The aim of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of child and adult psychopathology. In order to do this we will look at normative patterns in personality, behavior and emotions. We will treat the work in the epidemiology of childhood and adult disorders as central to our understanding of these disorders, and discuss the methodological issues involved in this type of approach that make it so useful to understanding etiology, course, treatment and prognosis. The diversity of functioning in the emotional and behavioral realm will be reviewed in order to understand issues of abnormal or pathological development. The way in which the social and cultural context interacts with genetic and constitutional aspects of the individual will also be considered. This will give us the basis for examining some of the most common disorders and understanding the dynamics of these disorders during childhood and into adulthood.

A course designed to permit the study (in a formal class setting) of a specific area of human development and applied psychology not already covered in the courses listed for the current year. The topics will be announced each spring in the Winter Session and Summer Session timetables.

This course will introduce students to basics of theory and practice of various brief assessment and intervention models used in counselling and psychotherapy with a focus on international contexts. Each class may include lectures, discussions of required readings, instructor demonstration of specific techniques, class role plays, practice of techniques with peers, as well as analysis and critique of clinical videos. Students will learn how to conduct a suicide risk assessment and will develop a solid understanding of the principles and components of crisis intervention and brief therapy strategies. Related ethical and professional practice issues will be addressed. Students will learn to compare and contrast as well as integrate these brief counselling models, and how and when to include crisis intervention in their work.

This course must be taken in conjunction with APD1203Y Practicum in Counselling. The two courses may only be taken by students enrolled in Counselling programs. All students must arrange their practica in consultation with the department's Coordinator of Internship and Counselling Services.

This course will review theories of social and emotional development, and then follow the child's social-emotional growth from birth through adolescence. Within the context of children's family and peer relationships we will consider the ways in which emotional and social experience becomes patterned, organized, and represented by the child and by others. We will examine the implications of these issues for problematic outcomes in families, daycares, and schools, and for prevention and intervention practices.

This program evaluation practicum course is designed to support students with an opportunity to work closely with faculty on a program evaluation project or an external project that OISE faculty is collaborating on. Students attend class seminars weekly where they discuss various evaluation approaches and debrief their practicum work. They are linked with a faculty member in the department or OISE and work on an evaluation project under the faculty’s supervision. Evaluation work includes attending team meetings, conducting a review of literature, participating in instrument development, data collection and analysis activities, and presenting results of their work in an end of term poster.

This course will provide the student with a better understanding of current theoretical and applied issues in reading in a second language (L2). A cognitive-developmental approach will be used to examine topics such as: the development of L2 basic reading and spelling skills, the role of L2 oral proficiency in reading, comprehension related processes, the role of background knowledge, text structure and cultural background, sources of individual and developmental differences, and reading disability. Students will be encouraged to develop their own research and/or applied questions/projects. The course will be conducted in a seminar format. A different topic will be discussed each week. Key issues pertaining to research methodology and data analysis will be addressed as needed.

Specialized study, under the direction of a staff member, focusing upon topics that are of particular interest to the student but are not included in available courses. While credit is not given for a thesis investigation proper, the study may be closely related to such a topic.

An examination of the nature and consequences of child maltreatment. Theory and research in physical, sexual, and emotional abuse will be reviewed. Coverage includes recent therapeutic interventions and promising prevention initiatives. The objective of this course is to provide a knowledge base for more effective practice and inquiry.

This advanced course links scientific evidence regarding child development to one’s personal experience in childhood. This course provides students with opportunities to discuss current scientific findings regarding child development from personal perspectives, and thus to serve a forum for students to learn about scientific evidence regarding child development in a more meaningful and contextualized manner.

This course offers a thorough examination of the role that spatial thinking plays in STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). Striking a balance between theory and practice, this course aims to develop a greater awareness and appreciation of what spatial reasoning is, how it develops, and how it might look and feel across a variety of educational contexts (e.g., preschool to university classrooms as well as maker spaces). We will review and discuss research on the relationship between spatial thinking and student interest, motivation, performance, and creativity in STEAM. Moreover, we will consider evidence suggesting that an increased curricular focus on spatial reasoning offers more equitable and accessible entry points into STEAM. Considerable time will be spent discussing ways of improving spatial thinking. Ultimately, this course offers new insights into the fundamental role that spatial thinking plays in STEAM education, begging us to reimagine what learning and education might look like if spatial thinking is given greater priority and explicit curricular focus.

