Graduate | Current Syllabi | Term021 |

Course Dates: 24/25 Aug; 14/15, 28/29 Sep; 12/13 Oct 0900-1600
Course Location: Kaiserslautern-Kaupaun Education Center
Instructor: Brian K. Price, Ph.D.
Email Address: priceb@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
Office Hours: Prior to class; after class on day one or by appointment.

Required Texts

Neukrug, E. (2002a). The world of the counselor: An introduction to counseling. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Neukrug, E. (2002b). The world of the counselor: An experiential workbook for developing professional competencies. Pacific Grove,
CA: Brooks/Cole.

Other readings will be distributed in class or in the class webboard. Although not required, the following is also recommended:

Course Description

This course serves as the introductory graduate course to both the profession of counseling and to the CAPS Program. It provides
opportunities to understand counseling by comparing and contrasting with other professional and nonprofessional helping relations,
presenting a scholarly overview of the more common counseling theories, concepts and strategies, and surveying the nature and scope of
professional counseling activities performed in different settings. The course also introduces the concept of professionalism by discussing
professional counseling associations, relevant legal definitions, sanctions and control of the practice of counseling, and the code of
professional ethics of the American Counseling Association. The course will also assist students to determine whether the counseling
profession is compatible with their career interests, abilities, and motivations. Students are expected to participate actively in a variety of
experiential activities designed to meet the course objectives.

Course Objectives

I. Scholarship

• become familiar with the various sources of professional counseling literature available for scholarly review.
• understand the purpose of research and foster a critical sense for reviewing different kinds of quantitative and qualitative research
  findings related to counseling.
• begin to define the terms guidance, counseling, and psychotherapy and to compare and contrast counselors with psychologists,
  psychiatrists, social workers, psychotherapists, and psychiatric nurses.
• describe and distinguish the various counseling specialty areas.
• examine the historical roots of counseling, and examine its relationship to the historical roots of psychology, psychiatry, and social
  work.
• begin to understand the predominant theories, concepts and strategies for used in counseling clients.
• develop an appreciation for the life-span perspective of the person, including areas such as personality, psychopathology, family
  dynamics, and career.
• become familiar with the American Psychological Association's format for preparing manuscripts

II. Science and Technology

use and understand the advantages and limits of audio and visual recording equipment for the purpose of observing and analyzing
human encounters and student counseling skills.
use online bulletin boards and email for corresponding with fellow students and faculty.
use UMUC's online proprietary databases for the purpose of finding and retrieving professional literature
become aware of future trends, particularly the expanded role of technology, and emerging concepts and theories in counseling.

III. Personal Awareness

identify the various dimensions of one's self from a developmental perspective, including physical, family, interpersonal/social,
vocational, and psychological aspects
increase awareness of one's interests, skills, values, and motivations which may be useful for making a career decision
identify one's personal strengths and limitations that may affect one's potential as a professional counselor

IV. Beginning Counselor Skills Development

become aware of, examine, and discuss the characteristics of the effective counselor
identify, monitor, and evaluate one's basic listening skills within classroom exercises
become aware of the community resources available for assisting clients with identified needs
understand the advantages of professional affiliation, including membership in such organizations as the American Counseling
Association
identify potential ethical problems within counseling scenarios and demonstrate use of the American Counseling Association's Code
of Ethics as a guide for resolving them.

Course Assignments and Descriptions

I. Autobiographical Statement. Students are responsible for developing a detailed autobiographical statement that relates important
developmental, personal and situational dimensions of their lives to their desire to explore the professional career of counseling. The paper
will be developed in two stages. For the first stage each student is to write an autobiographical statement after the first class that will
include the following demographic information: your name, age, relational status, children, and the names, ages and occupations of your
parents and siblings. Include your educational and physical history, as well as anything else that you deem relevant. The second stage will
be due the final Saturday of the class and will include information that corresponds with the lecture material.

II. In-class and Webboard Exercises. Numerous assignments will be made for the purpose of discussion, both during class and in the EDCP
610 Webboard. Many of these assignments will come from Neukrug's workbook and two assignments will include in-class simulations of
counseling. Completion of these tasks and participation in both settings will be necessary for receiving credit for the exercises.
Assignments in the Webboard will often include a requirement that students provide commentary or feedback regarding other students'
contributions.

III. Article Reviews. Students will select five articles to review from journals specified in class. The topics should address areas of
counseling that may be of some interest to the student and can be used for the reference list required in the Special Population Report. The
reviews must include the title and source of the article, an overview of its content, its relation to the class material, and your personal
conclusion. It must also include an APA-style reference at the end of the review. Three of the reviews will be presented in class.

IV. Special Population Report. Early in the term, students will select a different population that may require a form of counseling
intervention. A list of potential topics will be distributed in class and students are encouraged to choose a population that they may expect
to encounter in their professional counseling career. Students will prepare an 8-10 page report to present during the last day of class.
Included in this report will be a description of the population and the evidence of need for counseling intervention, an identification of the
available community counseling sources, and a list of ten references that pertain to this topic. A significant portion of this report includes a
description of a specific facility that the student will visit.

V. Reaction Papers. The last half-hour of the second day of the first three weekends will be devoted to each student writing a reaction
paper of the weekend experience. The paper is to be at least one page in length and is to focus on what the student has learned in that
weekend and how that learning will be personally and professionally useful. This can also be a critical reaction to the weekend, identifying
what has been useful; what has not been useful and what would be useful in future classes.

VI. Final self-exam. Students will write a final essay paper in class consisting of their self-interests, aptitude, and motivation to continue with
the academic, professional, and personal preparation necessary to become a professional counselor.

Student Evaluation and Grading Information

Students' performance will be graded based upon a percentage of the total 1000 possible points obtained during the course. In general, it
will be necessary to obtain a minimum of 90% of the course points to achieve an A (900 or more points), at least 80% of the points for a B
(800-899 points), at least 70% of total possible points for a C, at least 60% for a D, and anything below 60% is a F. The point value for
assignments are:

Autobiographical Statement. 200 points
In-class and Webboard Exercises. 300 points
Article Reviews. 100 points
Special Population Report. 300 points
Reaction Papers 75 points
Final Self-Exam 25 points

Schedule of Readings

All readings refer to Neukrug (2002a):

Weekend One, 24/25Aug: chapters 1-3, 12, & 13
Weekend Two, 14/15 Sep: chapters 4-8
Weekend Three, 28/29 Sep: chapters 9-11, 14, & 15
Weekend Four, 12/13 Oct: chapters 16-20

Other Class Policies

I. A word about what is an appropriate degree of experiential activity in a graduate counseling course. This course is very experiential, as
one of the major assumptions of professional counseling is that it depends upon creating an environment where self-examination is possible.
Many efforts will be made to allow students to both experience self-exploration and develop skills to foster self-exploration within others.
To accomplish this, it is important to create and maintain a climate of safety for self-disclosure, yet demonstrate a respect for personal
privacy rights. Even a graduate class in counseling, however, is not counseling. Appropriate limits of confidentiality will therefore be
discussed during the first class weekend. Should personal issues arise during the class that warrant further assessment or counseling,
students will be encouraged to seek non-university professional assistance.

II. Attendance. Students are expected to attend every weekend class. It is also understood that unavoidable circumstances may make
absences necessary for some students. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor ahead of time and to
compensate for the loss of classroom time by proposing appropriate alternatives to make up the lost opportunites.