Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Current Trends in Psychology
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Students can ask the teacher questions at the end of each class. Outside these hours you must request an appointment by email.
Dr. José Eduardo Montejo Celis: emontejo@uic.es
Introduction
The incorporation of psychotherapy as a technique to address the discomfort expressed by affected people in their usual functioning has developed in parallel with medicine. From the beginning, activities that penetrate and influence the inner life of the individual are fundamental to the everyday practice of psychotherapy. In the 21st century, the integration of the social and anthropological dimension, as well as the influence of social and cultural history on the structuring of the self, has also influenced the schools of thought and therefore the elaboration of psychotherapeutic approach techniques that integrate technological advances in the science of psychology and related sciences. In this course we will take a historical tour from the origins of psychotherapy to delve into current therapeutics and the incorporation of technologies, which is certainly ushering in new changes in daily practice. The concurrent maturation of communication, signal processing, and machine learning technologies demands a serious look at how these technologies can be used to improve the quality of psychotherapy. This approach has been done with the intention of generating critical thinking in the professional of psychology at the time of choosing the proposals therapeutics in clinical practice.
Objectives
• Develop the capacity for integrative and critical thinking, through the application of an evidence-based methodology when applying a psychological intervention.
• Understand the importance of language and interpersonal relationships for the exercise of the profession.
• Incorporate tools for common and particular psychological intervention of the contextual therapies studied: Acceptance and Commitment, Functional Analysis, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Activation Therapy and Mindfulness-based Therapies.
• Facilitate the practical theoretical framework that allows them not only to incorporate current digital technologies of proven effectiveness, but also to know how to adopt and adopt a critical vision that allows them to analyze future new technologies.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CE01 - The ability to carry out appropriate Psychology-specific actions to achieve set targets in a specific work environment.
- CE04 - Know the principles and procedures of psychological intervention.
- CE05 - Design and apply a psychological intervention strategy depending on the context or service requested.
- CE06 - Plan the evaluation of psychological programs and / or interventions, selecting the appropriate indicators and techniques.
- CE13 - The ability to recognise the functions, characteristics, benefits and limitations of the various theoretical models and/or schools of psychological thought.
- CE15 - The ability to assess the social and anthropological aspects of human beings, taking into account the historical and sociocultural variables that exist in the configuration of the human psyche and interpersonal relations.
- CE18 - The ability to identify the structures and processes involved in basic psychological functions and recognise the nature of individual differences.
- CG01 - Capacity for critical and creative thinking, and capacity to investigate and adopt a scientific and ethical approach in distinct professional settings.
- CG02 - The ability to make critical and well-founded judgements and assessments as part of the decision-making process.
- CG03 - The ability to read scientific literature in a critical, well-founded manner, take into account its provenance, situate it within an epistemological framework and identify and contrast its contributions in relation to the disciplinary knowledge available.
- CG04 - The ability to respect and enforce the code of ethics and act ethically in all activities related to the practice of the profession.
- CG05 - Understanding of the limitations of the psychological analysis of human behaviour and the ability to incorporate concepts and analytical techniques from other disciplines.
- CG07 - The ability to adapt to the setting, task or context, handle new tasks and responsibilities and generate processes of change.
- CG09 - The ability to integrate psychological knowledge and developments into professional practice.
- CG12 - The ability to create the conditions necessary for effective communication and a good relationship of help and support.
- CG13 - The ability to use information and communication technologies for distinct purposes.
- CT02 - The capacity to solve problems.
- CT03 - The capacity for analysis and synthesis.
- CT04 - The capacity to work in a team
- CT05 - The ability to reason and assess situations and results from a critical, constructive point of view.
- CT06 - The ability to develop interpersonal skills
- CT09 - The ability to communicate adequately, both orally and in writing
Learning outcomes of the subject
• Know the relational theoretical framework of third generation therapies and the contributions of functional contextualism in psychology.
• Understand the role of language and communication in change processes.
• Know and be able to differentiate the main intervention techniques developed in third generation therapies, as well as the different intervention techniques and strategies developed from the therapeutic dialogue.
• Recognize and be able to identify the functions, characteristics, advantages and limitations of third generation therapies and apply them with an ethical and critical sense in clinical practice.
• Know the basics of computer science, artificial intelligence, data analysis, relational aspects between people and computers, ethical and legal aspects of new technologies in the field of health.
• Know how to design a therapy by adding new technologies to clinical practice, designing the so-called “Patient Journey”.
• Know how to use POC channels (Point of care) in daily practice as support
Syllabus
1. History of psychotherapy, origins and philosophical principles.
2. Key concepts: Language as a symbolic or relational activity. Functional analysis of behavior, contextualism. Therapeutic alliance.
3. Narrative, private events, dialectics.
4. Introduction to Third generation therapies.
5. ACT: Acceptance and commitment therapy. Background, foundations, components, characteristics of therapy, empirical evidence.
6. FAP: Functional Analytical Psychotherapy. Background, foundations, components, characteristics of therapy, empirical evidence.
