Faculty of Health

Department of Psychology
PSYC 4062 3.0 Section M: SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES IN COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
Mondays/11:30am-2:30pm/In-Person, rm. 008 Accolade West Building (ACW)
Winter/2024

The entire course will be delivered in-person with no accommodations (i.e., lectures are not
recorded) made for students who cannot attend lectures. Lecture slides will be posted on the
course website before each class. Please note: this class has a workshop format, therefore
lecture slides will be minimal and class discussion in addition to class exercises/activities will
be engaged in to learn course material and active listening skills. Active participation and
engagement are strongly encouraged and is reflected in participation contributing to 15% of
your final grade.

Instructor and T.A. Information

Instructor: Jennifer Lewin, Ph.D., C.Psych
Office Hours: by appointment, rm. 251 BSB
Email: [email protected]

Course Prerequisite(s): Course prerequisites are strictly enforced

 HH/PSYC 1010 6.00 (Introduction to Psychology), with a minimum grade of C.
 HH/PSYC 1010 6.00 (Introduction to Psychology), with a minimum grade of C.
 HH/PSYC 2021 3.00 (Statistical Methods I) or HH/PSYC 2020 6.00 (Statistical Methods I and
II)
 HH/PSYC 2030 3.00 (Introduction to Research Methods) or substitutes
 HH/PSYC 2130 3.00 (Personality)
 HH/PSYC 3140 3.00 (Abnormal Psychology)
 HH/PSYC 4061 3.00 (Theoretical Approaches to Counselling and Psychotherapy)
 Students must be in an Honours program in Psychology and have completed at least 84
credits

Course Credit Exclusions

Please refer to York Courses Website for a listing of any course credit exclusions.

Course website: eClass

All course materials will be available on the course eClass site, unless otherwise indicated by
the instructor. The site will be your central access point for course materials such as lecture
slides, student forum, and assignment instructions in addition to important updates, changes
that may occur during the course.

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Course Description

This course provides students with the opportunity to learn and discuss important counselling
concepts/ideas and engage in experiential learning by practicing active listening and other
fundamental skills used by counsellors and other mental health professionals. Foundational
person-centred concepts and interventions will be introduced and practiced through various
activities and exercises, which will include but are not limited to: creating an environment of
safety and trust, developing the therapeutic relationship, empathic active listening, and
paraphrasing and reflecting. Other skills will be touched upon in this course which include: goal
setting and treatment planning, working with emotions, and incorporating activity exercises.
Additionally, students will be introduced to and will engage in psychotherapy process analysis
through class discussions, reviewing and discussing therapy video in-class, and through tests
and assignments.
Please note: Active participation in discussion and skills practice will be expected of all students
in this class. A large portion of student evaluation is placed on participation. As well, students
will be encouraged to become aware of and reflect upon their own values, motivations,
strengths, and limitations in terms of what they bring to the therapeutic relationship, and in
relation to their emerging understanding of the process of counselling.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in skills and techniques in counselling and
psychotherapy.
2. Critically evaluate, synthesize, and resolve conflicting results in skills and techniques in
counselling and psychotherapy.
3. Articulate trends in skills and techniques in counselling and psychotherapy.
4. Locate research articles and show critical thinking about research findings.
5. Express psychological knowledge in written form in more than 1 sub-discipline.
6. Engage in evidence-based dialogue with course director and peers.
7. Demonstrate an ability to work with others.

Specific Learning Objectives

Critically reflect on skills and techniques of foundational counselling work and recognize one’s
own values, motivations, and biases through discussion, experiential learning and written
reflection.
Start to learn fundamental active listening and counselling skills and appreciate moment-to-
moment processing of psychotherapy sessions.

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Required Text
 Martin, D.G. (2016). Counseling and therapy skills, 4th edition. (Text with DVD) Long
Grove, Ill: Waveland Press

Course Requirements and Assessment:

Assessment Date of Evaluation (if known) Weighting
Test 1 February 12, 2024 35%
Group Presentations February 26 to April 1, 2024 15%
Transcription Assignment April 1, 2024 35%
Participation Throughout course 15%
Total 100%

Description of Assignments
TEST 1
Worth: 35% of final grade
Test Date: Monday, February 12, 2024
The test will be based on all the textbook readings/assigned readings and class
discussions/lecture material provided during the first 5 classes (January 8 to February 5, 2024).
The test will involve application of the concepts discussed and practiced in class. There may be
a small portion of multiple-choice questions and short answer questions, however, most of the
test will consist of a transcript analysis. The analysis of a portion of a therapy transcript (i.e.,
you will be asked to comment and reflect upon what is happening in this therapy segment,
including naming the therapeutic interventions being utilized and evaluating the manner in
which they are being applied. Additionally, you will be asked to provide alternate therapist
responses). This process analysis on Test 1 provides you with the opportunity to apply the
concepts you have been learning to a portion of a therapy session AND will give you some
practice regarding what you will be asked to do for the final transcription assignment. You will
have 3 hours to write the test. More information regarding the test will be provided in class.

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GROUP PRESENTATION
Presentation length: 30 minutes
Class activity and post-discussion: 30 minutes
Group size: 4 to 5 people
Worth: 15% of final grade
The list below provides the topics and dates from which to choose your presentation. Class
presentations will be 30 minutes in length – this is a strict guideline; your presentation needs to
fall within this time frame. You will be given a two-minute warning, and you will be cut off to
move into a class activity illustrating one of the therapeutic techniques associated with this
psychotherapy approach. You will also need to provide a relevant reading to your presentation
1 week before your presentation date. Make sure you plan enough time to explain the activity
and have classmates engage in the activity and allow for post-activity class discussion. You will
have 30 minutes for the class activity and post-activity discussion. Each group presentation will
consist of 4 to 5 students. Short excerpts of video material or other visual aids may be used only
if applicable to your topic and if they add value to your presentation.

The following are the presentation topics and dates (they are also located in the course
schedule).

Presentation Date Topic

February 26, 2024 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

March 4, 2024 Gestalt Therapy
March 11, 2024 Multicultural Counseling and Therapy
March 18, 2024 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for a Specific Disorder
March 25, 2024 Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
April 1, 2024 Narrative Therapy

Here is the scoring rubric for the group presentations:

Content (is appropriate level for 4th year audience in terms of

difficulty, including the article/reading provided to the class) /20
Organization/Coherence (presentation sequence is easy to follow,
flows well, slides are clear) /15
Clarity (effectively communicate concepts to audience,
demonstrating knowledge base) /15
Engagement (delivering information in interesting manner, which
includes presentation style – i.e., eye contact, enthusiasm, etc. and /20
quality of presentation slides, e.g., effective visuals)
Exercise & post-presentation discussion (relevancy and delivery of
therapeutic technique/exercise as well as effectiveness at /25
answering questions & moderating class discussion

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Finishes presentation on time (group does not go under or over
time + or – 5 minutes) /5
TOTAL
/100

PARTICIPATION
Worth: 15% of final grade
Participation will be evaluated based on:
 On time and present for all classes
 Preparation for discussion, having read the reading(s) for that class
 Active and regular participation in discussion
 Active engagement in role plays and in-class exercises

Particular attention will be paid to attending and engaging with student presentations.
Also, during the first two weeks, you have the OPTION to schedule a 10-minute meeting with
me to assess your baseline active listening skills. No preparation is required. Near the end of the
course, another 10-minute assessment will be booked for me to assess your improvement in
your active listening/counselling skills over the course. It will also be an opportunity to provide
you with some direct feedback regarding your counselling skills. If you are not assessed, it will
not impact on your participation mark.

