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Southern Utah University

Spring Semester 2026

Human Relations in Group Dynamics (Face-to-Face)

PSY 3820-01

Course:	PSY 3820-01
Credits:	3
Term:	Spring Semester 2026
Department:	PSY
CRN:	13528

Course Description

This course offers an experiential exploration of group dynamics where the forces and activities that affect human group cohesion, communication skills, and interpersonal relations are emphasized. Students will also receive didactic instruction in group processes and theories of group dynamics. This course is designed to help prepare students design, plan, and conduct group treatments in the human services professions. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): PSY 1010 and instructor permission - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C- Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Corey, G. (2022). Theory and practice of group counseling (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
ISBN-13: 978-0357622957
ISBN-10: 0357622952

Required Textbook - Inclusive Access

This course uses the Inclusive Access program through the SUU Campus Store, which provides you with instant digital access to the required textbook (Theory & Practice of Group Counseling, Tenth Edition) through Canvas starting on the first day of class - no action is needed on your part to gain access, the book is simply available on Canvas (under the tab labeled "Inclusive Access Course Materials"). The cost of these materials will be automatically charged to your student account at a significantly reduced price compared to traditional textbook options, and financial aid and scholarships can be applied to cover this fee. If you prefer to obtain the textbook on your own, you may opt out of Inclusive Access by January 28, 2026 (the add/drop deadline), and the charge will be refunded to your account. However, please be aware that the Inclusive Access price is typically the most affordable option available, and opting out means you will be responsible for immediately obtaining your own course materials to avoid falling behind. If you have questions about Inclusive Access, please contact the bookstore at bookstore@suu.edu or visit their website.

IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO USE INCLUSIVE ACCESS, READ ON... THE BELOW ONLY PERTAINS TO THOSE OPTING OUT OF INCLUSIVE ACCESS BY JANUARY 28.

Students may purchase or rent this textbook in print or electronic format.

Where to buy: SUU bookstore, Amazon, directly from Cengage (link), or other online retailers. You can also rent the ebook for less - just make sure your rental extends through the end of the semester.

Using an older edition? That's fine! Older editions are often cheaper. However, you are responsible for verifying that your edition's chapters match the list below. Chapter numbers and content can vary between editions.

The 5th edition we're using has the following chapters—use this list to match chapters if you're using a different edition:

Chapter 1. Introduction to Group Work - 1
Chapter 2. Group Leadership - 11
Chapter 3. Ethical and Professional Issues in Group Practice - 33
Chapter 4. Early Stages in the Development of a Group - 55
Chapter 5. Later Stages in the Development of a Group - 76
Chapter 6. The Psychoanalytic Approach to Groups - 97
Chapter 7. Adlerian Group Counseling - 129
Chapter 8. Psychodrama in Groups - 152
Chapter 9. The Existential Approach to Groups - 181
Chapter 10. The Person-Centered Approach to Groups - 207
Chapter 11. Gestalt Therapy in Groups - 234
Chapter 12. Cognitive Behavioral Approaches to Groups - 264
Chapter 13. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in Groups - 293
Chapter 14. Choice Theory/Reality Therapy in Groups - 307
Chapter 15. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Motivational Interviewing in Groups - 327
Chapter 16. Comparisons, Contrasts, and Integration - 353

Additional Readings: All other articles, videos, or course materials will be provided free of cost on Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Analyze theoretical approaches to group counseling including psychoanalytic, Adlerian, existential, person-centered, Gestalt, psychodrama, cognitive-behavioral, REBT, reality therapy, solution-focused, and motivational interviewing
Evaluate group dynamics and processes including stages of development, therapeutic factors, member roles, and leadership approaches
Apply ethical and professional standards to group work including multicultural considerations and evidence-based practices
Design theory-informed group interventions appropriate for diverse populations and presenting issues
Synthesize multiple theoretical perspectives to develop a coherent personal framework for group counseling practice
Reflect critically on group processes through observation, analysis, and self-assessment to inform future leadership development

Course Requirements

Grade Breakdown (100 points total):

Chapter Preview Assignments: 32.5 points (2.5 points each × 13 assignments)
Group Facilitation: 20 points
Final Exam: 20 points
Participation & Application: 22.5 points
Facilitation Plan: 5 points
Bonus Opportunities: 10 points available (two opportunities worth 5 points each)

Total: 100 points maximum

Note: Bonus points help you reach the 100-point maximum if you've missed assignments, but your grade cannot exceed 100 points.

