CEPD 6141
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY COUNSELING

Semester Hours: 3 Semester Hours

Semester, year: Fall 2002

Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Stanard

Office Location: 249 Education Annex

Office Hours: to be announced

Telephone: 770-836-4482

E-mail: rstanard@westga.edu

Fax: 770-836-4645

Web page: http://www.westga.edu/~rstanard
 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides an overview of professional community counseling including historical perspective; ethical and legal issues; licensure, certification, and other credentialing; as well as rules and functions of professional community counselors. Students will have opportunities to interact with community counselors and clients, assess community mental health needs, and learn about the organization and function of community counseling agencies. Additionally, counseling implications of multiculturalism and technology will be discussed.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The conceptual framework of the College of Education at UWG forms the basis on which programs, courses, experiences, and outcomes are created. By incorporating the theme “Developing Educators for School Improvement”, the College assumes responsibility for preparing educators who can positively influence school improvement through altering classrooms, schools, and school systems (transformational systemic change). Ten descriptors (decision makers, leaders, lifelong learners, adaptive, collaborative, culturally sensitive, empathetic, knowledgeable, proactive, and reflective) are integral components of the conceptual framework and provide the basis for developing educators who are prepared to improve schools through strategic change. National principles (INTASC), propositions (NBPTS), and standards (Learned Societies) also are incorporated as criteria against which candidates are measured.

The mission of the College of Education is to develop educators who are prepared to function effectively in diverse educational settings with competencies that are instrumental to planning, implementing, assessing, and re-evaluating existing or proposed practices. This course’s objectives are related directly to the conceptual framework and appropriate descriptors, principles or propositions, and Learned Society standards are identified for each objective. Class activities and assessments that align with course objectives, course content, and the conceptual framework are identified in a separate section of the course syllabus..

Proposition #1. Educators/Counselors are committed to students/clients and their learning/growth. The graduate student will act on the belief that all students/clients can learn/grow and will work toward that end considering both individual and group differences.

Proposition #5. Educators/Counselors are members of learning/changing communities. The graduate student will foster healthy community change by working collaboratively with other professionals, agencies, and concerned individuals.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Students will:

1. demonstrate knowledge of the historical, philosophical, societal, cultural, economical, and political elements of professional community counseling (Gladding, 1997; Hershenson, Power, & Waldo, 1996);
(D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP II.J.8.a; CC-A.1)

2. demonstrate knowledge of the roles, functions, and professional identity of professional community counselors in a variety of settings and in interactions with other professionals in those settings (Gladding, 1997; Hershenson, Power, & Waldo, 1996);
(D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP II.J.8.b; CC-A.2, B.1)

3. demonstrate knowledge of professional counseling organizations; training program accreditation and counselor credentialing processes (Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors Laws, 1998; Application for Associate professional Counselor Licensure, 1998; Application for Professional Counselor Licensure, 1998; Rules of the Georgia Composite Board, 1997; Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 1997);
(D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP II.J.8.c,e,f, CC-A.3,4)

4. demonstrate knowledge of the organization and function of community counseling agencies, including fiscal and legal issues, types of clients served, program development service delivery, and prevention and community interventions that meet the needs of a diverse client population (Gladding, 1997; Hershenson, Power, & Waldo, 1996; Albee, 1995);
(D2 Leaders, D5 Collaborative, D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP CC-B.2,4; C.1,2)

5. demonstrate knowledge of prevention and outreach models (Albee, 1995; Uehara, Smukler, & Newman, 1994);
(D8 Knowledgeable, D9 Proactive; CACREP CC-C.2,3)
6. perform community needs assessment and develop recommendations that address findings, including prevention, intervention, consultation, and education (Albee, 1995; Kamis-Gould & Minshy, 1995; Uehara, Smukler, & Newman, 1994);
(D5 Collaborative, D8 Knowledgeable, D9 Proactive; CACREP CC-B.3,4)

