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Master of Arts in
Counseling Psychology ("MAC")
MAC 503:
"Individual Therapy"
Sample Syllabus
(Subject to
Change)
Faculty Member:
Godfrey
J. Ellis, Peggy Zorn, Leticia Nieto,
or Adjunct Professor
Brief Overview:
MAC 503
is designed to acquaint students with basic counseling techniques
and practices and with selected theories of individual therapy.
The purposes and objectives of the class fall into two main
groupings:
Objectives
for Theories:
- Become
acquainted with the major counseling theories and be able
to discriminate between them.
- Identify contemporary issues
affecting counselors and therapists.
- Participate
in professional dialogue relative to the fields of
helping services and counseling.
Objective
for Techniques:
- Develop
an array of communication/therapy skills for helping
relationships.
- Begin
to build a personal theory of counseling and communicate
that theory in written form.
- Increase
self-confidence by gaining practical and personal
experience in the role of therapist.
- Increase
introspection and gain awareness of personal issues that
affect the counseling process.
Course Format:
Class
discussions will be a mixture of lectures, discussions, films,
and skills practice with a partner. Partnerships will be formed
in which to: (a) practice counseling skills through role-playing,
(b) study together, and (c) make an oral presentation to the
class. Class discussions will begin with "rounds"
designed to build trust to facilitate practicing skills.
Required Texts:
(Please do not
order your books for the current semester from this list. It may not be
up-to-date.)
Corey,
Gerald (1991). Theory and Practice of Counseling and
Psychotherapy (4th Edition). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Martin,
D. G. (1983). Counseling and therapy skills. Prospect
Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Photocopied readings
on topic of individual counseling
Grading:
Team
Presentations:
Two
of the best ways to learn a new area of study is: (a) through
collaborative learning and (b) by teaching others. Consequently,
you will be asked to form teams of two or three to give an oral
presentation on one of the counseling theories covered in class.
Your team will become the "resident experts" on the
theory selected. The goal of the presentation should be to
"breath some life" into the theories. You could involve
the class in experiments, share cases, do role plays, give
demonstrations, or do anything that will encourage learning and
expand the perspective of the class members. In other words,
presentations should be creative and interesting. Humor and
unique angles are strongly encouraged; reading dry material while
sitting on the desk is strongly discouraged! Limit any Xerox materials to a few pages. Be sure and allow time for questions
and answers at the end.
As
much as possible, all presentations should match the date
assigned to the topic in the class schedule (see below). The
grade for the project will be worth 1/3 of the final
grade. It will be the responsibility of
the group to ensure that the work load is evenly divided between
all group members. However, if two group members both complain to
me about a third, I may drop that member by one or two letter
grades. The presentation will usually run 30 (no more than 45
minutes). Students will be graded using the following
equally-weighted scales:
- Creativity:
use of unique angles/good teaching aids, was it fun &
memorable; did we enjoy
it?
- Presentation:
speakers used enthusiasm, confidence, and organization;
were we interested?
- Content:
presentation gave important material and solid info; did
we learn
something from it?
Counseling
Theory and Personal Position Paper:
Students
are expected to prepare a paper on a theory of counseling and on
personal issues that could affect the counseling process. More a
"position paper" or "mid-career assessment"
than a traditional term paper, it should be a product of your own
critical thoughts and reactions to the issues explored in class
as related to your own experience. The papers should not be mere
summaries of other materials. I will be looking for you as
expressed through the written material. The paper will normally
run about 5 double space pages. Do not exceed that length! The paper should be written in
two major parts (please use the same headings as listed below).
- Theory of
Choice: From the various theories of
individual counseling discussed in class, choose the one you
feel most comfortable with and tell why you chose it. (I
understand that you may not have a solid basis for the choice
at this point in your career. However, I am only asking which
you feel most comfortable with, not asking for a career
commitment.) Please do not present an overview of the theory.
I am asking for your personal and career reasons for feeling
comfortable with the theory you chose. Note, if you add other
theories to form one eclectic approach, I will expect you to
be able to present a responsible merger.
- Professional
Goals: What are your professional
career goals and how does the theory your chose relate to
those goals? (I realize that not all students plan to be
clinicians. Those interested in administration, social
service provision, or education can still discuss how the
theory relates to their professional goals.)
Skills
Practice:
An
important part of this course is the acquisition of individual
counseling skills. This will primarily take place through
role-playing counseling sessions. "Rounds" will be used
at the beginning of each class session in order to build cohesion
and unity; role-playing is easier when it takes place in front of
friends! However, this experience is still a nerve-racking one.
For this reason, the role-plays will not be graded.
Examinations:
There
will be one comprehensive exam worth
1/3 of the final
grade. It will emphasize applying
theories and techniques to brief case scenarios.
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500 Level Courses |
