Faculty Contact Information:
Instructor: Brian K. Price, Ph.D.
Tel: 0033-388-222110 | |
Consultation:
| Available by email prior to class, after class on Day One, or by appointment. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
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American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. Washington DC: Author.
Neukrug, E.S. & Neukrug, E. (2003). The world of the counselor: An
introduction to the counseling profession. (2nd ed.). Brooks/Cole.
Neukrug, E.S. & Neukrug, E. (2003). Experiencing the world of the
counselor: A workbook for counselor educators and students. (2nd ed.).
Brooks/Cole. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
| Historical, philosophical, psychological, and sociological basis of counseling in different settings(school, agency, and community) and with different populations will be explored. Intervention strategies, theoretical models, working contexts, relationships to other professions, ethics, obstacles to service delivery, and personal qualities of counselors are reviewed. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: PSYC 502 or EDCP 610. | |
Course Goals:
| This course introduces students to the field of counseling including specializations, professional ethics, relevant credentialing legislation, and current issues. It also provides an introduction to the basic counseling theories and skills | |
Course Objectives:
The objectives of this course are for students to gain an information base and demonstrate competence in:
The historical antecedents and current definitions of the counseling
profession.
The standards of counseling as a regulated profession including
awareness of professional issues, ethics, and credentialing.
The theories and basic counseling and interpersonal skills of
communication associated with the counseling relationship.
An understanding and appreciation of various populations with whom
counselors work and a multicultural and diversity focus in counseling
skills and advocacy.
Familiarity with appropriate assessment procedures, community resources
and intervention strategies and skills, and awareness of the specialty
areas of counseling and their various settings.
An awareness of future trends, particularly the expanded role of
technology, and emerging concepts and theories in counseling.
Enhanced self-awareness of personal strengths, interests, and
abilities. | |
Grading Information:
Students' performance will be graded based upon a percentage of the total 1000 possible points obtained during the course. In general, it will be necessary to obtain a minimum of 90% of the course points to achieve an A (900 or more points), at least 80% of the points for a B (800-899 points), at least 70% of total possible points for a C, and anything below 70% is a F.
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) 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. | |
Course Requirements:
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) | |
Description of Course Requirements:
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. For the first stage each student is to write an autobiographical statement after the first class that will include 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 second stage 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.
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Course Schedule:
All readings refer to Neukrug’s text:
•Weekend One: chapters 1-3, 12, & 13
•Weekend Two: chapters 4-8
•Weekend Three: chapters 9-11, 14, & 15
•Weekend Four: chapters 16-20
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Academic Policies:
Please refer to the UMUC – Europe Graduate Catalog, available online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs/ or from your local Education Center, for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
NondiscriminationStudents with Disabilities | |
Faculty Bio:
| For those of you curious about my professional background, I am a Collegiate Professor, teaching both undergraduate psychology and graduate counseling classes for Maryland. I grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri and have all my degrees from Midwestern institutions (Central Missouri State, University of Kansas, and Iowa State University). This is my fourth year teaching for UMUC in the overseas division, having first taught in Okinawa, then transferring to England where I was the Resident Graduate Professor (a.k.a. faculty advisor) for the Counseling Program until moving to France. Prior to joining Maryland, I was a licensed psychologist providing outpatient counseling and supervising a community mental health services’ program within a medium-sized detention center. My two major professional interests include the interface between mental health policy and law and cross-cultural issues in counseling and psychology. I consider my most significant early adulthood experience being a two-year service in the Peace Corps in the Central African Republic, where I opened the gates to my wanderlust that has not yet retreated. | |