About This Course

This 1.5 hour video course with Matthew Dahlitz will take you through the basic principles of mental functioning. Based on his book The Psychotherapist's Essential Guide to the Brain, Matthew takes you through the fundamentals of mental functioning for psychotherapists.

  • A series of videos by Matthew Dahlitz + online questions to test your learning + certificate of completion

  • An overview of the basic psychological needs

  • An understanding of the consistency principle that governs behaviour

  • Approach/Avoid neural networks and how they develop to protect or enhance psychological needs

  • The concepts of congruence and consistency in regards to therapy

  • What elements are essential for change.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Basic Psychological Needs Introduction

    • Before we begin...

    • Introduction

    • Basic Needs
  • 2

    4 Needs

    • The Need For Attachment

    • The Need for Orientation & Control

    • Need for Orientation and Control Quiz

    • Pleasure Maximisation and Pain Minimisation

    • Pleasure & Pain Quiz

    • Self-Esteem Enhancement

    • Self-esteem Quiz

    • Need For Attachment Quiz
  • 3

    Schemas & Networks

    • Motivational Schemas

    • Motivational Quiz

    • Approach/Avoid Networks

    • Approach/Avoid Quiz

    • The Consistency Principle

    • Consistency Quiz
  • 4

    Change

    • Change

    • Change Quiz

    • Change Part 2

    • Change Part 2 Quiz
  • 5

    Before You Go

    • Thank You

    • Before you go...

Reviews

5 star rating

Basic principles of mental functioning

John Falcon

Good sequence of topic easy to follow. Good basic platform for change in therapy. Bottom up process clear for change and new learning.

Good sequence of topic easy to follow. Good basic platform for change in therapy. Bottom up process clear for change and new learning.

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Instructor(s)

CEO The Science of Psychotherapy

Matthew Dahlitz

Matthew Dahlitz is both university trained and an autodidact whose knowledge spans across the arts, technology, psychology, neuroscience, emergency medicine, and business. He has studied psychology at the University of Queensland with a Master of Counselling degree specializing in neuropsychotherapy. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Neuropsychotherapist, has taught post-graduate courses in neuropsychotherapy, and is author of the book The Psychotherapists’s Essential Guide to the Brain. Matthew has also studied at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in both music technology and master of composition. He has scored for film and produced a number of albums of original music and played producer in a film production company. Matthew has also been an Advanced Care Paramedic for a decade, managed commercial property and property development projects in the tens of millions of dollars, founded the Age of Robots site that reports on the technology and the social and psychological impacts of this second machine age, and runs a media and publishing company with an emphasis on great story telling.

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