Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Group Interventions: Theory and Application (Face-to-Face)

PSY 7250-01

Course: PSY 7250-01
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: PSY
CRN: 20620

Course Description

Group Dynamics is the study of group development, dynamics, and theories in relation to group guidance, group counseling, and group therapy. Leadership styles, techniques, diversity intersections and roles are explored, and ethical and legal issues related to group interventions are discussed. (Summer - 1st Session) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): PsyD students only

Required Texts

The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, sixth edition

Learning Outcomes

This is a graduate level course and will require significant thinking and writing about yourself and others. I believe 
that you will significantly profit from this work, as will the people you work with in the future. By the end of this 
semester, you will begin to be able to:
 Demonstrate understanding of principles of group dynamics, including group process components, 
developmental stage theories, group members’ roles and behaviors, and therapeutic factors of group work; 
 Demonstrate understanding of group leadership styles and approaches, including characteristics of various 
types of group leaders and leadership styles.
 Demonstrate understanding of theories of group counseling, including commonalties, distinguishing 
characteristics, and pertinent research and literature. 
 Demonstrate understanding of group counseling methods, including group counselor orientations and 
behaviors, appropriate selection criteria and methods, and methods of evaluation of effectiveness. 
 Demonstrate understanding of approaches used for other types of group work, including task groups, 
psychoeducational groups, and therapy groups.
 Demonstrate understanding of professional preparation standards for group leaders; 
 Demonstrate understanding of ethical and legal considerations related to group work; 
 Become more conscious of their personal growth through participation as a group member. 
 Think divergently about a single phenomenon. This course will ask you to consider multiple explanations for a 
person's behavior.
 Explore social context. As we consider the change process, we will consider how issues of gender, sexual 
orientation, culture, class, and physical ability affect our experience of ourselves and others. As you do so, you 
may find that your ability to be empathic increases.
 Initiate conscious self-change. Although this is not a primary goal of this course, I hope that you consider your 
life during this course, using the ideas presented here as a springboard for your own change. Furthermore, you 
will learn to use writing to support your process of growth.
 Understand the implications of one’s philosophy and theory for multicultural issues in counseling.
 Improve scholarly writing skills.
 Improve academic presentation skills

Course Requirements

Class will be held twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three hours. Students should come to class each week 
having read the assigned readings and prepared to engage in discussion. Classes will generally start with an article 
and/or chapter presentations and discussion (and students will take turns leading the discussions). This first portion of 
the class will last approximately an hour and 15 minutes. The second portion of the class will be run as beginning 
process group therapy experience, its duration will be an hour and fifteen minutes. Students will be involved in 
participating in and facilitating a process group that will run during the seven weeks of the class. Grading for this 
component will be based on attendance, preparedness, weekly quasi-therapy notes, and a summative reflection (see 
Weekly Group reflection/process note below). During this group therapy experience students will be given the 
opportunity to engage in a variety of the elements of traditional group therapy. These include but are not limited to: 
group process comments, understanding developmental stages of groups, self-understanding of group leadership 
styles, personal growth as a member participating in group therapy, the ability to consider multiple explanations for a 
person’s behavior, and an exploration of social context and how issues of gender, sexual orientation, culture, class, 
and physical ability affect our experience of ourselves and others. Finally, I would encourage you to initiate conscious 
self-change. I hope that you consider your life during this course, using the ideas presented here as a springboard for 
your own change.
This course is designed to provide a theoretical overview of major elements of group psychotherapy preparing 
you for when you run therapeutic groups in the future. This course will introduce and provide opportunities to practice 
basic elements of group psychotherapy. Prior courses primarily 6310 Foundations of Psychotherapy I and 6320 Foundations of Psychotherapy II, Ethics Laws and Professional Practices 6100, the Human Development Through the 
Lifespan 6610, Individual and Cultural Diversity 6620, and Psychopathology 6450 will prepare students with some of 
the basic skills and knowledge that are needed in group therapy. This course is a necessary foundation to conduct 
group therapy, serving as a foundation for additional skill development and practice in all subsequent intervention 
courses and practica including, but not limited to, Clinical Practicum 6520, Clinical Field Practicum 6530, Addictions 
Treatment 6520, and Internship 7990 Supervision and Consultation 7900, Applied Clinical Neuropsychology 7400,
and Child and Adolescent Interventions and Family Systems 7350.
Discussion Leading: Leading and participating in the discussions are designed to help students to integrate the course 
readings and promote class participation. Students leading the discussion will be required to collaboratively synthesize 
the different perspectives as communicated in their peers’ reaction papers, promote students’ critical thinking, as well 
as their development of thought-provoking questions and associated discussions. You will likely lead about 3 class 
discussions with another student. You, and your co-discussants, are encouraged to meet and collaborate on your 
agenda for leading the class session. Each discussion/class session lead will be worth 30 points, 2 discussion x 30 
points = 60 points.
Weekly Group reflection/process note:
Every other week you will write a reflection, regarding the process group, that includes What I learned about myself, what I 
learned about other people and what I learned about group process or group dynamics. Discuss the ADDRESSING 
acronym as it becomes relevant in the group discussion. 
You will also write one final reflections. The final reflection will include: What I got out of group, What I 
would tell students who are about to start group, What I learned about group process. Also, write about what you 
learned about processing emotions and what things make group work at the group level. Each of your responses 
should infuse information learned from the text and readings. A second component of the course will include your 
thoughts on the ADDRESSING acronym and how it has evolved and how your understanding of these intersections 
has impacted your ability to be a better therapist and the group as a whole.

Course Outline

Week 1 Yalom Chapters 1-2
Week 2 Yalom Chapters 3-4
Week 3 Yalom Chapters 5-6
Week 4 Yalom Chapters 7-8
Week 5 Yalom Chapters 9-10
Week 6 Yalom Chapters 11-12
Week 7 Yalom Chapters Burlingame

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

Late, Missing, and Makeup Work

  • Missed, late, or incomplete assignments will result in lowered ratings on professional values and will subsequently affect students’ letter grades.
  • Polished assessment reports are due to supervisors within 7 days of supervision of scored assessments; any exceptions must be explicitly discussed and documented.

Attendance Policy

  • Students must attend at least 80% of classes or they will not pass the course.
  • Students are required to attend scheduled group and individual supervision meetings. If students are unable to attend supervision for any reason, they need to notify the instructor immediately.
  • Because of the difficulty of making up content and training that occurs in in-person supervision, any absences are expected to be for program-related or emergency situations and the student will be expected to complete tasks associated with supervision.
  • Consistent with the program manual, more than 2 absences in a semester in either context (group or individual supervision) will result in a failing grade, as students cannot demonstrate competence in the course unless they attend at least 80% of expected activities.
  • Students are expected to attend supervision sessions on-time and prepared to discuss client cases.


Course Fees

There are no associated course fees.

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.