COUN 500: FOUNDATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES Fall 2015 3 Credit Hours Section 01 Monday, 3:20 p.m. 6:00 p.m. WM-137 Updated 08.04.2015 Instructor: Stephanie Young Email: stephanie.young@ccuniversity.edu Phone: Office: Youthworks Adolescent & Family Counseling Services COURSE DESCRIPTION This course provides an overview of professional issues within the field of clinical mental health counseling. This course focuses on the history and philosophy of the counseling profession, the professional identity and role of clinical mental health counselors, the public and private practice of mental health counseling, and the general framework of consultation with other helping professionals. COURSE RATIONALE CACREP The material in this course is designed to meet the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) curriculum standards for masters-level training. The specific standards (CMHC A.1-10 & CMHC B.1-2) state that students are required to have knowledge, as well as skills and practice, in the foundations of mental health counseling. Ohio This course meets education requirements for Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) for professional, legal, and ethical issues in counseling: 4757-13-01(A)(5)(k), as well as the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) for eligibility for the LPCC credential: 4757.22(C)(1). Kentucky This course meets education requirements for Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) for professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities: 335.525(1)(d)(9), as well as the Kentucky Administrative Regulations (KAR) for eligibility for the LPCC credential: 201 KAR 36:070, Section 1(2)(a)(2). Indiana This course meets education requirements for Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) for mental health counseling: 839 IAC 1-5-1(a)(6), as well as Indiana Code (IC) for eligibility for the LMHC credential: IC 25-23.6-8.5-3(1)(I-J).
COUN 500 p. 2 COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. Understands the history, philosophy, and trends, as well as ethical, legal, and professional considerations, related to the practice of clinical mental health counseling: CMHC A.1-2; CMHC C.9; MAC 2.h. 2. Understands the roles and functions of clinical mental health counselors in various practice settings, the importance of relationships between counselors and other professionals, (including interagency communication and interorganizational collaboration), as well as professional organizations, preparation standards, and credentials relevant to the practice of clinical mental health counseling: CMHC A.3-4, CACREP II G.1.b, G.5.f. 3. Understands a variety of models and theories related to clinical mental health counseling, including professional issues that affect mental health counselors (e.g., core provider status, expert witness status, and access to and practice privileges within managed care systems): CMHC A.5,7; MAC 2.a. 4. Understands the management of mental health services and programs, including areas such as administration, finance, accountability, regulatory processes, public policy (local, state, and national), as well as advocacy efforts and mental health programs and education, including program development and service delivery, which are responsive to unique client needs in a multicultural society: CMHC A.8; CMHC B.2; CMHC C.1,3,5; CMHC E.4,6; CMHC F.2. 5. Understands the effects of crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on persons of all ages, including models of crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and psychological first aid: CACREP II.G.3.c; CACREP II.G.5.g; CMHC A.9; CMHC C.6. 6. Understands the operation of an emergency management system within clinical mental health agencies and in the community, as well as counselors roles and responsibilities as members of an interdisciplinary emergency management response team during a local, regional, or national crisis, disaster or other trauma-causing event: CACREP II.G.1.c; CMHC A.9, 10. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION In general, the class will follow a weekly lecture format that will include small- and large-group discussion, and group activities. Active participation in class discussions and group activities is expected. Learning will be facilitated via readings, lectures, case studies, assignments, and quizzes. Students are expected to discuss their application, insights, and understanding of the reading and the exercises with the instructor and other students. REQUIRED MATERIALS Canvas and Email: All students enrolled in this course are required to check Canvas and their email weekly for the duration of the course. Course announcements, changes to the syllabus, and memos from the instructor will be distributed via Canvas and/or email. Students are responsible for all information distributed on Canvas. Required Texts: Newsome, D. W., & Gladding, S. T. (2014). Clinical mental health counseling in community and agency settings (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
