Self-made class

Extracurricular Reading in Mental Well-Being
Spring 2009 - First 8 weeks
Syllabus
A. Doerr


Goal: To consider the implications of Carl Rogers’ view of psychotherapy and explore the use of healing rituals as they are presented to the nursing field.


Basically, both of these books have been waiting for me to get round to reading them. I chose to do these two together because the combination is a balance of theory and application. The dates listed are the completion deadlines for each set of assignments. Supplemental reading is not mandatory, but we’re talking about me here, so it’s pretty much a given. Essays will be posted on http://cosmicsiren.blogspot.com. Diary and ritual work will be summarized to protect privacy. Images may possibly be scanned and also posted. Readers of the blog are more than welcome to follow along themselves, and civilized questions and comments are more than welcomed.



Books: On Becoming a Person by Carl R. Rogers
Rituals of Healing: Using Imagery for Health and Wellness by Jeanne Actherberg, Ph.D., Barbara Dossey, R.N., M.S., FAAN, & Leslie Kolkmeier, R.N., Med.

Week 1 - 1/16/09
Reading: Rogers - Intro, Preface and Chapter 1 “Speaking Personally”
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 1 & 2 “The Healing System”
Assignments: Essay on Rogers’s reputation and background
Essay on the purpose and basics of rituals

Week 2 - 1/23/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 2, 3, & 4 “How Can I Be of Help?”
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 3, 4, & 5 “Connecting Body-Mind-Spirit”
Assignments: Essay on the characteristics of a helping relationship
Essay on imagery and symbolism

Week 3 - 1/30/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 5, 6, & 7 “The Process of Becoming a Person”
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13 “Anxiety, Pain and Procedures”
Assignments: Essay on what it means to become a person
Do a “diary symptom chart” (p 98) for the week

Week 4 - 2/6/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 8 & 9 “A Philosophy of Persons”
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 14 & 15 “Healthy Breath”
Supplemental Reading: The Palette of Breath - Facts About Breathing by Lauren Robbins
Assignments: Essay on being a fully functional person
Create and use a personal breathing ritual; chart its effectiveness; and critique the process and your participation in it

Week 5 - 2/13/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 10, 11, &12 “. . . Research . . .”
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20 “Healthy Heart”
Assignments: Discuss the implications of the person centered approach in research
Based on the diary symptom chart, create a ritual for your most significant health concern and evaluate the ritual using the imagery assessment tool on pages 77 & 78.

Week 6 - 2/20/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 13, 14, & 15 (Education)
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 21, 22, 23, & 24 “Healthy Abdomen and
Reproductive System”
Assignments: Essay on person-centered education
1st week of full ritual with diary entries

Week 7 - 2/27/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 16, 17, 18 & 19 (Interpersonal)
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 25, 26, & 27 “Healthy Immune System”
Assignments: Discuss the aspects of interpersonal interactions
2nd week of full ritual with diary entries

Week 8 - 3/6/09
Reading: Rogers - Chapters 20 & 21 “The Behavioral Sciences and the Person”
Actherberg, et al - Chapters 28, 29, 30, & 31 “Peaceful Dying”
Assignments: Essay on personhood and behavioral science
Ritual reflection paper