This is an introductory course intended to provide students an overview in the clinical application of evidence based practice in Family Therapy grounded in the systemic conceptual frameworks. Several family therapy models (e.g. Bowenian multi-generational Family Therapy, Milan Systemic Family Therapy, Strategic Family Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, Behavioral Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy) will be presented. The significance of family work in the clinical practice of psychology has gained substantial recognition in recent years. Family Psychology is accorded divisional status (Division 43) by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is classified as one of the clinical specialty areas by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP).

Presentation of models of group work processes, as well as of current theory applicable to group work in counselling. Students will be expected to develop a catalogue of skills and ideas useful in the school setting, and to develop communication skills essential to group work. For students enrolled in Counselling programs only.

A survey of standardized tests typically used by counsellors in schools, community colleges, and other settings. Topics included are: a review of the basic concepts in tests and measurement; criteria for evaluating educational and psychological tests; rationale underlying the development of various tests; and practice in administration of tests and interpretation of test results. Individual intelligence scales and projective techniques are beyond the scope of this course.

Quantitative and qualitative alternatives in the design and conduct of counselling research will be examined. Limitations on research from practical and ethical considerations will be addressed. Students will be introduced to library, computer, and consulting resources within OISE/UT. (Limited to Counselling Psychology for Psychology Specialists students.)

This course aims at preparing the counsellor for an expanded role in career guidance. It deals with all major aspects of career development. The topics covered are: social and economic context, theories of career development, the role of information, assessment of career development, career guidance programs, and recurring issues in career guidance. This course is limited to students in a U of T graduate degree program. Others by permission of instructor.

This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of emotion-focused psychotherapy. The theoretical underpinnings and historical development of emotion-focused psychotherapy will be presented along with the practical application of the approach to facilitate clients’ emotional processing in the session. Students will be introduced to different ways of working with emotion using empathic reflections, focusing, exploratory tasks, and chair-dialogues. The role of the therapeutic relationship will be emphasized and specific emotional processing tasks will be explored. Students will receive three hours of instruction once a week consisting of lectures, video presentations, demonstrations, and in-vivo exercises. Students are expected to engage in in-vivo counselling exercises with their peers during class time under the supervision of the instructor. By the second class, students will be expected to form small process learning groups within which they will have the opportunity to experiment with different roles as counsellor, client and observer to practice using emotion focused and experiential techniques.

This course will focus on the theories of career development and counselling techniques to deal with major career transitions. Topics will include mid-life career changes, career psychology of women, career planning and development in the workplace, relocation counselling, and retirement and leisure counselling. This course is limited to students in a U of T graduate degree program. Others by permission of instructor.

This course will examine theories and models of psychotherapy through the lens of trauma-informed care. Students will gain an understanding of the impact of trauma on mental health and will explore critical principles of trauma-informed practice, including a focus on safety, trust, and choice. They will learn about the impacts of trauma for diverse populations. In addition, students will gain exposure to specific evidence-based therapy approaches that address trauma.

This course provides graduate students with an introduction to the topic of executive functions. The course enables students to better understand theoretical models of executive functions, executive function development, the associations of different domains of executive functions with social and scholastic functioning in school age children and youth, and recent findings related to the relations among executive functions, academic performance and achievement, and behaviour. In this course students will also develop an understanding of how various individual difference factors (e.g., language proficiency) as well as environmental contexts (e.g., classroom context) can impact executive function development. Finally, this course will explore diverse types of interventions designed to support students with executive function difficulties drawing on multitiered models of support.

A series of seminars dealing with the definition of the term ''play'' and its relation to both psychological and educational processes in the young child. The history of play will be examined in relationship to various theories that have been advanced concerning the need children have to play, the functions of play, and their relationship to psychological, social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development.

