Belar & Deardorff (1995). Clinical Health Psychology in Medical Settings. New York: Pergamon Press. (paperback) (ISBN 1-55-798-287-2) or 2nd Edition (ISBN 143380378X).
Douglas E. DeGood, Angela L. Crawford, and Arthur E., Jr. Jongsma (1999). The Behavioral Medicine Treatment Planner. (paperback) (ISBN 0-471-31923-6)
Goleman, Daniel & Gurin, Joel, eds.(2003). Mind body medicine. Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books. (paperback) (ISBN 0-89043-840-4)
Kato, P.M. and Mann, T., eds. (1996) Handbook of diversity issues in health psychology. New York: Plenum Press. (ISBN 0-306-45325-8)
Mace & Robbins. (1992) The 36-Hour Day: Revised Edition, Hopkins Press. (paperback) (ISBN 0-446-36104-6) or Third Edition (ISBN 0-8018-6149-7).
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, Third Edition, 2003. (ISBN 0-06-000250-6)
Ornish, Dean (1990) Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Ballantine Books. (paperback) (ISBN 0-345-37353-7)
Pitzele, Sefra Kobrin . (1985) We Are Not Alone: Learning to Live with a Chronic Illness, Workman Pub. (paperback) (ISBN 0-89480-139-2)
Ram Dass & Gurman. (1985) How Can I Help? Knopf (paperback)(ISBN 0-394-72947-1)
Recommended Texts:
Angier, Natalie (1999). Woman: An Intimate Geography. Anchor Books. (paperback)
Blanchard, E.B. (2001). Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Psychosocial Assessment and Treatment. American Psychological Association. ISBN 978-1-55798-730-3 Brener, Anne (1993). Mourning and Mitzvah. Jewish Lights Publishing. (paperback)
Camic, Paul & Knight, Sara (2004). Clinical Handbook of Health Psychology, 2nd Revised and Expanded Edition. Hogrefe & Huber. DeGood, Douglas E., Crawford, A.L. & Jongsma, A.E. (1999). The Behavioral Medicine Treatment Planner. John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-31923-0
Doka, Kenneth J. (1998). Living with Life-Threatening Illness. Jossey-Bass. (paperback) Domar, Alice D. & Dreher, Henry. (1997). Healing Mind, Healthy Woman. Henry Holt. (paperback) Fransen, Jenny & Russell, I. Jon (1996). The Fibromyalgia Help Book. Smith House Press. (paperback) Friedberg, Fred & Jason, Leonard A. (1998). Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Empirical Guide to Assessment and Treatment. American Psychological Association.
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Gatchel, R.J. (2005). Clinical Essentials of Pain Management. American Psychological Association, ISBN 978-1055798-730-3.Goldhamer, Douglas & Stengel (1999). This is For Everyone:Universal Principles of Healing Prayer and the Jewish Mystics. Larson Publications. (paperback) Jamison, Stephen (1997). Assisted Suicide: A Decision-Making Guide for Health Professionals. Jossey-Bass.
Johnson, S.K. (2008). Medically Unexplained Illness: Gender and Biopsychosocial Implications. American Psychological Association, ISBN 978-0-9792125-8-1.
Jordan, J. Barde, B., & Zeiher, A.M. (2007). Contributions toward Evidence-Based Psychocardiology: A Systematic Review of the Literature. American Psychological Association., ISBN 978-1-59147-153-0. Klass, Dennis, et al. (1996). Continuing Bonds: A New Understanding of Grief. Kalichman, Seth C. (1998). Understanding AIDS: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, Second Edition. Washington, D.C.: APA. (paperback) Mostofsky, David I. & Barlow, David H. (2000). Management of Stress and Anxiety in Medical Disorders. Allyn & Bacon. Moyers, Bill (1993). Healing and the Mind. Doubleday. Nelson, Miriam. Strong Women, Strong, Hearts.