7. demonstrate conceptual knowledge of ethical, legal, and professional issues that guide the work of professional community counselors (Welfel, 1998; Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 1997; Anderson, 1996);
(D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP II.J.8.d; CC-A.3,4)

8. demonstrate understanding of multicultural and diversity issues in professional community counseling (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 1997; Gladding, 1997; Hershenson, Power, & Waldo, 1996);
(D6 Culturally Sensitive, D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP CC-A.5) and;

9. demonstrate knowledge of client characteristics serviced by various community agencies and institutions (Gladding, 1997; Hershenson, Power, & Waldo, 1996);
     (D8 Knowledgeable; CACREP CC-C.2)

TEXTS, READINGS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

Required Text:

Remley, T.P. Jr. & Herlihy, B. (2001). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

References:
Albee, G. W. (1995). Counseling and primary prevention. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 8, 205-211.

Anderson, B. S. (1996). The counselor and the law (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: ACA Press.

Application for associate professional counselor licensure (1998, September). (Available from Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, 237 Coliseum Dr., Macon, GA 31217-3858).

Application for professional counselor licensure by examination, examination waiver or endorsement (1998, September). (Available from Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, 237 Coliseum Dr., Macon, GA 31217-3858).

Corey, G., Corey, M. S., Callanan, P. (1997). Issues and ethics in the helping professions. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists laws. (1998, July). (Available from Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, 237 Coliseum Dr., Macon, GA 31217-3858).

Gladding S. T. (1997). Community and agency counseling. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Halley, A., Kopps, J., & Austin, M. (1992). Delivering human services: A learning approach to practice. White Plains, NY: Longman Publishing Group.

Hershenson, D. B., Power, P. W., & Waldo, M. (1996). Community counseling: contemporary theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Kamis-Gould, E., & Minshy, S. (1995). Needs assessment in mental health service planning. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 23, 43-58.

Rules of the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists. (1997, September). (Available from        Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, 237 Coliseum Dr., Macon, GA 31217-3858).

Uehara, E. S., Smukler, M., & Newman, F. L. (1994). Linking resource use to consumer level of need: Field test of the level of need-care assessment                      (LONCA) method. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 695-709.

Welfel, E. R. (1998). Ethics in counseling and psychotherapy: Standards, research, and emerging issues. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS, EVALUATION PROCEDURES, AND GRADING POLICY

Activities and Assessments
1.  Attend class and participate in class discussions and activities. You are expected to attend class and participate in all group activities and discussions. Absences, tardiness, and/or non participation may result in a reduction in assigned grade.
(Objective #1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9; Knowledge, skills, dispositions; observation)

2.  Each student will select two readings from WebCt to critique. Critiques should contain four clearly labeled sections: (a) title (must be APA style), (b) short summary of the content, (c) your opinion/critique of the article, including strengths and weaknesses; and (d) your recommendations for further study by researchers in the field. Papers should be not more than two typed double-spaced pages. One article should address multicultural/diversity issues in counseling; the article can be your choice of an issue related to community counseling.
(Objective # 8; Knowledge; critique)

4.  Each student is to select a LPC to interview about his/her work experience. Present the information you gather in a two page typed, double-spaced paper addressing the following three areas. Be sure to use only the first name of your subject.
(a) job duties and requirements, including educational and experience requirements as well as salary range;
(b) degree of job satisfaction and sources of job frustration; and
(c) burnout, including a time he/she experienced burnout on a human service delivery job, what was the job, what factors and feelings were experiences, what could have happened to prevent burnout, what was done to move out of burnout, and suggestions to avoid burnout in the future.
(Objective #2; Knowledge; paper)

5.  Each student is to interview a consumer (client) of professional counseling services and submit a two page typed, double-spaced paper describing the following three areas. Protect the identity of your subject by using only his/her initials.
  (a) how s/he became involved in professional counseling services;
  (b) degree of satisfaction with the services; and
  (c) what aspects of the services are/were helpful and which are/were non-helpful.
(Objective #9: Knowledge; paper)

