Mansfield University, Psychology Department 

Psy 3301, Theories of Counseling – Spring 2008

Syllabus

PSY 3301W (01 & 02), Theories of Counseling (3 credits)

SYLLABUS – Spring 2008

Course Objectives:  This course is designed to provide you with knowledge and experiences in counseling and helping skills with an emphasis on traditional counseling and psychotherapy theory and skills.  The major modalities covered will include examples of Psychoanalytic, Neo-analytic, Person-centered, Humanistic and Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive, and Family Systems therapies.  This course will present an eclectic approach to intervention strategies for dealing with psychological, emotional, relationship, and adjustment problems.

This course will provide you with an active and participatory learning experience.  It will be the responsibility of the class members and the instructor to develop a safe and supportive environment to facilitate learning based on reflection, self-exploration and discussion.

At the completion of this course, you should be able to:

§  Understand, compare and contrast the major theoretical modalities presented in the text and class, including relevant research that supports each;

§  Describe a variety of terms covered in the text and during lecture and be able to relate them to the appropriate theory;

§  Complete an APA style topic research paper synthesizing your own theoretical approach with at least one established therapeutic model.

This is a Writing (‘W’) course) within the Writing Across the Curriculum component of the M.U. General Education program.  You will receive feedback on your formal and technical writing skills and have opportunities to correct and improve your writing throughout the semester.  I expect you to strive to produce high quality writing this semester. Your major paper in this course should be of suitable quality to include in your professional portfolio (such as the portfolio required for all Psychology majors).

Text & Student Manual: 

Corey, G. (2005).  Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (7th ed.).  Belmont, CA:  Thomson Learning (Brooks/Cole).

Corey, G. (2005).  Student manual for theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (7th ed.).  Belmont, CA:  Thomson Learning (Brooks/Cole).

Course Requirements and Expectations

Exams:  There will be 2 in-class exams covering the text chapters and information covered in class for the time period prior to the exam.  The exams will include objective & short essay items, and will be worth 60 points.  An exam missed due to an approved and unavoidable absence can be made up per my convenience if arranged with me no later than one week after the missed exam.  There will be a final exam that will cover chapters 12, 13, 14 AND will be comprehensive on all the material covered during the semester.  It will be worth 120 points.

Text, Workbook and Quizzes: It is important that you come to each class after reading the text and completing sections of the workbook necessary to understand the material assigned on the schedule below.  As an incentive to be prepared to discuss the assigned material, a brief quiz (10 points) will be given at the beginning of the first class for each theory chapter (including the chapter on ethics) and a combined quiz for Chapters 1 & 2 (13 quizzes).  The grade for the lowest quiz will be dropped (120 points total for 12 quizzes).  I will also review your workbooks periodically to see if you are keeping up with the assignments.  You will be evaluated on the quality of your participation and active involvement in classroom discussions and completion of assignments to prepare yourself for classroom discussions – including bringing to class questions you have from reading the text book (20 points).  These assignments will include completion of specific aspects of the workbook and preparation of responses to questions about the text material.  

Course papers:  There will be two papers due in this course, typed according to APA style guidelines and due on the schedule shown below.  For Paper I (35 points), you will write a 4-6 page paper describing personal experiences that have affected your interest in and orientation toward counseling.  For Paper II (135 points), you will research and write a 16-20 page, four-part, paper that allows you to develop your own approach to the counseling process and integrates this approach with one of the established theoretical models of counseling.  Reference material will include at least one primary original source book, 3 professional journal articles, and the text.  Reference materials will be reviewed and approved in advance.  This paper should be considered an opportunity for you to enhance your student portfolio and it will be evaluated in light of its suitability for portfolio inclusion.  Revisions of Paper I or early sections of Paper II can be submitted for an improved grade but must be submitted within 2 weeks of the day that section is returned to you in class.  Opportunities for revisions of later sections of Paper II are limited by the time remaining at the end of the semester.  I expect you to learn from the feedback given on earlier sections and apply that to the later sections.  More information regarding these papers will be provided in class. Please take the assigned due dates seriously.  Missed deadlines, for any section of the assigned papers, result in a loss of 20% of the points available for that section, and an additional 20% each week the section is further late.

If you want me to sign-off on your Paper II for a Portfolio:  Once you’ve made all suggested revisions to your paper, I will, at your request, sign-off on the paper for inclusion in a portfolio.  The latest time to request that sign-off (by submitting to me the portfolio-ready paper with a copy of the earlier version with my feedback comments) will be at 4:15 p.m. on the “Add Day” of the next semester.