Olkin, Rhoda (1999). What Psychotherapists Should Know about Disability. Guilford. Pargament, Kenneth I. (1997). The Psychology of Religion and Coping. Guilford Press. Parnell, Laurel (1997). Transforming Trauma: EMDR. Norton. (paperback)
Porter, Gayle K. & Gaston, Marilyn (2003). Prime Time: The African American Woman's Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness, paperback.
Springhouse, Michael Shaw. (2008) Pathophysiology Made Incredibly Easy! Fourth Edition. Pocket Books (paperback)
Starlanyl, Devin & Copeland, Mary Ellen. (1996). Fibromyalgia & chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. (paperback) Steingraber, Sandra (1997). Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment. Addison-Wesley, 1997. Wilbur, Ken (1991). Grace and Grit. Boston: Shambhala.
Recommended Texts on Distinguishing Medical and Psychological Disorders: Ghazi, Asad (1995). Understanding Mental Disorders Due to Medical Conditions or Substance Abuse: What Every Therapist Should Know. Brunner/Mazel. Morrison, James (1997). When Psychological Problems Mask Medical Disorders: A Guide for Psychotherapists. NY: Guilford Publications.
Tarter, Van Thiel, & Edwards (1988). Medical Neuropsychology: The Impact of Disease on Behavior. Plenum Press.
Technology: On-line syllabus, audiotapes and videotapes.
Course length: 15 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Course Objectives: Through lectures, reading, demonstrations, supervised practice and consultation students will learn about prevention, stress and chronic illness. The following topics will be covered:
sociocultural and ethical issues in chronic illness coronary/artery disease
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women’s health psychoneuroimmunology, cancer and AIDS grief and bereavement living with chronic illness care-giving and family issues health psychology interventions in chronic illness complementary and integrative medicine
Behavioral Objectives:
Students will become familiar with several serious illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer (Scientific Foundations Competency). They will learn about socio-cultural issues in illness (Diversity Competency), ethical issues in health psychology (Psychotherapy Competency, Assessment Competency) and psychoneuroimmunology (Scientific Foundations Competency). They will become aware of how patients and their families deal with illness, grief and mourning (Psychotherapy Competency). They will learn about methods of intervention used by health psychologists (Psychotherapy Competency). Students will learn to conduct a diagnostic interview with a person with an illness or a medical condition or with a family member of such a person (Assessment Competency). Students will process their reactions to the readings and class material in the form of reaction papers (Scientific Foundations Competency, Diversity Competency). They will write a report based on experiential information about an illness or medical condition from individuals who have it (Psychotherapy Competency). They will develop the skills necessary to conduct an interview with a person with a medical condition, or a family member of a person with a medical condition (Assessment Competency). They will submit a tape of the interview (Assessment Competency) and a report in which they will develop recommendations for how a health psychologist might intervene in the case (Scientific Foundations Competency, Assessment Competency, Psychotherapy Competency).
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Course Requirements:
Weight Due Date
Class Participation 10% On-going
Humor Presentation Included Date selected by signing upin participation requirement
Experiential Report 20% February 12 Diagnostic Interview Tape 25% March 12
Psychological Report 25% April 23 Reaction Papers 20% See below for datesNew: RP #2 required, can omit 1 of the others though.
Reaction Paper #1 Feb. 5
Reaction Paper #2 March 5
Reaction Paper #3 March 19
Reaction Paper #4 April 16
Total 100%
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Mission Statement of the Program: The Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, Chicago Campus is an APA accredited program (APA, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-336-5500). This program is designed to educate and train students so that they are able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. To ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum provides for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice. The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University, Chicago Campus, emphasizes the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services. Specific objectives of the doctoral program include:
The training of practitioners capable of delivering diagnostic and therapeutic services effectively to diverse populations of clients in need of such treatment.
The development of mental health practitioners who understand the biological, psychological, and sociological bases of human functioning.
The training of practitioners who are capable of exercising leadership, both in the health care delivery system and in the training of mental health professionals.
The preparation of mental health practitioners capable of expanding the role of psychologists within society.