COUN 500 p. 3 INDICATOR ASSIGNMENTS* One (or more) assignment(s) in this course has been identified as an Indicator Assignment, which is used to assess student knowledge and application of course materials. Each Indicator Assignment will be assessed according to CACREP and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) standards. Students should upload each Indicator Assignment on Taskstream (LAT: www.taskstream.com) for evaluation. All Indicator Assignments are denoted in the course syllabus. GRADING/EVALUATION** Graded Assignments** Points %-age Points Percentage Crisis Response Assignment* 100 20% A 475-500 95-100% Class Activity & Handout 50 10% A- 460-474 92-94.99% Agency Visit & Interview* 100 20% B+ 445-459 89-91.99% Mental Health Advocacy Project* 50 10% B 430-444 86-88.99% Mental Health Program Proposal* 100 20% B- 415-429 83-85.99% Reading Quizzes (10 x 20 points) 100 20% C+ 400-414 80-82.99% C 385-399 77-79.99% C- 370-384 74-76.99% D+ 355-369 71-73.99% D 340-354 68-70.99% D- 325-339 65-67.99% F 324 < 64.99% **MAC students: In accordance with rule 4757-3-01(J)(1), from the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, & Marriage and Family Therapist Board, you must receive a B- (minimum of 415 points or 83%) or higher in this course for it to count toward your MAC degree or toward licensure. *Crisis Response Assignment: Students will write a reflection that addresses a crisis-related mental health issue. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, sexual abuse, sexual assault/rape, domestic violence, severe health/disability crisis, addiction crisis, violent death (homicide), war/hostage-taking, hate crime, vicarious trauma (or compassion fatigue), natural disaster, terrorism, terminal illness/sudden death, or child abuse. Select a topic of interest and reflect upon the counselor s role and responsibilities, and the purpose of an emergency management team regarding this crisis/trauma. The reflection should be double-spaced, formatted using APA style (6 th ed.), and the length should be four to five pages (not including title page and references). An abstract is not necessary. References should consist of at least two (2) peer-reviewed, professional references, and the citations should be properly used within the body of the reflection per APA style. Additional details and an evaluation rubric for this assignment will be posted on Canvas. This assignment should be uploaded to Taskstream and Canvas. The Crisis Response Assignment is worth 100 points (20% of final grade). Course Objective(s): 2, 5-6 Class Activity & Handout: Once during the semester, students will lead (or co-lead) a group activity designed to enhance and generate discussion regarding the material assigned for the class. While all class members are expected to actively participate in the in-class activities, activity leaders will make a special effort to assist class members in understanding and applying the material. The activity and discussion should be 20 minutes in length (30 minutes for co-leaders). Leaders should create a handout that summarizes or highlights the activity. A sign up sheet will be created at the beginning of the semester. Once the topic is assigned, students must contact the instructor to get preapproval for the
COUN 500 p. 4 activity. Class activities must be sent to the instructor no later than one week prior to the scheduled session will be sufficient. This allows the instructor to assure that the activity is relevant to the material, as well as time to plan the class time accordingly. Additional details and an evaluation rubric for this assignment will be posted on Canvas. This assignment should be uploaded to Taskstsream and Canvas. The Class Activity & Handout assignment is worth 50 points (10% of final grade). *Agency Visit & Interview: Students will contact a mental health agency that provides counseling services within the community and schedule an interview with a licensed professional counselor. In this meeting, the student should inquire about the services provided by the agency, what the counselors believes to be the most valuable training, the counselor s role within the agency, how the counselor works with other mental health professionals within the agency and outside the agency, the environment in which the counselor works, responsibilities given to the counselor, and current issues within the field that affect the counselor s job. Please plan to visit the agency in person to conduct the interview (be respectful of the counselor s time and only request approximately 20 minutes of his/her time. Students will write a four to five page reflection (not including title page) about what was learned in the interview. The reflection should reflect the student s awareness of the counseling profession and the role of a mental health counselor as opposed to a summary of the interview. Do NOT provide a summary of the interview; the reflection should be about the student s REACTION to the interview. Additional details and an evaluation rubric for this assignment will be posted on Canvas. This assignment should be uploaded to Taskstream and Canvas. The Agency Visit & Interview assignment is worth 100 points (20% of final grade). *Mental Health Advocacy Project: Students will write a letter or email related to legislative action. Students should explore ACA and/or state counseling association websites to review the need for various legislative actions. Some examples include reimbursement for counseling services, scope of practice of counselors, licensing and training requirements, mental health needs for specific populations, available counseling services within local schools, etc. Students should research the subject and include proper references/citations within the