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Course: PSYC 6246 - Counselling Skills & Competencies (21F-1C)
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Syllabus
Printed by: Sabrina Brar
Date:
Sunday, 14 November 2021, 6:34 PM
Table of contents
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1. Welcome to the Course!
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2. Important Course Information
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3. Your Professor
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4. Course Outcomes
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5. Required Materials
o 5.1. IMPORTANT Information Regarding Textbooks
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6. Graded Components
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7. MACP & YU Policies
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8. Learning Support
1. Welcome to the Course!
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Yorkville University is committed to making diversity, equity and inclusion an integral part of
our learning environment and culture. Please feel free to connect with any member of the YU
Student Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) in order to provide feedback in relation to
improving your experience. Members of the DAC can be found HERE
Accessibility and Accommodations
YU's goal is to create a learning experience that is as accessible as possible. If you anticipate
any issues related to the format, materials, or requirements of this course, please reach out to
the Academic Accommodations and Accessibility office: accessibility@yorkvilleu.ca
This course introduces students to communication concepts and categories that are central to the
counselling process. As such, much of class time is spent in practicing the implementation of
skills with opportunities to observe, practice, and receive direct individual feedback. While
counsellors certainly need to master a great deal of theoretical material to function as competent
professionals, communication skills are an absolute requisite as the means to transmit this
professional knowledge.
2. Important Course Information
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Please do not post to the weekly discussion forums prior to the first day of your
course. Your professor will not be monitoring the discussion forums until the course gets
underway. You may post your introductory message at any time. Thank you for your
cooperation.
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You are advised to have a backup computer (friend, family member) and backup
Internet access plan, for technical problems that may arise and when they lose
access to the course 30 days after the last day of instruction. It is also recommended
that you print off papers and assignments as you go, so that you have a hard copy backup,
and to save your files on CD or portable flash drive enabling you to take your papers and
assignments from computer to computer as needed.
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It is your responsibility to inform your instructors within the first 48 hours of the
course start date of any upcoming religious observances and anticipated
absences. Please see our Religious Observation Guidelines for more details.
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Each week, you should review the Unit Tasks and Readings page. This provides
important information and reminders that will help you throughout the course.
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Your first point of contact for concerns or questions regarding this course is your
professor. You can find their information which includes their YU email address in the
Course Syllabus (please use this link). If you are having technical issues in the course or
using the YU features and need technical support, submit a ticket for IT support (please
use this link) to contact our ASKYU system. If you need to contact your MACP Program
Advisor submit a ticket for student support (please use this link).
3. Your Professor
Melissa Lee-Tammeus, PhD, LMHC, CCTP, CTMH, CCATP
Dr. Melissa Lee-Tammeus (Tah -May-Us) is a full time professor and Course Lead for PSYC
6246 Counseling Skills and Competencies with the MACP at Yorkville University. She is a wife,
mother, doctor, counselor, and college professor. She has lived in Jacksonville, Florida in the
United States for the past 20 years, originally hailing from Denver, Colorado. She has a Ph.D. in
Humans Services, a M.S. in Psychology, and a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling.
Dr Mel has taught a variety of psychology and philosophy classes at the undergraduate and
graduate level for the past 13 years in both brick and mortar and online universities. Some of the
classes taught include General Psychology, Lifespan Development, Counseling Skills &
Competencies, Addictions, Couples and Families, Successful Strategies for Online Learning,
Philosophy, Theories of Personality, Speech, and Abnormal Psychology.
She is also a team lead and professor for an online American University, assisting and guiding
professors in their work online as well as teaching.
Dr Mel has been in the counseling field for over 25 years. She began working as a
psychotherapist in Colorado in 1996 and is now a licensed mental health counselor in private
practice for the State of Florida. She is the owner of Possible Self Counseling, PL which
specializes in LGB and heterosexual couples, transgender support, gifted teens, grief and trauma,
and self-empowerment in women. She is a certified rape crisis hotline counselor, a certified
Clinical Trauma Specialist, a Clinical Telemental Health Provider, and a Certified Clinical
Anxiety Treatment Professional, and has worked in both private practice settings and residential
treatment centers.
