Faculty Contact Information:
E-mail: Tina.Staik@t-online.de
Home Phone: 06222-938247
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Consultation:
| Before and after class or by appointment. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
| Corey, G. & Corey, M. (2002). Groups: Process and Practice (6th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. | |
Supplementary Readings:
Corey, G. & Corey, M. (2002). I Never Knew I Had a Choice (7th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Yalom, I. (1995). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic Books.
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
Journal for Specialists in Group Work
International Journal of Group Psychotherapy
See UMUC Counseling WebBoard for these and other full-text, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals:
http://www.ed.umuc.edu/graduate/webboards/
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Course Description:
| The primary objective of this course is to acquaint students with important skills that are considered to be prerequisites for effective group counseling as well as working with other kinds of groups. These skills include the basics of group dynamics and an introduction to the laboratory training method of working with groups. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: GUCO 531 or EDCP 617. Prerequisites: PSYC 502 and PSYC 534. | |
Course Goals:
| This course is designed to acquaint the student with the theoretical concepts and fundamentals of group counseling as outlined in the CACREP common-core curriculum area of Group Work. Students will examine counseling theories and research related to group work along with learning micro-skills related to group development and dynamics. The course will provide students with a beginning knowledge of conducting a group. An experiential component as a simulated counseling group will provide opportunities for practice and for personal and professional development. | |
Course Objectives:
1. Know the major theories of group counseling.
2. Be able to apply group therapeutic techniques.
3. Have acquired group counseling skills.
4. Be familiar with problems encountered in group counseling.
5. Be familiar with ethical issues in group counseling.
6. Understand personal development through group activities.
7. Understand individual, interpersonal, and intragroup issues that occur in group counseling. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 92%
B 80 – 91%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society.
In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
20% Participation
20% Comprehensive Take-Home Exam
20% Group Process Paper
20% Proposal for a Group
20% Group Theory Research Paper
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Description of Course Requirements:
Participation:
Class participation is essential in this course and consists of 20% of the final grade to include the following factors: participation in class discussions, participation in experiential activities, oral presentations and attendance. Your participation in class discussions will be measured by both the quality and degree of your contributions. You are expected to come prepared to class by having completed all the assigned readings and primed to verbally contribute and raise questions in a professional and informed manner. (See the Course Schedule below for due dates of assigned readings.) This typically requires two to three hours of preparation for every hour of face-to-face time. In contrast, your participation grade in experiential activities and oral presentations will be based largely on the level of enthusiasm and effort put into your work, since prior experience in leading groups or public speaking is not required. Instead, you are encouraged to think of these assignments as opportunities to build confidence and skill mastery.
Attendance:
Because a significant part of the course consists of interactive participation in class and group experiential exercises, attendance is mandatory for you to benefit and contribute to the learning processes of the class. Arrangements for absences, late arrivals or early departures must be made in advance by notifying the instructor, and you will be expected to make-up assignments, possibly additional work assigned on an individual basis by the instructor. Excessive absences may lower your final grade or result in failure to complete the course.
Comprehensive Take-Home Exam:
The comprehensive exam will consist of essay questions pertaining to the material covered in the course. You will receive the questions four weeks prior to the due date. The exam will comprise 20% of your final grade.
Group Process Paper:
The “Group Process Paper” will comprise a five-page double-spaced position paper, and consist of thoughtful reflections that conceptualize your learning based on your experiences in the weekend group workshop. You will receive more detailed guidelines in preparing this paper at the first class meeting. The process paper will comprise 20% of your final grade.
Proposal for Conducting a Group:
The “Proposal for a Group” will consist of a five-page, double-spaced paper in outline form in which you describe your rationale for starting and leading a group, how you would structure and evaluate the group, and so on. Guidelines for forming a group and writing the proposal are found in your textbook in Chapter 4, and examples of proposals in Chapters 9 through 12. Note: In addition to turning in a printed copy on the due date, you are asked to post your proposal on the class WebBoard under “Proposals for a Group.” The proposal will comprise 20% of your final grade.