letter/email. Student should use at least two (2) professional references within the body of your letter and include a reference page. Students may not use standardized letters developed by lobbying organizations, etc. Additional details and an evaluation rubric for this assignment will be posted on Canvas. This assignment should be uploaded to Taskstream and Canvas. The Mental Health Advocacy Project assignment is worth 50 points (10% of final grade). Course Objective(s): 1, 4 *Mental Health Program Proposal: Students will be placed into groups (3 to 4 persons) and develop a mental health program that could be implemented within a community mental health agency. The program should address a specific mental health issue and include information regarding how the program will function (e.g., administration, public policy, finances/funding, accountability, and regulatory processes). Each group should also indicate how their proposed mental health program is responsive to unique client needs in a multicultural society. Students should also identify the best service delivery format (e.g., support groups, per facilitation training, parent education, self-help, etc.) and provide justification for the delivery format. The paper should be double-spaced, formatted using APA style (6 th ed.), and the length should be ten to twelve pages (not including title page and references). An abstract is not necessary. References should consist of at least five (5) peer-reviewed, professional references, and the citations should be properly used within the body of the paper per APA style. Additional details and an evaluation rubric for this assignment will be posted on Canvas. This
COUN 500 p. 5 assignment should be uploaded to Taskstream and Canvas. The Mental Health Program Proposal assignment is worth 100 points (20% of final grade). Course Objective(s): 3, 4 Reading Quizzes (#1 thru #10) Ten (10) Reading Quizzes will be given throughout the course. Each quiz will be available on Canvas for one week only. Students should not use textbooks or course handouts when completing the quizzes. Once a quiz is opened, students have ten (10) minutes to complete the quiz. Students have two attempts on each quiz. Both attempts must be completed within the allotted time and due date. Students may drop the lowest reading quiz score at the end of the semester. Each Reading Quiz is worth 10 points (2% of grade) for a total of 100 points (20% of grade). Course Objective(s): 1-6 IMPORTANT NOTES Late Assignments: Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due on or before the deadlines noted in the course syllabus (and Canvas). Out of respect for the hard work that everyone puts into the course, late assignments will NOT be accepted unless there is a serious personal medical or family emergency (e.g., hospitalization, death in the family) that can be substantiated with documentation. In the rare event that a late assignment is accepted, there will be a deduction of one letter grade each day it is late. It is understood that unexpected life events occur, but this policy is to encourage the development of positive professional behavior. Therefore, please plan accordingly to complete assignments on time as regular life stressors or technology problems will not be accepted as reasons to turn work in late. I invite you to talk with me about any challenges you face in completing your assignments. Attendance Policy: Because active discussion and experiential exercises are integral parts of the learning experiences in this course, class attendance is expected and participation in class activities and assignments is critical to your success in the course. If, for any reason, you are unable to attend class, you are still held responsible for all in-class material and any announcements made during class. Your participation grade for the class may be affected by any absences. The instructor may also add additional assignments for any absences. Be sure to inform the Instructor before the class begins. As indicated in the University s attendance policy, a student who misses more than two classes will fail the class due to absences. Only two absences are permitted. The third absence will result in the grade of FA (failure due to absences). If you miss more than two classes, you will be required to reapply for readmission to the class with the Registrar s office, which is rarely allowed. The two absences are not entitlements for students. They should not be viewed as skip days but as sick days. In addition, coming to class late or leaving early, without prior notification to the instructor, may be counted as an absence. Because class time should be a priority, absences for lateness will be assigned as follows: 15 minutes late = ¼ day absence, 30 minutes late = ½ day absence, and over 45 minutes = 1 day absence. Assignment Formatting: Formatting expectations are provided for each assignment. Assignments will be penalized if formatting is not provided according to requirements. All assignments should be submitted on Canvas, unless otherwise noted. Assignments submitted as file attachments should be submitted in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format. Christian Component: As we strive to provide a biblically-based approach to counseling, we expect you to evaluate all readings and discussions from a Christian perspective and work to integrate biblical truth into your life, thought, and work.
