J o h n F K e n n e d y U n i v e r s i t y

SOMATIC PSYCHOLOGY [SPC] COURSESSPC 5000 INTRODUCTION TO SOMATIC PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM 0This is a required, no-cost, no-credit course for all studentsentering the Somatic Psychology program. Taken duringthe student’s first quarter, this course will orient studentsto departmental standards and procedures and provideother information that students will need to complete theirprogram.SPC 5004–06 GROUP PROCESS A–C 2/2/2Using traditional, holistic, and somatic group therapytechniques, students examine and work with their own andothers’ feelings, motivations, and patterns of communicationand behavior in a group context. Through class participation,students experience and learn group theory and groupfacilitation skills. This class must be taken in threeconsecutive quarters.SPC 5115 CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES IN COUNSELING 3This course provides an overview of the field of cross-culturalissues related to counseling. Special emphasis is placed onfostering an understanding and awareness of cross-culturaldynamics in counseling through an examination of thehistorical, political, somatic, and biopsychosocial issues thatimpact life in a multicultural, heterogeneous society like theBay Area.SPC 5204 DIAGNOSIS, ASSESSMENT,AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY A 3This course is an examination of traditional diagnosticcategories including psychodynamic models and DSM-IV-R.Assessment methods, therapeutic strategies, and best practicesfor different diagnostic categories and cross-cultural contextsare covered.SPC 5205 DIAGNOSIS, ASSESSMENT,AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY B 3This course focuses on specific diagnosis, assessment, andtreatment skills and concepts from traditional and somaticpsychology perspectives including character analysis,formative psychology, and other somato-psychologicalsystems for evaluating and developing psychotherapeutictreatment strategies.SPC 5216 SEXUALITY 2The sexual response cycle, male and female sexuality, genderdiversity, sexual development, and sexual dysfunction arediscussed from physiological, psychological, multicultural,and somatic psychology perspectives. The course explorestherapeutic approaches as they apply to individuals, couples,and families from a variety of sexual orientations.SPC 5220 PRINCIPLES OF SOMATIC PSYCHOLOGY 3This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of somaticpsychology, the field, and its basic concepts and values. Areasof focus include history, issues, and practices with attentionto the origins and psycho-emotional consequences of themind-body split. Students are introduced to basic practicessuch a sensory self-tracking, centering, and self-forming, andthe concepts of dynamic systems and self- regulation.SPC 5241 THE CULTURAL BODY: SOCIETY,BODY IMAGE, AND THE SELF 3This course will look at the manner in which family, society,and culture act as intervening variables in our relationshipto bodies. Beliefs (personal, familial, social, and cultural)and mythologies regarding the body and the impact of thesebeliefs on our somato-psychological experience will beexamined. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia,and compulsive eating are examined as specific examplesof cultural distortion of bodily self-awareness. In addition,the course will also look at cross-cultural differences in themanner and meaning of embodiment and the ramificationsfor clinical practice.SPC 5250 BASIC ADDICTION STUDIES 3Basic information about alcoholism and chemicaldependency—definitions, impact upon the users and theirenvironments, medical and neurological aspects, currenttheories of the etiology of substance abuse, cross-culturalissues, and somatic psychology perspectives on addictionmajor treatment approaches including 12-step and harmreductionapproaches and a survey of the communityresources available.SPC 5323 THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION A 3This course is an introduction to basic principles andpractices of therapeutic communication. Students will studyand practice basic psychotherapeutic concepts, skills, andself-awareness. Through lectures, films, and experientialpractice, students will be helped to develop the clinicalskills of somatic reflection, awareness, clear communication,flexibility, insight, compassion, cross- cultural sensitivity, andpersonal presence.SPC 5324 THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION B 3This course introduces students to specific SomaticPsychology clinical processes and practices within aholistic and psychodynamic model. Training in recognizingtransference and countertransference issues and in developingeffective therapeutic interventions is the focus. The emphasisis on understanding and working with nonverbal and verbalcommunication and somato-psychological defense patternsin individuals, couples, and family systems. Prerequisite: SPC5323.SPC 5430 MOVEMENT SEMINAR A: THE SELF IN MOVEMENT 3This course is an experiential and theoretical introductionto movement as a point of theoretical inquiry, clinicalexploration, and therapeutic intervention. Students willbecome familiar with a wide variety of both directive andfree-movement approaches including psychodynamictraditions, developmental movement, Authentic Movement,Body Mind Centering, and Continuum Movement.156 SCHOOL OF HOLISTIC STUDIESJOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY