COUNSELING THEORIES AND TECHNIQUES

Masters Degree in Grief Counseling & Thanatology

GRF 650

Breyer State University
Instructor: Juan Kenigstein, PH.D, M.ED., GC-C

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Counseling Theories and Techniques, a Masters Level course in the curriculum for the Degree, Masters in Grief Counseling. I'm pleased to offer you this course. This is an exciting course. This course covers the foundations, theories and practices of counseling. The presentation is well balanced and does not emphasize any particular orientation. Basic research is combined with practical applications.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your text book(s) have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded six semester hours of credit. Students may accelerate, but may not complete this course in less than four weeks.

TEXTBOOK: There is one (1) required textbook for this course.

Book 1: Counseling: Theory and Practice: 4th Edition, Rickey L. George & Therese S. Cristiani,
Nedham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1995: ISBN: 0-205-15252-X

This text may be found at your local bookstores.  Your local bookstores most often will order them as a special order for you, or you may purchase this book online from: 

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EXAMINATIONS: There are no examinations for this course; grades are based on completion of assignments and activities. 

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

GRADING COMPOSITION:

15 Activities                                         60%    
Self evaluation                          10%
Research Report                                   20%
Discovery & Intention Statement           10%

TOTAL                                               100%

GOALS: The aim of education about Counseling Theories and Techniques is to facilitate behavior change, improve the client’s ability to establish and maintain relationships, enhance the client’s ability to cope, promote the decision making process, and facilitate client potential and development.

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, coach, and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. However, I am also available for conversation by telephone if you would like. Our classroom for this course has a "chat" room. I am also very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat room at your request. From time to time, depending on how many students are enrolled in this course at a particular time, we will have some scheduled group chats. You will receive more detailed information at the time such chat sessions are scheduled. Please keep my email address handy so that you can contact me whenever necessary. Upon registration, you will receive my email address. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

METHODS: Readings from textbook, professional books and journals Self-awareness/exploration activities

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1). Be knowledgeable about the definition of counseling.
2). To point out the distinctions between counseling and psychotherapy.
3). To identify the goals of counseling.
4). To have an understanding of the historical development of the counseling profession.
5). Be knowledgeable about counselor credentialing.
6). To understand the role of the counselor.
7). To identify the personal characteristics of effective counselors.
8). To identify personal values in counseling.
9). To introduce some theoretical approaches in counseling such as Psychoanalytic, Affective, and Cognitive-Behavioral.
10). To develop you own personal theory in counseling.
11). To explore the characteristics of an effective counseling relationship.
12). To introduce the initial procedures and interview of the counseling process.
13). To explore counseling procedures such as: advanced empathy, theme identification, self-disclosure, perception check, interpretation, action strategies, goal setting, termination, and follow-up.
14). To explore counseling selected special populations.
15). To distinguish different models of helping such as counselor as consultant, group counseling, and crisis intervention counseling.
16). To examine career counseling.
17). To examine diagnosis and assessment in the counseling process.
18). To clarify professional issues such as ethics, legal considerations, current and future trends, research and evaluation in counseling.

COURSE OUTLINE:

I. INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING.
1. An Overview to Counseling.
2. On Becoming a Counselor.

II. THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO COUNSELING.
3. Psychoanalytic Foundations.
4. Affective Approaches to Counseling.
5. Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to Counseling.
6. Toward a Personal Theory of Counseling.

III. COUNSELING PROCESSES AND METHODS.
7. Characteristics of a Helping Relationship.
8. Counseling Procedures/Skills: I.
9. Counseling Procedures/Skills: II.
10. Counseling Selected Special Populations.
11. Models of Helping.
12. Career Counseling.
13. Diagnosis and Assessment.
14. Professional Issues.

Summary.

Ethical Standards of the American Counseling Association.

Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

REQUIREMENTS:

1). Students will submit a research report on one area of Counseling Theories and Techniques.  Reports are to include characteristics of population selected, specific methods and techniques that have been proven to be effective, an abstract, referral agencies, sources of additional information, and a comprehensive bibliography of information available on the topic. All topics must be approved by the instructor.

2). Each student will submit a self-evaluation report. Professional and personal growth using criteria provided in class and citing evidence from your work through the semester.

3). Students are responsible for reading and becoming familiar with all materials included in the textbook, and assigned outside readings.

4). Students will submit a Discovery and Intention statement. Discovery statements are a declaration of what you want, a description of your attitudes, statement of your feelings, transcripts of your thoughts, and chronicles of your behavior. Intention statements can be used to alter your life, statements of your commitment to do a specific task, or to take a certain action. An intention arises out of your choice to direct your energy toward a particular goal.

5). Students will work on 15 Activities.   

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