COUN 5369 Techniques in Child and Adolescent Counseling
Course Description:
The focus will be on an overview of techniques used in counseling interventions with children and adolescents in both school and community settings. Other issues discussed will include working with parents and ethical and legal issues. Child and adolescent psychopathology will also be reviewed.
Classes will involve experiential activities as well as active discussions. Active participation in activities as well as discussions is expected.
Prerequisites: COUN 5354 and COUN 5368
Methods of Instruction: Methods of instruction include (not exclusively) lecture, PowerPoint, in-class projects, group work (small & large), student presentations, audio-visual aides, experiential activities (at the prerogative of the instructor).
Course Objectives:
1) Student will understand and practice the constructs of play therapy, sandtray therapy and activity therapy. (CACREP: Community Standards C.7, School Counseling Standards C.2.a, B.4.)
2) Students will articulate concepts and techniques of developmental and diversity issues of child and adolescent psychotherapy and psychopathology. (CACREP: School Counseling Standards C.2.a, A.7, Community Counseling A.5)
3) Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of appropriate ethical standards and an ability to exercise ethical, moral reasoning, in matters relative to the professional practice. (Community Counseling Standards A.4, School Counseling Standards A.6)
4) Students will demonstrate a commitment to becoming responsible and contributing members of the counseling profession.
5) Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ongoing relationship between counselors’ self care and professional effectiveness.
6) Students will be able to successfully construct appropriate intervention strategies with children and adolescents. (CACREP: School Counseling Standards C.2.a, B.7.,Community Counseling C.7)
7) Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of the DSM-IV-TR and basic understanding of diagnostic issues. (CACREP: School Counseling Standards C.2.d, Community Counseling Standards C.3, C.5)
8) Students will demonstrate knowledge of effective consultation, advocacy, and counseling strategies with the significant others in a child's life. (CACREP: School Counseling Standards B.2., C.2.f, C.2.g, C.3.c, Community Counseling Standards B.1)
9) Students will understand and demonstrate knowledge of human development theory of children and adolescents. (CACREP IIK: 3a, 3b, School Counseling: A8)
10) Students will demonstrate an understanding of approaches used for group work with children and adolescents (CACREP: IIK: 6e, School Counseling C 26)
11) Demonstrate an ability to utilize electronic media to find standards of practice, research and professional resources helpful to the counseling profession. (CACREP IIK1.c)
Course Texts:
Homeyer, L. & Sweeney, D. (1998). Sandtray: A practical manual. New York: Routledge.
Landreth, G. (2002). Play Therapy: The art of the relationship, 2nd ed. New York: Brunner Routledge.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) (4th ed.). (2000). Washington D.C. American Psychiatric Association.
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. New York: APA.
Recommended Text:
Oaklander, V. (1998). Windows to our children. Highland, NY: The Gestalt Journal Press.
Axline, V. (1964). Dibs: In search of self. New York: Ballantine.
Perry, B. & Szalavitz, M. (2007). The boy who was raised as a dog. New York: Basic Books
Course Expectations:
1) Reading
Each week there will be a reading assignment, please keep up with the reading, I will be looking forward to thoughtful class discussions from your analysis of the readings. Various book chapters and articles will also be posted on TRACS throughout the semester as required reading as well as the text book reading.
2) Reflection papers (20% total- 10% per paper)
Reflection assignments are intended for you to reflect back on what you have learned on various topics covered throughout the semester. You are to provide thoughtful answers that demonstrate your understanding and synthesis of the information. APA format is not required. Each paper should be 2 pages in length and double spaced. You should discuss what impacted, surprised, comforted or challenged you in the reading. You should provide a thoughtful discussion demonstrating your understanding and synthesis of the information.
These papers will be graded on a pass/fail scale.
Reflection 1: Ethical issues in working with children/adolescents and working with parents.
Reflection 2: What challenges you about expressive therapies in working with children or adolescents (this includes play therapy, art therapy and sandtray therapy)
3) Discussion Paper (25%)
Choose one of these assignments
Choice A: Read Axline, V. (1964). Dibs: In search of self. New York: Random House Publishing. Provide thoughtful answers/reflections for the following questions:
- Provide a brief synopsis of the book. (1-2 pages)
2. Discuss how this writing will impact your work as a counselor. (2 pages)
3. Discuss research that further examines the area of work that is speaks to you from this book or something you were wanting to know more about. (Use at least 3 citations other than the book you read.) (3-5 pages)
Choice B: Read: The boy who was raised as a dog (Perry), I would like for you to follow the instructions listed below:
1. Write a brief summary (1 – 2 pages) of the work.
2. Discuss how this writing will impact your work as a counselor. (2 pages)
3. Discuss research that further examines the area of work that is impacted by this writing. (Use at least 3 citations other than the book you read.) (3-5 pages)
Grading:
APA format is required- no abstract.
APA 10 pts, Grammar/organization 20 pts, Summary of reading 20pts, Imapct your work 20pts, Research 30pts
4) Counseling Theory Paper (25%)
It is important for your counseling theory to align with your personal beliefs about people. This paper is designed to help you explore your personal beliefs, tenets of your theory and developmentally appropriate ways of working with children and adolescents.
