COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2014
WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
University Mission: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging,
learning focused and distinctively Christian environment for professional success and service to God and
humankind.
COURSE NUMBER & TITLE:
Counseling Skills and Techniques CNSL 5313
TIME/DATE: August 22 & 23, September 5 & 6, October 3 & 4, October 24 & 25
Friday: 5:30pm -9:30pm, Saturday: 9:00am – 4:30pm
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Peggy Wilson
Office#: 602-279-1011
email: wilsonp@wbu.edu
OFFICE HOURS: Please contact me to schedule an appointment before or after class.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The counseling and consultation process including essential interviewing skills,
micro-skills, intervention strategies, and other factors such as counselor and client characteristics that influence
the helping process in individual, family, and group settings.
PREREQUISITES: Accepted into Wayland as a graduate student.
TEXTBOOKS: (Required)
1. Egan, Gerard (2014). The Skilled Helper, A Problem-Management and Opportunity Development
Approach to Helping, 10th Edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
2. Egan, Gerard (2014). Exercises in Helping Skills: A Training Manual to Accompany the Skilled Helper,
10th Edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
**** These can be ordered together as a package
COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the conclusion of the course, successful students will be able to:
1. Respond with appropriate use of focusing and following, open inquiry, reflection of feelings, cognition,
and content, summarization, structuring, goal setting, confrontation, immediacy, and self-disclosure
2. Identify the appropriate use for a variety of other affective, cognitive, behavioral, and systemic
techniques.
3. Describe the basic purposes and processes associated with the aforementioned techniques and their use
at different stages of counseling or consulting.
4. Identify how these techniques will interact with client variables such as age, cultural background,
presenting problem, and personality characteristics.
5. Critically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in the use of the aforementioned techniques.
6. Identify objectives and strategies appropriate at various stages of counseling or consulting, including
technological strategies and applications.
7. Identify ethical issues that pertain to the use of these techniques.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Three major methods will be utilized in the class to facilitate the students’
understanding of counseling skills: 1) Lectures on micro-skills and related topics, 2) Readings to further
elaborate on counseling skills, and 3) Presentations, films, and role-play.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Attendance: Attendance is required. Late arrivals or early departures will have a negative impact on your
learning and your grade. Material and information will be discussed in class that is not necessarily in the text.
It is the students’ responsibility to obtain any material missed by not attending class for any reason, excused or
unexcused. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the professor of the dates that they will be absent.
The professor may assign homework for any unexcused absences. These extra assignments will be
averaged in with the other homework assignments described below in determining final grade.
TURN ALL CELL PHONES AND PAGERS OFF DURING CLASS.
Readings: Assigned readings and/or chapters are to be completed prior to the class session for which they are
assigned, so that students can participate in discussions, as well as ask and answer questions.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Wayland "expects students to be honest in all of their academic work. By enrolling, students agree to adhere to
the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity and understand that failure to comply with this pledge
may result in academic and disciplinary action."
Plagiarism
“Plagiarism — The attempt to represent the work of another, as it may relate to written or oral works, computerbased work, mode of creative expression (i.e. music, media or the visual arts), as the product of one's own
thought, whether the other's work is published or unpublished, or simply the work of a fellow student. When a
student submits oral or written work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of
that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and, if verbatim
statements are included, through use of quotation marks as well. By placing one’s name on work submitted for
credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate
acknowledgements. A student will avoid being charged with plagiarism if there is an acknowledgement of
indebtedness. Examples
include:
1. Quoting another person's actual words.
2. Using another person's idea, opinion, or theory, even if it is completely
paraphrased in one's own words.
3. Drawing upon facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials — unless the
information is common knowledge.
4. Submitting a paper purchased from a term paper service as one's own work.
5. Failing to accurately document information or wording obtained on the World Wide Web.
6. Submitting anyone else's paper as one's own work.
7. Violating federal copyright laws, including unauthorized duplication and/or distribution of copyrighted
material.
8. Offering, giving, receiving or soliciting of any materials, items or services of value to gain academic
advantages for yourself or another.”
Source: http://www.spjc.cc.fl.us/webcentral/admit/honesty.htm#plag
Disciplinary action for academic misconduct is the responsibility of the faculty members assigned to the course.
The faculty member is charged with assessing the gravity of any case of academic dishonesty, and with giving
sanctions to any student involved. Penalties may be applied to individual cases of academic dishonesty. See
catalog for more information about academic dishonesty.
Services for Students with a Disability: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA), it is the policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with disabilities be
excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational
program or activity in the University. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of
students with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291-3765.
Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor, during the first week of class, if accommodation
arrangements have been made with the coordinator of Counseling Services.
Evaluation of student performance:
Self-Reflection, Participation, Journaling/Workbook: (500 points) There will be multiple occasions during
this course that you will be expected to reflect in writing, as well as participate in discussions on various issues
and topics. Discussions may be in the form of class, small group or dyads. Please put serious thought into your
honest responses to the issues/topics explored.
Clinical documentation assignments: (100 points) During the course of the semester, the instructor will
work with class on how to write up progress notes, treatment plans, and other essential forms of clinical
documentation. You will then be given written assignments to demonstrate your ability to write up these
clinical documents. More information will be provided by your instructor on these assignments.
Video Reviews: (100 points) Student will watch videos during class and write up a review of your
observations. More details will be provided in class by your instructor.
Transcription Assignment: (100 points) Student will write a transcription of a session between a client and
counselor. You will then use the Basic Counselor Response system to identify the microskill, the focus, and
the rationale of each client-counselor dyadic interaction. More information will be provided by instructor in
class.
Midterm Exam: (100 points)
Final Exam: (100 points)
Point Conversion Table
A = 900 -1000 points
B = 800 - 899 points
C = 700 - 799 points
D = 600 - 699 points
F = 599 points or below
University Grading Scale: The University has a standard grading scale as follows: 90 - 100 = A (excellent);
80 - 89 = B (good); 70 - 79 = C (average); 60 - 69 = D (acceptable but below average); below 60 = F
(unacceptable); W=the student withdrew from the course before the deadline; WP=the student withdrew passing
before the deadline; WF=the student withdrew failing before the deadline (note that WF and F count the same in
the GPA); and I=incomplete. A grade of “incomplete” is given only if circumstances beyond the student’s
control prevented completion of work during the semester enrolled and any attendance requirements have been
met. A grade of “incomplete” is changed if the deficiency is made up by midterm of the next regular semester;
otherwise, it becomes an “F”.
Professor reserves the right to modify syllabus as needed. Please consult catalog for important deadlines such
as add/drop, withdrawal, etc.
Course Outline (Tentative Schedule)
Weekend #1 Aug 22/23
Intro to the course and overview of course expectations/Why do I want to be a counselor
Part I: LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
Ch1 Intro to Helping
Ch2 The helping relationship: Values in action
Ch3 Overview of the helping model
Role-Play demonstrations
Video and discussion
Workbook assignments
Weekend #2 Sept 5/6
Workbook assignments due
Part II: STAGE I OF THE HELPING PROCESS AND THE SKILLS OF THERAPEUTIC DIALOGUE
Ch4 Stage I: The Current Picture: Task 1—Partner with Clients to Help Them Tell Their Stories
Ch5 Communication Skills of Therapeutic Dialogue: The Skills of Tuning in & Actively Listening to Clients
Ch6 Empathic Responding: Working at Mutual Understanding
Overview of how to complete the transcription assignment
Work in dyads to practice skills
Video-“Antwone Fisher” discussion
Weekend #3 October 3/4
Video Reviews assignment due
Workbook assignments due
Midterm due
Part II: STAGE I OF THE HELPING PROCESS AND THE SKILLS OF THERAPEUTIC DIALOGUE
(continued)
Ch7 The Art of Probing and Summarizing
Ch8 Stage I: Task 2—Facilitate Client Self-Challenge: From New Perspectives to New Behavior
Ch9 Stage I: Task 3—Partner with Clients in Their Search for Value
Overview of how to write progress notes and treatment plans
Part III: THE UNDERAPPRECIATED DIMENSIONS OF HELPING: HELP CLIENTS CRAFT AND
CREATE A BETTER FUTURE
Ch10 Introduction to Stages II and III: Decisions, Goals, Outcomes, and Impact
Video and discussion
In-class practice of microskills
Weekend #4 October 24/25
Workbook assignments due
Clinical Documentation assignment due
Transcription assignment due
Part III: THE UNDERAPPRECIATED DIMENSIONS OF HELPING: HELP CLIENTS CRAFT AND
CREATE A BETTER FUTURE (continued)
Ch11 Stage II: The Preferred Picture—Help Clients Design a Better Future and Commit Themselves to It
Ch12 Stage III: The Way Forward—Help Clients Develop Plans to Accomplish Goals
Ch13 The Action Arrow: Making It All Happen
In class practice of microskills
Video and discussion
Final Exam (due November 1st by midnight)