Syllabus
CNSL 5304 Group Counseling with Adults and Children
Wayland Baptist University Fairbanks Campus
Spring 2014
DATES
FRIDAY 28 FEB
SATURDAY 1 MAR
FRIDAY 28 MAR
SATURDAY 29 MAR
FRIDAY 18 APR
SATURDAY 19 APR
FRIDAY MAY 9
SATURDAY MAY 10
HOURS
Friday: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am – 4:30pm
Classes will meet at Wayland Baptist University, Fairbanks Campus - DOYON COMPLEX
Mission Statement: 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
Instructor:
Michael Duncan, PhD
email: michael.duncan@wayland.wbu.edu
Phone: 210-410-4971
Office hours: By appointment
CNSL 5304 Group Counseling with Adults and Children
Prerequisites: None
Textbooks:
Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills (7th Edition, Jacobs, Masson & Harvill)
Student Copy ISBN: 978-0-8400-3393-2
Attendance and Absences
Campus Attendance Policy: 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
will receive a grade of F in the course. Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by the
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instructor in the course syllabus are considered a part of the University’s attendance policy (WBU Catalog,
2005-2006, p. 77).
Instructors Additional Attendance Policies: Attendance is very important to the outcome of your success in this
class. If you are unable to attend a class, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor immediately and to
acquire the notes from another student for the class missed. Attendance will be taken and will be factored into
students' grade. If you miss class, you should notify the instructor (preferably via e-mail) of your status and
reason for missing class.
Notice to Students Experiencing Disabilities:
"It is university policy that no otherwise qualified disabled person 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
dean of students serves the university as coordinator of activities for the handicapped and should be contacted
concerning initial enrollment, scheduling, and other arrangements. It is to the student's advantage to initiate
contact with the dean of students' office as soon as possible before registration to ensure adequate time for
assistance."
Academic Honesty
Wayland Baptist University’s policy on academic honesty and/or plagiarism will be strictly adhered to in this
class. Any plagiarized work will be referred to the Dean and may result in an automatic No Pass grade. Please
refer to the Academic Catalog for further information.
Reading: Students will be expected to read the assigned readings prior to the day they are discussed in class.
Attendance & Participation: Students will be expected to be present and to participate and contribute
thoughtfully to the classroom discussions. This requires you to be prepared for class by completing the
reading prior to the day it is discussed in class. You are expected to be attentive and to respect your
classmates’ opinions
Ethical and Professional Conduct. Counselors-in-training are expected to behave in accordance with the
ACA Ethical Standards and other standards of accepted professional conduct, including attire appropriate to
professional counseling. Special attention is called to standards of confidentiality. Specific Ethical and
Professional Guidelines for School Counselors are also included in the (a) TEA Code of Ethics and (b)
American School Counselor Association Ethical Standards.
Grading
Course grades will be calculated as follows:
Points
Assignment
20
20
20
30
10
GROUP OBSERVATION PAPER
REVIEW OF COUSELING THEORIES
REVIEW OF WORK WITH SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
DESIGN A GROUP
PARTICIPATION
100
POINTS TOTAL
The following grading system will be used throughout the course:
A
B
C
D
F
100-90%
89-80%
79-70%
69-60%
below 60%
2
I incomplete*
W withdrawal
*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.
Course Assignments
The first three assignments involve 1) an initial posting to blackboard, 2) responding to classmate’s posts with
a comment and question, and, 3) responding to these comments and questions. For all posts you should be
respectful, positive and non-critical. Points will be deducted for late postings.
1. GROUP OBSERVATION PAPER
Attend and observe a local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group. You will need to research via the Internet for
groups held in you location. Ensure that the group is an ‘open group.’ You may want to give them a call to
prior to the meeting to discuss your attendance. If you have any problems please let me know immediately.
. At most meetings it is appropriate and accepted to say that you are attending as a requirement for a class
and are there to observe. In your write-up do not include any information that would reveal someone’s identity
or breach their confidentiality. Write a 3-4 page reflection paper.
Include:
How did you feel walking into the group?
What type of group
How the session started
The stage of the group (beginning, middle/working or end)
A description of the leader and what you noticed about what they did
A description of interaction patterns
A description of basic skills used by the leader and participants
Group problems that occurred and how these were handled by the leader or group members
How the session ended
Your reactions to observing the group and/or participating in the group
2. Review of Counseling Theories
Read the information included in chapter 13 -Using Counseling Theories in Groups. For each theory listed
below write a one-half page paper detailing how the theory listed below was or could have been used in the AA
group that you attended. Describe specific aspects of the theory and how it was or could have been used. If a
particular theory was not used or could not have been used in the group you attended explain what specifically
about the theory made/makes inappropriate for you setting.
Theories include:
1 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
2 REBT
3 Reality Therapy
4 Adlerian Therapy
5 Transactional Analysis
6 Gestalt Therapy
3. Review of Work with Specific Populations
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Read the information included in chapter 17 - Working with Specific Populations. Pick four of the populations
provided below. Write a one page paper for each of the four populations detailing the challenges of working
with this population. Describe what strategies you might use working with this population. What are the
benefits of working with this population? Populations include:
1. Children
2. Adolescents
3. Couples
4. Addiction Groups
5. Older Clients
6. Clients with Chronic Diseases or disabilities
7. Survivors of sexual abuse
8. Divorce groups
4. Design a group
Imagine that you are tasked with the responsibility of developing a multi-session group consisting of one of the
populations from Chapter 17. You will need to document your group plan using the headlines listed below and
let this be the format for your response. Creativity is welcomed and encouraged. Brainstorm ways to make
your project interesting
PART 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
(a) Descriptive information about the group.
