Module Description
s
Field name
Title
Code
Level
Credit rating
Pre-requisites
Type of module
Aims
Learning outcomes/objectives
Comments/notes
The Therapeutic Alliance in Cognitive
Psychotherapy
NAM39
7
20
Successful completion of NAM40
Extensive over one semester
By the end of the module the student will be able to
critically evaluate and synthesise:
 The conceptual and empirical work on the
therapeutic alliance in cognitive psychotherapy
 The interpersonal process in psychotherapy,
including resistance and counter-transference,
with specific reference to cognitive
psychotherapy
 The significance of the implications emerging
from the common factor approach in
psychotherapy, for the therapeutic alliance in
cognitive psychotherapy
By the end of the module the student will be able to:
 Reflectively integrate theoretical and empirical
models of the working alliance into ongoing
supervised casework
 Demonstrate their ability to consider relevant
aspects of the therapeutic alliance in case
formulation
 Demonstrate their ability to work through
problems in the therapeutic alliance, in ongoing
supervised casework, in written and skills
assessments, and in casework teaching and
learning days
 Sensitively consider and work through ethical
issues emerging from the therapeutic alliance
 Critique the therapeutic alliance from a variety
of perspectives
Content
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Teaching and learning strategies
An overview of the therapeutic alliance in
cognitive psychotherapy (Waddington 2002),
and its relationship to the case formulation
(Persons 1989).
The interpersonal process in cognitive therapy
(Safran and Segal 1990)
Client and therapist interpersonal style (Schaap
et al. 1993)
The therapeutic relationship in cognitive
psychotherapy (Wright and Davis 1994; Raue
and Goldfried 1994; Batchelor and Horvath
2000)
Therapeutic Empathy in cognitive behavioural
psychotherapy (Burns and Auerbach 1996)
The common factor approach in
psychotherapy: implications for the therapeutic
alliance in cognitive psychotherapy (Hubble et
al. 2000)
Transference and countertransference in
cognitive psychotherapy (Rudd and Joiner
1997)
Resistance in cognitive psychotherapy (from
Newman (1994) to Leahy (2001))
The Psychology of Self-Deception (Goleman
1986)
Tutor-led lectures and seminars; student-led
seminars; problem-based learning; CCTV role play
and feed back; private study
10 video/audio-based consultation days
Ongoing supervision from module team: structured
sessions at the beginning of each normal teaching
day
Classroom teaching: 30 hours
Student effort: 170 hours
Learning support
Tutorial support from module team. Individualised
learning agreements in respect of assignment.
Casework supervision and teaching from module
team.
Reading list:
Batchelor A., Horvath A. 2000. The Therapeutic
Relationship. In: Hubble M. A., Duncan B. L., Miller
S. D. 2000. The Heart & Soul of Change: What
Works in Therapy. Washington DC: American
Psychological Association.
Blackburn I-M., James I. A., Milne D. L., Baker C.,
Standart S., Garland A., Reichelt K. 2001. The
Revised Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS-R):
Psychometric Properties. Behavioural and Cognitive
Psychotherapy. 29: 431-446.
Burns D. D., Auerbach A. 1996. Therapeutic
Empathy in cognitive-Behavioural Therapy: Does It
Really Make a Difference? in: Salkovskis P. M. (ed).
Frontiers of Cognitive Therapy. New York: The
Guilford Press.
Goleman D. 1986. Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The
Psychology
of
Self-Deception.
New
York:
Touchstone.
Hubble M. A., Duncan B. L., Miller S. D. 2000. The
Heart & Soul of Change: What Works in Therapy.
Washington
DC:
American
Psychological
Association.
Horvath A. O., Greenberg L. S. 1994.The Working
Alliance: Theory, research, and practice. New York
and Toronto: John wiley & Sons, Inc.
Leahy R. L. 2001. Overcoming Resistance in
Cognitive Therapy. New York and London: The
Guilford Press.
Newman C. F. 1994. Understanding Client
Resistance: Methods for enhancing motivation to
change. Cognitive and Behavioural Practice. 1: 4749.
Persons J. 1989. Cognitive therapy in practice: A
case formulation approach. London: Norton.
Raue P. J., Goldfried M. R. 1994. The Therapeutic
Alliance in Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. In: Horvath
A. O., Greenberg L. S. The Working Alliance:
Theory, research, and practice. New York and
Toronto: John wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rudd M. D., Joiner T. 1997. Countertransference
and the Therapeutic Relationship: A Cognitive
Perspective. Jounral of Cognitive Psychotherapy.
11(4): 231-250.
Safran J.
S
S
Assessment tasks
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A 2000 word case study in which the student
critically analyses and evaluates relational
factors impacting on a cognitive behavioural
intervention with a client. The focus of the
assignment will derive from a case formulation,
informed by relevant conceptual, empirical and
theoretical work on the therapeutic alliance in
CBT.
A videotaped or audiotaped clinical skills
assessment which will inform the written
assignment. This will be made respecting the
principle of informed consent, with written
approval given by clients, in line with
Department of Health (2001) good practice on
consent to video recordings (see appendix
four).
The assignment is to be submitted at the end of the
semester after which this module is delivered.
Each of the two parts of the overall assignment will
constitute 50% of the marks, and students must
pass on both parts. The written assignment will be
marked according to the criteria of the GPHSS for
level 7 written work. The videotaped assessment will
be marked using the Cognitive Therapy ScaleRevised (CTS-R).
Brief description of module content and/or
aims (maximum 80 words)
Area examination board to which module
relates
Module team/authors/ coordinator
Semester offered, where appropriate
Site where delivered
Date of first approval
Date of last revision
Date of approval of this version
Version number
Replacement for previous module
Field for which module is acceptable and
status in that field
The content and aims of this module reflect the
growing body of literature around the therapeutic
alliance in cognitive behavioural psychotherapy
since the early 1990s. This corpus has progressed
from general concerns around the interpersonal
process in therapy to more focused literature
dealing with client and therapist interpersonal style
and, most currently, various forms of resistance. All
of this work has been enhanced by a recent focus
on the common factors emerging from
psychotherapeutic practice generally, and the
implications for the therapeutic relationship in
cognitive psychotherapy specifically.
INaM Graduate Programme in Health and Social
Sciences
Dr Alec Grant (module co-ordinator)
Jem Mills
Nigel Short
Fridays, 1 semester in 3 (rotating with modules 2
and 4)
Eastbourne
N/A
N/A
1
GPHSS
Course(s) for which module is acceptable
and status in course
School home
MSc Cognitive Psychotherapy - mandatory
INaM
External examiner
Anna Vizor, University of East Anglia,
Appointment: 2003-7
specify name and dates of appointment