COUPLES THERAPY - LECTURE NOTES



Course Description

This course focuses on the interventions used in the field of clinical health psychology. Specific emphasis is placed on learning the specific skills associated with delivering cognitive behavioral skills in the health care setting. These interventions will focus on both behavioral health (i.e., psychiatric) outcomes as well as health related behaviors such as medication adherence. We will spend significant time learning the details of these interventions through observation of role-play and videotaped interventions, and practicing specific interventions through role-play exercises.

Course Objectives

1. To learn the basic interventions associated with the field of clinical health psychology.

2. To learn understand the contexts, including disorders and clinical settings in which these interventions are used.

3. To learn a sampling of the scientific literature of these interventions, including descriptions and randomized clinical trials regarding these interventions.

4. To demonstrate effective intervention skills.

Course materials

1. Texts: Clinical Health Psychology in Medical Settings: Practitioner's Guidebook

by Cynthia D. Belar, William W. Deardorff; The Feeling Good Handbook

by David D. Burns

2. Original source readings distributed in class weekly

3. Videotapes of cognitive behavioral interventions shown in class

Evaluation methods (% counting toward grade)

Midterm (multiple choice) (25%)

Final (multiple choice) (25%)

15-20 page paper & classroom presentation– see below (25%)

10-minute, videotapes sample of a health psychology intervention – see below (25%)

Midterm and Final

Tests will cover readings, including the texts and papers distributed in class, and lecture material

Paper (Topic selection due in class or by email 9/21/05 and paper due in class by 10/12/2005 or before)

The paper will consist of a review of an intervention or intervention program used in a health psychology context. The theoretical background of the intervention, a description of the intervention methods, and the empirical evidence supporting the intervention should be described. The focus of the intervention should be a behavioral health condition in a medical population and/or health-related outcomes such as medication adherence or self-care behaviors. Examples include interventions for migraine headache, treatment of depression of patients with cardiovascular disease, interventions for improving self-care in patients with heart failure, interventions for improving medication adherence, interventions for irritable bowel syndrome, weight loss interventions, and family interventions for patients with diabetes. Interventions for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, and smoking cessation, as well as interventions described as stress management, hypnosis, yoga, and biofeedback procedures are also possible targets of your papers. You must present a topic idea to me by 9/21/05 for approval to ensure that you are focused on an appropriate topic. This should be a brief description of the type of therapy or intervention, the type of patients in which it is conducted, and how many separate studies you believe have tested the intervention.

The paper should consist of 15-20 double-spaced typed pages of text (not counting references) with APA-style references. The paper will be graded on the adequacy of your description of the intervention, presentation of the literature that is the background of the intervention, description of the empirical status of the intervention, and the clarity and coherence of your paper. You should comment on the status of the intervention as an empirically supported treatment, and indicate the type of research that should be conducted on it. You will do best on this task if you become well-acquainted with Medline, EBSCO, and PsycINFO article databases. I am happy to help you with search strategies and finding the keywords that will ensure that you have all of the necessary research papers. It is best to get an exhaustive collection of papers as humanly possible to make sure you can present the appropriate conclusions about the intervention.

Part of your grade will be a 10-minute presentation based on your paper. You are asked not to read your paper word-for-word but to present the material in a more easily listenable format.

10-minute Videotaped communication sample (due starting 10/19/2005 but must be completed by 12/7/2005)

You will be asked to demonstrate competency in the methods of a health psychology intervention that we will cover in this course, using patients/clients role-played by your classmates. The 10-minute videotaped sample will illustrate specific intervention methods that are central to the method/program that you have selected. You should discuss the specific intervention or program that you wish to illustrate prior to the videotaping to ensure that it is appropriate. Examples of acceptable interventions include a problem solving intervention for patients with cancer and a motivational enhancement intervention for patients with diabetes.

I will be available to videotape every class member who does not have access to videotape equipment for this exercise. You will see many examples in class and all students will receive some coaching in class on some of the relevant methods. Most of the videotaping for the class can be done as part of our regular role-play during class time. You will be graded on your ability to illustrate at least 5 specific techniques, the skill level displayed, the realistic nature of the role-play exercise, and apparent spontaneity of the performance.

Meeting dates, specific topics, and assigned textbook pages (other readings will be distributed in class)

8/31/2005 Course organization, overview of course, introduction to clinical health psychology interventions, role-play intervention of intake assessment

9/7/2005 Cognitive-behavioral interventions: Treatment for depression, format, agenda/goal setting, specific interventions in cognitive-behavioral therapy

The Feeling Good Handbook pp 1-72 (Chapters 1 – 4; skim Chapters 2 and 3)

9/14/2005 Cognitive-behavioral interventions II, role-play

Clinical Health Psychology pp 1-38

The Feeling Good Handbook pp 73-208 (Chapters 5 – 10)

9/21/2005 Paper topic due

Cognitive-behavioral interventions III, role-play

RTCs for Interventions in medical settings

Clinical Health Psychology pp 39-68

The Feeling Good Handbook pp 209-297 (Chapters 11 – 15)

9/28/2005 Cognitive-behavioral interventions IV, role-play

Interventions for medical/health outcomes

Clinical Health Psychology pp 69-100

The Feeling Good Handbook pp 363-466 (Chapters 18 – 22)

10/5/2005 Interventions for medical/health outcomes, role-play communications/referral issues from medical staff

Clinical Health Psychology pp 101-136

10/12/2005 Papers are due, start of presentations

Cognitive-behavioral interventions IV, role-play empathy, responding to difficult patients

The Feeling Good Handbook pp 636-704 (Chapters 26 – 29)

10/19/2005 Mid-term Exam

Videotaping of role-plays

Families and health care—caregiving research, social support and health outcomes, family interventions

Presentations

10/26/2005 Theoretical models in health psychology/behavioral medicine

Clinical Health Psychology pp 137-172

Presentations

11/2/2005 Adherence: Measurement, associations with outcomes, and interventions to improve it

Clinical Health Psychology pp 173-208

Presentations

Videotaping of role-plays

11/9/2005 Clinical Health Psychology pp 209-217

Presentations

Videotaping of role-plays

11/16/2005 Health psychology and cardiovascular health: Epidemiology, theoretical models, interventions, and outcomes

Presentations

Videotaping of role-plays

11/23/2005 No class-Thanksgiving break

11/30/2005 Advanced topics in health psychology interventions

Presentations

Videotaping of role-plays

12/7/2005 Advanced topics in health psychology interventions

Presentations

Videotaping of role-plays

12/14/2005 FINAL EXAM

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