Syllabus: B.Couns(Hons)

Programme details for the Bachelor of Counselling (Honours)

Courses Presented in This Programme

The B.Couns(Hons) includes the following compulsory courses:

• Substance Abuse Counselling
• Ethics in Counselling
• Counselling Treatment: DSM-IV-TR

The B.Couns(Hons) includes the following elective courses:

• Multi Cultural Counselling
• Career Development Basics
• Career Development Counselling
• Career Guidance & Counselling

Duration of the Programme

This programme has a minimum learning duration of eight months before the qualification certificate can be issued. The maximum learning duration is normally two years.

Prerequisites

Completion of the B.Couns or having been granted the status of a B.Couns qualification through the process of recognition of prior earning (RPL), as confirmed by the CU Senate.

Single courses may be enrolled for to complete other qualifications. In such cases the student must consider that the courses were planned and selected sequentially by CU to serve as foundational knowledge for the more advanced courses.

Substance Abuse Counselling

Credits: 16

Synopsis: Appropriate for the first course in substance abuse counseling that covers etiology, major drugs and their addictive properties, and the stages of substance abuse counseling from assessment and diagnosis through relapse prevention.

Known for clarity, accessibility, and practicality, this widely-used course thoroughly examines substance abuse in the population, addressing both ways to measure the problem and how to treat individuals and families who seek assistance. It educates prospective clinicians and counselors by guiding them, step-by-step, through the process of working with substance-abuse clients. Chapter content builds in sequence; however, each lecture can be taken as a stand-alone source of valuable information. Individual lectures on special populations add substantial depth to the course's treatment of its subject.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Introduction.
• The Major Substances of Abuse and the Body.
• Etiological Theories of Substance Abuse.
• Assessment and Diagnosis.
• Treatment Settings and Treatment Planning.
• Individual and Group Treatment.
• Family Therapy and Substance Abuse.
• Working with Selected Populations: Treatment Issues and Characteristics.
• Issues in Prevention and Intervention: Working with Diverse Cultures.
• Maintaining Behavior Change: Relapse Prevention.
• Prevention.
• Research and Contemporary Issues.

Ethics in Counselling

Credits: 16

Synopsis: This course is appropriate for undergraduate or graduate students in Counseling Ethics, Legal Issues in Counseling or as a supplemental course for Introduction to Counseling, Practicum or Internships.

Written specifically for counselors, by leading scholars in their field, this is a comprehensive course to approach professional issues in counseling from an ethical perspective and legal viewpoint. Difficult issues are addressed in a direct manner and practical, realistic advice is provided for counselors in training and for counseling practitioners.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Introduction.
• Professional Identity of Counselors.
• Diversity, Client Welfare, and Informed Consent.
• Confidentiality and Privileged Communication.
• Records, Technology, and Subpoenas.
• Competence and Malpractice.
• Boundary Issues.
• Child and Adolescent Clients.
• Counseling Families and Groups.
• Evaluation, Testing, and Diagnosis.
• Professional Relationships, Private Practice, and Health Care.
• Issues in Counselor Education.
• Supervision and Consultation.
• Research and Publications.
• Resolving Legal and Ethical Issues.

Counselling Treatment: DSM-IV-TR

Credits: 19

Synopsis: A course for students who major in Psychopathology, DSM-IV, Child Psychopathology, and Child/Adolescent Counseling.

Designed to give counseling students a better understanding of children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with an emotional, behavioral, or mental disorder, this course provides a thorough discussion of the most-commonly diagnosed disorders of children and adolescents, and examines the biological, developmental, and environmental causes of these disorders. Disorders are approached from the perspective of the child/adolescent and examined in context, and each discussion includes practical guidance for assessment and treatment based on the most recent research in the field. The expertise of several counselor educators, psychologists, and clinicians are included in the course.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• PART I: OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES
• Assessment and Diagnosis: The Developmental Perspective and Its Implications
• Understanding the Development of Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents
• PART II: CLASSIFICATION OF EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
• Adjustment Disorders in Children and Adolescents
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents
• Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents
• Mood Disorders in Children and Adolescents
• Substance-Related Disorders
• Adolescents and Eating Disorders
• PART III: EFFECTIVE TREATMENT PLANNING
• Treatment Planning Guidelines for Children and Adolescents
• Case Studies in Treatment Planning

Multi Cultural Counselling

Credits: 15

Synopsis: A course in Multicultural Counseling or as a supplement in Intro to Counseling, or Multicultural Psychology.