Group Theory Research Paper:
The “Group Theory Paper” will consist of research on a selected theory of group counseling. The paper should consist of seven to eight pages, be written in APA style, and based on a minimum of two scholarly sources. Resubmission of course work from previous classes is not acceptable in this course and will result in failing the assignment. The proposal will comprise 20% of your final grade. Note: In addition to turning in a printed copy on the due date, you are asked to post your paper on the class WebBoard under “Group Theory Papers.”
Oral Presentations:
You are required to present, in a professional manner, two of the above assignments: (1) the “Proposal for a Group” and (2) the “Group Theory Research Paper.” This typically means accompanied by appropriate visual material, and addressing questions at the end of your presentation. You are also expected to be an active audience member, forming and asking questions, when classmates conduct their presentations.
Class format:
Instruction will consist of a combination of didactic and experiential elements, including demonstrations, short lectures, questions and answers, and a weekend “workshop” in which you will have an opportunity to apply what you are learning by co-leading a group with another classmate, as well as being a member of groups other classmates co-lead, supervised by the instructor. For your participation in the workshop, and other experiential exercises, you are not expected to have previous experience, and will be graded on the level of your efforts.
Additional Requirements:
Role of Group Member. This course is experientially oriented, requiring you to be involved in a fair amount of role-playing and practice of skills as a group leader, and member. You have the right and personal responsibility to share only what you wish to share, and use your judgment in what your share. All exercises are optional and you may stop participating at any point without penalty. At the same time, if you frequently find yourself wishing to avoid many exercises, you may wish to discuss your options with the instructor.
Confidentiality. In the course of group interactions students may say something personally important and confidential. It is your duty to maintain this confidentiality and trust. Papers must disguise the identity of group members or indicate you have permission to identify a group member in order to be accepted by instructor. Failing to maintain confidentiality may result in failure in this course.
Late Work. Assignments are due as indicated in the "Course Schedule" section below, and must be completed on time. A 10% grade deduction will result for unexcused late assignments, 15% when more than one week late.
Honesty and Integrity. The guidelines set forth by the University regarding cheating and/or plagiarism will be upheld in this course. All plagiarized assignments will receive failing grades. Therefore, always give source citations and indicate materials that are quoted or paraphrased from someone else.
The instructor reserves the right to make minor changes in the course schedule and assignments in order to facilitate the student's learning in accordance with the stated course objectives. | |
Course Schedule:
The schedule below presents due dates for all readings and assignments in 16 units or modules, with each unit corresponding to a regular three-hour weekday meeting, a half-day on weekends.
WEEKEND I :
Initial meeting: Saturday, October 23 :
Introductions
Review of syllabus
Clarification of goals, objectives and requirements
Orientation to subject
Corey & Corey:
Chapter 1: “Introduction to Group Work”
Chapter 2: “Group Counselor: Person and Professional”
Sunday, October 24 :
Corey & Corey:
Chapter 3: “Ethical and Legal Issues in Group Counseling”
Chapter 4: “Forming a Group”
WEEKEND II :
Saturday, November 6 :
Corey & Corey:
Chapter 5: “Initial Stage of a Group”
Chapter 6: “Transition Stage of a Group”
DUE: Group Theory Paper & Oral Presentation
Sunday, November 7 :
Corey & Corey, Chapter 7: “Working Stage of a Group”
WEEKEND III :
Saturday, November 20 :
“GROUP WORKSHOP”
Saturday, November 21 :
“GROUP WORKSHOP” (con’d)
Corey & Corey, Chapter 8: “Ending a Group”
DUE by Friday, November 27th: Group Process Paper
WEEKEND IV :
Saturday, December 11 :
Corey & Corey:
Chapter 9: “Groups for Children”
Chapter 10: “Groups for Adolescents”
Chapter 11: “Groups for Adults”
Chapter 12: “Groups for the Elderly”
DUE: Written “Proposals for a Group”
Sunday, December 12 :
DUE: Oral presentation of “Proposals”
DUE by Friday, December 17th: Comprehensive Take-Home Exam
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Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Dr. Tina Staik holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in marriage and family therapy from Florida State University, a Master of Arts degree in counseling psychology from the University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland. She is a registered marriage and family therapy intern, an associate member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), an AAMFT supervisor in training, and a certified family life educator (CFLE) through the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). She has taught in the disciplines of psychology, sociology and family science for Florida State University, Troy State University and Saint Leo University. | |