15800 Calvary Rd.
Kansas City, MO
64147
Course:
Credit:
Semester:
Time:
Instructor:
I.
Syllabus
CO432I Crisis Counseling
3 credit hours
Spring 2016
TR 6-10pm, Jan. 14, 21, 28, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 – No Class, March 3
Bill Gibbs
bill.gibbs@calvary.edu
bill.gibbs@gmail.com
DESCRIPTION
This course is a study in the nature of crisis and conveys practical steps for ministering to
those who struggle and to those who care for them. This course presents an understanding and
scriptural basis for crisis, trauma, loss, and grief, and the processes they represent and how and
when they occur. (Taken last spring in attendance – Senior year. Prerequisite: CO244)
II.
OBJECTIVES
A. General competencies to be achieved. The student:
1. Will be acquainted with a definition of crisis from a biblical
worldview.
2. Will be acquainted with crisis intervention strategies.
3. Will be acquainted with biblical distinctive in crisis intervention.
4. Will be acquainted with crisis in context of individuals, groups,
communities, and regions..
B. Specific competencies to be achieved. The student:
1. Will learn how to intervene in the midst of a crisis, assess what to
do, and seek biblical solutions.
2. Will understand the integral task of care giving, or referral to
adequate professional caregivers or a medical facility.
3. Will seek out training materials, programs, and agencies that
provide solid biblical training in the field of crisis counseling.
4. Will have knowledge of secular sources of crisis counsel.
Our Mission: To Live According to a Biblical Worldview and Serve
CO432I Crisis Counseling
Spring 2016
P2
III.
REQUIREMENTS
A. Attendance: Students will follow the Non-Traditional Studies Orientation manual
in regard to being tardy, sick days, and absences.
B. Reading assignments: Readings are from required texts. Texts, handouts, and
bibliography give you supplemental material relevant to the course description.
Daily newspapers are to be scanned for articles reflecting crisis and trauma.
C. Writing assignments: All class papers must follow the Turabian style according to
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition
and the Calvary Style Guide, 2015 update.
i. The student will write a five page critical review. This critical review will
cover Crisis Counseling: a Guide for Pastors and Professionals by Scott
Floyd.
ii. The student will write a five page critical review on Suffering and the
Goodness of God edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A.
Peterson
iii. Description of a critical review:
1. Follow the Calvary Bible College 2015 Style Guide
2. Title page according to CBC 2015 S.G. p 1, Appendix C
3. Page 1. Evaluation of the author’s main points should be precise
and specific, highlighting primary and secondary points, one page.
4. Critique of the material. How was it written in terms of being
interesting, clear, well organized, objective, sensible, practical and
was it well researched? What does the author say, and how or why
does he/she say it? Support your conclusions. Three pages.
5. Your reaction (opinion) on the topic. What are your own thoughts
or opinions about the subject of the material? Does it raise any
other questions for you? How might you use it in your own life (or
if you can’t, why not)? Include a critical evaluation which answers
“What kind of job did he do?” Also include an application section
which answer the question “What did the book do for you?” This
section may be written in 1st person. This should be one page.
iv. The student will examine a daily newspaper or other media source to
determine what life issues reported as crisis/trauma events that can be
examined for biblical study. The student will examine one event per week
for five weeks. The students will read Scripture and Counseling: God’s
Word for Life in a Broken World edited by Bob Kellemen. The student
will become familiar with chapters 10 and 11 and answer the following
questions for at least one crisis/trauma event per week as given on pages
186-190. The student will turn in a three page paper each week answering
the following questions.
CO432I Crisis Counseling
Spring 2016
P3
1. What questions need to be addressed as we attempt to label our
area of biblical counseling research?
2. In current biblical counseling who is exploring this and what issues
are they addressing?
3. In secular psychology, who is researching this and what issues are
they addressing?
4. What experience if any, do I have counseling with this issue, and
what questions has my counseling raised that I will want to
explore?
5. What experience, if any do I have dealing with this personally, and
what questions has my experience raised that I will want to
explore?
6. What examples of a similar topic do we find in the scriptures?
7. Where do we find similar categories, issues, concepts, and
constructs in the scriptures?
v. The student will develop a crisis quick reference guide. The guide will list
possible crisis situations and bullet-point the phases and action steps for
each crisis. This information may be derived from the texts or from other
ready-made resources. These quick reference guides should include the
following:
1. A person who is considering suicide
2. A person who has attempted suicide
a. The person’s family
3. Family of person who took his life
4. Family of adult who has died by natural means (illness)
a. By accident
b. By violence (homicide)
5. Family of child who has died
a. By illness, violence accident, suicide
6. Domestic violence situations
a. Spouse battering
b. Child abuse
c. Elder abuse
7. Loss of relationship
a. By divorce
b. By retirement, layoff, firing
8. Loss of possessions: home, automobile, through disaster, theft or
terrorism
9. Quick Reference Guide will include resource information to be
helpful for each situation the total guide is to be at least twenty
pages.
CO432I Crisis Counseling
Spring 2016
P4
D. Student will interview three first responders (firemen, policemen, or ambulance
drivers). The student will ask questions and gather information about their
training, experiences, their personal skills and what led them into their current
profession. The student will write one five page assessment of the interviews and
summarize which fields he would or would not go into and why.
E. Student will discover a crisis situation in their geographical area, i.e. church,
homeless shelter, crisis pregnancy center, or their own family or relatives in which
they can assist in caring, counseling, and otherwise ministering. The student will
record the information while maintaining the individual’s confidential
information. The student will record how they intervened in the situation, what
they did to be able to help and what they learned in the process. The paper will be
5 pages in length and will be considered a personal reflection on a crisis situation.
IV.
METHODS
A. Points will be given for:
i. Two five page abstracts
ii. Five page personal reflection
iii. Folder of emergency information
iv. Five assessments of Crisis events
v. Quick Reference Guide
vi. Interview research paper
200
100
50
200
250
200
1000
B. Grading
i. According to the Calvary Bible College Catalog
V.
MATERIALS
Required reading
Floyd, Scott. 2008. Crisis Counseling: A Guide for Pastor’s and Professionals.
Grand Rapids: Kregal. ISBN. 978-0-8254-2588-2 $12.03
Kelleman, Bob, General Editor. 2014. Scripture and Counseling: God’s Word for
Life in a Broken World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN. 978-0-310-51683-5
$24.10
Morgan, Christopher W. and Robert A. Peterson, eds. 2008. Suffering and the
Good ness of God. Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway. ISBN 978-1-58134-859-0 $23.99
CO432I Crisis Counseling
Spring 2016
P5
Recommended reading
Lewis, C.S., A Grief Observed. New York: Bantam Books, 1976.
Lewis, C.S., The Problem of Pain. New York: Macmillan, 1962.
Wright, H. Norman, The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling,
Ventura, California: Regal, 2011.
VI.
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE
Jan 14
CLASS TOPIC
Introduction
Crisis, Trauma
Loss, Grief
ASSIGNMENT
Due-Critical Review
of Scott Floyd
Jan 21
Model of Helping
Intervention Strategies
Due-Crisis Event
Assessment (CEA)
Jan 28
Crisis Counseling and
Minister and Counselor
Due-Critical Review of
Morgan & Peterson
2nd CEA
Feb 4
Adolescents and Children
Crisis Situations
Due-Practicum Topic
3rd CEA
Feb 11
Disasters in the
Church and Community
Due-List of First Responders
4th CEA
Feb 18
Caring for the
Caregivers
Due-Resource Guide, Folder,
5th CEA
Feb 25
No Class
Mar 3
Interviews and
Practicum Report Due
CO432I Crisis Counseling
Spring 2016
P6
Students with disabilities have the responsibility of informing the DSS Coordinator
(dss@calvary.edu) of any disabling condition that may require support.
Plagiarism is defined as copying any part of a book or paper without identifying the author. This
also includes taking another person’s ideas and presenting them as your own.
All class papers must follow the Turabian style according to A Manual for Writers of Research
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition and the Calvary Style Guide, 2015 update.
The Learning Center (learning@calvary.edu), located in the library building, is dedicated to
providing free academic assistance for all CBC and CTS students. Student tutors aid with all
facets of the writing process, tutor in various subject areas, prepare students for exams, and
facilitate tests. Please take advantage of this service.