This cutting edge course recognizes that the identities that comprise people's lives are simultaneous and intersecting. It does not limit multicultural counseling to race, ethnicity, and culture, but examines the subject within the context of the multiple selves that exist in all people. The only book of its kind authored by African-American women, it moves beyond traditional methods of counseling to embrace feminist and diversity theories, methods, and techniques. By interjecting humor and fascinating stories, the course creates an insightful, often provocative learning experience that offers relevant suggestions for turning the student into a competent multicultural counselor.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• I. IMAGING IDENTITIES
• Imaging Diversity
• Valued Cultures
• Statused Identities
• II. CONVERGING IDENTITIES
• Converging Race
• Converging Gender
• Converging Sexual Orientation
• Converging Physical Attractiveness, Ability, and Disability
• Converging Socioeconomic Class
• III. IMAGES OF DIVERSITY IN SOCIETY
• Images of Diversity in Schools
• Images of Diversity in Family Relationships
• Images of Diversity in Career Counseling
• Images of Cultural Violence and Empowerment
• IV. REIMAGING COUNSELING
• Multicultural Competencies and Skills
• Empowering Clients
• Different Counseling Approaches to Understanding Diversity

Career Development Basics

Credits: 13

Synopsis: A course for Career Development or Job Search skills.

Preparing students for the reality of today's workplace by providing effective methods to help students plan for an uncertain future, as well as developing skills for lifetime career planning. Actively involving students in the career planning process, the course starts with the need for a flexible career plan that can adapt to changes in technology, organizational structure, and global economics. Drawing on the extensive experience of corporate trainers, workshop facilitators, and college instructors, it offers a unique combination of perspectives and real-world experience to help students prepare for their future and ensure that the education they invest in today will increase their future work options.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• New Perspectives—Understanding the World of Work.
• Careers—Thinking in New Ways.
• Discovering Your Values—Finding Meaning.
• Discovering Your Interests—Creating Career Possibilities.
• Creating Future Possibilities—Researching Careers.
• Learning—A Lifelong Investment.
• Communicating Your Value—Marketing You.
• Getting Noticed—Writing a Resume That Counts.
• Developing Relationships—Creating a Professional Network.
• Organizing Your Work Search—Finding Meaningful Work.

Career Development Counselling

Credits: 19

Synopsis: This course is for Career Information, Career Counseling, and Career Development.

This course contains a strong emphasis on technology and cross-cultural issues. Career development theory, career information, career counseling practice, and career development programming are all covered in extensive detail. The course carefully describes the process of finding and securing jobs in an electronic era and presents students with the trends that are shaping the workplace today — and those that will continue to influence their careers over the next decade.

Designed as first (graduate level) course in career counseling and development taught in counselor education and counseling psychology programs.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• I. FOUNDATIONS OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT
• Introduction to Career Counseling, Career Information, and Career Development
• Theories of Career Choice and Development
• Factors Influencing Workers and Their Careers
• II. CAREER COUNSELING, APPRAISAL, AND CLIENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
• Career Counseling: Traditional and Online Approaches
• Testing and Assessment in Career Development
• Client Groups with Special Needs
• III. CAREER DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES
• Finding and Organizing Career and Labor Market Information
• Using Technology: The Internet and Computer-Assisted Career Guidance Systems
• Preparing for Work
• Job Placement, Outplacement, and the Job Search
• IV. ORGANIZING CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• Systematic Career Development Programming in Elementary and Middle Schools
• Career Development Programs in High Schools
• Career Development in Four-Year and Community Colleges and Vocational Technical Schools
• V. UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD OF WORK
• The Occupational Structure Today and Tomorrow
• Classifying Occupations
• VI. SPECIAL SETTINGS AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES
• Career Development in Business and Industry
• Career Counselors in Private Practice
• Trends and Issues in Career Information, Career Counseling, and Career Development Planning

Career Guidance & Counselling

Credits: 24

Synopsis: A course in Career Counseling, Career Intervention, planned career programs, and Career Development Theory.

Career Guidance and Counseling Through the Lifespan: Systematic Approaches provides a comprehensive treatment of career development theory and practice in a world of work undergoing profound change.

This course examines current changes in the organization and content of work, implications of the global economy for the practice of career development, best practices in career services, and perspectives on the research findings supporting career counseling and other career interventions.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Perspectives on the Practice of Career Development, Career Guidance, Career Counseling, and Related Interventions.
• Work: Meaning, Access, Adjustment.
• The American Occupational Structure.
• The Development of Career Behavior and Choice.
• Career Development and Counseling of Special Populations.
• Systematic Planning for Career Guidance and Counseling.
• Career Guidance in the Elementary School.
• Career Development in the Junior High/Middle School.
• Career Guidance and Counseling in the Senior High School.
• Career Guidance and Counseling in Higher Education.
• Career Development in the Workplace.
• Special Adult Career Concerns I.
• Special Adult Career Concerns II.
• Helping Strategies in Career Guidance and Counseling.
• Information in Career Guidance and Counseling.
• Assessment in Career Guidance and Counseling.
• Research and Social Issues in Career Guidance and Counseling.

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