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Psychosexual & Relationship Difficulties service |
POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA & MSc IN THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION (PART-TIME)
PgDip/PgCert/Foundation Year Psychosexual Issues in Health
Care
University links:
AIMS AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE COURSE
1. The Course provides a specialist postgraduate and post qualification training in the assessment, formulation and therapy of psychosexual problems in couples and individuals.
2. The Course combines supervised clinical experience with teaching on the theory and practice of therapy for sexual dysfunction and related relationship difficulties.
3. The Course aims to promote awareness of the ways in which sexual health and relationship issues relate closely to all are as of a person's social, physical and psychological well-being. It is intended that trainees will disseminate this awareness in their workplaces.
4. Trainees on the Course are expected to be in a position to use the specialist knowledge and skills they acquire in their day to day work in the health service, social services or the private or voluntary sector.
5. Trainees and staff on the Course are required to abide by the Code of Ethics of the British Association for Sexual and Relationship Therapy (BASRT).
6. It is intended that trainees completing the Course satisfactorily will be in a position to become specialist sex and couple therapists, after continuing professional experience and supervision, in line with BASRT requirements.
7. The Course which is accredited by BASRT and Sheffield Hallam University provides a route into BASRT accredited membership and hence onto the Register of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.
8. The Course is run by the Porterbrook Clinic, which is part of Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust and as such is bound by equal opportunities and other employment policies of the Trust.
SELECTION OF CANDIDATES
Candidates will be selected on the basis of their completed application forms, references and interview by members of the Course Training Team. The interview procedure will include a brief presentation by candidates.
Applicants must have graduated with a relevant degree (or have achieved the equivalent in training and experience, as determined by Sheffield Hallam University). Literature on the APEL rating scheme which assesses the graduate equivalence of non-degree training courses and work experience is available from the University.
Applicants will normally have qualified in a relevant profession such as medicine, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, social work or a graduate nursing course.
Applicants must have received some recognised training in counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behaviour therapy and have practised in this field for at least one year full-time (or the equivalent amount of time part-time). Training courses should be recognised by the British Association for Counselling the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy or an equivalent professional body.
Applicants must work in a setting where they can practice the skills they learn on the Course. In the second year they will normally be expected to undertake supervised clinical work with clients in their own work setting.
Candidates are expected to make arrangements with their employing authorities for study leave time and funding.
Applicants will also be required to demonstrate the necessary personal qualities to become a sexual and relationship therapist. These qualities would include personal comfort with talking about sexual matters, a warm and positive attitude towards clients, and a clear appreciation of appropriate professional boundaries.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews will take place in May & July of each year, following short listing by the Course Training Team.
NUMBER OF PLACES
There are 6 places on the course starting each September.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
The Course is a 2/3 year part-time course. Each year consists of three - 15 week semesters.
Trainees are expected to attend the Porterbrook Clinic, Nether Edge, Sheffield every Thursday during semesters from 9 am to 5 pm in the first two years. Trainees will also be expected to complete additional personal study time.
First Year Programme
The first year begins with a 4 week all day Introductory Block.
Subsequently, in one half of the day the trainees undertake clinical experience, seeing 3 couples or individuals with psychosexual difficulties. For one of these cases they work in co-therapy with an experienced co-therapist. There is the opportunity for trainees to work together in co-therapy if this is indicated clinically.
In the other half fo the day there are academic tutorials each fortnight, to help guide and structure trainees' personal study time and provide advice and support with the written assignments. Each week there is a teaching session lasting for an hour and a half. Finally there is an hour of clinical supervision, with group supervision led by a member of the Clinic team alternating with individual supervision in the alternate week.
The first year is intended to teach core skills in the assessment and treatment of couples and individuals with psychosexual difficulties.
Second Year Programme
In the second year, trainees continue to seecases for clinical experience from the clinical service.
The Course continues to run for 1 day each week with teaching sessions, group supervision and academic tutorials. There is a break from the teaching sessions in the second semester to allow MSc trainees time to start preparing for their dissertations, but the academic tutorials and group supervision continues. Trainees who wish to receive one-to-one supervision for work conducted outside of the clinic are expected to arrange this with an appropriately accredited supervisor in the second year.
There is an increasing amount of trainee-led learning, with trainees expected to take the lead in approximately half the teaching sessions.