7. Mindfulness. Background, foundations, components, characteristics of therapy, empirical evidence.
8. DBT: Behavioral dialectical therapy. Background, foundations, components, characteristics of therapy, empirical evidence.
9. EMDR and other therapies. Background, foundations, components, characteristics of therapy, empirical evidence.
10. Brief therapy. Background, foundations, components, characteristics of therapy, empirical evidence.
11. Basics of Computer Science.
12. Basics of data science and AI in healthcare.
13. Human-Computer Interaction.
14. Regulated environments.
15. Out of the box - Open questions around the quarter about the top questions voted by the class.
16. Video consultations in healthcare.
17. Point of care a perfect tool for a patient intervention.
18. The impact of digital technology on psychological treatments and their dissemination.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Teaching methodologies
• Theoretical class (CT)
• Autonomous Learning (AA)
• Individual Work (IT)
• Group work (TG)
• Debate and Discussion (DyD)
• Role Playing Techniques (TRP)
Learning activities
• Master Class (CM)
• Case Study (EC)
• Critical Reading (LC)
• Independent study and exercise work (TA)
• Solving exercises and problems (REP)
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
First call
• Test-type final exam (55% of the final score): four answer options and will be corrected following the same criteria as the PIR exam. Each correct question will add one point, each failed question will subtract 0.33, and blank questions will neither add nor subtract.The questions are about all the contents of the course. Up to 20% of the questions may correspond to content not directly taught in class but accessible in the bibliography and supplementary material.
• Essay written from a scientific article on the psychotherapeutic technique chosen as the object of study (20% of the final score)
• Argumentative group debate on the technique assigned as the subject of study, (20% of the final score)
• Participation in class. (5% of the final score)
• The evaluation will always respect the general regulations established in the Degree
• To pass the subject you must pass the final exam
• Students who demonstrate learning difficulties will have 15 more minutes for each hour of the exam. The assessment test is identical to that of the rest of his colleagues. It also evaluates the way of expressing oneself and writing.
• If a student has to repeat the subject, they will be required to take the continuous assessment.
Second call
• Test-type final exam (55% of the final mark): four answer options and will be corrected following the same criteria as the PIR exam. Each correct question will add one point, each failed question will subtract 0.33, and blank questions will neither add nor subtract. The questions are about all the contents of the course. Up to 20% of the questions may correspond to content not directly taught in class, but if accessible in the bibliography and supplementary material.
• Essay written from a scientific article on the psychotherapeutic technique chosen as the object of study (20% of the final score)
• Argumentative group debate on the technique assigned as the subject of study, (20% of the final score)
• Participation in class. (5% of the final score)
Bibliography and resources
Boggiano, J. P., & Gagliesi, P. (2018). Terapia Dialéctico Conductual. Introducción al tratamiento de Consultantes con Desregulación Emocional. Buenos Aires: Tres Olas.
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K., & Wilson, K. G. (2014). Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso. Proceso y práctica del cambio consciente (Mindfulness). Bilbao: Desclee de Brouwer.
Hensley, B. J. (2015). Manual básico de EMDR. Desensibilización y reprocesamiento mediante el movimiento de los ojos. Bilbao: Desclée De Brouwer.
Kohlemberg, R. J., & Tsai, M. (2021). FAP Psicoterapia Analítica Funcional. Creación de relaciones terapéuticas intensa y curativas. Córdoba: Psara.
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorders. New York: The Guilford Press.
Linehan, M. M. (2020). Manual de entrenamiento en Habilidades DBT. Para el/la terapeuta. Buenos Aires: Tres Olas.
Maero, F., & Quintero, P. J. (2015). Tratamiento Breve de Activación Conductual para la Depresión. Protocolo y Guía Clínica. Buenos Aires: Akadia.
Pérez Álvarez, M. (2014). Las terapias de tercera generación como terapias contextuales. Madrid: Síntesis.
Wilson, K. G., & Luciano Soriano, M. (2021 R). Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso (ACT) Un tratameinto conductual orientado a los valores. Madrid: Pirámide.
Matz, S (2022) The Psychology of Technology: Social Science Research in the Age of Big Data. Edited by Sandra Matz
Percival J, McGregor C. An Evaluation of Understandability of Patient Journey Models in Mental Health. JMIR Hum Factors. 2016 Jul 28;3(2):e20. doi: 10.2196/humanfactors.5640. PMID: 27471006; PMCID: PMC4981695.
Moshe I, Terhorst Y, Philippi P, Domhardt M, Cuijpers P, Cristea I, Pulkki-Råback L, Baumeister H, Sander LB. Digital interventions for the treatment of depression: A meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 2021 Aug;147(8):749-786. doi: 10.1037/bul0000334. PMID: 34898233.
Mazeas A, Duclos M, Pereira B, Chalabaev A. Authors' Reply to: Learning More About the Effects of Gamification on Physical Activity. Comment on "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Gamification on Physical Activity: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials". J Med Internet Res. 2022 May 3;24(5):e38212. doi: 10.2196/38212. PMID: 35503414; PMCID: PMC9115654.
Evaluation period
- E1 20/01/2023 A12 12:00h