Brief Therapy

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

PSY 625

Breyer State University
Professor: Thomas Schear, Ph.D.

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: This course is designed to provide you with a general overview of the concepts and techniques of brief therapy.  Then you will the theories and techniques of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy will be studies in greater detail.

I know that as you take the time to learn as much as you can about this topic it will serve you well as you contemplate providing counseling services to future clients.

TIME FRAME: This is a four (4) four-semester hour course. This course is allotted 15 weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the 15 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 textbook has arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. Extensions of time are permitted if needed with my and/or departmental approval. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded 4 semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOK: There are three (3) textbooks required for this course. 

Book 1: A Brief Guide To Brief Therapy. Brian Cade & William Hudson O’Hanlon. New York, New York. W. W. Norton & Company. 1993. ISBN # 0393701433.

Book 2: Handbook of Solution-Focused Therapy. Bill O’Connell & Stephen Palmer, ed. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc. 2003. ISBN # 0761967842.

Book 3: Recreating Brief Therapy: Preferences and Possibilities. John L. Walter & Jane E. Peller. New Your, New York. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN # 0393703258.

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EXAMINATIONS: The exam(s) for this course are true/false and multiple choice in nature and ought to be completed as scheduled below:

The first exam is based on the Cade book and should be taken by the end of the 5th week.
The second exam is based on the O’Connell book and should be taken by the end of the 10th week.
The third exam is based on the Walter book and should be taken by the end of the 15th week.

All exams are programmed and are located in the classroom for this course.  When you are ready to take the first exam let me know and I’ll send you specific instructions on how to take the test as well as setup the program so you will have access to it.  To access, you will come into the classroom, click on testing, and click on the exam you are taking.  After using your user ID and password to access the exam the exam will appear on your screen then all you need to do is complete the exam.  Once you submit the exam I am notified of the results and I will then email you the results. You will also know what questions, if any, that you missed, and what the correct answer is.

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

91-100%    = A
81-90%      = B
71-80%      = C
Below 70% = Failed

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.  Please keep my email address handy so that you can contact me whenever necessary. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: My name is Tom Schear. I have a BA, MA and Ph.D. in social work, MA in counseling, and have taken some additional graduate level courses in business and human services administration. Finally, I am an E-Myth trained business coach and a graduate of Coach University. I have worked at all levels of counseling agencies in Iowa and Montana, including front-line counselor, clinical director and executive director. I now live in the town where I grew up, working out of my home providing continuing education courses for helping professionals, teaching online courses for virtual universities including Breyer State University, Canyon College and EarthNet Institute, and provide both online and telephone-based counseling and personal and business coaching services. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, hunting and spending time with my wife, Kathy and adult children, Brian and Steven and dog, Solo.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• The student will understand the basic concepts of brief therapy.
• The student will understand how to assess a client’s issues to be addressed through the use of brief therapy.
• The student will understand how to develop interventions and set goals to be met during the course of brief therapy.
• The student will understand the meaning of and the application of the paradoxical intervention.
• The student will gain a basic understanding of the solution-focused model of brief therapy.
• The student will gain an understanding of how solution focused therapy applies to treating families, substance misuse, women and other issues.
• The student will gain an understanding of how solution-focuses therapy applies to various settings such as schools, higher education and mental health.
• The student will gain an understanding of how to identify and measure change in the client during the course of therapy.
• The student will gain an understanding of what success in therapy looks like.
• The student will gain a greater understanding of the application and the limitations of brief therapy.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may contact the instructor at tschear@ccmsinc.net.

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