Syllabus: B.Couns

Programme details for the Bachelor of Counselling

Courses Presented in This Programme

The B.Couns includes the following compulsory courses:

• School Counselling
• Group Counselling
• Pastoral Care
• Introduction to Sociology
• Abnormal Psychology

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 Dip Couns or having been granted the status of a Dip 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.

School Counselling

Credits: 18

Synopsis. For introductory courses in the Counseling profession.

This course takes a balanced approach to presenting the full range of competencies required of professional school counselors. It examines the role of the counselor in today's schools, highlighting the need for counselors to be able to help students learn to function in a society characterized by rapid change, the use of technology, and a global economy. Coverage is built around eleven key competencies, which are carefully tied to three of the most important current initiatives in the school counseling field.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Emergence of the School Counseling Profession
• A Balanced Approach to School Counseling
• Legal and Ethical Responsibilities in School Counseling
• Prevention Programming in School Counseling
• Counseling in Schools
• School Counselor Consulting
• Referring and Coordinating in School Counseling
• Disseminating and Helping Students Process Information
• Helping Students Make Transitions
• Assessment in School Counseling
• Becoming Advocates for All Students and for School Counseling
• Leadership and Collaboration in School Counseling
• Accountability in School Counseling
• Beyond the Training Program: A School Counselor Career

Group Counselling

Credits: 21

Synopsis. For introductory courses in Group Counseling, Group Therapy, or Introduction to Counseling.

The course examines all of the essential skills required to be an effective leader of a variety of groups in a variety of settings. It explores the history of group therapy work, and the development of groups—how they grow, how they change, and how various groups differ. It addresses the specifics of working with children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. And, it discusses ten prominent theoretical perspectives from which groups can be approached, covering how each theory evolved, how it is practiced, and the results it most commonly achieves. Coverage is bolstered throughout by numerous case examples and exercises that are particularly helpful in translating theory into application.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• I. HISTORY AND OTHER ASPECTS OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT
• History and Trends of Group Work
• Types of Group Work
• Group Dynamics
• Effective Group Leadership
• Beginning a Group
• The Transition Period in a Group: Norming and Storming
• The Working Stage in a Group: Performing
• Termination of a Group
• Group Work with Culturally Diverse Populations
• Ethical and Legal Aspects of Group Work
• II. GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE LIFE SPAN
• Groups for Children
• Groups for Adolescents
• Groups for Adults
• Groups for the Elderly
• III. LEADING GROUPS FROM A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
• Psychoanalytic and Transactional Analysis Groups
• Person-Centered and Existential Groups
• Adlerian and Reality Therapy Groups
• Gestalt and Psychodrama Groups
• Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Behavioral Groups.

Pastoral Care

Credits: 20

Synopsis. For courses in pastoral counseling in departments of psychology, education, counseling, social work, or in religious training programs.

Broadly applicable across doctrines and denominations, this course explains how pastors can use the current knowledge, research, methods, and skills of modern psychology in the process of pastoring. Highly practical in approach, it goes beyond theory and general description to provide specific how-to advice on dealing with common counseling challenges.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• I. COUNSELING AS MINISTRY
• The Pastor as Counselor.
• Four Phases of Counseling
• Practical and Ethical Issues
• II. CLARIFICATION: THE ART OF UNDERSTANDING
• Not Listening
• Listening
• III. FORMULATION: THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY
• Perspectives and Personality Theory
• Getting Organized: Four Helpful Questions
• IV. INTERVENTION: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
• Building Motivation
• Facilitating Choices
• Reducing Confusion
• Problem-Focused Counseling: Helping People Change
• V. COMMON PROBLEM AREAS
• Mood, Grief, and Depression
• Suicide
• Stress and Anxiety
• Anger and Aggression
• Addictive Behaviors
• Psychoses and Personality Disorders
• Relationship Counseling
• VI. TERMINATION: PASTORING AND CONTINUED SUPPORT
• Termination and Referral
• Building a More Resourceful Community
• Pastoral Self-Care

Introduction to Sociology

Credits: 25

Synopsis. For the introductory sociology courses found in departments of Sociology.

This course offers students:

