APPL 625: Multicultural Counseling
Summer 2015
3 Credit Hours
Learning Commons Room 208
Instructor: Katy Lacefield, Ph.D.
Email: klacefield@ubalt.edu
This is the best way to contact me. All emails will be responded to promptly.
Office Hours: I will be available immediately before and after class, or by appointment.
Important Note About This Class:
Courses that meet during the condensed, 8-week Summer session, including this one, move at a rapid pace and are
intensely demanding of your time and effort. Please consider whether you have time to commit to successfully engaging
in the expected workload, while you still have the option to withdraw. Please feel free to consult with me as you make
your decision.
Required Texts:
 Sue, D. W. & Sue, D. (2012). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley &
Sons, Incorporated.
o ISBN:9781118022023
 Sue, D. W., Gallardo, M. E., & Neville, H. A. (2014). Case studies in multicultural counseling and therapy.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
o ISBN: 9781118487556
 Scholarly articles to support your class symposia presentations
 Selected chapters and articles will be made available in class or online
 Regular use of your ubalt.edu and Sakai accounts
Recommended Texts:
 American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
(6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
 Georgetown University Honor Council (1999). What is Plagiarism? Retrieved January 19, 2003 from
http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/plagiarism..html.
 Georgetown University Honor Council (1993). Acknowledging the Work of Others. Retrieved January 19, 2003
from http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/main.html.
Other Course Materials Available via UB Online Sakai:
To access Sakai: On UB's home page (www.ubalt.edu), click "MyUB" and login. On the right hand side of the
screen, click on the icon for UB Online Sakai.
Your Sakai username and password are identical to your MyUB (Peoplesoft) username.
For help with MyUB and Sakai, contact OTS at callcenter@ubalt.edu or 410-837-6262.
Catalog Description:
Explores the impact of social and cultural norms on several population groups, with emphasis on aging, ethnicity, gender
issues and psychosexual orientation. Cultural differences and their impact on the counseling relationship are examined.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will demonstrate:
1. Knowledge, awareness, and understanding of one’s own self as a cultural being and attitudes towards diverse
others.
2. Knowledge, awareness, and understanding of other individuals as cultural beings.
3. Knowledge, awareness, and understanding of interactions between self and diverse others.
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4. Understanding of the ethical mandates to be culturally competent in the provision of counseling and psychological
services to clients, supervisors, and supervisees.
5. Awareness of the role of counselors in facilitating individual and societal changes to positively affect the lives of
their clients through social justice and advocacy.
6. Ability to thoughtfully discuss issues of culture as they pertain to counseling relationships and social justice.
Course policies and general guidelines:
1. Comportment: My classroom is designed to be a safe space for learners. Respectful behavior is essential to
creating a comfortable classroom community. Disruptive (e.g., having side conversations), aggressive, or
belligerent behavior will not be tolerated. Please take care to demonstrate a professional, non-confrontational
demeanor in class.
The use of computers and other electronic devices is prohibited except for note taking. Sending text or instant
messages, using social media, and Internet searching during class are all disruptive behaviors that will result in the
offending student being dismissed from class.
This class, along with other aspects of your training at University of Baltimore, is an opportunity to demonstrate
professionalism across multiple domains, including practice of punctuality, preparedness, and self-presentation
(e.g., professional dress).
2. Sakai: Sakai is our course management system. I tend to use the messaging and gradebook features of Sakai most
frequently. Please check our Sakai site for important information about our class, and make sure that your Ubalt
email account is set up to receive messages (that is, if you do not check your Ubalt email account, you will miss
emails pertaining to our class and other classes. Just set up a pop account to forward these messages to a preferred
account, gmail, Comcast, etc.).
3. Obtaining materials from missed classes: It is solely your responsibility to obtain any materials or
announcements you may have missed from a classmate. Once you have gathered these materials from a classmate,
I will be happy to answer any questions you have about them during office hours, but do not send me emails
requesting to know what we covered during class during your absence.
