Textbook: An Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 3rd Edition
by Frank A. Nugent [Recommended Only]

Course Objectives

Upon completion of CNS 550, the student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of professional roles and functions including similarities and differences with other types of helping professionals.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of professional organizations including membership benefits, activities, services to members, and current emphases.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of history of the helping professions including significant factors and events.

4. Demonstrate knowledge of ethical and legal standards, their evolution, methods of change, and applications to various professional activities.

5. Demonstrate knowledge of professional preparation standards, their evolution and current applications.

6. Demonstrate knowledge of professional credentialing including certification and licensure, and accreditation including practices and standards.

7. Demonstrate knowledge of social and cultural expectations which support counseling services.

8. Demonstrate knowledge of structure, organization, range and depth of services in school and community organizations.

9. Demonstrate knowledge of basic helping skills related to individual, marital, and family counseling.

10. Demonstrate knowledge of basic counseling theories related to individual, marital, family, and group counseling.

11. Demonstrate knowledge of career counseling approaches used throughout the life-span.

12. Demonstrate the ability to apply helping skills in working with individuals, couples, families, and group counseling.

Course Requirements

For a B:

(1) Class Presentations. Students will be placed in small groups for the purpose of developing a class presentation over topics assigned by the instructor. Presentations should be qualitatively oriented (as opposed to quantitatively), include some variety of class participation, and last approximately 50-60 minutes.

(2) Introspective Paper. Each student will be responsible for writing an introspective paper explaining his/her individual perspective on the counseling process. A general outline for the paper is provided which lists the specific topics to be included.

(3) Final Examination. This examination will be essay in format and cover all material presented during the course.

(4) Attendance/Participation. Each student is expected to attend all class sessions and be prepared to contribute meaningfully at those sessions. Each student is expected to complete any assignments and read all assigned material prior to the class period in which it will be discussed.

For an A:

(5) Research Paper. Students who are pursuing an A in the course will be expected to write a paper on a counseling topic which has been assigned by the instructor. The paper should provide sufficient background information on the selected topic, but it should also be primarily proactive in its focus; i.e., it should delineate solutions instead of merely defining problems. The minimum acceptable length of the paper is 10 typed pages and it should contain at least 15 references from sources dated 1994 or later.

Grading

For a B:

Class Presentation ................... 20 points
Introspective Paper ................. 20 points
Final Exam .............................. 30 points
Attendance/Participation ......... 15 points

For an A:

Research Paper ....................... 15 points

TOTAL ................................. 100 points

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My Personal Perspective on the Counseling Process

Topics to be Covered:

1. The Essential Nature of Human Beings

a. What does it mean to be human?
b. Are there any universal laws which govern behavior? Should there be?
c. Are human beings special? Explain.
d. Is human existence rational? Explain.

2. The Essential Nature of the Counseling Process

a. What is counseling?
b. What should be the primary goals of counseling?
c. What does it take to be a counselor? qualifications? credentials?
d. Who needs counseling?

3. My Personal Perspective

a. Why am I interested in counseling?
b. With reference to counseling, what are my strengths? weaknesses?
c. Which theoretical orientation makes the most sense to me? Why?
d. Which theoretical orientation makes the least sense to me? Why?

4. Career Objectives

a. What type of counseling most interests me? Why?
b. What is the employment setting that I would consider ideal? Explain.
c. What type of client would I most like to counsel? Why?
d. What are some other counseling areas that I would like to explore? Elaborate.

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