FINAL “Therapy” TRANSCRIPT ASSIGNMENT

Worth: 35% of final grade
Instructions posted: February 26, 2024, on course website
Due: Monday, April 1, 2024
For this assignment, students will record and transcribe a 12 to 15 minute “counselling”
interview or “session” with another classmate. The “therapist” will engage in at least 15
interventions with the “client” (i.e., class member) identifying and making process comments
regarding the foundational helping skills that you have learned in this class and are being
illustrated in your “therapy” segment. Each student will transcribe a continuous “counselling”
segment (not sections put together), ensuring that this transcription is a verbatim account of
the interview/session. The instructor will provide an article with psychotherapy transcription
rules (Mergenthaler & Stinson, 1991) and an abridged list of these rules, which will be posted
on the course website. More information regarding this assignment will be provided in class.
Ensure that you do not use a font size smaller than 12. The penalty for late assignments is 5%
per day late. You will need to provide the actual recording along with your assignment.

The transcription should be presented in a table with three separate columns: one for
transcription, the second for naming the intervention used by the “therapist” and briefly
commenting on the impact of it (e.g., effectiveness, function it served – deepening, clarifying,
focusing), and the third column for alternate “therapist” responses.

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Transcription (column 1):
 Transcribe your interview segment using the guidelines provided in class.
Process Observations & Comments (column 2):
 Identify verbal interventions occurring in the interview segment that have been
discussed in the course (e.g., open-ended questions, minimal encouragers, paraphrases,
and reflections).
 Briefly comment on the success or effectiveness of the intervention by examining the
“client’s” response and considering your intentions for employing the intervention in
the moment.
 Provide any other brief comments regarding the moment-to-moment therapy/interview
process as it occurs that seem important to you to note.

Alternate Responses (column 3):

 You DO NOT need to provide alternate responses to every “therapist” response. If you
consider your original response to be effective and it achieves what you intended to do
(or even achieved something positive that you did not intend), you don’t need to
provide an alternate response. Provide alternate responses when the “client” provides
feedback indicating that your response was inaccurate or “off the mark”, or if upon
reflection of the transcript, you realize an alternate response would likely have been
more effective or would have potentially helped move the “client” deeper in the
therapy process than your original intervention. If you would have liked to have used a
different intervention, name the different intervention you would use and provide the
actual response you would like to have given at the point of the therapy segment.
In addition to the transcription with process comments, you will submit to 2-to-4-page (double-
spaced, 12font) reflection on your strengths and weaknesses as a helper or “therapist”, as
demonstrated in the interview, and on the evolution of your counseling skills over the course.
This may include your overall impression of the interview segment, including how well you feel
it demonstrates your current skill level, and comment on the interpersonal dynamics
contributing to the working alliance (or lack thereof) and/or any other important aspects of the
interview segment that you feel had a particular impact. In addition, this is an opportunity to
reflect on your experiences engaging in different exercises and practicing different
interventions in class and to comment on various factors that led to the development (or lack of
development) of your helping skills. For example, depending on your personal experience with
the course, you may want to address your strengths or difficulties with employing different
helping interventions (e.g., reflections, paraphrases), discuss the potential effects of learning
these helping skills outside the classroom in your everyday life, address obstacles in developing
your skills, or describe any particularly poignant or “aha” moments and their subsequent
impact on your helping skills. I am interested in your experience, your insights and your
elaboration of significant moments in the evolution of your helping skills.
NOTE: For the transcript analysis – I am NOT marking you in terms of your skill as a “therapist”
– I am marking your ability to properly identify what you did during the therapy segment and

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thoughtfully reflect on the therapy process with your comments and alternate responses. I am
interested in your interpretation of the therapy process based on the information and skills that
you have learned in this course.

Class Format and Attendance Policy

This course will be taught in a workshop fashion, whereby classes will include: a) role-playing
and practice interviewing; b) minimal lecture and more group discussion of the reading for each
class; c) small group discussions and experiential exercises; d) video demonstrations of skills
and e) homework in the form of reflections on readings & class exercises and/or cognitive-
behavioural exercises to be completed outside of the classroom.