4. Disability Services: The University of Baltimore is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all
persons with disabilities. This syllabus, for example, is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with
disabilities who need accommodations in this course must be registered with the Center for Educational Access,
Academic Center Room 139, phone: (410)837-4775, email: cea@ubalt.edu before meeting with the instructor to
request specific accommodations.
5. Academic Integrity: All students also are expected to be honest and to do their own work. This includes quizzes,
exams, term papers, homework, extra credit work, presentations, and any other assignment to be completed in or
out of this and any other class (unless otherwise directly indicated by the instructor). Academic honesty includes,
at the very least, submitting work that is yours, giving appropriate credit whenever someone else’s work is used,
and taking tests and completing assignments strictly according to the conditions specified by the instructor. Any
evidence to the contrary will result in a failing grade for this course, as well the filing of a report of academic
dishonesty with the Academic Integrity Review Board. Cheating will not be tolerated under any circumstance. If
you are not sure what the expectations are for any assignment, it is up to you to ask your instructor for
clarification. Do not guess!
For term papers, research reports, and other typed/word-processed assignments, you may have someone else
proofread your work prior to submission to check spelling, grammar, writing style, punctuation, proper
vocabulary, correct (i.e., APA) paper format, etc., and you are encouraged to make use of the services provided by
the Langsdale Library and the Achievement and Learning Center (AC 113) for the preparation of student papers.
However, the work of actually researching and writing a paper is YOUR responsibility.
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The most frequently occurring problem behavior in this context is plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a person
submits written work as her/his own, when in fact the work has been done entirely or in part by someone else to
whom the person has not given appropriate credit. This includes any written work that copies the language,
structure, ideas, or thoughts of another (UB Student Handbook, 2006), work that has been paraphrased, and even
the reporting of facts derived from another source and not a part of common knowledge. This includes sources
such as magazine or newspaper articles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, pamphlets, brochures, other students’ term
papers and reports, articles in professional journals, transcribed interviews, live interviews, books, internet pages,
CD-ROMs, etc. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. The fact is, if you do not give appropriate credit to any
source of your written words besides your own ideas or common knowledge, you have committed plagiarism.
If you make a statement in a written assignment that is not original and is not general, public knowledge, then you
MUST tell the reader the source of the statement. This is done in APA format through in-text, parenthetical
citations of sources, and a reference page at the end of the paper. In general, you must give enough information
so that the reader can easily look up and verify the source. See the current edition of the Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association for specific citation formats.
CAUTION! If the nature of an assignment is for you to express your own ideas and interpretations about a topic,
and if what you submit are largely or entirely the ideas and interpretations of someone else, even if you provide
all the proper citations, you will not have satisfied the requirements of the assignment.
Academic Integrity Policy: The academic integrity policy is included in the student handbook found at
http://www.ubalt.edu/campus-life/student-handbook.cfm#Academic_Integrity
Course Requirements:
As a graduate-level course, students are expected to be active participants in their learning. This means that students
should come to class prepared to discuss course readings and exercises: a central component of class will be discussion of
the readings and class activities. This class will be conducted as a graduate seminar.
Being an active class participant also means that you are on time to class and make reasonable efforts to attend each and
every class period. This is an important part of your educational experience as well as the experiences of other students—
it enriches your learning about yourself, others, new ideas, and so on. Failure to participate in class discussion, especially
as it suggests a lack of reading assigned materials, likely will result in unplanned “pop” quizzes at the instructor’s
discretion.
Students are expected to be punctual in their arrival to class, and are expected to attend every class period. Remember, it
is seen as a part of your professional development that you demonstrate respect for your classmates as well as the
instructor—being late to class is not a way to demonstrate that respect. Two late arrivals or early departures (missing part
of class for at least 15 minutes) to class also constitute an absence. Should you be unable to attend, be sure to inform me
before class that day. If you miss class or part of a class, please talk to another student or two other students to see what
you missed. To take into account illness and personal emergencies, students are allowed to miss class once without direct
penalty; after the second absence, your total course grade will be reduced by one full letter grade for every missed class
period OR you may be administratively dropped from the course at the instructor’s discretion.
