1. Using Insights from Clinical Psychology when Supporting Students
TILT Personalisation of Learning Event, 14th September 2016
Using Insights from Clinical Psychology when Supporting Students
Dr Mike Marriott, Dept of Psychology, School of Social Sciences

2. What is a Clinical Psychologist?
For the purposes of today… a therapist
What is a therapist?
Working with people in distress to try and alleviate that distress
How is this relevant to you as tutors?
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

3. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
You sometimes work with students in distress
(though you are not – and often don’t want to be – a therapist)
You are ALWAYS interested in change…
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

4. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
Try to be a therapist…
A twenty year old man from an Asian British family comes to tell you about how sad he is feeling. He wants to make the most of his life, but he just does not believe he is good enough. He struggles to make a start with anything on a day-to-day basis; he doesn’t socialise, has lost his casual job, and is missing lectures at university.
As a group, take a therapist’s (not a tutor’s) role. What do you think a therapist would do with this situation?
Agree on THREE bulletpoints, single sentences. Five minutes…
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

5. And now, select the one most important one…
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

6. My thoughts… In therapy, we:
Skilfully try to do as little as possible
Research (and my experience) suggests that the change in client’s lives are normally best explained by what they do outside of the therapy room
The things they do in this way will be best predicted by their lives to date, not my training to date
Attitudes, belief, values, predispositions
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

7. A basic model of improvement in distress
Distress causes people to limit their experiences – good reasons
To improve, they gradually expand their comfort zone
They discover how this feels
They discover what they’re capable of
They discover that they can
Look familiar?
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

8. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
Key Message Alert!
Therapists and tutors are both active as catalysts of change in some aspect of the human psyche
The skills you already have as a tutor will enable you to personalise the tutorial experience as an emotionally supportive environment
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

9. Why do students get upset?
Change through learning takes us out of our comfort zone
It is normal to have an emotional response to the process of coming out of our comfort zone
So as educationalists, we need to be comfortable with the idea that what we do probably has an emotional effect
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

10. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
Be a tutor…
A second year student from an Asian British family comes to tell you about how hard he is finding his work, and that this is effecting his mood. He says that he feels sad and anxious. He is missing lectures, and is not sure he’ll be able to stay at NTU.
Given what we’ve just said about the emotions of change, what do you think a tutor should do with this situation?
Agree on ONE bulletpoint. Two minutes…
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

11. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
What should I do?
Be supportive in allowing him to find his own course through the distress
Active listening; allowing him to say things his way, not trying to correct him or do anything immediately
Validation; acknowledge that his distress makes sense
Normalisation; acknowledge that the change process will have this effect
Hope; show an assumption that he has the resources to come through this himself
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

12. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
Active listening; allowing him to say things his way, not trying to correct him or do anything immediately
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

13. Validation; acknowledge that his distress makes sense
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

14. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
Normalisation; acknowledge that the change process will have this effect
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology

15. TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology
Hope; show an assumption that he has the resources to come through this himself
14/09/2016
TILT Personalisation Event – Insights from Clinical Psychology