6.  Each student is to interview a director of a professional counseling service agency (public or private) and submit a two page typed, double-spaced paper summarizing the following four areas. Use only the first name of your interviewee.
  (a) the mission of the agency;
  (b) the organizational structure of the agency;
(c) a general description of the clientele served (SES, age, gender, culture,  ethnicity, presenting problems, diagnosis, etc); and
(d) services offered to individual clients, families, and community, including
      prevention and outreach.
(Objectives # 4,5,9; Knowledge, paper)

7.  Working as part of a group each student will conduct a needs assessment for a well defined target population in a local community. The group will also perform an environmental assessment of the community identifying existing services for the target population. Data from both assessments will be interpreted and needs will be prioritized by the group and programming will be identified and developed to meet the needs.The major purpose of this project is to determine the mental health needs and resources of the chosen community and designing programming to meet need . A portfolio summarizing your findings, discussing your recommendations, and outlining the program development  is expected. Additionally, each group will be responsible for a class presentation describing your findings. Presentations are to be no more than 30 minutes. Details will be provided in class.
(Objective #6, Knowledge, skills; paper)

8.  Completion of a midterm and final exam.
(Objectives, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9; Knowledge, skills, dispositions; exam)

Evaluation Procedures:

 Journal article critiques (2 @ 25 each)       50 points
 Provider interview                                     50 points
 Consumer interview                                  50 points
 Director interview                                     50 points
 Community assessment project                100 points
 Midterm and Final exam @ 50 each        100 points
    TOTAL                                              400 points

Grades are based on completion of all course assignments and quality of work. An incomplete (“I”) can be granted only in cases of extreme emergency, such as death in family or illness. Prior permission from the instructor is required. Assignments are to be turned in on time. A grade of A will not be assigned to any assignment turned in after the due date.
 

Grading Policy:

A=400-360; B=359-320; C=319-280; F=<280

CLASS OUTLINE

Week 1
August 21 Introduction to Course
Review of syllabus
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 1

Week 2
August 28 Professional Identity
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 2

Week 3
September 4 Diversity, Client Welfare, and Informed Consent
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 3
PROVIDER INTERVIEW due

Week 4
September 11 Confidentiality and Privileged Communication
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 4

Week 5
September 18 Records, Technology, and Supoenas
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 5
CONSUMER INTERVIEW DUE

Week 6
September 25 Competence and Malpractice
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 6
 
Week 7
October 2 Boundary Issues
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 7
DIRECTOR INTERVIEW DUE

Week 8
October 9   MIDTERM EXAM

Week 9
October 16  Child and Adolescent Clients
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 8
 
Week 10
October 23 Counseling Families and Groups
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 9
CHOICE ARTICLE CRITIQUE DUE

Week11
October 30 Evaluation, Testing, and Diagnosis
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 10

Week 12
November 6 Professional Relationships, Private Practice, and Health Care
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 11
MULTICULTURAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE DUE

Week 13
November 13 Issues in Counselor Education ;Supervision and Consultation
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 12
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 13
 
Week 14
November 20
December 4  Research and Publications;Resolving Legal and Ethical Issues
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 14
Remley & Herlihy Chapter 15

Week 15
November 27 HOLIDAY
 

Week 16
PRESENTATIONS
COMMUNITY PORTFOLIO DUE

FINAL EXAM AS SCHEDULED

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty.  Plagiarism occurs
when a student uses or purchases ghostwritten papers.  It also occurs when a student utilizes the
ideas of or information obtained from another person without giving credit to that person.  If
plagiarism or another act of academic dishonesty occurs, it will be dealt with in accordance with
the academic misconduct policy as stated in The Uncatalog, Undergraduate Catalog, and Graduate Catalog.