Psychology 3316F-001 (Online for 2020-21)

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 Psychology 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.

Antirequisite: Psychology 3390G if taken in 2012/13 or 2013/14.

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

3 seminar hours; 0.5 course 

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:

       Paul Frewen, PhD                                                              

       Office Hours: By appt                                            

       Email: pfrewen@uwo.ca                                                     

 

Teaching Assistant:

       Danika Quesnel

       Office Hours: By appt                                            

       Email: dquesne4@uwo.ca


Time and Location of Classes: 4-5pm Thursdays, Online: Asynchronous Lectures will be posted weekly, and an Optional Q & A period will be held regularly via Zoom web conference on Thursday afternoons 4-5pm as will be posted on OWL calendar                                                                                   

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western

http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.

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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.

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 recovery from maladaptive posttraumatic responses in terms of fundamental psychological principles (e.g., psychobiology, learning, memory, emotion, consciousness).


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Learning Outcome

Learning Activity

Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.

  • Definitions of Traumatic vs. Non-Traumatic Stressors, Complex vs. “Simple” Trauma, different kinds of traumatic life events
  • Recognize transdiagnostic psychological outcomes of trauma
  • Recognize psychological mechanisms underlying peri- and post-traumatic response (i.e., psychobiological, learning and memory, emotional, self-related)

Knowledge Translation and Self-assessment

All assessments

Knowledge of Methodologies.

  • Understand the processes by which we accumulate and evaluate research knowledge in the context of trauma psychology (e.g., Systematic Review, Meta-analysis)

 

Research Summaries

Article Summaries, Research Proposal

Application of Knowledge.

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the field of trauma psychology through a proposal for future research

Research Design

Research Proposal

Communication Skills.

  • Demonstrate your knowledge of the field of trauma psychology through knowledge translation activities (article summary, written and video)

Multi-media Presentations

Article Summaries

 

5.0     EVALUATION

60% assignments (6x10%) and 40% final term paper.

PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.

 

This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.

 

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

Grades will be rounded only to the nearest whole number, that is, marks ending in a 4 or a 9 (e.g., 74 and 79) will not be rounded up a mark. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade, nor will any requests be considered for additional marks because they are needed for a grad/law/med school application, etc. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every component during the course. Further, assignments submitted late will be assessed a 10% daily reduction in the grade awarded (e.g., one day late -10%, two days late -20%, etc).


6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

#

DATE

 TOPIC (based on previous lecture)

Assessment

% Grade

1

Sept 24

 Different Kinds of Traumatic Events

Online self-assessment  #1

10%

2

Oct 1

  Trauma-related Emotion Dysregulation & Self

Online Self-assessment #2

10%

3

Oct 22

  Non-trauma memory focused therapies

MMTT exercises

10%

4

Oct 29

  Anxiety & Depression

Article Summary #1

10%

5

Nov 12

 Dissociation / Psychosis

Article Summary #2

10%

6

Nov 19

  Substance Abuse

Article Summary #3

10%

7

Dec 3

  Full Course

Thesis Research Proposal

40%

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

LECTURE

DATE

TOPIC

Recommended Reading

1

Sept 10

Introduction to Trauma Psychology
  • Vol1-Ch2 Defining Trauma
  • Vol1-Ch10 Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD

2

Sept 17

Different Kinds of Traumatic Events
  • Vol1-Ch15-Complex Trauma and Complex PTSD

3

Sept 24

Trauma-related Emotion Dysregulation & Self
  • Chapter 6 of Frewen & Lanius (2015) Healing the Traumatized Self

4

Oct 1

Trauma Exposure as a Transdiagnostic Vulnerability Factor & PTSD Comorbidity
  • Vol1-Ch14 Other disorders associated with psychological trauma

5

Oct 8

Trauma memory focused therapies
  • Ch16-Trauma and memory
  • Vol2-Ch8 Exposure Therapy
  • Vol2-Ch9 EMDR
  • Vol2-Ch7 Cognitive Therapy

6

Oct 15

Non-trauma memory focused therapies
  • Vol2-Ch12 Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Trauma
  • Vol2-Ch11 Emotion Regulation and Skills-Based Interventions

7

Oct 22

Anxiety, Depression, and Loss
  • Vol1-Ch11: Depression and complicated grief

8

Oct 29

Dissociation
  • Vol1-Ch13 Dissociation as a Trauma-Related Phenomenon

9

Nov 5

FALL READING WEEK
  • FALL READING WEEK

10

Nov 12

Substance Abuse
  • Vol1-Ch12: Substance use disorder and trauma

11

Nov 19

Psychobiology
  • Vol1-Ch23 Genetic and Biological Underpinnings and Consequences of Trauma
  • Vol2-Ch10 Central autonomic network
  • Vol2-Ch17 Psychopharmacological treatment

12

Nov 26

Resiliency and Growth
  • Vol2-Ch5 Trauma Resiliency and Posttraumatic Growth

13

Dec 3

Review

---

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

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

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://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12

 

The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf


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

 

If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;

For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html

Students seeking academic consideration:

  • are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;  
  • are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;

must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence



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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.