GRF 750 - Counseling Children

COUNSELING CHILDREN

Masters Degree in Grief Counseling & Thanatology

GRF 750

Breyer State University
Instructor: Richard Pessagno, MSN, RN, CS, CGT

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: This course is designed to provide you with the theoretical and clinical applications necessary to begin working with children facing grief and loss. The course will expose you to the dynamics of death, dying, and grief in the context of the developing child, allowing for application of theoretical knowledge to practical situations when engaged in the therapeutic process with children. Upon completion of this course, you will have the understanding to effectively work with bereaved children and to express the developmental challenges children face when confronted with grief and loss.

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 five semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOKS: There are theee (3) required textbooks for this course.

Book 1: American Psychological Association. Publications manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). Baltimore; Garadmond/Prideman Press: 1994. ISBN # 1557987912.

Book 2: The Grieving Child: A Partent's Guide. By Fitzgerald, H. New York; Simon and Schuster: 1994. ISBN # 0-671-76762-3.

Book 3: Breaking The Silence: A Guide To Help Children With Ccomplicated Grief-Suicide, Homicide, AIDS, Violence And Abuse. By Goldman, L. Philadelphia; Accelerated Development: 1994. ISBN #1583913122.

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EXAMINATIONS: There are no examinations for this course.

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

93-100%    = A
83-92%      = B
75-82%      = C
Below 75% = Fail

GRADING COMPOSITION:

PAPER 1               10%
PAPER 2               10%
PAPER 3               10%
RESEARCH PAPER 70%

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: You are to write three papers, which are to be 2-4 pages in length and follow the APA format. You are to submit both in an emailed copy of all their papers and a hard copy of your papers. You are to contact me for instructions on where to mail papers. Papers are to be mailed via USPS to me. Papers will not be returned unless you send a self-address, stamped envelop for me to return the paper.

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.

Students are expected to notify me after enrollment in the course, via e-mail with your name, address and phone number. Along please forward a brief description of your background, your experience working in the field of grief and loss and how you plan to use your graduate education.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Richard Pessagno, MSN, RN, CS, CGT is a psychiatric advance practice nurse who has specialized in the working with the bereaved for over 17 years. His background includes experience working in hospice, AIDS care, oncology nursing and psychiatric-mental health nursing. Mr. Pessagno is currently nationally board certified as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, as a grief therapist and as a group psychotherapist. He has provided individual and group counseling and psychotherapy services for a variety of grief-related issues. He has worked with adults, adolescents and children. In addition, he has published in the areas of psychosocial oncology and thanatology. He is a certified psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist, as well as a certified group psychotherapist, Post-masters Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and a grief therapist.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Analyze various human development theories and to make application of these theories to the process of grief during the course of normal childhood development.
2). Synthesize current research, theory and pertinent clinical related to grief and loss and to make application to the process of grief and loss in the context of childhood developmental staging.
3). Articulate what is a normal grief response for children at varies stages of development.
4). Augment the student's ability to analyze and apply research, theory and current clinical treatment modalities in order to effectively work with children whom are bereaved.