Faculty Contact Information:
e-mail: tsommerfield@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
Phone: 07251-69998 (not after 2000 please - I have little children.) | |
Consultation:
| Office Hours: Before and after class on Saturdays and Sundays. We can also use telephone conferencing as well. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Golden, L.B. (2002) Case Studies in Child and Adolescent Counseling. Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall.
Wagner, W.G. (2002) Counseling, Psychology, and Children: A Muiltidimensional Approach to Intervention. Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| 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:
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Course Description:
| Prerequisite: PSYC 502. This course addresses the specific developmental stages, needs, and problems of children and adolescents. Techniques for counseling these groups will be illustrated through demonstrations and personal growth and development activities. | |
Course Goals:
| This course is designed to enable students to become familiar with the major theories of counseling as they apply to children and adolescents. It will assist students in preparing for the comprehensive exam and will prepare them for professional practice. | |
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the development of problem behavior in children and adolescents and the theoretical, societal, cultural, ethnic, family, and other factors involved.
2. Develop an understanding of the importance of societal, spiritual, cultural, and ethnic sensitivity in working with this population and with parents.
3. Acquire knowledge and skills in the use of methods and techniques of enhancing self-esteem in children and adolescents, individually and in their peer groups.
4. Identify problems that have potential for precipitating a family crisis and to develop skills in counseling with school staff and others on strategies to ameliorate problems.
5. Identify facilities and programs both traditional and non-traditional, including technological advances developed to meet the needs of children and adolescents.
6. Develop skills and techniques for counseling children and adolescents, both individually and in groups.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of the organizations, legal and ethical standards, and legal and ethical issues in dealing with children and adolescents. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade "F" is used to designate academic failure. "FN" 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 master's 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:
Participate in classroom discussions...........15%
Oral Presentation..............................30%
Complete a graduate level final paper in appropriate APA style format.........................................30%
Complete a final written examination...........25%
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Description of Course Requirements:
Participation in classroom discussions and exercises (worth 15% of final grade). Students will be graded on the quality and not the quantity of their participation in class discussions.
Oral presentation (worth 30% of final grade). Students will be assigned a case topic from 'Case Studies in Child & Adolescent Counseling' (Golden, 2002) and will be required to present the case to the class, facilitate discussion about the treatment approach of the therapist, what did or did not work well, and what would the student change – why or why not. The most important aspect is to understand the case and the treatment approach given in the text and facilitate a fruitful discussion with fellow classmates.
Graduate level final paper (30% of final grade) on a topic approved by instructor. Should be APA style format. The body should be 8-10 pages in length at a minimum not including title page, abstract, and reference pages. Students will not use papers from past classes (in their entirety) and submit them in this class as the assigned paper. This could result in no points given for the paper. Segments/parts of student papers written in past classes may be used (within reason) in order to enhance a paper submitted in this course. (Please see Academic Policies section later in this syllabus.)
One cumulative exam (25% of the final grade). The final exam will cover the material in the primary text (Wagner, 2002). The exam is designed to assess students understanding of and ability to apply the material.
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Course Schedule:
The following is an outline to the content of the course and suggested readings in the primary textbooks. It is subject to slight modification. The primary text 'Counseling, Psychology, and Children' (Wagner, 2002) will be the primary text with reading assignments below unless otherwise specified.
Saturday, 22 October 2005
Introductions
Review of syllabus
Clarification of goals, objectives and requirements
Orientation to subject
Film & Discussion: The Children Are Watching
Chapter 1 A Multidimensional Approach to Intervention with Children
Chapter 2 Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues
Chapter 3 Contemporary Issues: Managed Mental Health Care, Brief Therapies, and Empirically Supported Theories for Children.
Sunday, 23 October 2005
Chapter 4 Assessment: The First Step
Chapter 5 Interventions with Children
Chapter 6 Psychodynamic Theory
Chapter 7 Psychodynamic Interventions
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Saturday, 5 November 2005
Chapter 8 Child-Centered Theory
Chapter 9 Child-Centered Interventions
Chapter 10 Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Theory
Sunday, 6 November 2005
Chapter 11 Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions
Film & Discussion: A Good Smack
Chapter 14 Consultations
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Saturday, 19 November 2005
Chapter 12 Family Systems Theory
Chapter 13 Family Systems Interventions
Sunday, 20 November 2005
Film & Discussion: Listening to Children-A Moral Journey with Robert Coles
Chapter 15 Psychopharmacotherapy and Other Interventions for Children
Chapter 16 Integrated Approaches to Intervention
Final Exam review /discussion
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Saturday, 10 December 2005
Course evaluation
Morning Final Exam
Begin Oral presentations.
Sunday, 11 December 2005
Finish Oral presentations
Wrap Up
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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. Tom Sommerfield earned his A.A. in General Studies, a B.S. in Psychology, and a M.Ed. in Counseling & Personnel Services all through University of Maryland programs. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Family Psychology with Capella University. His primary interests are with parenting styles, divorce issues, and children’s exposure to media and/or domestic violence.
Dr. Sommerfield has lived in the Heidelberg, Germany area for about 18 years since leaving high school and joining the U.S. Army. After four successful years as a soldier, he has been working as a "civilian" in the Heidelberg military community since 1990. He is married and has a beautiful little family. His son Jerome Thomas is six and his daughter Sydney Joy is four.
When not working, he has "another side of life" while drumming in a very successful music project in the Heidelberg/Karlsruhe area. If interested in surprising him at a show, please visit their site to check the "termine" or schedule at: www.sammy-goes-nuts.de
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