WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
Phoenix Campus
School of Behavioral and Social Sciences
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.
Counseling Skills and Techniques CNSL 5313
TERM: Fall 2015
Instructor: Mike Spector
Contact Information: 602-399-3062 (cell) Email: mikespector08@gmail.com
Office Hours: set up via e-mail. Will respond within 24 hours and can meet students at Wayland Phoenix Campus, through e-mail, or
by phone at a mutually agreeable time
Class Time and Location: Wayland Phoenix Campus
Week 1: August 21,22 (Friday: 5:30pm – 9:30pm / Saturday 8:00am – 4:00pm)
Week 5: September 18/19 (Friday: 5:30pm – 9:30pm / Saturday 8:00am – 4:00pm)
Week 7: October 2,3 (Friday: 5:30pm – 9:30pm / Saturday 8:00am – 4:00pm)
Week 9: October 16/17 (Friday: 5:30pm – 9:30pm / Saturday 8:00am – 4:00pm)
Catalog 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.
This course is designed to emphasize Basic Counseling Skills in the Helping Relationship by providing a broad understanding of
counseling processes, including all of the following: Counselor and client characteristics and behaviors that influence helping
processes, which include age, gender and ethnic differences, verbal and nonverbal behaviors, and personal characteristics,
orientations, and skills; and Essential interviewing and counseling skills with a focus on the development of a therapeutic relationship,
establishment of appropriate counseling goals and intervention strategies, evaluation of client outcome, and successful termination of
the counseling relationship.
Prerequisite: Accepted into Wayland as a graduate student
Textbook:
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.
Optional Materials:
Course outcome competencies: the student will understand and be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of major psychological theories, terms, concepts and techniques.
2. 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
3. Identify the appropriate use for a variety of other affective, cognitive, behavioral, and systemic techniques.
4. Describe the basic purposes and processes associated with the aforementioned techniques and their use at different stages of
counseling or consulting.
5. Identify how these techniques will interact with client variables such as age, cultural background, presenting problem, and
personality characteristics.
6. Critically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in the use of the aforementioned techniques.
7.
8.
Identify objectives and strategies appropriate at various stages of counseling or consulting, including technological strategies
and applications.
Identify ethical issues that pertain to the use of these techniques.
Attendance: Students enrolled at one of the University’s external campuses should make every effort to attend all class meetings. All
absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted work may be made up. When a student
reaches that number of absences considered by the instructor to be excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an
unsatisfactory progress report with the campus dean. Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly scheduled class
meetings may receive a grade of F in the course. Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the
course syllabus, are considered a part of the University’s attendance policy.
Additional attendance policies: Attendance for on-site sessions mandatory. Regular weekly participation for online portion a must.
Service for the Disabled: 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 a disability 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) 2913765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
Course requirements:
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.
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 .
Method of determining course grade:
Grading will be determined by three components; participation in both the face-to-face and online meetings, original research
demonstrated through the midterm project and final paper, and theoretical knowledge also demonstrated through the midterm project
and final paper.
The University has a standard grade scale:
A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F= below 60, W = Withdrawal, WP = withdrew passing, WF = withdrew failing, I =
incomplete. An incomplete may be given within the last two weeks of a long term or within the last two days of a microterm to a
student who is passing, but has not completed a term paper, examination, or other required work for reasons beyond the student’s
control. A grade of “incomplete” is changed if the work required is completed prior to the last day of the next long (10 to 15 weeks)
term, unless the instructor designates an earlier date for completion. If the work is not completed by the appropriate date, the I is
converted to an F.
Instructor's policy on Academic Dishonesty:
All papers, research, etc. should solely be the work of the student. There will be zero tolerance for plagiarism. Depending on the
severity, using another’s ideas as one’s own could result in a rewrite, zero, and/or referral to the dean. Collective work should be
attributed accordingly All written assignments will require a reference page.
Tentative Schedule (subject to change!):
Weekend #1 Aug 21/22
Intro to the course and overview of course expectations/Why do I want to be a counselor
Text pp 1-103
Chpt1 The Ingredients of Successful Helping
Chpt 2 The helping Relationship and the Values that Drive It
Chpt 3 Emphatic Presence: Tuning In and Listening
Video and discussion
Workbook assignments will be given in class
Weekend #2 Sept 18/19
Text pp. 104-214
Chpt 4 Empathic Responding
Chpt 5 The Art of Probing and Summarizing
Chpt 6 Facilitation Client Self-Challenge: From New Perspectives to New Behavior
Chpt 7 Helper Self-Challenge
Video and discussion
Workbook assignments will be given in class
Midterm Paper Due: 8-10 pages; What have I discovered about myself as a counselor? What are my strengths, what are my risk areas,
and what will I work on over the next six months?
Weekend #3 October 2/3
Text pp. 215-302
Chpt 8 The Problem Management Process
Chpt 9 Help Clients tell Their Stories
Chpt 10 The Real Story, The Right Story
Chpt 11 Problem Managing Goals/Possibilities
Video and discussion
Workbook assignments will be given in class
Weekend #4 October 16/17
Text pp. 303-404
Chpt12 Goals, Outcomes, Impact
Chpt13 Planning the Way Forward
Chpt 14 Implementation
Video and discussion
Workbook assignments will be given in class
Final Paper Due: 8-10 pages; What I’ve learned in this class about the art of counseling. What resonated with me? What was I
surprised at? What do I know going out that I didn’t know coming in?
Additional Information: This is a tentative schedule. If the class needs to spend more time on an interesting topic, adjustments may
be made.