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Courses
PSYS 500
MASCP Program Orientation Seminar (noncredit)
As a part of orientation, the Somatic Counseling Psychology Department holds a new student overnight retreat at the beginning of each school year. This retreat immerses students in opportunities to get acquainted with each other, with the department and with our mission as a university from an experiential perspective. The students meet from Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. to Saturday at 6 p.m. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. Special fee.
PSYS 605
Advanced Clinical Skills I (2)
All the components of Authentic Movement process are
explored with particular emphasis on the role of the
witness and the development of a group. Students have
ample class time to explore their own process while
experiencing this therapeutic movement form. Through
learning how to increase the authenticity of presence,
students explore the ground of a healing relationship.
This course continues students' clinical development by
introducing complex applications of somatic technique.
Students extend their understanding of various clinical
populations, dual diagnoses and complex psychodynamic
processes, and extend skill building in the areas of
movement sequencing, sensory integration and expressive
behavior. The primary text is taken from articles written
by Mary Whitehouse, Janet Adler and other founders of
Authentic Movement. Somatic Counseling Psychology
students only.
PSYS 606
Counseling Relationships I: Verbal and Nonverbal Skills (2)
Using direct experiences to develop basic counseling skills, this class introduces the forms and practices of facilitating body and movement-centered therapy sessions with individuals. Using the Moving Cycle, students learn how to facilitate awareness, personal ownership, appreciation and productive action in a one-on-one format. Students also practice working with resistance, character structure, diversity issues, energetic charge and therapeutic transference countertransference. Course work also includes in-class supervision, role-playing, relevant readings and a culminating paper that articulates the students' emerging clinical interests and preferences. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 607
Appraisal: Clinical Assessment (3)
Student clinicians are provided a working knowledge of the skills and tools used in the clinical process of assessing, diagnosing and treating psychiatric syndromes and populations. The course content explores the basic aspects of psychometric testing including validity, reliability and professional and ethical considerations associated with assessment and testing. In addition, students are introduced to the major diagnostic categories within the DSM-IV-TR as a tool for understanding states of individual psychopathology. Prerequisites: Abnormal Psychology or psychopathology requirement and PSYS 687. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 613
Social and Multicultural Foundations (3)
Psychotherapists work with clients who, in many cases, come from vastly different cultures than those of themselves, whether measured by ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, class or race. This course introduces the student to the basic theories and practices of culturally competent counseling via examining the student's own culture, biases and internalized oppressions. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 616
Foundations of Dance/Movement Therapy (3)
This course is designed as an introduction to the field of dance/movement therapy and studies how, historically, dance/movement therapists have worked with groups. Dance/movement therapy work and theory by Marian Chace, Blanche Evan, Trudi Schoop and Mary Whitehouse are experientially explored. Students integrate their personal group histories with their style and approach to facilitating group process. This is experiential and didactic. Somatic Counseling Psychology
students only.
PSYS 621
Body/Movement Observation and Assessment I (2)
In this course students look at how the mind is expressed through the body. The focus is placed on gathering the basic terms and concepts necessary to cultivate the skill of seeing the body descriptively both in stillness as well as in motion. A range of observation and assessment models specific to dance/movement therapy and body psychotherapy is introduced: including morphological, developmental, energetic, segmented, process-oriented and archetypal frameworks. The overarching context for encapsulating these concepts is through the lens of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA).
PSYS 623
Group Community Skills I (noncredit)
This two-semester laboratory is designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn experientially about group dynamics and leadership. Through personal exploration, communication skills practice and integration of and participation in group relationship, this class serves as a clearinghouse for student questions, conflicts and problem solving regarding group dynamics. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. Special fee.
