INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY TEACHING PRIMER Early Career ...

THERAPY: COVERAGE SUGGESTIONS
1 class period (50 min – 75 min):
Introduce therapeutic interventions (LO 4.1, 4.2b)
Describe one or two theoretical orientations to therapy (e.g., psychoanalysis,
behavior therapy) (LO 4.1)
Review evidence for psychotherapy’s effectiveness (LO 4.2b, 4.4)
Discuss methodology for determining if therapy is effective (LO 4.2b)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1b: Identify and explain the primary objectives of psychology: describing,
understanding, predicting, and controlling behavior and mental processes
4.1: Describe major applied areas (e.g., clinical, counseling,
industrial/organizational, school, etc.) and emerging (e.g., health, forensics, media,
military, etc.) applied areas of psychology.
4.2b: Origin and treatment of abnormal behavior
4.4: Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings as these relate
to everyday life.
(as suggested by APA guidelines, 2007)
POSSIBLE ASSESSMENTS
(Out of Class)
Have students identify a newspaper or popular media article about a treatment for a mental
health condition. Have students write a brief essay about what is a supportable, accurate claim in
the article versus what is not. For recent articles, see
http://topix.teachpsych.org/w/page/37117173/Therapy%20in%20the%20News (LO 1.1b,
4.2b, 4.4)
Identify and interview a professional in mental health. Students then write a brief summary of the
interaction explaining what that person does, and how they are different from another mental
health profession. (LO 4.1)
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