Counseling Practicum I

COUN 514 (003)

Fall 2017

Syllabus

Course and Instructor

Instructor:Raissa Miller, Ph.D., LPC

208.426-1307

Office Hours: Mon. 11:30-1:30; Wed. 12:00-3:00

Course Number: COUN 514

Course Title:COUNSELING PRACTICUM I

Course Time:6:00-9:00pm

Course Location:Hemingway Std. Ctr. Rm.107

Semester: Fall 2017

Credits:2 credits

Course Objectives, Accreditation, and Technology
CACREP Standards Addressed in the Course
½ of 100 hours (40% clinical and taped)
½ of 15 hours of individual supervision
average of 1.5 hours of group supervision per week (18 hours per semester)
(SEE STUDENT HANDBOOK, SECTION III)

Course Description:

Students participate in closely supervised counseling experiences through modeling, peer counseling, live observation, and electronic recording of sessions.

Methods of Instruction:

Instructional methods will include lecture, supervision of clinical practice (e.g., individual and group), group discussion, written and oral feedback on learning exercises, and multi-media presentations (e.g., power-point, videos, etc.).

Successful implementation of these instructional methods relies on active student engagement inside and outside the classroom. Methods and evidence of active engagement include:

  • Reading and reflecting on assigned articles and counseling sessions prior to class – including taking notes while reading.
  • Formulating questions or requests for feedback prior to class.
  • Completing learning exercise on time.
  • Maintaining an open attitude towards feedback.
  • Attending additional supervision office hours as needed.
  • Engaging in self-directed learning (e.g., reading optional articles, exploring on-line resources, etc.)

Course Objectives

The two-credit counseling practicum is designed to facilitate refinement of counseling and interviewing skills and the development of new skills. Through closely supervised one-to-one and group counseling experiences the students can expand their repertoire of counseling techniques and interpersonal relationship skills with opportunities to experience direct and specific feedback from a clinical supervisor through video and/or audio recording and direct observation supervision. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to demonstrate a commitment to implementing and expanding the following skills:

  • Establishing and maintaining a helpful and supportive counseling relationship;
  • Developing and applying appropriate counseling techniques;
  • Maintaining client records and scheduling client appointments;
  • Demonstrating awareness of ethical standards of practice;
  • Working efficiently with supervisors and colleagues, including appropriate analysis and

presentation of counseling sessions and case studies;

  • Developingprofessional behavior;
  • Learning about and using community resources when appropriate, including referrals;
  • Demonstrating appropriate adoption of techniques for clients with diverse needs and backgrounds;
  • A continued willingness to learn, including acceptance of feedback;
  • Enthusiasm for and a commitment to the counseling profession; and
  • Continued development of personal traits which are conducive to effective learning,

counseling, and professional development.

Technology Skills Addressed in the Course
Instructor Application / Student Application
Utilize Blackboard technology
Word process, including APA formatting / X /
X
Use a spreadsheet and a statistical package /
X
Acquire graphics from the web, digital camera, scanner, or Microsoft media and insert them into a poster or presentation
Create and deliver a power point presentation
Find material on the Web and review Web sites /
X
Be able to use e-mail, including document attachments / X /
X
Be able to sign in and participate in listservs
Be familiar with computerized testing
Be able to use digital recording equipment /
X
/
X
Course Readings

Cameron, S., & Turtle-song, I. (2002). Learning to write case notes using the SOAP format. Journal of Cousneling and Development, 80, 286-292.

Granello, D. H. (2010). The process of suicide risk assessment: Twelve core principles. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 363-370.

Granello, D. H. (2010). A suicide crisis intervention model with 25 practical strategies for implementation. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 32 (3), 218-235.

Joiner, T. E., Walker, R. L., Rudd, M. D., & Jobes, D. A. (1999). Scientizing and routinizing the assessment of suicidality in outpatient practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 30, 447-453.