Participation and attendance:  Attendance and participation is vital to the learning process in this class.  Regular and consistent attendance is necessary to do well and to create a shared learning environment.  You have a responsibility to your classmates to come to class and actively participate. In addition to completing readings and other assignments, you will be expected to participate in class activities and discussions. You will receive a 5 point deduction from your overall course points for each missed class meeting.  You can earn up to 20 points for active classroom participation throughout the semester.

If you must miss a class due to documented illness or other excusable reason, you must inform me that a written excuse is coming from a physician, coach or other authority prior to the absence if possible, but no later than the first class period after the excused absence; provide me with a copy of the signed excuse (the original must be available for my review); make up missed graded assignments or exams as soon as possible as outlined by me.

If you have an excused or unavoidable absence, you may with my approval make up the missed participation points by completing extra credit assignments.  Classes that included a chapter quiz may be made-up by submitting a typed chapter review that shows evidence that you understood and thought about the material in the chapter.  These will be graded for up to 15 points (5 for the missed class and 10 for the missed quiz).  Other missed classes due to an excused or unavoidable absence can also be made up, with approval, by doing an extra-credit assignment (suggestions will be available in class) and may receive up to the 5 points lost due to the absence. All make-ups must be received by me within 10 calendar days of the missed class/quiz.  As instructor, I decide the means by which you can receive extra credit. I expect you to discuss all absences with me and have them approved in advance (except, of course, in emergency situations).  Even University sanctioned excused absences, such as for varsity athletics, require timely make-up activity in order for credit to be received for the missed class.  A student having 6 or more absences (for any reason) will receive an "F" grade regardless of performance on exams or other assignments if, in my opinion, he or she did not participate sufficiently in the course. 

Avoiding Classroom Disruptions:  It is counter to the goal of a positive classroom experience to have students come late or leave the classroom within the scheduled class time.  You are expected to be in the classroom at the appointed time for the beginning of the class and to not leave the classroom unless prompted by a true emergency.  Students who are late for class will have a 2 point deduction for each late class.  Only on the rarest occasions would I expect a student to leave the classroom during class.  Please take care of your personal needs (including electronic and physical needs) before or after class.  Cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off at the beginning of class.  After an initial warning, a student with a ringing cell phone or using any electronic communication device will be asked to leave the class for the day and counted as absent for that class.

Respect and Integrity:  As co-participants in this learning community, I expect that we both (students and faculty) will adhere to the principles and commitments of the Mansfield Creed and the Honor Code adopted by the Psychology Department.  We should expect to treat each other with the utmost respect and to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, honesty and fairness. As a student, this expectation includes:

Ø  Being present and actively participating in class

Ø  Respecting others, the diversity of their experiences and perspectives, and their opinions (even if they differ from your own)

Ø  Being direct and truthful in communication and taking credit only for work that you have done

Ø  Being accountable to your peers for your class participation and making a good faith effort to ensure that the class goes well.

Any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or representing another’s work as your own are unacceptable and will result in serious sanctions, including the possibility of failing this seminar. If you have any doubt about an issue of academic integrity, I encourage you to consult with me.  We will discuss these issues in class and clarify any questions about our mutual expectations and the implications for this course.

Class Cancellation:  If for any reason (such as a major snowstorm), the class has to be cancelled, I will notify the University.  There will be announcements on the University home page and in a weather emergency on the M.U. weather and emergency phone: 570-662-4499.  If possible, I will also leave a message on my voice-mail greeting announcement (570-662-4775).  If you do not find an announcement of a cancellation, please assume class is meeting!

Communicate:  Please feel free to talk with me after class, during office hours or by appointment anytime during the semester concerning your progress in this course.  I always prefer to hear about your concerns or difficulties before they become serious problems so we can work together to find a solution with time left in the semester to implement a corrective plan if necessary. My goal is that this course will be an important and valuable learning experience for you. 

Special Accommodations:  Any students with documented psychological or learning disorders or other significant medical conditions that may affect their learning should work through Mr. William Chabala in our Counseling Center (1^st floor, Hemlock Manor, Phone: 662-4798; e-mail wchabala@mansfield.edu ) to provide me with the appropriate letter so that I may serve their particular needs more effectively.  If you have an exceptionality that requires classroom or testing accommodations, Mr. Chabala will work with us to identify and implement appropriate interventions.

Point Breakdown:  

Topical Outline and Tentative Schedule*

*Dates and assignments may change in response to class needs.

Topical Outline and Tentative Schedule (omitted - not teaching this course this semester)