The education of psychologists capable of working with other disciplines as part of a professional team.
Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features more than 21,000 full-text journals, 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. All electronic resources can be accessed through the library’s website at www.auchicagolib.org. User IDs and passwords are distributed during orientation, but can also be obtained at the circulation desk, calling 312-777-7653, or by e-mail at [email protected].
In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Library Online Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.
Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach fundamental and transferable research skills, including selecting sources appropriate for academic-level research, searching periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluating and citing information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosyu.edu/infolit/
Academic Policies
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.
Americans with Disabilities Act Policy
It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting
student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.
The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity
Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
Additional Accommodation Policy for this Class
Please let me know as soon as possible if you need, or may need, modification of class requirements for any reason. I want to work with you to make this class a successful learning experience for you.
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Class Schedule and Readings: Readings will be discussed in class and should be read by the date indicated below.Recommended readings, which are listed below required readings, can be substituted for required readings if they seem more useful to you, based on your unique interests. Recommended readings are available in our library. 1/15 Week 1--Introduction and Ethics
Douglas E. DeGood, Angela L. Crawford, and Arthur E., Jr. Jongsma (1999). The Behavioral Medicine Treatment Planner. (paperback) (ISBN 0-471-31923-6) (Skim.) 1/22 Week 2--Sociocultural Influences on Health, Illness and Disability Belar & Deardorff, Chapts. 1, 2, 6 & 7 (Skim chapts. 6 & 7). Adler, N.E., Boyce, T., & Chesney, M.A. (1994). Socioeconomic status and health: The challenge of the gradient. American Psychologist, 49(1) , 15-24. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=amp-49-1-15&site=ehost-live
Robles, T.F., Glaser, R., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. (2005). Out of balance: A new look at chronic stress, depression and immunity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(2), 111-115.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=17380614&site=ehost-live
Kato and Mann, Chapt. 15
1/29 & 2/5 Week 3 and 4—Coronary/Artery Disease, Researching Medical Conditions
Reaction Paper #1 due 2/5 for Weeks 1-4 Readings
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, pps. 727-794.
Williams, Redford B. (1993). Hostility and the heart. InGoleman, Daniel and Gurin, Joel (Eds.) Mind Body Medicine.Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books.
John C. Norcross and James O. Prochaska. Using the stages of change. Harvard Mental Health Letter. May 2002, 18(11).http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=6547811&site=ehost-live
Ornish, Dean (1990). Dr. Dean Ornish's Program forReversing Heart Disease, Random House. (Skim) 2/12 & 2/19 Week 5 & 6--Women's Health Experiential Report due on 2/12
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, Biology of the Female Reproductive System, 1056-1058PMS, pps. 1075-1076 Endometriosis, pps. 1092-1094Infertility, pps. 1066-1071Fibromyalgia, pps. 993-994Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome, p. 544
Seibel, Machelle, McCarthy, James (1993). Infertility, pregnancy, and the emotions. In Goleman, Daniel and Gurin,Joel (Eds.) Mind Body Medicine. Yonkers, NY: ConsumerReports Books.
The impact of group psychological interventions on distress in infertile women. Domar, Alice D.; Clapp, Diane; Slawsby, Ellen; Health Psychology, Vol 19(6), Nov 2000. pp. 568-575.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=hea-19-6-568&site=ehost-live
Maggio, Laura Muscato (2007). Externalizing Lupus: A Therapist/Patient’s Challenge. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38, 576-581.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=pro-38-6-576&site=ehost-live
Domar, Alice D. & Dreher, Henry. (1997). Healing Mind, Healthy Woman. Henry Holt. (paperback) Starlanyl, Devin & Copeland, Mary Ellen. (1996).Fibromyalgia & chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome. NewHarbinger Publications, Inc. (paperback) Friedberg, Fred & Jason, Leonard A. (1998). UnderstandingChronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Empirical Guide to Assessmentand Treatment. American Psychological Association. 2/26 & 3/5 Week 7 & 8--Psychoneuroimmunology, Cancer and AIDS Reaction Paper #2 due 3/5 for Week 5, 6, 7 & 8 Readings
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, Cancer, pps. 459-482, AIDS and HIV, pps. 511-517.