The focus of the second year is to equip the trainees with the necessary skills to become independent practitioners.
The Course is designed as a whole, with equal emphasis on clinical and academic learning. Trainees must complete all of it to obtain the PGDip/MSc.
SUPERVISION
Clinical case supervision is a central part of the course.
The main purpose of one to one supervision is the discussion of clinical sessions. The supervisor and trainee will examine the process in session (eg the interaction between therapist and patient, including transference and countertransference issues) and the content of the sessions. At times the supervisor will do this by giving the trainee the time and encouragement to reflect, at other times the supervisor will be more directive. Trainees and supervisors will need to negotiate this balance for themselves.
The supervisor will give the trainee regular and constructive feedback about his or her clinical skills and professional standards.
The supervision group is for the trainess to discuss their cases together, and the role of the group supervisor is to facilitate this process. Again, both content and process issues will be brought to the supervision sessions.
TEACHING SESSION
Teaching sessions last for an hour and a half each week, apart from in the teaching break for study time in the middle semester of the second year. Teaching methods, combine formal taught sessions and discussion with experiental workshops, including the use of role play, as appropriate to the topics taught.
COURSE SYLLABUS
Introductory Block
Introduction to the Course, the Clinic and the Clinic Team, the resources available
on site and at Sheffield Hallam University.
Introduction to the anatomy and physiology of sexual functioning, and to sexual
practices, including safer sex.
Introduction to the main types of sexual functioning.
Assessment of a couple or individual presenting with sexual dysfunction - core
skills.
The purpose and uses of both individual and group supervision.
The BASRT Code of Ethics - ethical considerations in sexual and relationship
therapy.
The Assessment, Formulation and Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction, arousal difficulties, vaginismus, loss of desire, sexual
phobias, premature ejaculation and other disorders of ejaculation, dyspareunia,
orgasmic difficulties.
Assessment of sexual dysfunction which considers both psychological and organic
factors.
Deriving formulations and appropriate treatment plans.
Therapeutic interventions and the evaluation of their effectiveness.
Couple Interventions for Sexual Dysfunction
Working therapeutically with couples - psychodynamic, systemic, cognitive behavioural
and combined approaches.
The Impact ofSocial, Cultural and
Developmental Processesand Significant Life Events on Psychosexual Functioning.
Cultural and ethnic issues.
Specific issues for gay and lesbian couples.
Issues around having children - pregnancy, childbirth, infertility.
Bereavement.
Separation and Divorce.
Disability.
Illness - both chronic and acute.
Ageing.
Rape and sexual assault in adult life.
Childhood sexual abuse.
Ethical Issues Workshop
Introduction to Supervision Skills
Theoretical approaches andpractical methods in current use in supervision.
Identifying needs for supervision.
Trainee-Led Seminars
Trainee-led seminars will develop the work on core skills from the first year
and address issues of current concern.
The trainees will also present research in progress for their dissertations
to their colleagues.
Further Introduction to Supervision
Good practice in supervision.
The supervisory contract.
Introduction to Clinical Research
and Professional Writing
Research design and methodology.
Key statistical techniques.
Literature review.
Writing for publication.
The Variety of Sexual Experience
Introduction to the paraphilias, transvestism and transsexualism.
Introduction to Teaching Skills
Clinical Audit and Service Evaluation.
ACADEMIC TUTORIALS
Academic tutorials are held fortnightly during the first year and monthly in the second year.
Their purpose is to provide the trainees with support and guidance on the academic aspects of the course. The academic tutor will ensure that the trainees are well informed and prompted about the written work on the course. He/She will offer advice on further reading where appropriate.
ASSESSMENT
Overall Assessment of Trainee Competencies
The internal and external examiners will have available the following assessment details (which are detailed further in subsequent documentation) -
(a) Attendance requirements
(b) Therapy hours
(c) Formal assessments
The formal assessments are assessment of trainees clinical skills and academic knowledge. Both aspects carry equal weighting for the overall assessment of trainees.
Clinical skill assessment is through two written case histories, a taped therapy session, supervisor's reports and an Objectively Scored Clinical Examination (OSCE) This involves trainees being presented with common clinical situations in a structured format and being asked to say what they would do in such a situation.
