Dilemma Training

 A ten week course, covering different viewpoints on existential and human issues. 

Course Material Overview

There are ten weeks, covering different viewpoints on existential and human issues. We think of them as different places on "Existence Island". They are:

• Week 1 - Human nature and the paradox of the human condition: Paradox plantation
• Week 2 - Anxiety and emotions: Anxiety bay
• Week 3 - Sexuality: Sexuality volcano
• Week 4 - Life and death, meaning and purpose: Meaning mill
• Week 5 - Crisis and transition: Development dunes
• Week 6 - Self in society: Isolation Treehouse
• Week 7 - Dialogue and Communication: Dialogue Farm
• Week 8 - Closeness: children, parents, partners: Closeness Oasis
• Week 9 - Grief and loss: Grief Precipice
• Week 10 - Change and maturity: Maturity Treasure Chest

To access these pages, you need to be a registered user. If you are registered, you should use the Atlas link above to navigate to Unit 2.

Aims

This 10 week, distance learning unit provides students with an overview of an existential approach to the human issues that clients and therapists are often facing together in psychotherapy/counselling. Various models for understanding therapeutically intervening with such issues will be discussed. By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate an integrated theoretical perspective on existential and human issues. The contributions of some of the relevant Western philosophers, such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty will be put in to context with the practical problems raised by the human condition. A model for understanding and engaging with such issues and therapeutically intervening in them will be discussed.By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate an integrated perspective on existential and human issues and a sense of how to evaluate individual problems and the best method of intervention in relation to them. Learning is flexible and dynamic, taking place via webpages, discussion forums and chatroom tutorials.

Learning outcomes

1. knowledge of categorisation of existential and human issues
2. ability to demonstrate an integrated perspective on existential philosophy and its relevance to psychological treatment
3. ability to evaluate individual problems relating to these existential and human issues
4. ability to select the appropriate theoretical model for therapeutically intervening with these issues
5. ability to justify theoretical model and interventions to peers
6. update of contemporary psychotherapy/counselling literature and developments in the field
7. ability to use written expression in conjunction with appropriate academic sources and conventions to present logical analysis and argument in relation to the unit 
8. skills in use of collaborative eLearning methods and online resources

Resources

You will not be required to buy any books, but you may want to look at the main text for the unit which is:

• van Deurzen, E. & Arnold-Baker, C. (Eds) (2005) Existential Perspectives on Human Issues: A Handbook for Therapeutic Practice. Palgrave MacMillan.

You may also want to look at the following:

• Arendt, H. (1951) The origins of Totalitarianism
• Berger, J. (1977) Ways of Seeing, Penguin: London.
• Deurzen-Smith, E. van (1997) Everyday Mysteries, London: Routledge.
• Deurzen-Smith, E. van (2001) Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy in Practice, London: Sage
• May, R., Angel, E. & Ellenberger, H. (1994) Existence, Jason Aronson
• Sartre, J-P. (1939) Sketch of a Theory of Human Emotions.
• Watzlawick, P. (1967) Pragmatics of Human Communication, Norton: New York.
• Yalom, I. (1980) Existential Psychotherapy, New York: Basic.