Azar, Beth (2001). A new take on psychoimmunology. APA Monitor, 32(11). http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/anewtake.html
Improving the Human Side of Cancer Care: Psycho-Oncology's Contribution. By: Holland, Jimmie C. Cancer Journal , Nov/Dec2001, Vol. 7 Issue 6, p458.http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=17&sid=10800c5c-5116-43b3-bd1d-9611e0c5937d%40sessionmgr8
Robles, T.F., Glaser, R., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. (2005). Out of balance: A new look at chronic stress, depression and immunity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(2), 111-115.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=17380614&site=ehost-live
Zachariae, R., et al. (2004). Repressive coping before and after diagnosis of breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 13 (8), 547-561.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=14023278&site=ehost-live
Kiecolt-Glaser, Janice K. & Glaser, Ronald (1993). Mind and immunity. In Goleman, Daniel and Gurin, Joel (Eds.) Mind Body Medicine. Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books.
Holland, Jimmie C. & Lewis, Sheldon (1993). Emotions and cancer: What do we really know? In Goleman, Daniel and Gurin, Joel (Eds.) Mind Body Medicine. Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books.
Sullivan, Andrew (1996). When Plagues End. New York Times Magazine, p. 52-84.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E4DD1F39F933A25752C1A960958260
A Time to Rethink AIDS’s Grip, New York Times, November, 25, 2007http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/weekinreview/25mcneil.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Steingraber, Sandra (1997). Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment. Addison-Wesley, 1997. Kalichman, Seth C. (1998). Understanding AIDS: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, Second Edition. Washington, D.C.: APA. (paperback) 3/12 Week 9--Psychological Interventions for Cancer and HIV-Infected Patients
Diagnostic Interview Tape Due
Andersen, Barbara L., et al.(2008). Psychologic Intervention Improves Survival for Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Cancer, 113 (12), 3450-3458.
Kato & Mann, Chapt. 13
DeMarce, Josephine M. (2007). The Immediate and Enduring Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis on Professional Growth and Development. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 28, 582-588.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=pro-38-6-582&site= ehost-live
Gray, Ross E. & Doan, Brian D. (1990). Heroic self-healing and cancer: Clinical issues for the health professions. Journal of Palliative Care, 6(1), 32-41. (Packet)
Spiegel, D. (1993). Social support: How friends, family and groups can help. In Goleman, Daniel and Gurin, Joel (Eds.) Mind Body Medicine. Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books. Spiegel, D. (1991). Therapeutic support groups. In B. Moyers. Healing and the Mind. (pp. 157-175). NY: Doubleday. Goldhamer, Douglas & Stengel (1999). This is For Everyone: Universal Principles of Healing Prayer and the Jewish Mystics. Larson Publications. (paperback)
3/19 Week 10--Treatment Interventions Reaction Paper #3 due for Week 9 & 10 Readings
Kato & Mann, Chapters 8 & 17 3/26 Week 11--Living with Chronic Illness Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, Diabetes, pps. 1018-1034. Turner, Dwayne, C. The Role of Culture in Chronic Illness. American Behavioral Scientist, May 1996 v39 n6 p717(12)http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=9665549&sid=1&Fmt=6&clientId=11123&RQT=309&VName=PQD Esten, Geri & Willmont, Lynn (1993). Double bind messages: The effects of attitude towards disability on therapy. Women and Therapy, 14(3/4), 29-41. (Packet) Pitzele, Sefra Kobrin (1985). We are Not Alone: Learning to Live with a Chronic Illness. NY: Workman Pub. (Skim)
Recommended Reading: Doka, Kenneth J. (1998). Living with Life-Threatening Illness. Jossey-Bass. (paperback)
Brown, S.L., Nesse, R.M., Vinokur, A.D., & Smith, D.M. (2003). Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: Results from a prospective study of mortality. Psychological Science, 14(4), 320-327.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=10053681&site=ehost-live Ram Dass & Paul Gorman (1985). How Can I Help? Alfred Knopf. (skim) Mace and Robbins (1992). The Thirty-Six Hour Day: Revised Edition, Hopkins Press. (skim) Recommended Reading Rosen, Elliot J. (1998). Families Facing Death, Revised Edition. Jossey-Bass. (paperback) Wilbur, Ken (1991). Grace and Grit. Boston: Shambhala. 4/9 Week 13—No class—Passover
