Challenges of Clinical Practice Course

CCP I-600 – Challenges of Clinical Practice

This course in a nutshell:
Discussion topics: the importance of incorporating ethics, researched outcomes, multiculturalism, and social responsibility into the foundations of clinical practice.
Skills: You’ll discover personal insights by completing a series of self-awareness exercises related to the challenges of becoming a therapist: explore your own hopes and fears and expectations to help build a personally satisfying career plan, and counter the potential for burnout. (Pre-requisite: Introduction to Applied Psychology and Ethics)

CCP II-600 – Challenges of Clinical Practice

This course in a nutshell:
Thesis/Research Project: Refine your research and writing skills by designing a thesis project based on APA guidelines. The end result will establish ‘evidence-based’ support for your unique theoretical approach to therapy. (Pre-requisite: Introduction to Applied Psychology and Ethics).

Course Content:

This advanced 6 week course explores the challenges of becoming a therapist; determining scope of practice; the ability to ensure the safe and effective use of self in the therapeutic relationship; the importance of incorporating ethics, researched outcomes, and multiculturalism into the foundations of clinical practice; evaluation of research and the development of professional level writing skills.

Course topics

CCP Part I explores the therapist’s hopes and fears– the challenges of increased technology, research, the Internet, advances in theory and technique, multiculturalism in the global economy, managed care bureaucracy; and the responsibility to promote social justice, and ethical practice.

The text provides an overview of the stages of the helping process, along with the skills and knowledge needed to become successful mental health therapists. The text focuses on the struggles, anxieties, and uncertainties often encountered on the road to becoming effective helpers. The authors include basic information on practice, including information on skills, stages of helping, ethics, cultural diversity, managing boundaries, and working with the community and groups. They also emphasize self-reflection on a number of professional issues, and need to be diligent to prevent stress and burnout from threatening their own well-being. The candid discussion is designed to help students investigate their motives and aptitude in order to decide if a career in the helping professions is right for them.

The interactive workbook is filled with practical information, self-assessments, and activities designed to facilitate renewal, growth, and change. This comprehensive text helps clinicians help themselves with career threatening issues such as: fear of failure, loss of confidence, transference and counter-transference, clients’ resistance, ethical and legal considerations, and the financial stress and loss of autonomy that many clinician’s experience as a result of managed care and its constraints.

Supplemental reading materials discuss important ethical issues related to a therapist’s Duty to Report, self-care, and how supervisors can support beginning therapists in navigating the challenges of learning their craft. Students receive information on how to determine scope of practice, evaluate competencies, and recognize and facilitate multi-cultural aspects throughout the therapy process.

CCP Part IIconsists of a Thesis/Research Project. The text for Part II and supplemental articles give a detailed overview of how to apply APA guidelines to writing a research or thesis proposal. Students are required to write an original thesis project incorporating the APA guidelines. After conducting a thorough review of relevant research studies, videos, internet articles, and interviews, the student will have accumulated enough ‘evidence’ to support their thesis statement. The purpose of the thesis project is two-fold:

students refine their research and writing skills in formulating a thesis project.
The end result will establish ‘evidence-based’ support for their chosen theoretical approach to therapy. This evidence-based thesis will enhance each student’s professional portfolio with a unique outcome measure of their therapeutic style

Composition of the thesis will be based on APA guidelines, to include a thesis statement or hypothesis, proposal, overview of related research, conclusions, and application of the findings to clinical practice.

PORTFOLIO OF JOB SKILLS

The objectives of the course, Challenges of Clinical Practice (CCP-600), and the pre-requisite requirement Introduction of Applied Psychology and Ethics (IAP-400), address the following sections of the Competency Profile for Psychotherapists as suggested by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

Upon graduation from the Diploma of Applied Psychology and Counselling, and fulfilling requirements for a specialized Certificate in the Practice of Psychotherapy, students may include the following skills as part of their Professional Portfolio:

Professional Responsibilities

Apply an ethical decision making process.

Recognize ethical issues encountered in practice.
Resolve ethical dilemmas in a manner consistent with legislation and professional standards.
Accept responsibility for course of action taken.

Maintain self-care and level of health necessary for responsible therapy.

Maintain personal physical, psychological, cognitive and emotional fitness necessary for the practice of psychotherapy.
Build and use a personal and professional support network.
Maintain personal hygiene and appropriate professional presentation.

Evaluate and enhance professional practice.

Undertake critical self-reflection.
Solicit client feedback throughout the therapeutic process.
Plan and implement methods to assess effectiveness of interventions.
Obtain feedback from peers and supervisors to assist in practice review.
Identify strengths as a therapist, and areas for development.
Set goals for improvement.
Modify practice to enhance effectiveness.
Participate in relevant professional development activities.
Maintain awareness of resources and sources of support relevant to practice.

Obtain clinical supervision or consultation.

Initiate clinical supervision or consultation when appropriate or required.
Articulate parameters of supervision or consultation.
Protect client privacy and confidentiality, making disclosure only where permitted or required.
Initiate a legal consultation when necessary.

Therapeutic Process

Ensure safe and effective use of self in the therapeutic relationship.

Demonstrate awareness of the impact of the therapist’s subjective context on the therapeutic process.
Recognize the impact of power dynamics within the therapeutic relationship.
Protect client from imposition of the therapist’s personal issues.
Employ effective and congruent verbal and non-verbal communication.
Use self-disclosure appropriately.

Professional Literature & Applied Research

Remain current with professional literature.

Read current professional literature relevant to practice area.
Access information from a variety of current sources.
Analyze information critically.
Determine the applicability of information to particular clinical situations.
Apply knowledge gathered to enhance practice.
Remain current with developments in foundational areas.

Use research findings to inform clinical practice.

Integrate knowledge of research methods and practices.
Determine the applicability of research findings to particular clinical situations.
Analyze research findings critically.
Apply knowledge gathered to enhance practice.

(The skill set covered in this course comprises areas of core competence required for the practice of professional counselling and psychotherapy.)