Beginning to acquire skills is an integral component of this course. Within the role-plays and
practice interviewing components, there is a possibility that a student will gain knowledge of
confidential information, such as information another student’s personal life. It is essential and
the responsibility of each student in the course to respect and maintain every other student’s
right to confidentiality. Moreover, as potential members of the helping profession, it is
important to keep in mind that this experience is one point along the journey of ethical action
and practice.

Attendance will be taken at the beginning and after the midway break for each class.

Grading as per Senate Policy

The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in
undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ = 7, C+ = 5, etc.). Assignments and
tests* will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g. A+ = 90
to 100, A = 80 to 89, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.)
For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar –
Grading Scheme for 2022-23

Missed Tests/Midterm Exams/Late Assignment

For any missed quiz or late assignment, students MUST complete the following online form
which will be received and reviewed in the Psychology undergraduate office. At this time, due
to COVID-19 an Attending Physician’s Statement (APS) is not required, however, a reason for
missing an evaluated component in the course must be provided.
HH PSYC: Missed Tests/Exams Form. Failure to complete the form within 48 hours of the
original deadline will result in a grade of zero for the missed quiz or late assignment.
Makeup for Test 1: If you are unable to write Test 1 on the original test date and you have a
valid reason (e.g., injured, car accident, death in the family, illness), you will be eligible to write
the makeup, which will take place approximately 2 weeks after the original test date.

Add/Drop Deadlines
For a list of all important dates please refer to: Fall/Winter 2022-23 Important Dates

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 Winter 2024
(Term W)
Last date to add a course without permission of Jan. 22
instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)
Last date to add a course with permission of Jan 31
instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)
Drop deadline: Last date to drop a course without Mar. 11
receiving a grade (also see Financial Deadlines)
Course Withdrawal Period (withdraw from a course March 12 -
and receive a grade of “W” on transcript – see note April 8
below)

Add and Drop Deadline Information

There are deadlines for adding and dropping courses, both academic and financial. Since, for
the most part, the dates are different, be sure to read the information carefully so that you
understand the differences between the sessional dates below and the Refund Tables.
You are strongly advised to pay close attention to the "Last date to enrol without permission of
course instructor" deadlines. These deadlines represent the last date students have
unrestricted access to the registration and enrolment system.
After that date, you must contact the professor/department offering the course to arrange
permission.
You can drop courses using the registration and enrolment system up until the last date to drop
a course without receiving a grade (drop deadline).
You may withdraw from a course using the registration and enrolment system after the drop
deadline until the last day of class for the term associated with the course. When you withdraw
from a course, the course remains on your transcript without a grade and is notated as 'W'. The
withdrawal will not affect your grade point average or count towards the credits required for
your degree.

Information on Plagiarism Detection

The university has subscribed to the Turnitin service which helps professors identify internet
plagiarism and helps students maintain academic integrity. The work submitted by you in this
course will be submitted through Turnitin via eClass.

Electronic Device Policy

This course will be delivered in-person. Electronic devices are permitted during class time for
course-related purposes. Please appreciate that in this course will involve active participation in
the form of small and large class discussion and engaging in different exercises with fellow
students. As such, electronic use is discouraged and will not be particularly relevant for this
course. Lastly, you will be working on developing therapeutic presence, which requires
attention and focus, not distraction and split attention.

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Electronic mobile devices of any kind are not allowed during a test or examination. Students are
required to turn off and secure any electronic mobile device in their bag which is to be placed
under the chair while a test/exam is in progress. Any student observed with an electronic
device during a test/exam may be reported to the Undergraduate Office for a potential breach
of Academic Honesty.

Academic Integrity for Students

York University takes academic integrity very seriously; please familiarize yourself with
Information about the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
It is recommended that you review Academic Integrity by completing the Academic Integrity
Tutorial and Academic Honesty Quiz

Test Banks
The offering for sale of, buying of, and attempting to sell or buy test banks (banks of test
questions and/or answers), or any course specific test questions/answers is not permitted in
the Faculty of Health. Any student found to be doing this may be considered to have breached
the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. In particular, buying and attempting to sell banks of
test questions and/or answers may be considered as “Cheating in an attempt to gain an
improper advantage in an academic evaluation” (article 2.1.1 from the Senate Policy) and/or
“encouraging, enabling or causing others” (article 2.1.10 from the Senate Policy) to cheat.

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

While all individuals are expected to satisfy the requirements of their program of study and to
aspire to do so at a level of excellence, the university recognizes that persons with disabilities
may require reasonable accommodation to enable them to do so. The university encourages
students with disabilities to register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to discuss their
accommodation needs as early as possible in the term to establish the recommended academic
accommodations that will be communicated to Course Directors as necessary. Please let me
know as early as possible in the term if you anticipate requiring academic accommodation so
that we can discuss how to consider your accommodation needs within the context of this
course.
https://accessibility.students.yorku.ca/

Excerpt from Senate Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
1. Pursuant to its commitment to sustaining an inclusive, equitable community in which all
members are treated with respect and dignity, and consistent with applicable
accessibility legislation, York University shall make reasonable and appropriate
accommodations in order to promote the ability of students with disabilities to fulfill the
academic requirements of their programs. This policy aims to eliminate systemic
barriers to participation in academic activities by students with disabilities.
All students are expected to satisfy the essential learning outcomes of courses.
Accommodations shall be consistent with, support and preserve the academic integrity of the

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curriculum and the academic standards of courses and programs. For further information
please refer to: York University Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities Policy .

Course Materials Copyright Information

These course materials are designed for use as part of the PSYC4062M course at York University
and are the property of the instructor unless otherwise stated. Third party copyrighted
materials (such as book chapters, journal articles, music, videos, etc.) have either been licensed
for use in this course or fall under an exception or limitation in Canadian Copyright law.
Copying this material for distribution (e.g. uploading material to a commercial third-party
website) may lead to a violation of Copyright law. Intellectual Property Rights Statement.

Tentative Course Schedule

DATE 2024 LECTURE TOPIC READINGS
January 8 Overview and skills-based Martin: Chapters 1 &7
learning in counselling; empathy
and getting started

January 15 Building the foundation: Martin: Chapter 2

Effective listening

January 22 Questioning, restatements, Assigned reading

& paraphrasing
January 29 Reflecting emotion, evocative Martin: Chapters 3 & 4
paraphrasing

February 5 Therapeutic relationship &

issues mid-therapy: exploring &
Martin: Chapter 8
deepening

February 12 TEST 1 Covers textbook readings:

Short answer questions & Martin: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8
transcript analysis (process Assigned readings:
comments & summary)
Lectures: 1 to 5
February 19 READING WEEK No class or readings!!!
February 26 Group presentation: Dialectical
Behaviour Therapy Assigned Reading:

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 Client problem solving,
assessment, & goal setting Martin: Chapter 5

March 4 Group presentation: Gestalt

therapy Assigned Reading
Ending therapy, reflection and
transition
March 11 Group presentation: Martin: Chapter 14
Multicultural counseling & Assigned reading: Sue, Sue, Neville, &
therapy Smith (2019). Obstacles to developing
Diversity and multicultural cultural competence and cultural humility,
considerations Counselling the Culturally Diverse: Theory
and Practice, 8th edition, (pp. 5-25), Wiley.

March 18 Group presentation: CBT for a

Specific Disorder Assigned reading:
CBT and incorporating activities
into therapy
March 25 Group presentation:
Mindfulness based stress Martin: Chapter 15
reduction
Self-care
April 1 Group presentation: Narrative
Martin: Chapter 11
therapy
Ethical Issues
Transcription Assignment Due

*Assigned readings (which will consist of various journal articles, book chapters, etc.) will be
posted ahead of lectures on eClass for students to have time to read the material.
***Please be aware that course schedule/readings are subject to change prior to course
starting. Please look to course announcements and updates on eClass for any changes.

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