4/ 16 Week 14—End of Life, Grief and Bereavement in a Multi-Cultural Context
Reaction Paper #4 due for Week 11, 12 & 14 Readings
Cattau, Daniel (1997). A matter of death and life. Park Ridge Ctr. Bulletin, 1, Chicago, IL: Park Ridge Center, 6-9. (Packet) Sears, Sharon A., Physician-Assisted Dying: Review of Issues and Roles for Health Psychologists. Health Psychology, Vol. 20(4) July 2001, pp.302-310.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=hea-20-4-302&site=ehost-live
Recommended Reading
Brener, A. (1993). Mourning and Mitzvah. Jewish Lights Publications.
Jamison, Stephen (1997). Assisted Suicide: A Decision-Making Guide for Health Professionals. Jossey-Bass.
Rather than testing you on the required reading for the course, I will ask you to demonstrate your familiarity with the assigned books and articles by submitting four reaction papers over the course of the semester.
In a Reaction Paper what I want is your reaction to what you have read. Please do not simply summarize or write a book review. Instead, discuss whether the readings bring up issues you have wrestled with personally, whether they relate to your clinical experiences or to material covered in other classes. The Reaction Paper is the place to discuss whether the readings inspire you, depress you or make you angry.
A Reaction Paper should cover all the readings assigned, but the coverage does not have to be allocated evenly among the assigned readings. You can give most of your attention to one of the readings, with just a brief paragraph for each of the others.
Option: If you have expertise in an area of health psychology related to the class, and you would like to make a 20-30 minute presentation on it, you can substitute that for one of the Reaction Papers. See me to discuss this.
Experiential Report, Diagnostic Interview and Psychological Report
These assignments are designed to allow you to develop expertise on a particular chronic illness or medical condition of your choosing (if possible) and to demonstrate your expertise in three different ways.
First, you will gather information about what it is like to have the illness or medical condition you are specializing in from individuals who are dealing with it in a support group format. You will write about your reactions to what you encounter in the Experiential Report. Next, you will research this medical condition in the scholarly literature so you understand how it is viewed by the medical system. Then you will tape (audio or video) an interview with an individual or family member with this problem and submit the tape as your Diagnostic Interview. Finally, you will write a Psychological Report based on the interview you have done.
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Experiential Report Due Date: February 12Length: 4-8 pages
You can fulfill this requirement in one of three ways. Choose one of the following:
Support Group--Attend a support group meeting—which is either professionally led or member-run (a true self-help group)—aimed at providing support to individuals or families dealing with the medical condition in which you are developing expertise. To find a support group, you can check the Sunday Tribune WomenNews classifieds section for support groups. You can call the out-patient services of hospitals to find out what groups they run. Ravenswood Hospital sponsors many support groups. You can also call the association that works with a problem area of interest to you. I recommend that you start on this immediately, since most of these groups meet only once a month and it may take time to obtain permission to attend certain groups.
On-line Support Group—Spend at least one week monitoring an internet support group, in the form of a message board, chat room or forum for individuals or families dealing with this medical condition. Some of these groups have input from medical professionals and others are completely member-run.
Book (Memoir) or Documentary Movie--view or read a first-hand account of the experiences of individuals dealing with this problem. The movies, Breathing Lessons or I Remember Me would be acceptable. Examples of books you could use are Grace and Grit by Ken Wilbur and The Summer of the Great Grandmother by Madeleine L'Engle. You must get my approval for your choice if you want to pursue this option.