PSYS 626
Foundations of Body Psychotherapy (3)
Students learn the theoretical and practical roots of body psychotherapy, beginning with the Freudian era and sequencing through current times. The field is viewed from the perspective of the contributions of its founders, as well as from the therapeutic paradigms they represent. Demonstrations and practical exercises give students a chance to experience these modalities in action and to learn basic clinical techniques. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 632
Lifestyles and Career Development I: Identity and Life Transitions (1)
One of three Lifestyles and Career Development courses, this course provides an exploration of the life transitions and their implications for professional psychotherapists and counselors. Topics include lifestyle issues, career selections and counseling process, career transitions, leisure, retirement and right livelihood. This course provides students with an understanding of career development and related life factors including the interactions between self, work, family and the roles of gender and diversity in career development. Students address life transitions that apply to the career development and counseling process, as they explore and cultivate their own motivations, capacities and interests in relationship to being of service to others through a community-based learning practicum. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 637
Body/Movement Observation and Assessment II (3)
Students learn to appraise how ego structures such as self-image, identity, object relations and superego manifest in the body as patterns of alignment, proportion and strategies for balance. Methods are explored for gathering information to clarify the relationship between observed physical patterns and clients' inner physical and psychological experience, as the basis for developing a treatment plan. Concepts from the movement education systems are applied to treatment strategies. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 646
The Body in Meditation and Psychotherapy I (1)
Students begin to explore the relationship between meditation and working with others psychotherapeutically. The first person one ever works with is oneself. The practice of mindful-awareness kindles this ground with openness, curiosity, gentleness and nonjudgment. It allows
any moment of living experience to be touched, embraced and learned from. Through practice, intrinsic sanity arises and the first realization that mind exists—and then that it does not. Students look at the relationship between sanity, neurosis, space and energy.
PSYS 649
The Body in Meditation and Psychotherapy II (1)
Further topics in the areas of somatically based contemplative practices are explored.
PSYS 653
Group Community Skills II (noncredit)
A continuation of PSYS 623. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. Special fee.
PSYS 656
Counseling Relationships II: Verbal and Nonverbal Skills (2)
A continuation of the forms and practices that were begun in PSYS 606 that culminates in an oral examination where students demonstrate and discuss counseling skills. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 657/657e
Clinical Neuroscience (3)
The neuroscience underlying human development and the resulting verbal and nonverbal counseling strategies are introduced. Cutting-edge research in the areas of the triune brain,
left/right hemispheres, neural plasticity and neural networks allows us to construct "brain smart" clinical interventions. Specific attention is paid to theories of attachment and bonding, physical development, conscious versus unconscious processing, the emotional brain and the early interactional environment. Each topic is tied to clinical intervention strategies for both adults and children.
PSYS 660
Family Systems Skills I: Methods of Family Therapy (2)
The exploration of family and social systems as higher levels of body organization, the course combines family and social systems theory with somatic perspective to provide an overview for treatment. Students learn skills for working with diverse family systems and work experientially
with genograms.
PSYS 672
Lifestyles and Career Development II: Career Selection and Professional Decision Making (1)
A continuation of PSYS 632, this course provides students with a further understanding of career development theory and decision-making models. Students learn career development program planning, placement, organization, implementation, administration and evaluation. Students
address the symbiotic relationship between learning in the classroom and service in the community as they explore turning the career of therapist into public work. This course serves as an opportunity for students to study the relevance of somatic psychotherapy to marginalized and oppressed as well as privileged populations through a community-based learning practicum. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 682
Human Growth and Development (3)
An overview of the major theories of psychological development across the lifespan. Information from a broad range of perspectives is covered including biological, psychoanalytic/dynamic, cognitive, social learning and cross-cultural. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 683
Group Process and Dynamics (3)
The course provides somatic theoretical and experiential understanding of group purpose, development, theory, methods, skills and dynamics. We look at diversity issues, the developmental stages of groups, member behavior and roles, leadership style, and we differentiate between group types. This class supports professional preparation and examines ethical and legal considerations. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 687
Clinical Orientation (2)
The purpose of this course is to provide a supportive forum for beginning dance/movement therapists and body psychotherapists to integrate the basic principles of working within the community and the mental health care system from a body-centered, movement-oriented perspective. This course integrates academic study and skills practice with community-based learning and offers student support around internship placement issues as well as structured clinical training. Requirement: Completion of 100-hour fieldwork placement. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 699
Independent Study (1–3)
PSYS 700
Research and Statistics (3)
A survey of research methods and statistics as they apply to counseling psychology, psychotherapy, dance/movement therapy and body psychotherapy. Topics include philosophical issues, rigor, types of psychological research, descriptive and inferential statistics, experimental and correlational methods, qualitative methods, test construction and interpretation, program evaluation, research ethics and strategies for literature searches. The course seeks to be applicable and useful for both professional and personal growth and includes lecture, discussion and practice exercises.