1. a global perspective to help them better understand their own lives,
2. the most current research in the field of sociology and relevant examples, and
3. the opportunity for students to explore social diversity while critically examining the issues and challenges facing society.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• I. THE FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGY
• The Sociological Perspective. The Importance of Global Perspective. Applying the Sociological Perspective. The Origins of Sociology. Sociological Theory.
• The Basics of Sociological Investigation. Science: Basic Elements and Limitations. The Methods of Sociological Research. Putting It All Together: Ten Steps in Sociological Investigation.
• II. THE FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIETY
• Culture. The Components of Culture. Cultural Diversity: Many Ways of Life in One World. Theoretical Analysis of Culture. Culture and Human Freedom.
• Society. Gerhard Lenski: Society and Technology. Karl Marx: Society and Conflict. Max Weber: The Rationalization of Society. Emile Durkheim: Society and Function. Critical Evaluation: Four Visions of Society.
• Socialization. Social Experience: The Key to Our Humanity. Understanding Socialization. Agents of Socialization. Socialization and the Life Course. Resocialization: Total Institutions.
• Social Interaction in Everyday Life. Social Structure: A Guide to Everyday Living. Status. Role. The Social Construction of Reality. Dramaturgical Analysis: “The Presentation of Self.” Interaction in Everyday Life: Three Applications.
• Groups and Organizations. Social Groups. Formal Organizations. The Evolution of Formal Organizations. The Future of Organizations: Opposing Trends.
• Deviance. The Foundations of Deviance: Structural-functional Analysis. Labeling Deviance: Symbolic-interaction Analysis. Deviance and Inequality: Social-Conflict Analysis. Deviance and Social Diversity. Crime. The Criminal Justice System.
• Understanding Sexuality. Sexual Attitudes in the United States. Sexual Orientation. Sexual Issues and Controversies. Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality.
• III. SOCIAL INEQUALITY
• Social Stratification. Caste and Class Systems. The Functions of Social Stratification. Stratification and Conflict. Stratification and Technology: A Global Perspective. Social Stratification: Facts and Values.
• Social Class in the United States. Dimensions of Social Inequality. Social Stratification and Birth. Social Classes in the United States. The Difference Class Makes. Social Mobility. Poverty in the United States.
• Global Stratification: An Overview. Global Wealth and Poverty. Global Stratification: Theoretical Analysis. Global Stratification: Looking Ahead.
• Gender Stratification. Gender and Inequality. Gender and Socialization. Gender and Social Stratification. Theoretical Analysis of Gender. Feminism. Looking Ahead: Gender in the Twenty-First Century.
• The Social Meaning of Race and Ethnicity. Prejudice. Discrimination. Majority and Minority: Patterns of Interaction. Race and Ethnicity in the United States. Race and Ethnicity: Looking Ahead.
• Aging and the Elderly. The Graying of the United States. Growing Old: Biology and Culture. Transitions and Challenges of Aging. Theoretical Analysis of Aging. Death and Dying. Looking Ahead: Aging in the Twenty-First Century.
• IV. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
• The Economy and Work. The Economy: Historical Overview. Economic Systems: Paths to Justice. Work in the Postindustrial Economy. Corporations. Looking Ahead: The Economy of the Twenty-First Century.
• Politics and Government. Power and Authority. Politics in Global Perspective. Politics in the United States. Theoretical Analysis of Power in Society. Power Beyond the Rules. War and Peace. Looking Ahead: Politics in the Twenty-First Century.
• The Family: Basic Concepts. The Family: Global Variations. Theoretical Analysis of the Family. Stages of Family Life. U.S. Families: Class, Race, and Gender. Transitions and Problems in Family Life. Alternative Family Forms. New Reproductive Technology and the Family. Looking Ahead: The Family in the Twenty-First Century.
• Theoretical Analysis of Religion. Religion and Social Change. Types of Religious Organization. Religion in History. World Religions. Religion in the United States. Religion in a Changing Society. Looking Ahead: Religion in the Twenty-First Century.
• Education: A Global Survey. The Functions of Schooling. Schooling and Social Inequality. Problems in the Schools. Recent Issues in U.S. Education. Looking Ahead: Schooling in the Twenty-First Century.
• Health and Medicine. Health: A Global Survey. Health in the United States. The Medical Establishment. Theoretical Analysis of Health and Medicine. Looking Ahead: Health in the Twenty-First Century.
• V. SOCIAL CHANGE
• Demography: The Study of Population. History and Theory of Population Growth. Urbanization: The Growth of Cities. Urbanism as a Way of Life. Urbanization in Poor Societies. Environment and Society. Looking Ahead: Toward a Sustainable World.
• Studying Collective Behavior. Localized Collectivities: Crowds. Dispersed Collectivities: Mass Behavior. Social Movements. Looking Ahead: Social Movements in the Twenty-First Century.
• Social Change: Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Societies. Causes of Social Change. Modernity. Theoretical Analysis of Modernity. Postmodernity. Looking Ahead: Modernization and Our Global Future.

Abnormal Psychology

Credits: 25

Synopsis. This course offers students the most thorough explanation of psychopathology possible, and in doing so we create a learning experience that invokes thought, increases awareness, and takes students to levels of understanding that other courses do not offer. The course will examine current trends and research in the fields of mental health and psychopathology. By the end of the semester students should have an understanding of abnormal behavior in a historical context, the current system for the classification and assessment of mental disorders, the behaviors and syndromes necessary for the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, the gender, cultural, psychological, biochemical, and environmental factors which predispose individuals toward mental disorders, the different approaches used in treating mental illness including psychotherapy, medical, and non-psychiatric methods, how psychologists use research and statistics to answer questions about mental illness and how legal issues influence the treatment of mental illness.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Abnormal Counselling: An Overview.
• Historical and Contemporary Views of Abnormal Behavior.
• Causal Factors and Viewpoints in Abnormal Counselling.
• Clinical Assessment: Assessment of the Physical Organism. Psychosocial Assessment. The Integration of Assessment Data.
• Stress and Adjustment Disorders.
• Panic, Anxiety, and their Disorders.
• Mood Disorders and Suicide.
• Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders.
• Eating Disorders and Obesity.
• Health Problems and Behavior.
• Personality Disorders. Categories of Personality Disorders. Treatments and Outcomes. Antisocial Personality and Psychopathy.
• Substance-Related Disorders: Alcohol & Drug Abuse and Dependence.
• Sociocultural Influences on Sexual Practices and Standards. Sexual and Gender Variants. Sexual Dysfunctions.
• The Clinical Picture in Schizophrenia. Subtypes of Schizophrenia. What Causes Schizophrenia. Treatment and Clinical Outcome.
• Cognitive Disorders. Brain Impairment in Adults. Delirium. Dementia. Amnestic Syndrome. Disorders Involving Head Injury.
• Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence. Maladaptive Behavior in Different Life Periods. Disorders of Childhood. Learning Disorders and Mental Retardation.
• Therapies: An Overview of Treament. Measuring Success in Psychotherapy. What Therapeutic Approach Should Be Used? Psychological Approaches to Treatment.
• Contemporary and Legal Issues in Abnormal Counselling. Perspectives on Prevention. Controversial Legal Issues and the Mentally Disordered.

See Counselling Course Fees

TOP