· Part 1:Write a one-two paragraph answer to each of the following questions:
· What are your beliefs about how children come into the world? (What are babies born with?)
· What are your beliefs about how a child’s personality develops? (How do children get “messed up” along the way?)
· What are your beliefs about what children or adolescents need in order to make changes in their life through counseling? (Consider what is developmentally appropriate behavior and what interventions attend to the developmental level of the child or adolescent) – for this question you can choose an age range for children or adolescents, you do not need to consider both levels of development.
· Part 2: Briefly answer the above questions again from your current theoretical approach of choice. You must select only one theoretical approach.
§ For this section you must use professional references- one of them must be a primary source.
· Part 3: Look at your answers and decide if you think your beliefs and the tenets of your theory match. If they do align, discuss what aspects of your theory resonates the most with your beliefs. If you discover that your theory and beliefs do not align, then discuss what makes them different and what theory you should look at next. Please limit this section to one or two paragraphs.
· APA format is required- no abstract.
· At least one reference for the theory section of your paper must be a primary source.
· Grading- APA 10 pts, Grammar/organization 20 pts, Explanation of your beliefs 30 pts, Explanation of your theory, 40 pts.
· Maximum of 8 pages not including your title page or reference page
5) Dyad Presentation on Psychopathology (20%)
In groups of two, 20-minute presentation
a) Sign-up sheet will be handed out a few weeks into the semester
b) Presentation will be graded on the following:
· Client Behavior presentation; Diagnostic criteria; On-line sources of information for parents and/or teachers (please be sure they are professional and reliable); Interventions(research to support); Prognosis; use of video (if possible) to highlight any of the above
· Copies of handouts to share are required- your handout needs to be more than just a list of the DSM criteria- (If you email them to me the day before (by 3:00pm) I can make the copies for you)
· Please provide me a copy of your power point (if different from handout) and the references used for your presentation (APA format for references)
· Client Behavior 20pts, Sources used 10pts, Interventions 25pts, General Presentation (time limit, handout, creativity) 35pts, Equal work between partners 10pts
Special Notes:
Attendance is mandatory, as a majority of the class is experiential in nature it is important that you make every effort to attend each week. You will have one excused absence (cleared by Dr. Morrison) and then three points will be deducted for each class absence; extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration as long as it is cleared with Dr. Morrison before hand. Missing three or more classes can result in a failing grade.
Failure to interact with peers, facilitators, clients, or faculty in a manner consistent with the performance expectations of a professional counselor may result in a failing grade in the course and a referral to a faculty review committee for remaining in the counseling program.
Late Papers: Each day a paper is turned in late 5 points will be deducted from your final grade.
APA Format
APA Format is required in this class, please carefully consult the APA Manual as correctly following APA format can be critical to the grade of your paper.
Here are some general guidelines:
- Do NOT use more than a few direct quotes- if any- At a graduate level I expect you to be able to present a synthesis of your understanding of the literature NOT a collection of an author’s thoughts and ideas.
- Your references must be professional journals or texts- websites should be used minimally and only as a secondary source not a primary source in your paper. NEVER use anything you can purchase at the grocery store.
- Websites used should be professional organizations ie .org sites. Scholarly research indicates there was a study done and statistics should be referenced- make every effort to reference research in addition to the literature in your papers.
- If it is not your idea then you need to reference it – if you don’t reference ideas or facts appropriately it is plagiarizing.
- Please be sure to use headings and be aware of the appropriate levels of headings for your paper (Most of you will use 3 levels of headings for your formal papers).
Office of Disability Services:
If you are a student who experiences a disability, please contact me early in the semester to discuss any necessary and prudent accommodations. A disability is defined as, “a person who: has such physical or mental impairment, which substantially limits one or more major life activities, and has record of such impairment or is regarded as having such impairment” (Students with Disabilities; A Faculty Resource Guide, 1999). Failure to notify either the Office of Disability Services or myself in a timely manner may result in a delay of the needed accommodation. The Office of Disability Services is available to discuss any questions in this area:Ms. Karen Gordon-Sosby, 512-245-3451, fax: 512-245-3452. Dawn Bayardo in the One-Stop Center, room 201 (512)716-4023 db44@txstate.edu can also be of assistance at the Round Rock Campus.
Student Listserve
The Professional Counseling Student Listserve is the best way for students to receive information regarding program information such as the dates for Comps, changes in classes offered, internship sites looking for interns etc. Go directly to this link to add your email address as well as manage your account. You can look through the archives, set your mail preferences, and even unsubscribe, so I recommend you keep this link
http://groups.txstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/pro-counseling-prog
Texas State’s Academic Honesty Policy
All work submitted for credit must be the student’s original work. Any plagiarism will automatically result in a grade of zero on that assignment. This is especially important when writing research papers. No copying of phrases or sentences is allowed. Copying another student’s work or cheating on exams will result in a grade of F in the course. To avoid suspicion, stow all notes and written documents and electronic devices prior to accepting examination materials. An assignment that is questionable will be investigated and subject to disciplinary actions recommended under the Texas State Honor Code.
Students who are unfamiliar with the University’s Honor Code policy should review UPPS 07.10.01 http://www.txstate.edu/effective/upps/upps-07-10-01.html In short, violation of the “Honor Code" includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion and the abuse of resource materials.
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