Program Timeline & Course Descriptions
In addition to the seven required courses and two practicum courses, students are required to complete two elective courses. The elective courses will be offered on a rotating basis and therefore, not all elective courses will be offered each year. Students will be able to complete their elective courses during any term.
Example Timeline
Year One
Term One
September – December
Introduction to Mental Health and Wellness – 3 units
This foundational course will provide students with a theoretical overview of topics related to mental health and wellness. Topics will include fundamental models for conceptualizing mental health, including the biopsychosocial model, the diathesis-stress model and the social determinants of health model. An introduction to mental health disorders and their etiology, prognosis and epidemiology and as well as the role of diversity-related factors will be provided. The role of the psychotherapist and topics related to clinical competency, self-awareness and self-care will be introduced. This is a required course for psychotherapy students.
Principles of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy – 3 units
This course will explore theory and research related to evidence-based psychotherapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal therapy, experiential and humanistic psychotherapies. The advantages and disadvantages of different therapeutic modalities, including individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and couples’ therapy, will also be discussed. This course will also look at the common factors that influence the effectiveness of therapy, including the role of therapeutic alliance, specific client and therapist factors, as well as culture and diversity. This is a required course for psychotherapy students.
Assessment and Case Formulation – 3 units
The course will offer students theoretical and applied skills in the assessment of mental health and related problems and the development of evidence-based case conceptualizations. Students will learn how to conduct a clinical interview and suicide risk assessment. This course will also focus on communication skills that develop a therapeutic relationship. Students will learn how to assess and monitor treatment outcomes and to incorporate outcomes into the ongoing development of the case conceptualization and treatment plan. This is a required course for psychotherapy students.
Term Three
May – August
Clinical Practicum I – 2 or 3 days per week
Students will complete an external clinical practicum placement in the community under the supervision of regulated health professional. It is anticipated that the student will attend their practicum placement four days per week. While completing the practicum, students will also be working on an integration paper (e.g., case study, literature review) which will be due at the end of the practicum. Clinical practicum supervisors will provide feedback on students’ clinical performance during the practicum placement.
Practicum Sites and Supervisors: If you are interested in offering a practicum placement to students in the program, please contact the Coordinator of Clinical Education, Erika Haber-Evans, via email at habere@mcmaster.ca.
Term Two
January – April
Introduction to Psychotherapy Research – 3 units
The aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and skill to review and evaluate research relevant to the field of psychotherapy. Topics will include conducting literature reviews and critical analysis of research studies, reviewing qualitative and quantitative research methods, discussing ethical issues in research, and selecting of appropriate assessment tools. In addition, the course will provide students with practical skills on designing psychotherapy program evaluations and single case-studies.
Ethical Standards and Professional Practice – 3 units
The course will focus on providing students with an introduction to the ethical and professional issues in the practice of psychotherapy, such as professional competency, privacy and confidentiality, and client therapist boundaries. The aim is for students to learn ethical guidelines and decision-making for managing ethical dilemmas. The course will cover content related to the legal requirements and ethical conduct for registered health professionals.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – 3 units
The course will offer students focused training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) theory and skills. The course will provide students with an overview of CBT theory, core CBT principles, and an introduction to specific CBT-based treatments for various mental health disorders and related problems.
Year Two
Term Four
September – December
Elective Course – 3 units
This is a suggested term for elective courses, however, students can take the electives during any term of either year 1 or 2.
Term Five
January – April
Elective Course – 3 units
This is a suggested term for elective courses, however, students can take the electives during any term of either year 1 or 2.
Applied Psychotherapy Skills – 6 units
The course will provide training in advanced psychotherapy skills via tutorial-based classes. Students will practice a range of skills including clinical interviewing, specific strategies from evidence-based psychotherapies, managing and troubleshooting challenges to the therapeutic alliance. Skill development exercises will include reviewing audio recordings of therapy tapes, role playing in pairs and small groups, as well as reviewing treatment protocols. Students will be required to lead class discussions on psychotherapy skills. Students will be encouraged to select a topic that is relevant to their current practicum placement or is an area of interest related to their self-directed learning plan. To ensure students receive adequate supervision and assessment, the student cohort will be split into smaller sections. This course will be completed at the same time as the Clinical Practicum II course.
Clinical Practicum II – 2 days per week
Students will complete an external clinical practicum placement in the community under the supervision of a regulated health professional. The practicum will be completed over two terms for approximately eight months. It is anticipated that the student will attend their practicum placement two days per week. Clinical practicum supervisors will provide feedback on students’ clinical performance during their practicum placement.
Practicum Sites and Supervisors: If you are interested in offering a practicum placement to students in the program, please contact the Coordinator of Clinical Education, Erika Haber-Evans, via email at habere@mcmaster.ca.
Elective Courses
Please note that a select number of electives will be offered each year on a rotating basis. The following are the elective offerings for 2023-2024.
Expandable List
Mindfulness is a non-judgmental way of paying attention in the present moment. It may reduce emotional reactivity and negative thinking, increasing resilience and enhancing the ability to choose how to respond to difficult situations. This course will focus on developing an understanding of the application of mindfulness interventions for health care populations. The emphasis will be on developing familiarity with leading and facilitating mindfulness practices. Based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy traditions, participants will first participate in the mindfulness intervention, followed by discussion of the practice and the methodology for teaching the practice.
Group work has been demonstrated to be an effective way of providing service to clients. This course examines group work practice by exploring a range of theoretical concepts and frame-works.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a short-term contractual “here and now” focused psychotherapy that focuses the relief of depressive symptoms and the individual’s adaptation to the social and interpersonal circumstances associated with the onset of the depression. The emphasis of IPT is to facilitate restoration of the client’s previous level of functioning.
This course is designed to teach the basic philosophy, behaviour change procedures and techniques of ACT with a focus on the core therapeutic processes of ACT. Upon successful completion of the course students will acquire a working knowledge and the skills of ACT as applied to individuals, couples and families.
An introduction to the learning and conditioning principles of respondent conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory and cognitive psychology upon which behavioural and cognitive behavioural assessment, formulation and therapy is based . Students will be introduced to basic assessment and formulation skills.
This course will highlight current issues and emerging trends in psychotherapy as it applies to case conceptualization, assessment, and treatment. The course will have rotating topics that vary depending on the instructor and student interests with a focus on expanding students’ scope of clinical knowledge on contemporary areas of psychotherapeutic practice.
Review of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy formulations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In-depth learning of key Cognitive Behavioural treatment techniques for single-incident traumas.
This course serves as an introduction to understanding family systems and learning the relevant concepts to assess family functioning. The development of the family and models of understanding the family system (culture, structure, communication, intergenerational issues) will be reviewed. Students will learn the patterns to look for in family assessment and through role-plays and case examples will develop their perceptual and conceptual skills.