Also, students must adhere to all of the Standards and Expectations for Graduate Students listed at the end of the syllabus.
Failure to adhere to the Standards may result in a lower grade in the course, which includes failing the course. Adherence
to the Standards may be evaluated through the Professional Counselor Performance Evaluation (PCPE; available on
Sakai).
Assignment Expectations:
All assignments are due on the date stated on the syllabus or announced in class. Unexcused late assignments will be
subjected to a 10% grade reduction per calendar day. In cases of excused late assignments, you must communicate with
me prior to the due date to set up a date by which the assignment will be turned in. Extensions to due dates will be
granted only for dire unforeseen situations.
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Assignments:
1. Attendance & Participation (45 points): This course is experiential; hence, active participation is essential. You
can earn up to 3 points per class for a) attendance, and 2) participation, over the course of 15 classes. Because we
have 16 classes, this means that one absence can occur without direct penalty to you grade. Please arrive promptly,
as excessive tardiness and/or leaving early will be counted as an absence. I strongly recommend you attend each
class session, and missing more than two classes will result in a full letter grade drop per absence or
administrative dismissal from the course. You are responsible for consulting your classmates to apprise yourself
of what you missed due to absence or tardiness.
2. California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale and Qualitative Assessment (25 points): You will be
provided with a measure of multicultural competence to assess your perception of your abilities on dimensions of
cultural counseling skills. In addition to completing and submitting the quantitative assessment, you will write a
qualitative 250-350 word reflective statement about your responses at the beginning (12.5 points) and end (12.5
points) of the semester. Pre-assessment due by 5:30 p.m. on 6/1 and Post-assessment due by 8:00 p.m. on 7/20
to be posted to Sakai. Submit hardcopy of quantitative assessments (pre- and post-) in class.
3. Online Journal Entries (50 points): You are required to make eight journal entries of approximately 250-350
words throughout the semester about your reactions to assigned readings and to experiences in this course (6.25
points each). The journal is meant to encourage introspection and insight into yourself as a cultural being -- who
happens to be a counselor-in-training-- as you complete readings and engage in discussion each class. Discuss the
relevance of these events to your thoughts, perceptions, and feelings about yourself as a helper. If you choose to
submit a reflection for a particular topic and readings, it must be posted to Sakai by 5:30 p.m. on the day of
class during which it is to be discussed (i.e., post about the readings BEFORE the class discussion of the
readings).
4. Cultural Symposia (60 points): To (1) allow students to explore how to provide mental health services to specific
groups of diverse racial/cultural groups in greater depth and to share this knowledge with the class, and (2) increase
comfort discussing issues related to culture, you will work in pairs (11 pairs total, including one group of 3) will
give one (1) 50-minute class presentation on a chosen minority group and then lead a 20-minute discussion. Students
are encouraged to select a minority group about which you do NOT have extensive knowledge. Students will be
assessed on the degree to which they: (a) provide an overview of the topic based on additional theoretical and
empirical research they have reviewed (at least 1 peer-reviewed article per group member), (b) prepare a 1-2 page
summary with references as a handout for the class, (c) raise awareness of salient issues (e.g., sociopolitical history
of the group, current research of the group, implications for counseling) for the population presented, (d) discuss a
related case from the Sue Case Studies text, and (e) display a breadth of knowledge of the content area by answering
follow-up questions and/or guiding a brief concluding discussion. This assignment will be evaluated according to
the following domains: Historical background of the cultural group from the primary text chapter (14 points), review
of theories and empirical research of 1 peer-reviewed article (16 points), application of theory and research to
practice by discussing case study (14 points), group discussion (10 points), and handouts for summary, references
and local resources (6 points). Symposia may include (but are not limited to) power point, activity, group
discussion, role play, etc. Please utilize multiple delivery methods in your presentation (e.g., visual, audio, power
point, activities, games, experiential activities).
