PA124-4-FY-CO:
Introduction to Psychodynamic Observation and Reflective Practice
2023/24
Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
30
21 August 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
FDA LX51 Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations
This module aims to provide students with a theoretical and practice-based understanding of psychodynamic observation and the skill and qualities involved. In addition, students will be developing professional skills involved in assessment and case presentation.
They will learn to apply their growing grasp of psychodynamic theory to everyday events and encounters and to develop their appreciation of the role of unconscious and emotional communication in ordinary life. This will enable them to become perceptive in terms of detail and more subtle in their understanding of the meaning of what they observe and what they themselves bring to the learning experience. It will enable them to reflect on their own process in observations and in groups and to become more self-aware. They will become more alert to first, the conscious and unconscious ways in which their capacity to observe and participate in learning is influenced by their experiences, and second, the way their own self-awareness affects their capacity to provide therapeutic care to others.
Alongside their observation seminars, which have an experiential element, students are also developing a psychodynamic approach to Reflective Practice. Reflective practice is represented by the following components: introductory readings on Reflective Practice, attending Reflective Groups, maintaining a Reflective Journal and, as a specific end of year assignment, writing a Reflective Report. These activities encourage and support the conscious use of self (self awareness) in social and professional relationships, the experience of 'learning from action' and a recognition of oneself as a 'participant observer' in different contexts. The reflective components bring the theoretical learning into the personhood of the student and thus more effectively into actual practice.
The aim of the module is:
* To develop a keener eye for the detail of human behaviour and interaction
* To increase awareness of the role of emotional communication and the unconscious in everyday events and encounters
* To understand the application of psychodynamic concepts and insights to all aspects of human experience
* To lay the foundations for psychodynamic observation as a key skill in psychodynamic practice
* To develop employability skills related to psychodynamic assessment, case presentation and reflective practice
* To establish a reflective space for acknowledging and processing the emotional and psychological implications of the material studied on this course
* To develop the capacity for self-reflection and an awareness of the influence of one's own processes and personal experiences
By the end of the module students should be able to:
* Familiarity with the application of key psychodynamic concepts to observed individuals and relationships
* An introductory knowledge of key ideas and aims of reflective practice
* Greater ability to observe detail and to perceive subtle indications of emotional and unconscious dynamics
* Familiarity with the role of conscious and unconscious mechanisms in relationships
* Awareness of the use of psychodynamic observation in work with clients
* The capacity to apply psychodynamic thinking to everyday situations
* The capacity to reflect on one's own process in the observing and in the learning contexts
* To be increasingly reflexive and recognise the relationship between of self-awareness and therapeutic care
No additional information available.
Seminars lasting 2hrs per week will concentrate on the discussion of observation presentations. Students will be asked to undertake their own observations in the community and in the workplace, to write these up and present them in seminars. Later in the term, to support and underpin this practice, there will be a series of Reflective Groups followed by a Theory seminar.
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Rustin, M. (1989) ‘Encountering Primitive Anxieties’, in Closely Observed Infants. London, UK: Duckworth, pp. 7–21.
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Sternberg, J. (2005) ‘From Instrument to Melody’, in
Infant Observation at the Heart of Training. 1st edn. London, UK: Karnac, pp. 61–83. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/reader.action?docID=712223&ppg=76.
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Trowell, J. and Miles, G. (1995) ‘The Contribution of Observation Training to Professional Development’, in
The Emotional Needs of Young Children and their Families: Using Psychoanalytic Ideas in the Community. 1st edn. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 38–53. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=166062.
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Bolton, G. and Delderfield, R. (2018) ‘Reflective Practice: An Introduction’, in
Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. 5th edn. London, UK: SAGE Publications, pp. 1–24. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/249513.
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Schön, D.A. (2017) ‘Professional Knowledge and Reflection-in-Action’, in
The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, pp. 1–70. Available at:
https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.4324/9781315237473.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Assessed Observation |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Observation Commentary and Reflective Account |
|
75% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Madeleine Wood, email: madeleine.wood@essex.ac.uk.
Student Administrator, 5A.202, telephone 01206 874969, email; ppsug@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Anthony John Faramelli
Goldsmiths
Lecturer in Visual Cultures
Available via Moodle
Of 74 hours, 34 (45.9%) hours available to students:
38 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
2 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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