Psychology 3316G-001
Psychological Trauma
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course covers the psychobiological theories and research aimed at helping us understand the diversity of human responses to traumatic life experiences, including sexual assault, childhood maltreatment and war.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Paul Frewen, PhD, C.Psych
Office and Phone Number: University Hospital B3-264, 519-685-8500 x77760
Office Hours: By Appointment
Email: pfrewen@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistants: Rodrigo Maeda and Zachary Hawes
Email: rmaeda2@uwo.ca and zhawes@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thursdays 2:30-5:30 in SSC-3018
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Note: Online Library Resource, there is NO NEED to purchase individually:
Gold, S. N. (2017). APA Handbook of Trauma Psychology Volume 1. Washington: American Psychological Association.
Gold, S. N. (2017). APA Handbook of Trauma Psychology Volume 2. Washington: American Psychological Association.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
Understand response to traumatic life events and treatment of posttraumatic responses in terms of fundamental psychological principles (e.g., memory, emotion, consciousness), informed by the New Haven Consensus Conference Conclusions on Core Competencies in Psychological Trauma training (see Textbook Volume 1 Chapter 9).4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Apply fundamental psychological principles (e.g., memory, emotion, consciousness) toward understanding peritraumatic and posttraumatic responses
- How learned: lectures, readings
- How evaluated: weekly quizzes (25%)
Identify etiological relationship between psychological trauma exposure and various psychological disorders/outcomes
- How learned: independent systematic review
- How evaluated: term paper and powerpoint presentation (25%)
Recognize and learn to apply various assessment and therapeutic approaches to trauma- and stressor-related disorders (e.g., PTSD)
- How learned: participation in and assistance with assessment-intervention research
- How evaluated: multi-media intervention -- guided meditation narrated, recorded, written report (25%)
Recognize individual contributions of trauma researchers and clinicians
- How learned: biographical interview trauma researcher/clinician
How evaluated: transcription of interview and description of lessons learned (25%)
5.0 EVALUATION
Short, 10-15 minute (10-20 question) multiple choice quizzes will be administered during most lectures, relating to content assigned the previous week, usually at the beginning of the lecture. These will comprise 25% of your grade. However, there will be no mid-term or final exam.
The remaining 75% of your grade will be accumulated through three writing assignments each worth 25% of your grade: an independent systematic review (25%), assessment report of two cases (25%), and transcription of a biographical interview of a trauma researcher or clinician and description of lessons learned (25%). Due dates for the writing assignments are as follows:
|
DUE DATE |
ASSIGNMENT |
|
Feb 14 |
ü Meditation |
|
Feb 14 |
ü Transcribed biographical interview uploaded to OWL site |
|
Mar 21 |
Powerpoint presentations of Systematic Review uploaded to OWL site |
|
April 11 |
Written Systematic Review uploaded to OWL site |
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Short, 10-15 minute (10-20 question) multiple choice quizzes will be administered during most lectures, relating to content assigned the previous week, usually at the beginning of the lecture. These will comprise 25% of your grade. However, there will be no mid-term or final exam.
The remaining 75% of your grade will be accumulated through three writing assignments each worth 25% of your grade: an independent systematic review (25%), assessment report of two cases (25%), and transcription of a biographical interview of a trauma researcher or clinician and description of lessons learned (25%). Due dates for the writing assignments are as follows:
|
DUE DATE |
ASSIGNMENT |
|
Feb 14 |
ü Meditation |
|
Feb 14 |
ü Transcribed biographical interview uploaded to OWL site |
|
Mar 21 |
Powerpoint presentations of Systematic Review uploaded to OWL site |
|
April 11 |
Written Systematic Review uploaded to OWL site |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
During most classes, the first 2 hours will include lecture and short quiz, and the final hour will include participation in and assistance with assessment-intervention research.
|
LECTURE |
DATE |
TOPIC |
CHAPTERS |
|
1 |
Jan 10 |
Defining and assessing psychological trauma |
Vol1-Ch2 Defining Trauma Vol1-Ch10 Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD |
|
2 |
Jan 17 |
Child Trauma and Intimate Partner Violence |
|
|
3 |
Jan 24 |
Non-memory focused therapies: Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation |
Vol2-Ch11 Emotion Regulation and Skills-Based Interventions Vol2-Ch12 Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Trauma |
|
4 |
Jan 31 |
Trauma and Dissociation 1 |
Vol1-Ch13 Dissociation as a Trauma-Related Phenomenon |
|
5 |
Feb 7 |
Trauma and Dissociation 2 |
|
|
6 |
Feb 14 |
Trauma and Memory |
Ch16-Trauma and memory |
|
--- |
Feb 21 |
SPRING READING WEEK, NO CLASS |
|
|
7 |
Feb 28 |
Trauma and Emotion |
Ch15-Complex Trauma and Complex PTSD |
|
8 |
Mar 7 |
Psychobiology 1 |
Vol1-Ch23 Genetic and Biological Underpinnings and Consequences of Trauma |
|
9 |
Mar 14 |
Psychobiology 2 |
--- |
|
10 |
Mar 21 |
Powerpoint PRESENTATIONS |
--- |
|
11 |
Mar 28 |
Powerpoint PRESENTATIONS |
--- |
|
12 |
Apr 4 |
Trauma, Resilience and Growth |
Vol1-Ch28 Spiritual Challenges Vol2-Ch5 Trauma Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth |
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