Assessment of academic knowledge is through a unseen written examination; and for MSc candidates a dissertation of approximately 10,000-15,000 words which will normally include a research element; a small clinical audit project; and a teaching project.
Trainees are expected to reach the pass mark (40%) on each separate assignment in order to pass the PG DIP/MSc. For the dissertation and OSCE the pass mark is 50%
Trainees may be asked to re-write assignments or re-sit the written examination or OSCE in whole or in part before they pass the course. Assignments can be re-presented once only.
Distinctions will be awarded to trainees who pass 70% or above on both the clinical and the academic total marks without re-presenting any tasks.
The course is seen as a whole with no partial awards for partial completion of the Course.
Under exceptional circumstances trainees may take leave of absence from the Course. There is a time limit of four years within which all assessment requirements must be completed.
In summary the assignments are marked by the Course Organiser and one of the two internal examiners. All written and taped assignemtns are also reviewed by the external examinr.
Details of Assessment Requirements
A. Attendance requirements
Attendance at the introductory teaching block is compulsory. Trainees who miss any part of the first 4 weeks will not be entitled to continue or the Course except in extreme circumstances such as personal illness or bereavement, and their fees will not normally be refundable. Deferment of studiesuntil the next course intake is likely to be suggested to the trainee.
At other times trainees are normally expected to take their holidays during the Course holidays and attend a minimum of 13 out of 15 weeks each semester. Annual leave must be notified as far in advance as possible and at the very least 2 weeks in advance.
Trainees who miss teaching sessions are expected to ensure they carry out additional reading on the topics they miss.
Trainees are required to meet the course attendance requirements. Exceptions can only be made for serious personal illness and bereavement.
B. Therapy hours
Trainees are expected to complete a minimum of 150 therapy sessions with couples or individuals with sexual and relationship difficulties.
Assessment of therapy skills is outlined within the Course Handbook.
C. Formal assessment requirement
Assessments are made on the following.
1 Case History 1
2 Case History 2
3 Seen written examination
4 Dissertation
5 Taped theapy sessions
6. Supervisor's reports
7. Small teaching project
8. Clinic and audit project
9 OSCE
10 Viva voce examination
These are outlined in further detail in the Course Handbook.
The university credits and PG Dip/MSc
weighting areshown in document A3. For all the written assignments clear criteria
and the scores attached to them will be presented in the academic tutorials.
General guidelines areenclosed in document A4. They will be marked by the Course
Organiser and one of the internal examiner using standard marking sheets with
the same criteria. All written and taped assignments will also be reviewed by
the external examiner.
Feedback
A letter is sent to each trainee informing them of the mark awarded by the internal markers for each formal asessment. An opportunity for more detailed feedbackand discussion is available in a planned meeting with the course co-ordinator soon after receiving the letter.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW
At the end of each year, there will be an individual performance review for each trainee. All spects of his or her clinical and academic performance will be reviewed and goals set for future personal and professional development within the field of sexual and relationship therapy.
Each trainee will also be asked to appraise the Course.
Feedback (to be discussed between the trainee and the Course Organiser) will be made available to the trainee's employer.
FEES
Fees for the 2006-2008 Course will be in the region of £6600 of which half is payable in September 2007 & April 2008 and the balance in September 2008 & April 2009. This includes the Hallam University University registration fee.
FACILITIES
The Course is currently based in the Porterbrook Clinic at Nether Edge Hospital.
Trainees have the use of a small specialist library on site and access to the library of Sheffield Hallam University.
There is a base room for the trainees where the majority of teaching sessions, the academic tuorials and the group supervision sessions take place.
Tea and coffee is freely available all day for a small termly sum.
The Clinic Secretary, Naomi Lewis provide services to the Clinic, typing clinical correspondence etc. However, trainees must make their own arrangements for typing the written assignments. Trainees are also expected tomake their own arrangements for computing support for the dissertation and audit tasks.
COURSE STAFF
The Teaching Team are all qualified and experienced psychosexual and relationship/marital therapists from a range of professional backgrounds.
Course Director: Kevan Wylie
Course Co-Ordinator: Ruth Hallam Jones
Training Team: Llynwen Wilson, Sue Nicol, Philip Pattinson, Caren Shepperd
& Julie Fitter
External Examiner: Kerstin Fugl-Meyer (2006-2010)
E&OE
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clinic, Sheffield