PSYCHOSOMATICS AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

PSICLI010

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019

Year of supply:

2020/2021

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in CLINICAL AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

Disciplinary Sector:

Clinical Psychology

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

PORCELLI PIETRO

Cycle:

First semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

102

Prerequisites:

It is suggested to have acquired a basic knowledge on psychophysiological mechanisms of stress and possibly passing the esam of “Health Clinical Psychology” or "Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychology 1"(1st year) . No preparatory constraints are however required.

Objectives

Aim of the course is to provide knowledge and competence on theoretical models and clinical practice in psychosomatics. It will be used an integrative approach in order to have a comprehensive and deep view on recent advances in psychosomatics.

Learning outcomes:
The course aims to complete the training with notions and instruments that will help the student to deepen the psychological aspects of medical diseases and health processes. The training of the course of Clinical and Health Psychology will be achieved and enriched by the following competencies:
Knowledge and comprehension skills
- to describe the psychological determinants of health;
- to describe the fundamental characteristics of psychological processes and risk factors for health;
- to know the main theoretical models in psychosomatics.
Judgment autonomy
- to link psychological constructs and physical symptoms;
- to assess the clinical presentations of psychosomatic disorders.
Communication skills
The student will be able to:
- relate psychological models to somatic disorders;
- plan psychological interventions in the medical setting.

Contents

Psychosomatics: holistic and differential approaches to mental and somatic functioning. Biopsychosocial model. Affective neuroscience. Emotions and feelings: the alexithymia construct. Somatic determinants of mental health and psychological determinants of somatic health.

Extended Syllabus

The psychosomatic model and the interaction between mental and somatic functions. The biopsychosocial model and the interactions between macro- and micro-systems. The models of Damasio, Panksepp, and Solms. Somatic determinants of psychological health: gene-environment interactions, the immune system, proinflammatory mechanisms. Psychological determinants of somatic health: interpersonal relationships, somatosensory amplification, illness representations, abnormal illness behavior, alexithymia. Stress and health: allostatic load and immune system. Diagnostic classification in psychosomatics.

Recommended Bibliography

− P.Porcelli. Medicina psicosomatica e psicologia clinica. Cortina, Milano 2009 (Introduzione e Capitoli 1, 2, 3)
- P.Porcelli. La diagnosi psicologica in medicina psicosomatica, in E.Zacchetti & G.Castelnuovo (a cura di). Clinica psicologica in psicosomatica, Franco Angeli, 2014 (Capitolo 1: pp. 11-57)
- A.Damasio, G.B. Carvalho GB. The nature of feelings: evolutionary and neurobiological origins. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2013; 14: 143-153
- Panksepp J. Affective neuroscience of the emotional BrainMind: evolutionary perspectives and implications for understanding depression. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 2010; 12: 533-545
- Slides on the e-learning platform.

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

The course is scheduled in 48 hours of in-class teaching in sessions of 2 or 3 hours based on the academic schedule. In-class sessions will be constituted by discussing theoretical aspects and clinical cases (diagnosis and treatment planning) that will be held also by experts. The attendance is not mandatory, suggested, and the final exam will be the same for attenders and not attenders.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The exam will be constituted by an oral examination aimed to assess the knowledge, the conceptual mastery, the linguistic skills, the ability of interpretation and analysis of psychosomatic topics. The examen will be evaluated on a score range from 18 to 30. A score 18-23 indicates a sufficient knowledge, 23-28 a good level of knowledge, 28-30 an excellent knowledge, "cum laude" particular abilities of analysis and critical reasoning.

Contacts/More Information

For explanations and clarifications, the teacher is available after email scheduling.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Aree

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