Psychological Therapies Small-Scale Research Project and Viva
| Module title | Psychological Therapies Small-Scale Research Project and Viva |
|---|---|
| Module code | PYCM116 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 60 |
| Module staff | Mr Richard Mizen (Lecturer) Dr Janet Smithson (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | All | All | All |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 12 |
|---|
Module description
This module allows you to put the research knowledge and skills you are learning into practice by undertaking a small project. The project may be an audit or primary empirical research, or it may be a literature review or conceptual research, but should be linked to your area of practice. You will make links between clinical practice, understanding of theory, and a research approach to both. You will complete your assignments including a mini viva where you will present your case work and the links that you have made with this to theory and to research.
All other stage one modules are a co-requisite to this module. This module is taught in the second year of your study.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to introduce you to the knowledge and skills required to conduct applied clinical research in general and psychoanalytic/psychodynamic in particular.On completion of thefirst two years of the programme, members should have acquired a basic understanding of research design, data gathering, analysis and the presentation of results, and the links that may be made with this to clinical practice and to theory. They will be familiar with related questions of context, feasibility, and ethics. You will also learn how to present research projects and clinical findings.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Design and undertake innovative clinical research projects competently and independently, taking into account questions of ethics and feasibility, and demonstrating originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of established techniques.
- 2. Formulate and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of psychoanalytically-informed and ethical clinical practice and techniques, founded on experience of and knowledge of clinical method, theory and relevant research and demonstrate a capacity to work within an organisational setting, under clinical supervision.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Evidence great depth and systematic understanding of a substantial body of knowledge in clinical research practice and produce peer reviewed standard publication quality clinical research.
- 4. Develop new approaches to understanding clinically relevant problems and contribute to the development and evaluation of methodologies and critiques of clinical research practice.
- 5. Communicate complex and contentious information clearly and effectively to specialists and non-specialists, and act as an effective clinical research consultant, demonstrating your systematic understanding and critical awareness of your professional area.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Analyse and manage the implications of ethical dilemmas and work proactively with others to formulate solutions, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the techniques appliable to your research.
- 7. Function independently and self-critically as a learner, using a wide range of learning resources to guide and support the learning and development of others.
Syllabus plan
-
Introduction to empirical clinical research methods, qualitative and quantitative.
-
Introduction to research processes, including questions of feasibility.
- Introduction to conceptual research methods in psychoanalysis.
-
The relevance of research to clinical practice.
-
Research ethics.
-
Research and Psychoanalysis.
-
Research reflexivity and analytic reflexivity.
Seminars and group discussion on research design and practice.
One to one research supervision with supervisor.
Undertaking data collection (or textual or conceptual analysis), and writing up.
Mini Viva discussing research project and the relevance and application to clinical practice, linking research, theory and clinical work during the course.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 550 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 18 | Lectures research methodologies, ethics and research applied to clinical practice (12 x 1.5 hours) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 12 | Group tutorials (12 x 1 hour) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 12 | Workshops facilitated by staff including presentations by students who are advanced in their project (12 x 1 hour) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 8 | Supervision and individual research tutorials (8 x 1 hour) |
| Guided Independent Study | 550 | 550 hours of reading, project data collection, analysis, and writing up |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research diary/notes field notes | Throughout the module. Notes consistent with and adequate to the project. | 1-7 | Review with research tutor/research supervisors |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinically Related Small-Scale Research Project Report (Journal publication format) | 80 | 5000 words | 1-7 | Written response from markers |
| Mini Viva | 20 | 40 minutes including discussion time | 1-7 | Oral and written response from examiners |
| *Summative assessments must be passed individually to pass the module; failure in this assessment will lead to failure in the module and the programme. | 0 | |||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinically Related Small-Scale Research Project Report (Journal publication format) | 5,000 words max | 1-7 | Minor amendments 4 weeks; Major amendments 8 weeks |
| Mini Viva | 40 minutes including discussion time | 1-7 | Minor Amendments 4 weeks Major amendments 8 weeks |
Re-assessment notes
The mini viva must be passed in order to upgrade to a Doctoral level qualification. You may have a single further attempt to pass the viva, following feedback from the examining panel if on the first occasion you failed to pass. After this there will be one of four outcomes:
-
If you do not pass the upgrade mini viva on the academic and the clinical elements (all modules in Stage One) and did not demonstrate a basic competence in both, you will have failed the module and failed the programme.
