): clinical viva plus essay assignment. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Grand rounds: One hour duration and attended by all candidates and supervisors. An area of interest or controversy in the current psychotherapeutic field will be presented by a supervisor, candidate or invited guest, followed by discussion. Seminars: One member of the Faculty will lead the seminar group for a whole semester. Practical work: Candidates will be expected to undertake psychotherapy with assigned patients during the three years of the course. They will be expected to begin with their first assigned patient early in their first year and to begin with their second patient early in their second year. By the middle of the second year all candidates will be seeing two patients, each for at least 2 sessions a week. Clinical supervision: The clinical supervision will be conducted weekly for the whole of the academic year. All candidates will be expected to present sessions for weekly supervision. In addition, candidates may be required to present, from time to time, sessions in the form of process notes or by means of audiotape. During the first year supervision will be conducted either individually or in small groups of two candidates for one and a half hours per week. Additionally, during the second and third years, there will be individual supervision every week with a second supervisor. Reading: Candidates will be given some reading material and a reading list at the beginning of the year and may be asked to prepare a seminar periodically.
PSTY5104 Psychotherapy 2B
Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Grand rounds; seminars (1.5 hours every week for whole semester); practical work; clinical supervision. Assessment: Assessment for both PSTY5103 and PSTY5104: clinical viva plus essay assignment. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Grand rounds: One hour duration and attended by all candidates and supervisors. An area of interest or controversy in the current psychotherapeutic field will be presented by a supervisor, candidate or invited guest, followed by discussion. Seminars: One member of the Faculty will lead the seminar group for a whole semester. Practical work: Candidates will be expected to undertake psychotherapy with assigned patients during the three years of the course. They will be expected to begin with their first assigned patient early in their first year and to begin with their second patient early in their second year. By the middle of the second year all candidates will be seeing two patients, each for at least 2 sessions a week. Clinical supervision: The clinical supervision will be conducted weekly for the whole of the academic year. All candidates will be expected to present sessions for weekly supervision. In addition, candidates may be required to present, from time to time, sessions in the form of process notes or by means of audiotape. During the first year supervision will be conducted either individually or in small groups of two candidates for one and a half hours per week. Additionally, during the second and third years, there will be individual supervision every week with a second supervisor. Reading: Candidates will be given some reading material and a reading list at the beginning of the year and may be asked to prepare a seminar periodically.
PSTY5105 Psychotherapy 3A
Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Grand rounds; seminars (1.5 hours every week for whole semester); practical work; clinical supervision. Assessment: Assessment undertaken on completion of PSTY5107 (i.e. at end of third year): clinical case presentation to the members of the Faculty. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Grand rounds: One hour duration and attended by all candidates and supervisors. An area of interest or controversy in the current psychotherapeutic field will be presented by a supervisor, candidate or invited guest, followed by discussion. Seminars: One member of the Faculty will lead the seminar group for a whole semester. Practical work: Candidates will be expected to undertake psychotherapy with assigned patients during the three years of the course. They will be expected to begin with their first assigned patient early in their first year and to begin with their second patient early in their second year. By the middle of the second year all candidates will be seeing two patients, each for at least 2 sessions a week. Clinical supervision: The clinical supervision will be conducted weekly for the whole of the academic year. All candidates will be expected to present sessions for weekly supervision. In addition, candidates may be required to present, from time to time, sessions in the form of process notes or by means of audio- tape. During the first year supervision will be conducted either individually or in small groups of two candidates for one and a half hours per week. Additionally, during the second and third years, there will be individual supervision every week with a second supervisor. Reading: Candidates will be given some reading material and a reading list at the beginning of the year and may be asked to prepare a seminar periodically.
PSTY5107 Psychotherapy Coursework
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anthony Korner, Dr Friederike Gerull Session: Semester 2 Classes: Classes are held on Thursday mornings and include lectures, case presentations, seminars on theory, tutorials on research method and supervision for clinical work. Prerequisites: PSTY5105 Corequisites: PSTY5108 Prohibitions: PSTY5106 Assessment: Assessment is by review of clinical work by supervisors and assessment of knowledge and participation by the teaching faculty. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Note: Theoretical grounding in the Conversational Model and related approaches to psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Coursework involves attendance at grand rounds, seminars, individual and group supervision at the Mental Health Sciences Centre, Cumberland Hospital. Candidates need to attend and participate in these activities and also need to conduct clinically supervised psychotherapy at a standard appropriate to the advanced stage of training in the discipline.
Textbooks
The Metaphor of Play.
PSTY5108 Psychotherapy Treatise
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anthony Korner, Dr Friederike Gerull Session: Semester 2 Classes: Self-directed research with weekly meetings with the supervisor Prerequisites: PSTY5105 Corequisites: PSTY5107 Assessment: Treatise of 7-10,000 words. There is an oral examination that involves presentation of the treatise to the teaching faculty who then question the candidate with respect to the theoretical and evidential base for the treatise. Campus: Camperdown/Darlington Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) Day
Research and treatise of up to 10,000 words.
Textbooks
The Metaphor of Play.