PSYS 706
Specialized Approaches in Dance/Movement Therapy: Therapist as Artist (2)
An exploration of the creative healing arts and the therapist’s role as artist. Theories of imagination and creativity, and their relevance to personal creative process and clinical skill building are examined. In addition, this course focuses on the therapeutic value of the creative art therapy modalities: art, drama, dance, poetry/writing, and music. Students explore how the imagination heals and renews itself through each modality. Readings, discussion, in-class experientials, out of class practice and guest lecturers provide an overview of theory, techniques and considerations for special populations. Emphasis is on the integration and application of creative modalities, the artistic experience and therapeutic skills in working with clients.
PSYS 710
Family Systems Skills II: Relationship, Sexuality and Couples Therapy (2)
Family systems are deeply influenced by the relational patterns of the couple forming the parenting unit. These patterns are programmed in early family dynamics and manifest in implicit actions such as movement, voice tone, facial expression, posture, gesture, breath, energy, muscular tonicity, sexual dynamics and so on. This course offers theories and verbal and nonverbal techniques to work with relational patterns in order to develop greater intimacy, differentiation and sexual passion as a foundation for current definitions of family.
PSYS 715
Specialized Approaches in Body Psychotherapy:
Trauma, Resilience and Change (2)
An advanced theory and skills course that studies both developmental and traumatic wounding, and the adult patterns of thought, emotion and behavior these wounds create. Using various methodologies, students gain a somatic understanding of trauma and its physiological and psychological effects. Practical somatic techniques for contacting, accessing, deepening, processing, transforming and integrating developmental and traumatic experiences are taught.
PSYS 723
Group Community Skills III (noncredit)
A continuation of PSYS 653, Group Community Skills II.
Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. $100
special fee.
PSYS 736
Current Methods and Skills in Psychotherapy (3)
Major current approaches in psychotherapy theory and practice including Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Solution Focused Therapy are explored. Students have the opportunity to examine how each of these methods operates independently and also how they interface with more traditional approaches. Students also begin to work with these approaches in a way that builds clinical skill development in alignment with a somatic psychotherapy orientation.
PSYS 753
Group Community Skills IV (noncredit) (2)
A continuation of PSYS 723, Group Community Skills III.
Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. $100
special fee.
PSYS 756
Advanced Clinical Skills II (2)
The objective of this course is to support students in refining the basic elements of their therapeutic skill set in preparation for clinical placements. In addition, several advanced clinical skills are also introduced. In particular, students refine their skills in identifying and working with resistance or therapeutic ambivalence, develop greater facility in tracking transference and countertransference in the therapeutic relationship, and cultivate greater facility in using touch, imagery, music, rhythm, props, somatic tracking and verbalizations to help clients move toward a further level of intra-psychic and interpersonal integration.
PSYS 778
Lifestyles and Career Development III: Theory and Counseling Strategies (1)
A continuation of Lifestyles and Career Development I and II, this course further addresses career development theories, techniques, counseling, guidance and education strategies. Students
learn and become familiar with occupational and educational information sources and systems, effectiveness evaluation and assessment tools and resources. Attention is paid both to the students' personal experience and also to the implications for counseling others.
PSYS 789
Comprehensive Exam (0.5)
All students in their second year receive a list of comprehensive questions that test their theoretical knowledge and how it integrates with clinical skills in their field of study. Students prepare and present a professional portfolio demonstrating their knowledge and cumulative graduate-level contributions from their first two years of study.
PSYS 816
Internship Placement I (0.5)
Students receive credit for their internships through this class. Lab fee for ten hours of one-to-one clinical mentorship. (ADTR clinical mentorship for Dance/Movement Therapy students.)
PSYS 816
Internship Placement I (0.5)
Internship is defined as basic and intermediate clinical and education exposure in a clinical treatment setting. The intern is an active member of the treatment team, contributing his or her specific areas of knowledge toward the achievement of treatment goals established for clients or patients, with appropriate supervision and guidance. Along with the internship facility supervisor, the instructor and a chosen clinical mentor provide suggestions and feedback to the intern throughout the internship placement. Students receive credit that may be included in their applications for fulfilling the 700 hours of internship required to fulfill current state of Colorado licensure (LPC) requirements, and for clinical mentorship.