Jones, K. J. (2010). The unstructured clinical interview. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 220-226.

McHenry, B., & McHenry, J. (2007). What Therapists Say and Why They Say It. Pearson Education, Inc.

Polanski, P. J., & Hinkle, J. S. (2000). The mental status examination: Its use by professional

counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78, 357-364.

Rock, D., Siegel, D. J., Poelmans, S. A. Y., & Payne, J. (2012). The healthy mind platter. NeuroLeadership Journal, 4, 1-23.

Van Orden, K. A., Cukrowicz, K. C., Witte, T. K., Braithwaite, S. R., Selby, E. A., & Joiner, T. E. (2010). The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychological Review, 117, p. 575-600.

**Individualized text selection (see below for more details)

**Additional articles may be assigned throughout the semester.

Methods of Assessing Learning Progress

Group Supervision

Group supervision = class meetings (COUN 514). Attendance is required and any missed supervision time must be made up by attending another section of COUN 514. Dr. Aida Midgett is teaching a section on Mondays at 3:00 and Amy Curry is teaching another section on Mondays at 6:00.

Professional Disclosure Statement (10 pts.)

Students will write a personalized professional disclosure statement in adherence with Idaho laws and rules and the ACA ethical code. Students will be provided with a template. DUE before seeing first client OR at first individual/triadic supervision session (whichever comes first).

Practicum Collage (5 pts.)

Students will create a personalized collage representing their values, interests, significant relationships, and any other relevant motivating and grounding symbols, words, or images. There should be at least one picture and/or name of student on the collage. Collages will be hung in the practicum work room for the remainder of the year. DUE by September 19th.

Case Presentations(20 pts,)

Students willpresent 2 video-recordings with case write-ups and objectives for peer and instructor feedback. Students will sign up for presentations on the first day of class. Follow the outline below for content and formatting.

  1. Demographic information: Age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital/family status, school and/or job status, living situation, sexual identity, religious/faith affiliations, etc.
  1. Presenting problem: In addition to extra credit, what concerns does the client present to work on in counseling? As much as possible, be specific about symptoms and impairment. How does the issue manifest behaviorally, cognitively, emotionally, interpersonally, physiologically, and/or interpersonally? How does it impact his or her life -- missed classes, troubled relationships, unhealthy eating or sleeping habits, etc. Also remember FIDO (frequency, intensity, duration, onset). How often do the symptoms manifest? How intense are they? How long do they last? When did the symptoms/issue start?
  1. Mental Status Exam (MSE): Attention to:judgment (intact or impaired; oriented or disoriented), thought process (intact, flight of ideas), mood (anxious, depressed, content), memory (intact or impaired), speech (normal, loud, soft, pressured), suicidal or homicidal ideation, and attitude (cooperative, angry).
  1. Medical and psychological/psychiatric history: Any significant past or current biomedical concerns (e.g., chronic illness, traumatic brain injury, etc.)? Any history of counseling? When was the last time they saw their primary care doctor for a check-up or sick visit? Any current medications (if so, name of medication, dose)?
  1. Behavioral health factors: History and current use of alcohol or other drugs, including frequency, amount, and specific type. History and current engagement in addictive behaviors (e.g., gambling, gaming, internet, shopping, pornography, etc.). Typical sleep hygiene, including hours of sleep per night, general sense of restfulness, any trouble falling or staying asleep, and behaviors engaged in prior to sleep. Typical eating patterns, including frequency of meals, size of meals, and general nutritional content of meals – note if there is any intentional restriction of eating, patterns of unhealthy dieting, instances and guilt of overeating, compensatory behaviors (excessive exercise, vomiting), and preoccupation with body shape and appearance. Amount and type of physical activity on average per day, including aerobic and strength conditioning activities. Amount and type of internal reflective practice (e.g., various types of mindfulness, meditation, etc.).
  1. Social/emotional developmental history:Prenatal issues and/or birth complications (e.g., exposure to toxins in utero, high material stress during pregnancy, traumatic birth experience), developmental delays (e.g., speaking, hearing, talking, toilet training, etc.), relevant family-of-origin information (composition and nature of relationships; significant medical/psychiatric family history), experiences of grief and/or loss (e.g., relocations during childhood, death of a family member or friend), experiences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), experiences of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse at any point in the life span, romantic relationship experiences, school/employment experiences (e.g., behavior problems in school, school performance, employment continuity), legal history, social/peer friendships, spiritual and/or religious experiences, sexual identity, etc.
  1. Cultural considerations: How does the counselor’s cultural lens impact on her/his view of the client or of the client’s presenting issue? What cultural factors are most significant in understanding the client and the world in which the client lives? How do cultural factors impact the counseling relationship and counseling process?
  1. Strengths: What positive characteristics or attributes does the client exhibit? Does the client have social supports? Has the client demonstrated resilience in overcoming obstacles in the past?
  1. Counseling approach: How can you conceptualize the client from a theoretical perspective? What counseling goals were established – progress towards goals, barriers to goals, achievement of goals. What specific counseling techniques/strategies/interventions have you used or plan to use with the client – include rationale specific to the client.
  1. Supervision feedback:What are you hoping to get out of group supervision as we discuss this case?

Theoretical Text Reading and Reflection (10 pts.)

Select a theoretical-based counseling text to read. Using the following questions as a guide, reflect on your learning from the text and write a 2-3 page double-spaced paper:

  • What theoretical text did you select and why?
  • What aspects of the text resonated with you?
  • How did the text further or deepen your understanding of the counseling theory?
  • What are some specific ways you plan to integrate what you read into your clinical work?
  • What aspects of the text did you not quite understand or would like to explore further?
  • Would you recommend this text to a peer, why or why not?

Statistical Analysis of Client Ratings (5pts.)

Students will to compile their own anonymous client ratings at the end of the semester and run descriptive statistics using SPSS. The means of each item will be analyzed to determine client perceptions of counselor strengths and areas of needed growth. Students are required to bring the descriptive statistics to their final supervisor meeting to review with their primary/individual supervisor.

Clinical Experience + Individual and Triadic Supervision (50 pts.)

Students are required to complete a minimum of 20 direct client contact hours (e.g., individual, group, or psychoeducation) and 30 indirect hours (e.g., supervision, research, note writing, etc.). Additional details regarding requirements can be found in the student handbook. Note: students cannot accumulate more than 80 total hours. The licensing board requires a 1:10 hours to supervision ratio for practicum.

Students are required to attend 6 group supervision sessions (i.e., class meetings). Students will also participate in 8individual and/or triadic supervisionsessions (average once every other week; 50 minutes each). Students must enroll with a different group supervisor (course instructor) in the spring. Students will also be assigned different individual/triadic supervisors.

  • Primary/Individual supervisor: 6 sessions
  • Live supervisor: 2 sessions

Primary/individual supervision will take place during the following weeks. Students will work with their individual supervisors (who may or may not be the same as their group supervisors) to schedule specific days and times.

September 11th

September 25th

October 16th (MIDTERM)

October 30th

November 13th

December 4th (FINAL)

Primary/individual, live, and group supervisors will meet at mid-term and finals to discuss student progress and assign a grade. Students will be provided with written feedback at midterm that includes strengths and areas of growth.

Letter grades for COUN 514 will be based on the following criteria:

  • Attendance
  • Evidence of professional enthusiasm, demeanor, and dispositions
  • Completion of required number of clock hours
  • Achievement of identified knowledge and competency based skills
  • Completion of client file paperwork in a timely, neat, and thorough manner
  • Performance of the role and behaviors of the counseling pre-professional (including effective response to feedback) as documented with informal evaluations throughout the Practicum and with formal evaluations at midterm and at the end of the semester
  • Completion of assignments in group supervision class
  • Statistical analyses of client ratings

A letter grade of “A+/A/A-” indicates that in addition to completing all course requirements, including record keeping, in a timely and professional manner, the student demonstrates strong counseling skills, high standards of professional and personal behavior, a continued willingness to learn through reflective practice and utilize feedback effectively, and a commitment to the counseling profession.

A letter grade of “B+/B/B-” indicates that in addition to completing all course requirements, including records keeping, in a timely and professional manner, the student demonstrates adequate counseling skills, above average standards ofprofessional and personal behavior, a continued willingness to learn and utilize feedback effectively, and a commitment to the counseling profession.

A letter grade of “C+/C/C-” indicates that the student did not complete all course requirements, including records keeping, in a timely and professional manner, needs to significantly improve counseling skills, may need to examine personal and professional standards of behavior, and/or appears to be unwilling to learn or lacking in commitment to the counseling profession. A letter grade of “C+/C/C-” will lead to a re-evaluation of the student’s continuing participation in the Counseling Program by his/her Program Advisor and Faculty.

If students fail to meet the required number of clock hours, a grade of “incomplete” may be given until the student meets the requirement. Failure to meet requirements within one semester will result in re-evaluation of the student’s continuing candidacy in the Counseling Program by his/her Program Advisor and Supervisory Committee. Student must fulfill the “incomplete” tasks prior to accumulating any hours towards the subsequent clinical field experiences.

Grades will be assigned based on the following:

A+=97-100; A = 94-96; A- = 90-93

B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82

C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72

Disability and Academic Integrity Statements

Disability Statement:

Students with disabilities needing accommodations to fully participate in this class should contact the Educational AccessCenter (EAC). All accommodations must be approved through the EAC prior to being implemented. To learn more about the accommodation process, visit the EAC’s website at

Academic Integrity Statement:

Academic misconduct or dishonesty such as cheating and plagiarism is unacceptable and appropriate penalties will be imposed. This includes referencing material that has not been read by you, such as secondary references.

Practicum Lab

PLEASE NOTE that a completed “Statement of Liability Insurance” form must be filed with your Supervisor prior to beginning working with Practicum clients (see “Student Handbook” for sample).

Approximate Operating Dates:

Opening -- September 5th(first day)

Closing – December 4th (last day)

*Practicum lab will be closed Wednesday October 4th from 1:00-3:00)

Operating Hours:

Students can only see clients when live supervisors are available. The following schedule details operating hours and corresponding live supervisors on duty.

DAY / HOURS / SUPERVISOR
Monday / 2:00-6:00
6:00-9:00 / Angie
Jamie
Tuesday / 5:00-9:00 / Christa
Wednesday / 12:00-1:00
1:00-3:00 / Jamie
Faculty On Call
Thursday / 12:00-4:00 / Raelynn
Course Calendar
Date / Topic / Readings /Assignment Due
8/29 / Group Supervision (3 hrs.)
  • Review syllabus details
  • Professional disclosure statements
  • Conducting an intake session
  • Risk assessment
  • Writing SOAP notes
/ Handbook Section III
Cameron & Turtle-Song (2002)
Granello (2010) (x2)
Joiner et al. (1999)
Jones (2010)
Polanski & Hinkle (2000)
Van Orden et al. (2010)
9/19 / Group Supervision (3 hrs.)
  • Follow up/ review of first group supervision session topics
/ Practicum Collage
Case Presentations
  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______

10/10 / Group Supervision (3 hrs.)
  • Promoting growth and wellness
/ Rock et al. (2012)
Case Presentations
  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______

10/24 / Group Supervision (3 hrs.)
  • Referrals and terminations
/ Case Presentations
  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______

11/7 / Group Supervision (3 hrs.)
  • Counseling theory
/ Theoretical text reading and reflection
Case Presentations
  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______

11/28 / Group Supervision (3 hrs.)
  • Review and reflection
/ Case Presentations
  1. ______
  2. ______