5. Cultural Immersion Experience and Paper (60 points): This assignment is designed to increase your knowledge
of the experiences of others by stepping outside of your typical experience. You will take one (1) in-person
experiential learning excursions in the surrounding area to explore cultures different from your own (including a
racial/ethnic group different from your own, where you are a visible minority). You may choose to attend a
movie/concert, attend a lecture, go to a neighborhood festival, go to a museum, attend a play, attend a religious
service, explore a neighborhood, attend a dance recital or art exhibit, attend the Black PRIDE festival, etc. Write a
3-4 page reaction paper about each experience. What were your preconceptions about the group? Were you in the
minority? If so, how was your experience? What did you learn about Others? What did you learn about yourself?
How would this experience inform your work with racially/culturally diverse clients? This assignment will be
evaluated according to the following domains: Description of your field trip (5 points), your preconceptions about
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the cultural group (5 points), your experience as a minority (5 points), what you learn about yourself and others (8
points), and how you apply this experience to counseling (7 points). This assignment is due by 5:30 p.m. on 7/13
to be posted to Sakai.
6. Cultural Self-Analysis (60 points): This assignment provides a structured step-wise process for mapping your own
culture. The purpose of the assignment is to: 1) gage how well you understand the concepts presented throughout
the class and 2) to determine how well you can apply those concepts to yourself and your own culture. Research
has shown that the better we are at this task, the more able you will be to apply the concepts in your work with
others (Weigl, 2009). Cultural Self-Analysis is due by 8:00 p.m. on 7/20 to be posted to Sakai and in hardcopy
in class.
The areas covered by this 6-8 page paper will include:
a. Historical roots - ancestors/family
b. Values and worldviews
i. Values including individual vs. collective, expressiveness, openness, time orientation
ii. Worldviews including locus of control, locus of responsibility
c. Settings and scripts important to your socialization
i. Where do the beliefs, values and worldviews noted above come from?
d. Group Experiences
i. Describe at least one (preferably two or three) notable experiences you have had as a member of a
particular racial or cultural group (incl. racial, ethnic, gender, sexuality or ability).
e. Communication style
i. Verbal, nonverbal (proxemics, kinesics, paralanguage, high-low context)
f. Overview of your cultural programming
i. What have you been taught to believe about members of other racial or cultural groups?
Grading
There are a total of 300 points possible in the course. See “Assignments” section above for the break-down of points.
Your grade will be calculated by dividing the total number of points earned from the total number of possible points.
This grading system is intended to promote mastery of the material, not competition among students. Using this grading
system, there is theoretically no upper limit on the number of As or Bs in the class and there do not have to be any Ds or
Fs. You are competing only with yourself and not with other class members.
Grading Scale
A = 95 - 100%
A- = 90 – 94
B+ = 87 – 89
B = 80 – 86
C+ = 77 – 79
C = 74 – 76
C- = 70 – 73
F = 69 and below
Resource Centers for Students:
Academic and counseling resources for you include but are not limited to:

The Achievement and Learning Center | Academic Center 113 | www.ubalt.edu/alc | 410.837.5383
The ALC is a free resource for all UB students and offers support in three ways:
A tutor or study facilitator may be available for this course, either on-campus or online. Assistance in
a variety of computer skills may also be available. Visit www.ubalt.edu/tutoring to learn more, or stop
by AC113.
Writing consultants can work with you one-on-one to improve your papers and provide suggestions
for revisions. Writing consultants provide feedback on anything you're writing for UB courses at any
point in the writing process, from getting started to final editing. You can also submit to the Online
Writing Link through the MyUB portal to receive audio MP3 feedback; look for the OWL icon.
To gain a competitive edge in the classroom or the workplace, make an appointment with Learning
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Consultant Cydney Delia. Cydney works with students on goal-setting, time management, efficient
learning strategies, working in teams, oral presentations, and exam taking. She can help you develop a
personalized "master plan" for accomplishing your goals.
To make an appointment, visit mywco.com/ubalt.
Langsdale Library | Reference & Instruction Librarians | langref@ubalt.edu | 410.837.4274
1.888.LANGREF | Langsdale Library online chat service: http://langsdale.ubalt.edu/researchTechnology Services http://www.ubalt.edu/about-ub/offices-and-services/technologyservices/index.cfm
The Counseling Center http://www.ubalt.edu/campus-life/counseling-services/index.cfm
Office of Community Life and Dean of Students http://www.ubalt.edu/about-ub/offices-andservices/dean-of-students/index.cfm
Sakai Support ubsakaisupport@ubalt.edu; 1-855-501-0856
Academic Advisors – see your assigned advisor in your major
Universities at Shady Grove Student Support Services Coordinator – Toyette Sullivan
(tsullivan@ubalt.edu)
Center for Educational Access | Academic Center 139 | cea@ubalt.edu | 410.837.4775
The University of Baltimore’s Center for Educational Access ensures that all UB students can achieve
their academic potential unhindered by any disabilities. If you have a documented disability that
requires accommodations, please contact the Center for Educational Access at 410.837.4775 or
cea@ubalt.edu. The office is in the Academic Center, Room 139. The center provides reasonable and
appropriate accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Even students with short-term
disabilities, such as a broken arm, can take advantage of certain services if appropriate medical
documentation is provided. For documentations guidelines, visit the Center for Educational Access
website at www.ubalt.edu/cea.
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TENTATIVE LECTURE AND EXAM SCHEDULE
Scheduled topics and chapters may change. It is your responsibility to attend class and note any announced changes in the
schedule. The chapter listed under “Reading” indicates the date by which the chapter should be read.
Reading^
Syllabus
Class
1
Date
5/27
2
5/29
6/1
3
6/3
4
6/8
CCD Ch 3 & 15; Goode-Cross
(2011)
5
6/10
6
6/15
7
6/17
8
6/22
CCD Ch 4 & 16; Chao, Chiu,
Chan, Mendoza-Denton, &
Kwok (2013); Yoon, Lee,
Koo, & Yoo, (2010)
CCD Ch 5 & 17; Diemer
(2007); Guiffrida & Douthit
(2010)
CCD Ch 6 & 18; Shelton &
Delgado-Romero (2011);
Tovar-Murray & TovarMurray (2012)
CCD Ch 7 & 19; Ahmed &
Reddy (2007)
Counseling the Culturally
Diverse (CCD) Ch 1; Auger
(2004); Vera & Speight
(2003); Yoon, Jérémie-Brink,
& Kordesh (2014)
CCD Ch 2 & 14; BoydFranklin (2010); McCarthy
(2005)
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6/24
CCD Ch 8 & 20
10
6/29
CCD Ch 21; Yoon, Chang,
Kim, Clawson, Cleary,
Hansen, … Gomes (2013)
11
7/1
CCD Ch 9 & 22
12
7/6
CCD Ch 10 & 23
Lecture Topic/Symposium
Welcome, Ground Rules, and the Ethics of
Authentic Cultural Competence
**Last day to drop without a W**
The Multicultural Journey to Cultural
Competence
The Superordinate Nature of Multicultural
Counseling/ Counseling African Americans
(Miriam and Chana present)
Multicultural Counseling Competence for
Minority Group Counselors/ Counseling
American Indians and Alaska Natives
(Luke and Michael present)
Social Justice in counseling/ Counseling Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders
(Rachel W. and Lisa present)
Due
Sign up for Symposia
dates
Pre-CBMCS
Online journal entry**
Symposium #1*
Online journal entry**
Symposium #2*
Online journal entry**
Symposium #3*
Online journal entry**
Systematic Oppression/ Counseling Latinos
(Hande and Adeola present)
Symposium #4*
Online journal entry**
Microaggressions in Counseling/ Counseling
Individuals of Multiracial Descent
(Adam and Molly present)
Symposium #5*
Online journal entry**
Barriers to Multicultural Counseling/
Counseling Arab and Muslim Americans
(Katrina and Shay present)
Culturally Appropriate Intervention Strategies/
Counseling Jewish Americans
(Katy presents)
Guest Lecturer: Nritya Tya / Counseling
Immigrants and Refugees
(Amber and Shantisse present)
**Last day to drop with a W**
Multicultural Evidence-Based Practice/
Counseling LGBT Individuals
(Tim and Rachel T. present)
Non-Western Indigenous Methods of Healing/
Counseling Older Adult Clients
(Carol and Janice present)
Symposium #6*
Online journal entry**
Symposium #7*
Online journal entry**
Symposium #8*
Online journal entry**
Symposium #9*
Online journal entry**
Symposium #10*
Online journal entry**
7
13
7/8
CCD Ch 11 & 24; Quintana
(2007); Carr & Moffitt (2011)
14
7/13
CCD Ch 12 & 25; Smith
(2008)
Racial/Culturally Identity Development in
People of Color/ Counseling Women
(Omari and Gibs present)
White Racial Identity Development/
Counseling and Poverty
(Matthew and Sarah present)
Symposium #11*
Online journal entry**
Cultural Immersion
Paper #2
Symposium #12*
Online journal entry**
15
16
7/15
7/20
CCD Ch 13 & 26; APA, 2013
Culturally Competent Assessment/ Counseling
Persons with Disabilities
(Katy presents)
Concluding Remarks
Virtual Class Session; No in-person class
meeting
Symposium #13*
Online journal entry**
Cultural Self-Analysis
Paper
Post-CBMCS
^ For the chapters specific to cultural groups (in italics), please skim the chapter on days when a symposium is being
presented on that group, unless it’s your day to present .
* You are responsible for the two symposia on dates you choose at the end of class on 5/27.
** Keep in mind that 8 of these assignments are due. You choose which 8 to complete (see Assignment #3).
Supplemental Required Readings Available on Sakai
Ahmed, S. & Reddy, L. A. (2007). Understanding the mental health needs of American Muslims: Recommendations and
considerations for practice. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 35, 207-218.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA:
American Psychiatric Publishing. (Cultural Formation Interview)
Auger, R. W. (2004). What We Don't Know CAN Hurt Us: Mental Health Counselors' Implicit Assumptions About
Human Nature. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 26(1), 13-24.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (2010). Incorporating spirituality and religion into the treatment of African American clients. The
Counseling Psychologist, 38, 976-1000.
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Carr, E. R., & Moffitt, L. B. (2011), Sexual objectification of women: Clinical implications and training considerations.
The Counseling Psychologist, 39, 107- 126.
Chao, M. M., Chiu, C. Chan, W. Mendoza-Denton, R., & Kwok, C. (2013). The model minority as a shared reality and its
implication for interracial perceptions. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 4, -92.
Diemer, M. A. (2007). Two Worlds: African American men’s negotiation of predominantly White educational and
occupational worlds. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 35, 2-14.
Goode-Cross, D. T. (2011). Same difference: Black therapists' experience of same-race therapeutic dyads.
Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 42(5), 368-374.
Guiffrida, D. A. & Douthit, K. Z. (2010). The Black student experience at predominantly White colleges: Implications for
school and college counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 311-318.
McCarthy, J. (2005). Individualism and Collectivism: What do they have to do with counseling? Journal of Multicultural
Counseling and Development, 33, 108-117.
Quintana, S. M. (2007). Racial and ethnic identity: Developmental perspectives and research. Journal of Counseling
Psychology, 54, 259-270.
