American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC.

Neukrug, E. (2003). World of the Counselor. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Neukrug, E. (2003). World of the Counselor Workbook. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Sperry, L., Carlson, J., and Kjos, D. (2002). Becoming an Effective Therapist. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. [Chs. 1-3 of this text, which is also used in PSYC 534, PSYC 514 and GUCO 510, will be covered in this class.]

The objectives of this course are for students to gain an information base and demonstrate competence in:

1. The historical antecedents and current definitions of the counseling profession.
2. The standards of counseling as a regulated profession including awareness of professional issues, ethics, and credentialing.
3. The theories and basic counseling and interpersonal skills of communication associated with the counseling relationship.
4. An understanding and appreciation of various populations with whom counselors work and a multicultural and diversity focus in counseling skills and advocacy.
5. Familiarity with appropriate assessment procedures, community resources and intervention strategies and skills, and awareness of the specialty areas of counseling and their various settings.
6. An awareness of future trends, particularly the expanded role of technology, and emerging concepts and theories in counseling.
7. Enhanced self-awareness of personal strengths, interests, and abilities.

Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:

   A    90 - 100%
   B    80 – 89%
   C    70 – 79%
   F    69% and Below

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.

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:

The following assignments for this course, with their respective contribution toward the students' grades, 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)

Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the onsite classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an eight-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most fourteen-week graduate distance education courses require at least ten hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.

Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.

Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of coursework from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. APA style is mandatory for all graduate counseling course work.  Plan on committing approximately 150 hours over the duration of this course to producing professional level work.

Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In an onsite course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In an online class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.

Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used in this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.

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. Included is 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 paper 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 class 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.

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 opportunities.