COUN 500 p. 6 Student Conduct: During forum discussions, everyone is expected to be respectful of themselves and others. Keep in mind that it may not be appropriate to disclose your own psychological struggles to the class. If you become distressed about any material/discussions, please talk with me and/or make an appointment to see a counselor. Accommodations: Students who require academic accommodations due to a documented physical, psychological or learning disability must request assistance from Ray Horton via the Student Services Center. Students are encouraged to complete this request within the first two weeks of each semester. The Student Services Center is located in Presidents Hall level 2 across from the elevator. Contact: ray.horton@ccuniversity.edu or at 513-244-8420. Academic Dishonesty: Cheating, plagiarism, and all other forms of academic dishonesty will NOT be tolerated. All incidents of academic dishonesty will be dealt with in accordance to university regulations (see CCU Student Handbook), which will include failure of class and additional action by the Committee on Academic Integrity. Flexibility Clause: This syllabus is NOT a binding contract. The dates of lectures, exams, projects, etc. may be revised as the term progresses. All modifications to the syllabus will be announced via Canvas.
COUN 500 p. 7 COURSE SCHEDULE Date Discussion Topic & Reading Activity Leader(s) Assignments Due 08.24 (1) Introduction to Course Introduction to Mental Health Counseling Course Objective(s): 1 08.31 (2) History of Mental Health Counseling Professional Identity Newsome & Gladding: Chapters 1 & 2 Course Objective(s): 1 Reading Quiz #1 09.07 (3) NO CLASS LABOR DAY HOLIDAY 09.14 (4) Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling Mental Health Multicultural Considerations Newsome & Gladding: Chapters 3 & 4 Course Objective(s): 1 Reading Quiz #2 09.21 (5) The Process of Counseling Assessment & Diagnosis Newsome & Gladding: Chapters 5 & 6 Reading Quiz #3 09.28 (6) Consultation, Advocacy, & Evaluation Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 8 Course Objective(s): 4 Reading Quiz #4 Mental Health Advocacy Project 10.05 (7) Holistic & Contemporary Approaches Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 7 Reading Quiz #5 10.12 (8) Suicide Assessment & Crisis Intervention Psychological First Aid Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 9 Course Objective(s): 5 Reading Quiz #6 Crisis Response Assignment
COUN 500 p. 8 10.19 (9) Working with Groups Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 10 Reading Quiz #7 10.26 (10) Working with Couples & Families Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 11 Reading Quiz #8 11.02 (11) Working with Adults Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 12 Reading Quiz #9 11.09 (12) Working with Children & Adolescents Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 13 Reading Quiz #10 11.16 (13) 11.23 (14) Working in Agencies & Clinical Settings Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 14 O Connell & Mabry: Chapter 10 (on Canvas) Course Objective(s): 4, 5 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK Agency Visit & Interview 11.30 (15) Managed Care and Employee Assistance Working in Private Practice Settings Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 16 Course Objective(s): 4, 5 Reading Quiz #11 12.07 (15) Working in College & University Settings Newsome & Gladding: Chapter 15 Working with Faith Based Communities Stewart-Sicking & Mutai (on Canvas) Course Objective(s): 4, 5 Mental Health Program Proposal 12.14 NO CLASS Final Examination Week