Dr Mel is a member and weekly blogger for American Counseling Association. She is also a
member of Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues in Counseling, Citizen
Therapists, Equality Florida, and Open Path Psychotherapy Collective.
Dr Mel’s research includes dissociative identity disorder treatment, men with anger, test anxiety
in college students, and the educational needs of counseling interns in regards to counseling LGB
couples. Early in her career, Dr Mel wrote extensively on the need for a collaborative stance on
treatment protocols for dissociative identity disorder. She also studied the effects of test anxiety
on college students, particularly those in the medical field. Most recently, she developed an
Anger Management Protocol for Court Appointed Anger Management classes which includes a
familial element to work within the family system and learn healthy and communicative anger
displays. In her latest work, Melissa studied academic learning and the needs associated with
counseling interns working with LGB couples to ensure that both clients and therapists get the
support they need for the optimal therapeutic relationship.
Contact: mleetammeus@yorkvilleu.ca
4. Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
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Acquire and demonstrate such foundational counselling skills as
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constructing effective opening statements;
paraphrasing, and reflecting both feelings and content;
summarizing;
demonstrating empathy vs. simple agreement with client statements;
assessing for suicide risk, and articulating understanding of core underlying
principles;
assessing client motivational readiness;
goal-setting and maintaining focus on client and problem definition;
planning and implementing client skill development strategies (e.g., in session
rehearsal and homework assignments): and
writing clearly and articulately.
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Demonstrate the ability to reason critically about topics related to
o the essential ambiguities of the helping relationship,
o confrontation as a counselling intervention, and
o alternate interpretations of client statements.
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Recognize, differentiate, categorize, and evaluate different counsellor responses that
o create obstacles to communication, and
o contribute to transference and counter-transference patterns in helping
relationships.
5. Required Materials
Textbooks
Sperry, L., & Sperry, J. (2020). Case conceptualization (2nd ed.) Taylor & Francis.
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This book is available as apart of our eBook Collection via the EBSCO Academic
database in the YU Library.
Young, M. (2021). Learning the art of helping: Building blocks and techniques (7th ed.).
Pearson
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Please note that these textbooks are also required for PSYC 7106, the Practicum course
that accompanies the practicum portion of the program, and so you are advised to retain
this textbook at least until completing your Practicum, if not beyond.
These are the references of choice for ensuring proper use of psychology terms. Please do not
use Oxford, Merriam, or Dictionary.com etc. for psychological terms.
Gladding, S. T. (2018). The Counseling Dictionary: Vol. Fourth edition. American Counseling
Association. https://search-ebscohostcom.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=nleb
k&AN=1561316&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_C1
Neukrug, E., Brace-Thompson, J., Maurer, C., & Harman, C. (2015). The SAGE Encyclopedia of
Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://search-ebscohostcom.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=nleb
k&AN=1061337&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_C
Required Journal Articles
Flatt, S., & Curtis, S. (2013). Offering expert knowledge within a not-knowing solution-focused
paradigm: A contradiction in terms or a helpful response to (some) real life
conundrums? International Journal of Solution-Focused Practices, 1, 28–
30. http://nlpeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ExpertKnowledge.pdf
Granello, D. H. (2010). The process of suicide risk assessment: Twelve core principles. Journal
of Counselling and Development, 88(3), 363370. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=bth&AN=52425
748&site=eds-live&custid=s7439054
Goldfried, M. R. (2007). What has psychotherapy inherited from Carl Rogers? Psychotherapy:
Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44(3), 249252. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=pdh&AN=2007
-14639-003&site=eds-live&custid=s7439054
Kim, J. S., & Franklin, C. (2015). Understanding emotional change in solution-focused brief
therapy: Facilitating positive emotions. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International
Journal, 11(1), 25–
41. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=a9h&AN=10353
4839&site=eds-live&custid=s7439054
Negash, S., & Morgan, M. (2016). A family affair: Examining the impact of parental infidelity
on children using a Structural Therapy Framework. Contemporary Family Therapy, 38(2), 198209. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=pbh&AN=1147
88666&site=eds-live&custid=s7439054
Parker, M. L., & Molteni, J. (2017). Structural family therapy and autism spectrum disorder:
Bridging the disciplinary divide. American Journal of Family Therapy, 45(3), 135148. https://search-ebscohostcom.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=ehh
&AN=123914019
Smith, I. C. (2011). A qualitative investigation into the effects of brief training in solutionfocused therapy in a social work team. Psycholoogy & Psychotherapy: Theory, Research &
Practice, 84(3), 335-348. https://search-ebscohostcom.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=pbh
&AN=67611555
Wachtel, P. L. (2007). Carl Rogers and the larger context of therapeutic thought. Psychotherapy:
Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44(3), 249252. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=pdh&AN=2007
-14639-010&site=eds-live&custid=s7439054
Required Videos
Dr. J. Scott Branson, LPC, NCC. (2013, November 3). Case conceptualization HD [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V49MUcECM9g
Kundla, M. (Director), & Kundla, M. (Producer). (2015). Theoretical case conceptualization and
treatment planning [Video]. Microtraining Associates. https://search-alexanderstreetcom.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C2875442
Luciano Aaron Lambertini. (2015, May 11). Case conceptualization [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMsBvPHs4Lc
Psychotherapy Practice Research Network. (2013, April 27). One case, two formulations:
Psychodynamic and CBT perspectives [Video].