Chapter Preview Assignments (32.5 points total)

2.5 points each | 13 assignments

Each week, as preparation for the upcoming week's lectures, you will create a concept map, outline, or some other type of comprehensive notes for the assigned textbook chapter. These assignments ensure you engage with reading material before class and build your study toolkit for exams. Keep all your work organized—it will serve as your primary study material for the final assessment. I recommend using a dedicated notebook for these assignments.

Chapter previews are typically due Sunday night before Monday classes, giving you the weekend to engage with the material. Specific due dates are listed in the course schedule.

Group Facilitation (20 points)

One presentation per student (working in pairs)

You will work with a partner to plan and facilitate a learning experience for the class on an assigned Friday. This is your opportunity to practice the skills this course is designed to teach - planning, organizing, and leading group experiences.

You are not leading a therapy group (this is a class!), but rather creating an engaging learning experience that helps your classmates understand and apply concepts from your assigned chapter. You might choose to:

Design an interactive teaching session with activities
Lead a case study analysis workshop
Demonstrate group dynamics concepts through experiential activities
Create a "contemporary applications" discussion

This assignment directly prepares you for professional work in human services where you'll need to design, plan, and conduct group interventions. A detailed rubric and examples will be provided early in the semester.

Facilitation Plan (5 points)

Due the Tuesday before your Friday presentation

A brief written plan (~1 page) outlining your facilitation approach, including:

Learning objectives for your session
General timeline/agenda
Materials needed
How you'll engage the class
Connection to chapter concepts

This ensures you're prepared and gives me an opportunity to provide feedback before your presentation. Plans are graded on completeness and thoughtfulness, not perfection - this is a planning document, not a formal paper.

Participation & Application (22.5 points)

Format and frequency to be determined

This portion of your grade reflects your active engagement in the learning process. Points may be earned through in-class activities, application exercises, discussion participation, brief reflections, and/or other assignments to be determined based on class dynamics.

These activities:

May be announced in advance or assigned during class
Cannot be made up without an excused absence (see Attendance Policy)
Require your presence and active participation
Are designed to deepen your understanding of group dynamics concepts

Regular attendance is essential to earning these points. Specific details about how these points will be earned will be announced during the first two weeks of class.

Final Exam (20 points)

Scheduled during Finals Week (April 20-23)

A comprehensive final exam covering major concepts, theories, and applications from across the semester; questions will be drawn from the textbook. You may use your Chapter Preview Assignments during the exam if you choose; no other materials are permitted.

Bonus Opportunities (10 points available)

Two opportunities to earn bonus points toward your final grade:

Research Participation (up to 5 points): Participate in psychology research studies through SUU's SONA system. Every 2 research credits = 1 bonus point, up to 5 points. This means that if you complete 10 research credits, you can earn all 5 bonus points for this assignment. This is a valuable opportunity to see psychological research in action.

Chapter Documentation Portfolio (5 points): Submit proof that you completed all Chapter Preview Assignments throughout the semester. This all-or-nothing bonus rewards consistent effort, as well as the opportunity to go back and make up work for fewer points. Details will be provided mid-semester.

Course Outline

Course Topics

This course covers the following topics:

Introduction to Group Work
Group Leadership
Ethical and Professional Issues in Group Practice
Early Stages in the Development of a Group
Later Stages in the Development of a Group
The Psychoanalytic Approach to Groups
Adlerian Group Counseling
Psychodrama in Groups
The Existential Approach to Groups
The Person-Centered Approach to Groups
Gestalt Therapy in Groups
Cognitive Behavioral Approaches to Groups
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in Groups
Choice Theory/Reality Therapy in Groups
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Motivational Interviewing in Groups
Comparisons, Contrasts, and Integration

Detailed weekly schedule, assignment due dates, and any schedule changes will be posted on Canvas.