Shelton, K., & Delgado-Romero, E. A. (2011). Sexual orientation microaggressions: The experience of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and queer clients in psychotherapy, Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58, 210-221.
Smith, L. (2008). Positioning classism within counseling psychology’s social justice agenda. The Counseling
Psychologist, 36, 895-924.
Tovar-Murray, D., & Tovar-Murray, M. (2012). A phenomenological analysis of the invisibility syndrome. Journal of
Multicultural Counseling and Development, 40, 24-36.
Vera, E. M., & Speight, S. L. (2003). Multicultural competence, social justice, and counseling psychology: Expanding our
roles. The Counseling Psychologist, 31(3), 253-272.
Yarhouse, M. A., & Tan, E. S. N. (2005). Addressing religious conflicts in adolescents who experience sexual identity
confusion. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36, 530 – 536.
Yoon, E., Chang, C., Kim, S., Clawson, A., Cleary, S. E., Hansen, M., … Gomes A. M. (2013). A meta-analysis of
acculturation/enculturation and mental health. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 15-30.
Yoon, E., Jérémie-Brink, G., & Kordesh, K. (2014). Critical issues in teaching a multicultural counseling course.
International Journal For The Advancement Of Counselling, 36(4), 359-371.
Yoon, E., Lee, D. Y., Koo, Y. R., & Yoo, S. K. (2010). A qualitative investigation of Korean immigrant women’s lives.
The Counseling Psychologist, 38, 523-553.
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STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF COUNSELING GRADUATE STUDENTS
In addition to the specific criteria listed as the basis for grading in this course, the UB counseling faculty has adopted the
following set of standards for graduate students. Each of these standards represents a skill set that is essential to becoming
a competent professional, and will guide the evaluation of your performance in this and all counseling classes.
a) academic performance and skills
b) oral and written communication skills
Criteria a and b are directly measured in each of the assignments in this course.
c) motivation for academic and professional competence
This is manifest on a regular basis by your classroom performance and preparation. It is manifest by your attitude
toward learning and professional development and by your willingness to continually learn more and improve your
mastery. It is part of the basis of your participation grade in this course.
d) adherence to professional ethical standards
Professional ethical standards which bind during the period of education and training are found in the Ethical
Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association, the Code of Ethics and
Standards of Practice of the American Counseling Association, the Code of Ethics of the Maryland Board of
Professional Counselors and Therapists, and the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the Board of Examiners
of Psychologists. University and Division standards regarding academic integrity, including plagiarism, also
constitute ethical expectations of students. Professionals and trainees must be aware of these standards and meet
them; ignorance does not remove accountability. This standard is part of the grading criteria in all assignments, and
notably, in your practice counseling sessions.
e) openness to beliefs and values other than their own
You exhibit that you are able to work with people of other beliefs and values. It is clear that you do not impose your
own values and beliefs on others. It is clear that you do not let your own values and beliefs interfere with the
counseling process. You manifest this through your interactions with faculty, other students, and clients in your
practice counseling sessions.
f) capacity for self-reflection and personal growth
You show that you are willing and able to accept criticism. You are responsive to feedback from those who are more
trained and experienced than yourself and also from your peers. You attempt to change those personal and
professional behaviors that need changing. You are not argumentative. You manifest this through your interactions
with faculty, with administrators and other students, and especially, in relation to feedback you receive about your
practice counseling sessions.
g) maturity as reflected by attitude toward self and others
You take your responsibilities seriously. You interact appropriately with peers and professionals. You manifest this in
the classroom and in all the surrounding environments of the counseling program.
h) psychological stability
This is being judged by the counseling faculty, a panel of licensed, professional psychologists who are experienced
clinicians. It is an especially important criterion in how it affects your performance in your practice counseling
sessions.
i) willingness to seek as well as provide therapeutic assistance
None of us is perfect; even the healthiest of individuals can be in need of therapy in time of crisis and personal
difficulty. You manifest this understanding and willingness, in general, and especially when it is true in your own
case.
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