Applied Dynamic and Clinical Psychology - Psicologia Dinamica e Clinica Applicata

Aims General aims. On the background of a basic knowledge of general biology of sexuality (in particular with a neuroscientific and psy-chometric approach), the course aims to develop the main concepts of the new systems sexology (in particular, on a ho-listic perception of sexual physiology and pathology), in order to acquire the useful and needed knowledges of medi-cal/systems sexology of human sexual behaviours. Specific aims According to the Dublin Descriptors, i.e. the cycle descriptors (or "level descriptors") presented in 2003 and adopted in 2005 as the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area, the aims of the course are teaching the following aspects of endocrine control of sexual behaviours and medical sexology: • Endocrinology and medical sexology of sexual orientation, gender identity, abnormalities of sexual differentiations and gender dysphoria. Gender-specific sexology. Biology of beauty and seduction. Biology of monogamy and infidelity. • Medical sexology of female sexual dysfunctions (Hypoactive sexual desire disorder - HSDD, vaginismus, dyspareunia, anorgasmia, Persistent genital arousal disorder -PGAD, paraphilic disorders). • Medical sexology of male sexual dysfunctions (HSDD, erectile dysfunction, premature/delayed/retrograde ejacula-tion, anejaculation and anorgasmia, paraphilic disorders). • Medical sexology of peculiar conditions (sex workers, pornography, sexual addictions, drug addictions, Post SSRI Sexual Disorders - PSSD) • Contraception and STD prevention. • Psychoendocrinology and medical sexology of hypogonadisms, gonadal diseases, fertility and infertility. Premen-strual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Postpartum Depression (PPD). • Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology and disorders of hypothalamus and pituitary (stress, puberty, growth, lactation, etc) • Psychological and psychosexological symptoms in thyroid, adrenal, and metabolic disorders. Knowledge and understanding At the end of the course, to students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension skills relat-ed sexual and psychological symptoms using integrated biological, social, cultural, economic, environmen-tal, epidemiological, and medical tools (systems sexology). Applying knowledge and understanding At the end of this course, the students will be able to conduct a first interview/intake session, to formulate a case accord-ing to the data collected during these interviews and the competencies necessary for developing a therapeutic plan co-herent with the diagnosis and the formulation of the clinical cases of male and female sexual dysfunctions and of clin-ical cases of psychological and sexological symptoms in medical, endocrine, and metabolic diseases in the perspective of systems sexology. Making judgements More than half of the course (about 70%) will be based on academic, but interactive, lectures and less than half (about 30%) will consist in group discussions of actual clinical sessions of cases of medical sexology developing the student’s abilities in making judgements. At the end of the course, students will be able to develop personal, but reliable hypoth-eses, evidence-based, about: what to investigate during a first inter-view/intake session according to the different clini-cal features of the patient and the couple with the sexual dysfunction in the light of systems sexology; how to deal with missing medical and systems information or other difficulties encountered during the interview and follow-up; how to integrate these data in a diagnostic picture and in coherent and comprehensive case formulation of sexual symptoms in medical, endocrine and metabolic diseases; how to develop specific and autonomous abilities in the sexological and psychological follow-up of medical therapies for sexual dysfunction. Communication skills At the end of the course, the student will be particularly able in communicating skills related to medical, bio-logical and systemic aspects of sexual dysfunctions by being able to illustrate, from a psychological perspective, the medical and biological processes that led to their acquisition to specialists and non-specialist interlocutors in the field of sexual medicine and medical sexology. At the end of the course, the students will be able to explain how they would choose the kind of first interview and counsel to conduct, according to the different clinical situations related to various sexual functions and dysfunctions, how they would decide if and what to inquire and how they develop their hypotheses about the patient’s functioning and problems on the basis of the characteristics in communications, behaviours, emo-tions and problems of the patients with sexual dysfunctions due to organic (systemic, endocrine, metabolic, etc.) and (apparently) non-organic causes. Learning skills During the course, the students will be given a set of references by which they will be able to deepen their understand-ing of how to deal with specific and complex clinical situations in sexual functions and dysfunctions due to systemic and organic/non organic causes. In particular, she/he is expected to develop specific and autonomous learning skills related to psychoendocrinology and medical/systems sexology.