-
If you have demonstrated that you have achieved a basic competence in both the academic and the clinical elements (all Stage One modules) BUT you have not demonstrated a capacity to work academically at doctoral level, or you do not wish to continue to Stage Two of the programme, then a Master of Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice (MPPClinPrac) award will be made and you will not continue working on the programme.
-
If you have not demonstrated the capacity to, or you do not wish to, complete the doctoral programme, BUT you have demonstrated the capacity to work towards practicing as an independent practitioner, then you will also be able to continue to complete all modules on Stage Two of the programme with the exception of the Dissertation module. A Master of Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice (Clinical Training) (MPPClinPrac(CT)) will be then made.
-
If you have demonstrated the capacity both to work academically at doctoral level and to work towards practicing as an independent practitioner, then you may proceed to completion of the doctoral programme, including a clinical qualification, in the relevant category of ‘Psychodynamic Psychotherapist’ or ‘Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist’.
More information regarding assessment of pre-dissertation modules can be found here: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/pgr/professionaldoctoratepgr/#assess including the Flowchart of professional doctorate assessment process.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Core Reading:
-
Altimir, C. Jimenez, J.P. (2020). Walking the middle ground between hermeneutics and science: A research proposal on psychoanalytic process. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 101(3):496-522.
-
American Psychological Association. (2020) Publication manual (7th ed). American Psychological Association. Or online APA7 guidance at https://apastyle.apa.org/
-
Beebe, B. (2005). Mother-Infant Research Informs Mother-Infant Treatment. Psychoanal. St. Child, 60:7-46.
-
Bryman, A. (2015). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.
-
Field, A. (2017). Discovering statistics using SPSS. Sage.
-
Fonagy, P. (2013). There is Room for Even More Doublethink: The Perilous Status of Psychoanalytic Research. Psychoanal. Dial., 23(1):116-122.
-
Fonagy, P., Rost, F., Carlyle, J.A., McPherson, S., Thomas, R., Pasco Fearon, R.M., et al. (2015) Pragmatic randomized controlled trial of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression: The Tavistock Adult Depression Study (TADS). World Psychiatry 14(3): 312–21.
-
Harper, D., & Thompson, A. R. (Eds.). (2011). Qualitative research methods in mental health and psychotherapy: A guide for students and practitioners. John Wiley & Sons.
-
Hinshelwood, R. (2013).Research on the couch. London: Routledge.
-
Holmes, J. (2018). A practical guide to reflexive research. London: Routledge.
-
Leichsenring, F. &Rabung, S. (2008) Effectiveness of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. JAMA 300(13): 1551–65.
-
Lepper, G, and Riding, N. (2006). Researching the Psychotherapy Process. A practical guide to transcript-based methods. Palgrave.
-
Rohleder, P. and Lyons, A.C. (2015). Qualitative research in clinical and health psychology. Palgrave.
-
Robson, C. (2002)Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner researchers (2nded). Blackwell.
-
Rustin, M. (2010). Varieties of psychoanalytic research. Psychoanal. Psychother., 24(4):380-397.
-
Rustin, M. (2019). Researching the unconscious. London: Routledge.
-
Shedler, J. (2010) The efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy. American Psychologist 65
-
(2): 98–109.
-
Stamenova, K. & Hinshelwood, R. (2018). Methods of research into the unconscious. London: Routledge
-
Taylor, D. (2010). Psychoanalytic approaches and outcome research: Negative capability or irritable reaching after fact and reason? Psychoanal. Psychotherapy.
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
ELE – you can find methodology references, lecture PowerPoints (usually with references on the final slide) and guides to research.
| Credit value | 60 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 30 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | All other stage one modules are a co-requisite to this module. |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 27/08/2021 |
| Last revision date | 22/03/2023 |