Attendance Policy

You are in charge of your attendance. My teaching philosophy is built on personal responsibility and focuses on preparing you for adult professional life. However, points of your grade may come from randomly assigned in-class activities that cannot be replicated outside of class and cannot be made up for unexcused absences.

Missing class will directly impact your grade through missed points. Budget your absences wisely and understand that your attendance choices have consequences for your final grade. If you miss more than a few classes, you will likely struggle to pass this course.

Excused vs. Unexcused Absences

According to SUU Policy 6.30, excused absences are granted for:

Students representing SUU at academic events, artistic performances, or NCAA intercollegiate competitions
Jury duty
Military/law enforcement obligations
Illness (I do NOT want you coming to class sick!)

Practices, rehearsals, sports clubs, intramural events, Greek activities, and career fairs do not qualify as excused absences.

How to Request an Excused Absence

You must notify me BEFORE your absence (except in genuine emergencies). Email me before the class you will miss. Here's what happens next:

You email me before class with a brief reason for your absence
I send you a standardized acknowledgment email explaining the policy
If we have an in-class activity that day, I will send you a makeup assignment via email
If you don't receive a makeup assignment from me, we didn't have an in-class activity that day - or your absence was not excused based on SUU policy.

Important: If you notify me after class (and it wasn't a genuine emergency), your absence will not be excused and you cannot make up the work. Being an adult means planning ahead and communicating proactively.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

For most assignments on Canvas, I will allow late submissions with an automatic 10% deduction per each day it is late. Once an assignment reaches zero points due to late penalties (after 10 days), I will no longer accept it.

In-Class Activities: These cannot be made up for unexcused absences. For university-approved excused absences (please see my attendance policy above), I will provide an equitable makeup opportunity as required by SUU policy.

Tests: These are not subject to the late policy above; tests will have a set time you may take them on Canvas and once the due date has passed, I will not accept it.

AI Policy

AI tools (including but not limited to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DALL-E...) can be used for brainstorming, organizing ideas, and creating visuals, but all AI use must be cited. Example citation: "ChatGPT-4. (2025, September 15). 'Help me create a visual about different biases based on my notes.' Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/"

However, all writing, critical thinking, source evaluation, and analysis must be your own work. Psychology careers require human insight and problem-solving skills that you need to develop through practice.

This means two things for this course:

If you use AI, you must cite it in your assignment. If you use it and do not cite it, this is academic dishonesty and you will earn a 0 for the assignment and may be reported.
If you use AI, I need to see a justification as to why and how it helps your learning. You cannot use AI to complete entire assignments or major portions of assignments - even with citation.

Examples of appropriate AI use (must ALWAYS have a citation):

Translation assistance: A student whose first language isn't English uses AI to translate certain specific concepts and cites it each time (not for whole documents/assignments)
Concept clarification: Including a brief, cited conversation where you ask AI to explain a concept you don't understand (e.g., "I don't understand fundamental attribution error vs. other types of bias")
Organization: Creating an outline structure from your existing ideas

Examples of inappropriate AI use:

Using AI to write any substantial portion of your assignment
Using AI to create APA 7 citations (you are learning this skill - AI frequently gets it wrong and you need to know how to check it!)
Having AI answer critical thinking questions for you
Using AI to analyze sources or data
Using AI without citation

Why I care about this: I think AI is incredibly cool technology, and I'm not against it as a concept. However, I am against using it as a replacement for learning. Recent research using brain imaging has shown that students who rely on AI tools for writing tasks show weaker brain connectivity, reduced cognitive engagement, and struggle to recall or quote their own work compared to students who complete tasks without AI assistance (Kosmyna et al., 2025). The study found that while AI offers immediate convenience, it comes with significant cognitive costs - essentially accumulating "cognitive debt" that undermines actual learning. You're in college to build your brain, not to outsource your thinking. Use AI as a tool to support your learning, not replace it.

References
Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X.-H., Beresnitzky, A. V., Braunstein, I., & Maes, P. (2025). Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.08872

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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