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Maryland in Europe

Graduate Programs - Europe

Counseling and Personnel Services (CAPS)

EDCP 789: Integrative Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Review & Practice of Complimentary and Alternative Strategies

In association with the American Counseling Association - European Branch, the Maryland in Europe Graduate Programs offers this one-credit graduate seminar and workshop in a comfortable, serene, and wooded professional setting. The seminar house is conveniently located just outside of Wiesbaden, Germany. The Frankfurt airport is the best and nearest flight destination.

Instructor: Scott E. Borrelli, EdD, ABPP (sborrell@faculty.ed.umuc.edu)

Dates/Times: Saturday, July 14, 2001 (0900-1700 hours); Sunday, 15 July (0900-1300).

Venue: The Wilhelm-Kempf-Haus, 65207 Wiesbaden-Naurod, Germany (www.wilhelm-kempf-haus.de)

Credit: I s.h. graduate credit (students and other participants not seeking course credit may also take the seminar/workshop for personal/professional growth and/or CEUs). The seminar/workshop will be technologically enhanced for those seeking graduate credit, and a paper/project will also be required at the end of the term in order to receive credit.

Course Description:

This course will offer an introduction to some of the more effective counseling intervention strategies which are usually considered as supplemental to traditional counseling work. The benefits of several techniques often considered "complimentary" or "alternative" are making their way into everyday counseling practice, offering the professional counselor considerably more options for tailor-making creative intervention programs that are both effective and economical in time and money.

The practice of integrative counseling/psychotherapy requires an appreciation of a wide range of counseling methods that are sometimes controversial but worthy of further investigation, especially when these practices might speed up the healing process. Integrative counseling practice recommends an open attitude toward various practices, some of which are ancient practices (e.g., breathing and meditation) and others "just off-the-press" (e.g., EMDR), and offering practical methods for combining both traditional and non-traditional.

The overall objective of the course is to introduce the best of these practices. That is, those practices that have solid research evidence-based track records will be studied, and participants will be encouraged to select those techniques which best fit individual counselor practice interests, and those of current/future clients. Participants will learn and practice some of the simpler strategies during the course, and be encouraged to continue training in any number of these areas. Information and resources for additional training will be provided.

The areas to be covered include: behavioral nutrition, hypnotherapy & NLP, EMDR & bi-lateral stimulation, breathing techniques, meditation & yoga, biofeedback & stress management. A course packet of readings will be distributed during the course, along with a bibliography and further recommended readings, and a list of resources. Students are encouraged to bring their own integrative counseling resources in the form of books, videos, and other materials that might be useful to share with the class. We will have access to audio/video and Power Point.

Course Format:

This course will offer a balance of theory and practice, and will include class discussion, individual and group experiential activities. Dress comfortably, so that you can freely participate in activities that will include yoga and movement exercises, and meditation. The seminar is taking place in a beautiful and natural area, so that walks in nature and relaxation will be encouraged!

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Identify valid complimentary intervention strategies based on evidenced-based research;
2. Apply a newly learned set of complimentary strategies to their personal and professional activities;
3. Explain the basic assumptions of integrative counseling and psychotherapy;
4. Locate additional resources and training opportunities in the area of complimentary and alternative interventions;
5. Discuss the latest research regarding the uses of complimentary/alternative interventions, and for integrating these in to conventional practices.

Readings:

Students will receive a brief course readings and resources packet at the start of the course, and will be required to read these by the end of the term.

Course Requirements & Grading:

Students seeking graduate credit for this course will complete the following:

1. Class participation: 12-hours of face-to-face class time in the seminar (50% of grade);
2. Further class participation through the Internet (to be explained in class) (25% of grade);
3. A course paper (3-5 pages) on a special interest area, to include a review of additional and related articles. Guidelines to be distributed during class (25% of grade).

Instructor Biography:

Dr. Scott E. Borrelli is a licensed psychologist, National Certified Counselor and School Counselor. He is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and holds Diplomate, Board Certification in both Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology. Dr. Borrelli has been Assistant Professor with Boston University, and has been on the graduate and undergraduate faculty of the University of Maryland in Europe since 1993. He has taught and practiced psychology, counseling, and psychotherapy for over twenty years, in a variety of settings and with a wide range of populations. Settings include mental health centers, university counseling centres, community mental health clinics, industry and business, hospitals, elementary and secondary schools. He has special interests in integrative counseling and psychotherapy, health and wellness, post-traumatic stress, psychopharmacology, clinical hypnotherapy, issues of multiculturalism and diversity, and EMDR. He holds an integrative/eclectic professional orientation, rooted in the belief in each individual's innate ability to problem-solve constructively, cope creatively, and live well. He is on the editorial staff of The EMDR Practitioner, the online journal for the Association of EMDR-Europe. Originally from Boston, he now lives in London.