In the Experiential Report you should reflect on what you have learned by listening to individuals speak about their experience with their disease, and how you feel about it all.
Please cover the following topics in your report: (1) what you did for the assignment and why you chose this topic, (2) your personal reactions to the people you encountered. What issues came up for you? What would be hard for you to deal with in this population and, conversely, what do you feel you have a good handle on? (3) the psychological/emotional issues being dealt with by the individuals you encountered, (4) the interpersonal issues that they deal with in their families and in society, (5) diversity issues which impact them, (6) your ideas about what you would change and what you would keep if you were providing a group experience for individuals such as those you encountered.
Diagnostic Interview Tape
Due Date: March 12
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For this assignment you will audio tape (or video tape) a 45-60 minute diagnostic interview with a person or family member dealing with the medical condition in which you are specializing. A transcript of the interview is not required unless your recording is of poor quality.
Your interviewee must complete a consent form and you must submit the consent form with your tape. Tapes unaccompanied by a consent form will not be accepted. In addition, you should give the interviewee a copy of the consent form to keep.The interview will be evaluated for: (1) your ability to develop rapport with the interviewee, (2) your ability to obtain basic information from the interviewee (see Psychological Report for information you will need), (3) your ability to help the interviewee go beyond discussing basic information and talk about difficult issues in some depth, and (4) how knowledgeable you are about the medical condition, based on the questions you ask and your responses to the interviewee. It is important that you research the interviewee's medical condition before the interview so that you are aware of the relevant issues.
Keep in mind that during the interview it is your job to get information, but, more importantly, it is also your job to make the interview a positive experience for the interviewee. This means that, if necessary, you can feel free to deviate from information-gathering to react to the client in what you consider to be a therapeutic way, although that is not the main focus of the interview.
Written Summary--submit a one-page report with your tape which contains demographic information about your interviewee and any other information necessary to put the tape in context. Do not use the interviewee's real name (make up a name and put it in quotes the first time you use it and include a footnote indicating that names and some details have been changed for the purpose of confidentiality). In order to maintain confidentiality, modify as much specific information as possible.
The tape will be kept on file to use for later classes, if possible. Please let me know if any confidentiality issues are involved (e.g., you have interviewed a fellow student) that make this undesirable.
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Psychological Report
Due Date: April 16Length: 10-15 pages
Please use the following topic headings in writing your report:
Identifying Information -- This section should include descriptive information and may also include Lazarus' BASIC ID. As with the summary you prepare for the diagnostic interview, change information as needed for the purposes of confidentiality.
The medical system's understanding of the illness: Discuss most recent medical information on the illness or medical condition.
Experience of the illness: How does the interviewee's illness affect their everyday life and how have they handled this? How does the illness affect their family? Their job? How does their experience fit with how the effects of the illness are described in the literature?
Interviewee's understanding of the illness: What do they think they have? What do they feel their illness is caused by? How did they get it? How is it supposed to be treated? What can they expect in the future? In other words, you should elicit the interviewee's explanatory model of their illness and beliefs about their prognosis.
Conflicts between the interviewee's model of the illness and the medical model--note any differences here.
Characteristic mode of functioning: How does the interviewee's pre-illness mode of functioning help or hinder them now? What do you see as their strengths and weaknesses?
Other systems involved: Who and what else are involved? How do these subsystems effect the interviewee's care and outcome? How do they have an indirect or covert effect? (Issues related to social support and financial concerns should be covered here.)
Treatment Plan: How could you, as a health psychologist, help the interviewee follow a medically appropriate regimen for their condition (diet, exercise,
medication-taking, pain management, physical therapy, etc.)? How could you help manage (not necessarily eliminate) the conflict inherent in the various systems impinging on the patient? What might you offer for the future, if the interviewee seems to be coping optimally right now?
