Media and technology advancements have greatly expanded learning content delivery, but commonly used tools like PowerPoint and videos offer only passive experiences. While inclass discussions and study teams provide some participatory engagement, experiential lessons such as law enforcement students participating in ride-alongs or nursing students assisting in clinical settings, offer much more active involvement. Psychology students typically learn about diagnostic and assessment tools, as well as theoretical approaches to psychotherapy. However, undergraduate students rarely have the opportunity to interact directly with psychiatric clients exhibiting symptoms of mental or behavioral disorders, beyond viewing videos. This lack of direct experience is a significant gap in their training. As someone with 15 years of experience as a psychotherapist and an Associate Professor at Colorado Technical University, I have been teaching courses on mental and behavioral health since 2011. I prioritize incorporating experiential learning approaches in the classroom whenever possible. This presentation will explore a few such approaches. One example is the Schizophrenia Demonstration, aimed at conveying the inner experiences of individuals with this condition. Unlike videos or descriptions from diagnostic manuals, this demonstration offers a more immersive understanding through a “patient” narrative accompanied by an audio track reflecting the unsettling experiences within the mind of someone with schizophrenia. Another experiential approach involves a simulation of group therapy dynamics, with students acting as participants and the instructor as the counselor. Each student is secretly assigned a specific behavioral role to portray during the session, providing deeper insights into group dynamics and personal motivations within counseling settings. A final experiential approach for this presentation focuses on Active Listening, an essential skill required for effective counseling. Through role-play exercises, students can experience techniques such as paraphrasing, reflecting, and withholding judgment, gaining a practical understanding of the process. Participants in this presentation will be encouraged to share experiential techniques they may already use, fostering a collaborative learning environment. Through these active learning methods, students can develop a deeper understanding of mental health concepts and counseling skills beyond traditional classroom lectures and materials.

Speaker: Gene I. Katz

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2024

• Date of Conference: 23-25 July, 2024
• DOI: 10.20533/CICE.2024.0006
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-913572-65-5
• Conference Location: Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada