CPSY 550-120 Spg 2014 Page
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Texas A&M University Central Texas
Department of Psychology/Counseling
CPSY 550 - Section 120: Foundations of Counseling and Psychology
Spring 2014: Founders Hall Rm. 410
Tuesday 6:00-8:50 PM
Professor:
Phone:
Email:
J. Kelly Barnett, Ph. D. LMFT, LPC
(512) 948-9898 mobile
For class related concerns use Blackboard
For other concerns: jkbarnett@ct.tamus.edu
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the field of counseling and psychology. It includes an
examination of the basic skills of counseling and therapy, the origins and applications of various
therapeutic approaches, the professional roles and ethical issues that inform the practice of
counseling and psychology. This course provides opportunities to explore various issues in
counseling such as; career counseling and development, multiculturalism, school counseling,
grief, suicide, child abuse, substance abuse, and other contemporary issues. This course is
required in the core curriculum for the Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, Educational
Psychology, Specialist in School Psychology and the Master of Education in School Counseling.
Course outcomes
1. Identify personal and professional qualities important for a competent counselor or therapist
2. Begin developing a professional identify within the field
3. Identify major roles of counselor and therapists
4. Demonstrate awareness of professional and ethical issues that influence the practice of
counseling and therapy
5. Develop awareness of the various ethical codes within the profession
6. Develop an awareness of different counseling and therapy models
Required Texts: You have the right to buy your textbooks wherever you choose.
Gladding, S. (2012). Counseling: A comprehensive profession (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River:
Pearson/Merrill.
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Assignments
Self-Reflection Paper – Due 1/28 online (10 points)
The purpose of this paper is for you to identify and explore personal attitudes, values, and
behaviors that often impact a person becoming a helping professional. It is expected that your
self-reflection or personal exploration will be an in-depth rather than a superficial analysis.
Length is 3-5 pages. Questions to answer include, but are not limited to:
- What is your motivation for studying counseling or for becoming a helping
professional?
- What experiences have you had that might influence your becoming a helping
professional?
- How would these experiences positively or negatively influence your effectiveness as
a helper?
- What is your value orientation? What do you value? Where do these values come
from? How will they affect your work?
- What biases or predispositions (positive or negative) do you hold regarding working
with certain types of people, issues, etc.?
- What are your strengths? What areas do you need to improve?
- What would you want from a counseling session/counselor?
Diversity Interview Paper - Due 3/4 in class
(15 points)
You are to interview another person with a background substantially different from your own
and submit a reaction paper. Examples of different backgrounds include race, religion, age,
sexual orientation, gender, and disability. You must consult with the instructor for approval prior
to conducting your interview. The paper should be two (2) pages and include a description of
yourself and the various groups with which you identify, a description of the interview and the
person (no names) to whom you spoke, and a reaction to this process. Reactions can include
what you learned about yourself and the other person, what you have learned about different
cultures, and what you would still like to learn. Grading will be on grammatical structure as well
as your ability to challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone, as this will help you truly
learn more about yourself and others. You will be asked to speak briefly to the class about your
experience
Reference Page – Due 2/11 in class
(5 points)
An important part of becoming a professional helper is to be able to access the current literature
available. You will need to become familiar with the library’s databases and how to find articles.
For this project, you will need to pick a topic of interest to you and find 10 peer-reviewed articles
on that topic. These articles must have been published since 2002. You will be required to
develop an APA reference page listing the 10 articles. Please bring the articles to class for review
and discussion.
Literature Review – Due 3/18 in class
(15 points)
Another important part of becoming a professional helper is being able to synthesize information
from several articles. From the 10 articles you found, you will write a literature review of 5 of
CPSY 550-120 Spg 2014 Page
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these articles. This review of the current research and trends of a topic should be between 4-6
pages long. As with every other paper, this one must be in APA style.
Counseling Professional Interview – Due 4/1 in class
(15 points)
Students will choose someone already working in the helping profession and interview them in
regard to the nature of the counselor’s work, types of clients seen and presenting issues,
supervision experiences, and any other pertinent information about their daily routine. Students
will present a written report and an informal oral report to the class. You must consult with the
instructor for approval of the site.
Professional Affiliation – Due 4/22 (10 points)
An essential part of developing a helping identity is being a part of a professional organization.
This allows you to keep current on issues that are affecting the profession as well as help you
network and meet other students and counselors. There are several organizations that are
available depending on your professional goals and aspirations. Please see the instructor for
appropriate associations. Proof of membership is due no later than the last day of class. Failure to
do so will result in a reduction of one letter grade on your final grade.
Attendance for every class is expected. One absence is allowed without penalty. Two points
will be deducted for any additional absence. If there is an emergency, please contact me as soon
as possible to make alternate plans.
Grade Distribution
Self Reflection:
Diversity Interview:
Reference Page:
Literature Review:
Professional Interview:
Professional Affiliation
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Total:
Date
10 pts.
15 pts.
5 pts.
15 pts.
15 pts.
10 pts.
15 pts.
15 pts.
A:
B:
C:
D:
F:
90-100 pts.
80-89 pts.
70-79 pts.
60-69 pts.
< 59 pts.
100 pts.
Topics
Readings
G
Jan 14
Jan 21
Jan 28
Feb 4
Feb 11
Introduction
History of Counseling
ONLINE
Aspects of Counseling
The Counseling Relationship
Feb 18
Feb 25
Ethics in Counseling
Multicultural Counseling
1
3
2
6,7,8
4,5
R&H
2
4,5,6,7,8,16
3
Assignments/
Point value
Self-Reflection/10
2/11 Reference
Page/5
3/4 Diversity
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Mar 4
Diversity
Mar 11
Mar 18
Mar 25
Apr 1
Apr 8
Apr 15
Spring Break
Theories
Theories cont. Mid-term
Exam Counseling Specialties
Counseling Specialties cont.
Research and Assessment
Apr 22
Res and Asmt continued
Apr 29
Education and Supervision
Review
FINAL EXAM
May 6
As assigned
Online component
4
Interview/15
9
10
11,15,18,19
16,20
13,14
3/18 Lit. Review/15
11,15
12
4/1 Professional
Interview/15
Professional
Affiliation/10
13,14
15
15
Academic Integrity: Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain
high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students found responsible of academic
dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to,
cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of
resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of
academic dishonesty and report the incident to the Associate Director of Student Conduct. More
information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/facultyresources.php.
Disability Support Services: If you have or believe you have a disability and wish to selfidentify, you can do so by providing documentation to the Disability Support Coordinator.
Students are encouraged to seek information about accommodations to help assure success in
their courses. Please contact Vanessa Snyder at (254) 501-5836 or visit Founder's Hall 114.
Additional information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/disabilitysupport/index.php.
Tutoring: Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects
tutored include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (APA). Tutors are
available at the Tutoring Center in Founder's Hall, Room 204, and also in the Library in the
North Building. Visit www.ct.tamus.edu/AcademicSupport and click "Tutoring Support" for
tutor schedules and contact info. If you have questions, need to schedule a tutoring session, or if
you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-501-5830 or
by emailing cecilia.morales@ct.tamus.edu.
Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for almost any subject on your computer! Tutor.com is an online
tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive FREE online tutoring
and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing,
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Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. To access Tutor.com, click on
www.tutor.com/tamuct.
Library Services: Library distance education services aims to make available quality assistance
to A&M-Central Texas students seeking information sources remotely by providing digital
reference, online information literacy tutorials, and digital research materials. Much of the A&M-CT
collection is available instantly from home. This includes over half of the library's book collection,
as well as approximately 25,000 electronic journals and 200 online databases. Library Distance
Education Services are outlined and accessed at:
http://www.ct.tamus.edu/departments/library/deservices.php
Information literacy focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work
in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development
of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary
research techniques. Help may include, but is not limited to: the exploration of information
resources such as library collections, the identification of appropriate materials, and the
execution of effective search strategies. Library Resources are outlined and accessed at:
http://www.ct.tamus.edu/departments/library/index.php
Drop Policy: If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records
Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is
always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which
the form must be returned, completely signed. Once you return the signed form to the
records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Duck Trax and confirm that you are no
longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately.
You are to attend class until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should
you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
UNILERT: Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central
Texas the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly via
email and text message. By enrolling in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on
safety-related information, regardless of your location. Please enroll today at
http://TAMUCT.org/UNILERT