- Describe the purpose/purposes of the group and for this particular session. Provide an brief overview of the
content
- Describe the type of group if will be (educational, discussion, etc.).
- Describe your setting, population of your special interest, the makeup of participants, how they will be
recruited and screened, and your exclusion and inclusion criteria.
- Will it be open or closed?
- Voluntary or non-voluntary?
- How will client drop-outs and admission of new members be handled?
- Any rules about concurrent individual and group counseling?
- Where, when, how often, and how long will the group meet?
- Specify the rules of operation for the group and how you will deal with potential problems that arise (e.g.,
being shy and withdrawn, dominating the discussion, etc.)
- What ethical and legal issues have you considered? How?
(b.) Stages of the group
- How do you anticipate the group changing through the beginning, middle and closing stages?
- At what stage is this particular session scheduled for? What factors have you considered since the group is
at this stage?
(c.) Your chosen theory and style of group leadership. How will the group’s work
be accomplished?
(d.) Managing a co-therapist. Identify your co-therapist(s) and how you specifically intend to work together.
Identify challenges that may arise and how these will be addressed.
(e.) First Meeting: Describe how you would begin the first meeting. How will you directly or indirectly begin
setting structure and modeling desired norms? How will you address potential absences? Tardiness?
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(f.) Anticipate Critical Incidents: Given the type of group, the specific population and the meeting place of
your group, the expected issues your group addresses, and your chosen theory and style of group leadership,
what problems and critical incidents do you anticipate? How do you intend to handle them?
(g.) Anticipate problem situations. Given the population you would be working with, what potential problem
situations (chapter 16) do you expect, and how will you address and manage them? Identify and address at
least four potential problems.
(h.) Closure/Termination/Aftercare/Referrals: How you will structure the ending of your group and what
follow-up if any, would you offer?
(i.) Group Flyer: Create a one page inviting and ethically honest description of your group which you will use
to recruit clients and/or give to clients for their information.
(j.) Informed Consent: Research group informed consent forms on the Internet. What are the important
aspects of the informed consent document? Is it important to have a legal representative review the
document- why? or why not?
(k.) A sample therapist’s group meeting notes/summary sheet –describe how you will document
participation in the group. How will you document content?
PART 2: A DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION YOU ARE FACILITATING WITH THE CLASS
(a.) What session number is this?
(b.) Describe the focus of this session. What are the specific content goals? How and when do you plan to
shift the focus? Any plans to deepen the focus? How?
(c.) Describe the specific process goals of this session
(d.) Provide a description of a group exercise that you may use. Tell why you chose this exercise. What is the
expected results of using this exercise? What might be the unintended consequences of using this exercise?
PART 3: GROUP FACILITATION
Your grade, in part, will be determined by your execution and facilitation of this session with the class.
Other member of your class will become participants in your group. Inform them of the population they
represent and any significant issues they are dealing with at this time. Your instructor will also be a member of
your group. Facilitate your group for a period of 30 minutes utilizing your plan and other basic skills we have
discussed.
Criteria for grading include:
(a.) Evidence of your preparation and organization, including the clarity of your instructions and the
coordination with your co-facilitators. Did you layout the ‘rules of the road’ for the group prior to
beginning?
(b.) Your use of basic skills (active listening, questioning, etc.)
(c.) Your reaction to the group members (Hint: don’t focus too much on following your plan that you
forget to pay attention to the group members!) REMEMBER: BE FLEXIBLE
NOTE: Parts 1-2 require brief and to the point outline of how you will develop and implement your group. Part
3 requires that you implement your plan. Part 3 is designed to let you launch your plan, use your skills as a
facilitator and receive feedback from your group. It is a learning exercise. Part 4 will give you the opportunity to
document your success and challenges in developing and facilitating a group.
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PART 4: REFLECTION
Provide a 2-3 page individual reflection following your group facilitation addressing the following:
(a.) Describe the group dynamic. In hindsight, what could you have done differently to address this more
effectively?
(b.) Describe how well you felt documenting the planning section? What was easy and what was difficult?
(c.) What mistakes did you make in planning? What could you have done differently to address this?
(d.) Identify and evaluate your use of basic skills during the session.
(e.) Describe and evaluate an attempt you made during this session to either cut someone off or draw
someone out. Why did you decide to do this? How did you do this? What effect did it have?
(f.) Did any critical incidents or problem situations occur? Critique how they were handled.
COURSE OUTLINE
WEEKEND 1: Introductions, syllabus review. Student should have read and be prepared to discuss
Chapters 1-6
WEEKEND 2: Student should have read and be prepared to discuss Chapters 7- 13. Observation Paper
is due beginning of class Saturday. Be prepared to discuss your observations.
Weekend 3: Student should have read and be prepared to discuss Chapters 14-18. Review of
Counseling Theories and Review of Work with Specific Population papers are due at the beginning of
class Saturday.
Weekend 4: Design a Group papers are due at the beginning of class Friday. Student presentations are
due. Review of course. Discuss lessons learned.
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