A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the Counseling Webboard at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/graduate/webboards/

This course is designed to provide the helping professional with the knowledge of the major ethical and legal issues in counseling and psychotherapy today. Students will be exposed to such topics as ethical theory, laws and court decisions, incompetence, malpractice, licensure and certification, privileged communications, DSM IV and Family Therapy, legal liabilities affecting psychologists, and legal obligations of psychotherapists. Ethical standards for individual practitioners will be examined in detail. Participants will be involved in case research, group discussions, group reports, and individual presentations of ethical and legal issues in the field of counseling and psychotherapy. As this course replaces PSYC 580, students may receive credit for only one of the following:  PSYC 780 or PSYC 580.

The profession of counseling is both sanctioned and censured by aspects of the individual practitioner, the professional community, and the broader American society. The overall goal of this course is to acquaint students with moral, ethical, and legal issues that affect the practice of counseling. Such issues include individual moral development, ethical decision-making models, the ethical guidelines for professional practice of counseling described by the American Counseling Association and the American Psychological Association, the roles played by counseling experts within the American legal system, family protection laws, legal issues pertaining to regulating mental health treatment, professional licensure, and practice issues.

1. To become familiar with the distinctions between moral, ethical, and legal behavior, as applied to the practice of counseling.
   
2. To acquire experience using ethical reasoning skills to apply professional ethics within case scenarios to resolve potential counseling problems.
   
3. To discuss some of the major professional activities faced by mental health professionals working within the legal system, including their potential ethical conflicts.
   
4. To become familiar with statutory and case law as it impacts the mental health practitioner.
   
5. To demonstrate an 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:

Participate in classroom discussions ............25%
Write a graduate level research paper ...........25% each
Complete a graduate level case study Analysis ...25%
Complete one written examination ................25%

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.

There are exact specifications for your online participation in a rubric that you will find in the Syllabus section, under Grading. The online rubric defines your grade. You may work to get the grade you desire.

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.

There will be two papers due in this course and there will be a late penalty of 10% for late papers where no prior arrangement of (at least one week prior) has been made with the instructor.

One paper will be a case study that will be posted in the online class room. Students are required to analyze/critique the possible ethical and legal problems, as well as offer the solutions for the situation(s). References are necessary. Paper must be APA, and no longer than 5 pages typed. The paper should be concisely and technical written. A rubric will be available.

This final exam will involve a face-to-face interview with a counselor, chaplain, or psychologist on your base. Specifics will be posted online. Please plan appropriately for this. If there is any difficulty, please notify me no later than May 27, 2007.