PSYS 823
Group Community Skills V (0.5)
Further practice of the skills and techniques covered in Group Community Skills I–IV, with an emphasis on students’ professional development in group process and leadership. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. $50 special fee.
PSYS 826
Internship Seminar I: Dance/Movement Therapy (2)
After completing second-year requirements, each Dance/Movement Therapy student enters a clinical internship and under ADTR mentorship, leads dance therapy sessions and groups. The internship consists of 700 hours and includes participation in treatment team meetings, documentation, clinical supervision and in-service education. The classroom seminar focuses on clinical mentorship with supplemental readings and also addresses integral issues in the transition from student therapist to professional therapist. Dance/Movement Therapy students only.
PSYS 827
Internship Seminar I: Body Psychotherapy (2)
This course is for Body Psychotherapy students who have completed their second-year requirements. The internship consists of 700 hours and includes participation in treatment team meetings, documentation, clinical supervision and in-service education. The classroom seminar
focuses on clinical mentorship with supplemental readings and also addresses integral issues in the transition from student therapist to professional therapist. Body Psychotherapy students only.
PSYS 836
Thesis Research Seminar I (0.5)
This course is designed to prepare students to write a scholarly master's thesis that reflects the integration of training, clinical experience, theory and evaluation and is an original contribution to
the field. Students understand the discrete elements of the thesis and the American Psychological Association guidelines. The class is a forum for generating topics and critiquing hypothesis and research designs. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 837
Thesis Research Seminar II (0.5)
A continuation of PSYS 836 designed to prepare students to write a scholarly master's thesis that reflects the integration of training, clinical experience, theory and evaluation and is an original contribution to the field. Students understand the discrete elements of the thesis and the American Psychological Association guidelines. Class content directly addresses students' particular needs as they develop their theses and is a forum for resources. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. PSYS 853
Group Community Skills VI (0.5)
Further practice of the skills and techniques covered in Group Community Skills I–V, with an emphasis on students’ professional development in group process and leadership. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only. $50 special fee.
PSYS 856
Professional Orientation (3)
A concluding seminar to help prepare the student for what to expect after graduation, the course focuses on ethical and legal issues, relationships to professional organizations and employment realities. Students develop awareness and skills in ethical decision making through review of professional and ethical codes, relevant legal statutes and case scenarios. Students also prepare written theoretical frameworks and resumés and do mock interviews to assist them with postgraduate employment and professional communication. American Dance Therapy Association registry and general licensure issues are also discussed. Prerequisite: PSYS 687. Somatic Counseling Psychology students only.
PSYS 866
Internship Placement II (0.5)
A continuation of PSYS 816. Students receive credit that may be included in their applications for fulfilling the 700 hours of internship required to fulfill current state of Colorado licensure (LPC) requirements, and for clinical mentorship.
PSYS 875
Internship Seminar II: Body Psychotherapy (2)
A continuation of PSYS 827, this course is for Body Psychotherapy students who have completed their second-year requirements. The internship consists of 700 hours and includes participation in
treatment team meetings, documentation, clinical supervision and in-service education. The classroom seminar focuses on clinical mentorship with supplemental readings and also addresses integral issues in the transition from student therapist to professional therapist. Body Psychotherapy students only.
PSYS 876
Internship Seminar II: Dance/Movement Therapy (2)
A continuation of PSYS 826. After completing second-year requirements, each Dance/Movement Therapy student enters a clinical internship and under ADTR mentorship, leads dance/movement therapy sessions and groups. The internship consists of 700 hours and includes participation in treatment team meetings, documentation, clinical supervision and in-service education. The classroom seminar focuses on clinical mentorship with supplemental readings and also addresses
integral issues in the transition from student therapist to professional therapist. Dance/Movement Therapy students only.
PSYS 877
Extended Internship Placement (0.5)
The purpose of this course is to provide continued support and clinical mentorship for students who have not completed their required clinical internship placement(s) during the sequence of Internship Placement I and Internship Placement II. Required for any student who has completed Internship Placement I and II and who still remains in a clinical internship placement.
PSYS 881
Extended Thesis (0.5)
Required for all Somatic Counseling Psychology students who have finished five semesters of course work and who have yet to finish their theses, this class is to be taken the fifth semester of study, and subsequent semesters, until the thesis is completed. Somatic Counseling Psychology
students only.
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