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L83LegUbDHg
Important Course Information
PSYC6246 Course Map
Welcome to the Course
MACP Skills Lab
The Skills Learning Lab serves as a central location for the MACP program practical application
materials focused on skill acquisition. It is open throughout your program so that you can review
this material at your own pace while also giving you the opportunity to revisit concepts, ideas,
and skills. Each module is a combination of videos, text, or interactive elements with a singular
goal of preparing you to be a competent helping professional!
5.1. IMPORTANT Information Regarding Textbooks
If you have any issues acquiring the textbooks, please contact Paul Graham, the University
Librarian at:
email: librarian@yorkvilleu.ca;
Skype at universitylibrarian, Fredericton, NB, Canada;
EBSCO database's "Ask Yorkville's Librarian" feature; or
by telephone at 506-454-1220, extension 1302.
6. Graded Components
Graded Item
% of Final Grade Due Date
Instructor Discussions
/5
Units 5 & 7
Weekly Activities
/10
Units 1, 3, 4, & 8
Practical Application Sessions:
Practical Application Session #1
/20
Unit 2
Practical Application Session #2
/20
Unit 6
Practical Application Session #3
/20
Unit 9
Journal Reflection
/10
Unit 9
Case Conceptualization and Literature Review /15
Unit 10
Total
100%
Please note that acceptable mastery of the skills and competencies demonstrated in this courses
assignments are critical to effective counselling. As such, you must earn a grade of B- (or 70%)
or greater on all parts of all assignments to pass the course. There are no grounds for appeal
regarding the 70% passing requirement due to regulatory requirements
Opportunities for re-submission will be limited, as per the MACP Late Submission policy
Grading of Assessments
Assignments will be marked based on comprehensiveness, presentation quality, form, and
content. Submissions must be presented in the manner requested of each particular
assignment. Please do not email instructors asking when grades will appear, as responding to
numerous emails to this effect tends to delay the process.
Rubrics
Each submitted assignment has its own rubric depending on the assignment’s goals and
objectives. General requirements include the understanding of the course material in question,
neatness and organization, and successful completion of minimum requirements. After being
submitted, assignments will be graded by the professor and returned to the student with
feedback.
Grade Standards
Every graded assignment will have a rubric defining the criteria unique to the assignment.
Student evidence of having relatively demonstrated or mastered these criteria will be assessed
according to the grade standards found in the New Brunswick Academic Calendar (Section 8 Graduate Program Grading Policies).
APA
All written work for this course must be formatted according to the APA style as outlined in the
7th edition of the Publication Manual of the APA.
Program Expectations for Assignments
Please use 12pt text size with Times New Roman font for all assignments. Running head for the
assignment is not needed. The reference list should only include sources that were used for intext citations in the paper itself.
7. MACP & YU Policies
Academic Appeals Process
See Section 5 of the New Brunswick Academic Calendar
Grade Policies
See Section 8 of the New Brunswick Academic Calendar
Note: In fairness to other students, individual assignment/final grades will not be adjusted on
request so that a student may achieve the next grade level, e.g., A+ from an A.