This course will focus on current knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from preschool through to adolescence. We will discuss the biological and psychological factors playing a role in the etiology and consider interventions for treatment and education of those with ASD. The emphasis will be on using well-founded research to inform instructional practices and decision making.

This course is primarily designed for students having their first experience in a Canadian academic context, and/or students who wish to further develop their academic English skills. The course will explore the following questions: How does learning happen for children and adults? How do YOU learn? How can you use the research on how learning happens to better understand and improve on the communicative and disciplinary practices in your graduate program and become successful graduate students and professionals? This course will help you 1) develop an understanding of the psychology behind learning; 2) reflect on your own learning experiences, connect them to the concepts being explored in this course and engage in critical discourse; and 3) develop and practice academic skills and strategies to maximize your learning experience in your graduate program. Topics such as cognition, cognitive biases, collaborative learning, motivation, critical thinking, online and in-person discussion strategies, academic reading skills, and academic writing will be addressed from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

A course designed to permit the study (in a formal class setting) of a specific area of counselling psychology not already covered in the courses listed for the current year. The topics will be announced each spring in the Winter Session and Summer Session timetables.

This course is an in-depth exploration of the concept of learning from both an individual and a group perspective. Students will examine the research on learning and the cognitive, social, and personal factors that encourage or impede it, to develop an understanding of how to maximize learning for themselves and others. Topics such as cognition, constructivism, metacognition, collaborative learning, efficacy, motivation, and influence will be addressed from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The course will be of particular interest to educators who are looking to maximize the learning of their students as well as their own ongoing professional learning as adults.

This course seeks to define, redefine and locate Indigenous knowledges in the context of International mental health care. In particular, the course will examine cultural and traditional healing within the broader economic, social and political practices of psychology worldwide. While the focus is in counselling psychology and psychotherapy, it also provides a critical site to highlight challenges and transformations within mental healthcare. The course seeks to draw attention to the use of Indigenous knowledges in mental health care generally. Explorations of the currents issues and debates in the contemporary practices of Indigenous healing in psychology will be a key features of the course, for example, cultural respect and appropriation, ethics and confidentiality, competence of practitioners, and systemic and social issues. Through an in-depth analysis of International Indigenous helping and healing practices, with particular focus on Indigenous knowledges perspectives from countries around the world, the course will undertake to raise questions regarding the theory, practice, and research of Indigenous traditional healing perspectives on mental health and healing in psychology and its relationship to education of practitioners. As part of the exploration of Indigenous traditional healing knowledges, the course will also focus on how peoples from non-dominant cultures construct illness perceptions and the types of treatments they expect to use to solve mental health problems; in this respect, the course is also intended to contribute to community development and community health promotion.

This course covers current theory and principles of cognitive therapy in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Special applications such as grief counselling, bereavement and post-traumatic stress disorders will be examined.

This course examines evidenced based efforts to prevent problems that place children and youth at risk. Focus will be on ways of reducing risk and increasing protective factors. Coverage includes interventions that effectively deal with health, social, and educational issues impacting well being and life chances. Poverty, chronic illness, and intentional and unintentional injury are some of the areas surveyed.

This is a graduate level seminar that will address fundamental questions regarding symbolic development and media-based learning in young children. We will explore recent findings in relation to questions such as the following: (1) What does symbolic understanding entail? (2) What is the developmental trajectory with respect to symbolic understanding? (3) What social-cognitive processes underlie symbolic development? (4) What can young children learn from media? (5) How well can young children learn from media? (6) What features of the media affect learning? (7) How can we facilitate children's symbolic learning? We will explore these questions by examining children's learning from a variety of symbolic media: pictures, scale-models, maps, TV, and electronic games.

Students will be introduced to the various special education exceptionalities in Ontario schools and will be provided with opportunities to analyze and reflect upon key issues in special education such as inclusion and universal design for learning. They will have the opportunity to gain skills and evidence-based knowledge regarding the identification, instruction, and progress monitoring of students with special education needs. The emphasis will be on using well-founded research to inform instructional practices and decision making. Given that students with exceptionalities are often at risk for mental health difficulties, we will discuss the intersection between mental health and learning as well as the intersection between special education and diversity.