Academic Integrity and Honesty
Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, results in serious consequences. Punishments range
from a reduced grade or a grade of zero on an assignment to automatic failure of a course to
academic dismissal from the university (see Section 5 of the New Brunswick Academic
Calendar, Student Conduct, for a statement of the University’s policy).
MACP Late Submission Policy
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Every assignment has a due date. Students are expected to submit assignments on or
before the assigned due date.
Late assignment submissions must be arranged with the instructor PRIOR to the
assignment due date.
o Approved late assignments will be penalized 3% for each day that they are late,
up to 5 days (15%).
o Approved late assignments will not be accepted after 5 days unless there are
extenuating circumstances (such as major illness or death in the family) that have
been discussed with the professor before the new assignment deadline.
Late assignment submissions that have not been prearranged with the instructor will only
be accepted under extenuating circumstances (such as major illness or death in the
family).
o The student must contact their instructor and Student Services Advisor as soon as
reasonably possible to discuss the extenuating circumstance.
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In the case of illness, arrangements may be made at the discretion of the instructor
to make up the work, however, documentation from a health care professional
will be required.
Non-Academic Conduct
Confidentiality is a continuous ethical obligation as well as learning process as a counsellor and
as a student. Please do not share materials or discussions from the course room on public forums,
like social media, blogs or other sites. We want you and other students to feel safe in being
authentic. Just like group counselling rules, what’s said here, stays here. See Section 5 of
the New Brunswick Academic Calendar.
Religious Observation Guidelines
Religious Observation Guidelines
8. Learning Support
Students are strongly encouraged to use numerous student learning support resources available
through the Library and the Yorkville University: MACP Student Orientation. Library resources
include research tutorials, APA writing guides, sample essays, Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs) on information literacy, links to web tools to help find and organize materials, and much
more. The Library can be accessed throughout the course by clicking the MyYU icon at the top
of every page.
If you want to submit a ticket for student support, please use this link.
Using the Library for Research
Journal databases are provided through the Library Website. For more information on searching
databases and course-related articles, please refer to the Library. You can contact the Librarian,
Paul Graham, by email (librarian@yorkvilleu.ca) , by Skype (skypename: University Librarian)
or, by telephone at (506-454-1220, extension 1302).
If you wish to report a technical problem, please click on the MyYU button at the top of the page
and choose the AskYU option to submit a case to our HelpDesk.
The MACP Student Orientation at Yorkville University provides extensive information on how
to use and navigate the Online learning environment, ways to contact key personnel, and access
to your program information pages. Return to the Orientation frequently, as this resource is
constantly being updated and you may find answers to your questions about this course and your
program.
Student Success Centre
The Student Success Centre is all about helping ensure your success as a student, providing
strategies, best practices, demonstrations, tutoring services, and interactive labs on a wide variety
of topics.
Also, to access Alexander Street's Behavioural and Mental Health Online video resources, login
to MyYU, select "Library", "free trials", then select "Counselling Videos".
You may also use the Psychology Open Access Journals for quick access to e-books and other
resources.
APA Style and Support Resources
APA 7th edition support: Here are some supports from the library
site https://library.yorkvilleu.ca/encyclopedia/apa-7th-edition-supports/
Bibliographic software: You may already be using a bibliographic software package but if you
don’t, I’d recommend Zotero. It is a free program that lets you download citations from any
online source, and cite in APA 7th edition. https://www.zotero.org/ Other software should be
able to do so as well, such as Google Docs, MS Word and LibreOffice.
Libguides: When you are unsure about a specific citation, it’s structure and appearance, you can
also search for libguides. Libguides are freely accessible, pre-vetted information sites. These are
not only good for citation, but for any and every academic topic… research methods, lit reviews,
etc. https://libguides.css.edu/APA7thEd/JournalArticle You can use these as templates of
comparison for your lists. Are you citing a journal correctly? You can search for examples of
Journals on a libguide site. Just search for the topic plus the term 'libguide' in your web search.
Templates: And you can search for templates on YouTube, online,
etc. https://sfcollege.libguides.com/apa7/paper
Main Changes in APA 7th Edition for MACP students. Click here the pdf.