Course Description
Counseling Adolescents in Schools is a graduate level course designed to provide an overview of counseling interventions used in schools and common concerns of school-age adolescent students. Emphasis will be placed on the school counselor’s role as a facilitator of normal developmental processes to promote academic success and special interventions for students with special needs. The course is designed to help students specializing in school counseling to focus on the knowledge base, skills, theories, research, models, and critical issues of contemporary school counseling with adolescents. Current issues facing youth in the contemporary world will also be explored. The course will provide opportunities for students to practice applying counseling theories and designing interventions.
1. Explore and analyze the history, philosophy and current trends in school counseling with adolescents. (CACREP A.1. C.1. M.4.)
2. Develop awareness for and apply the policies, laws, and legislation relevant to school counseling the adolescent in the school setting. (CACREP A.2. A.3. B.1. C.1. D. 4.)
3. Identify and apply the methods of planning, organizing and implementing developmental school counseling programs that adhere to counseling theory and align with ASCA National Standards (CACREP A.4. A.5. B.2. C.2. D.3.)
4. Identify the developmental needs, problems, and issues of adolescent students. (CACREP A.6. C.3. D.1. D.2. C.3. E.3. F.2. F.3. G.2. J.2. K.2.)
5. Identify, develop, and practice the six basic school counselor interventions: a) individual counseling, b) small group counseling, c) large group guidance, d) peer facilitator training, e) consultation, and f) coordination of services. (CACREP C.3. C.5. D.1. D.2. K.2. K.3. M.1. M.4. M.7. M.8. n.1. N.3. N.4. N.5.)
6. Explain and apply counseling theories and interventions
appropriate for use with adolescents in schools in our multicultural society.(CACREP A.6. C.1. C.4.D.3. E.1. E.3. E.4. F.1. F. 2. F.3. H.1. )
7. Acquire the skills necessary to conduct counseling sessions with adolescents utilizing a variety of techniques and interventions. (CACREP C.2. C.3. D.1. D.2. D.3. L.1. L.2. L.3.)
8. Develop and apply skills and techniques to conduct consultations with parents, teachers, and other helping professionals concerning students as well as to make appropriate referrals for specialized help when necessary. (CACREP M.1. M.3. M.7. N.1. N.2. P.2.)
9. Explore and analyze the multitude of issues and stressors as well as the variety of cultural, socioeconomic, and lifestyle considerations facing adolescents in today’s world. (CACREP E.1. E.2. E.3, E.4. G.1,)
10. Identify and address ethical, legal, and diversity issues related to school counseling. (CACREP A.1. A.2. A.5. B.1. B.2. D.4.)
11. Identify and apply an understanding of the community, environmental, and institutional barriers that impede and enhance student academic success and overall development. (CACREP G.1. G.2. G.3. H.1.H.4. I.1. I.3.J.1. K.1.K.2. K.3. L.3.)
12. Explore and explain the counselor’s role as an educational leader in the school. (CACREP A.3. A.4. B.2. C.6. D.4. F.4. I.4. J.1. J.3. L.3.N.2.O.1, O.4. P.1.)
This course will be offered over a 15-week period and is a 45 hour 3 credit graduate course. Modules will be completed one per week.
Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have Internet access as well as an active email account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc.
Curriculum Design
This course will emphasize the relationship between the role of the counselor and the development of appropriate skills for working with adolescents in the school setting. Students will be involved in a variety of tasks for completion of course requirements: readings, reports on readings, exams, journal and reflection entries, projects related to real world learning environments, and development of instructional counseling strategies for specific content areas.Participants model appropriate assessment concepts to educational scenarios in each module. This is an online forty-five hour, three credit graduate level course completed over a fifteen-week period.
Required texts:
Counseling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents: Theory and Practice for School and Clinical Settings (2007) by H. Thompson Prout and Douglas T. Brown:
Adolescent Portraits: Identity, Relationships and Challenges (2008), by Andrew Garrod, Lisa Smulyan, Sally I. Powers. and Robert Kilkenny: and, The Adolescent Brain: Reaching for Autonomy (2007), by Robert Sylwester.
Online readings and Web site reviews (including journal articles and best practices from the body of educational research) will be assigned during the course to enhance learning. These readings will be presented as annotated Web sites within the course content.
Student Performance Requirements:
Students will complete assigned readings, written assignments, applications/practice/direct observations in the educational setting and forum postings (as required) in each module. Students will complete tests and special projects as listed in the module content.
Module 1: Historical Trends and Effective Perspectives of Counseling Adolescents
Objectives:
Module 2: Legal and Ethical Issues of Counseling Adolescents
Objectives:
Module 3: Understand the Adolescent Brain
Objectives:
Module 4: Multicultural Counseling with Adolescents
Objectives:
Module 5: Psychodynamic and Adlerian Approaches to Counseling Adolescents
Module 6:.Person-Centered approaches and Cognitive-Behavioral and Behavioral Approaches to Counseling Adolescents
Objectives:
Module 7: Rational Emotive Behavioral and Reality Therapy Approaches to Counseling Adolescents
Objectives:
Module 8: Family Therapy as a Counseling Approach for Adolescents
Objectives:
Module 9: Implications and Interventions for Working with Adolescents with Special Needs
Objectives:
Module 10: Developing Personal Plan for Effectively Working with Adolescents in the School Setting
Objectives:
Module 11 Submitting Personal Plan for Effectively Working with Adolescents in the School Setting
Objectives:
Student Requirements
1. Students will complete weekly written assignments. 25% of grade
2. Students will complete weekly application to educational setting. 25% of grade.
3. Students will complete forum postings and responses. 10% of grade
4. Students will complete special projects and or exams. 40% of grade.
Grading:
100-93 |
A |
92-85 |
B |
84-77 |
C |
76-69 |
|
69- |
Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined in the Teacher Education University catalog and is subject to academic disciplinary action.
References
Online Resources
http://www.schoolcounselor.org (ASCA)
http://www.counseling.org (ACA)
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
http://www.edtrust.org
http://www.sbac.edu (links to schools, calendars, resources for college)
http://www.cyberguidance.net/ (Bob Turba’s homepage-many resources for high guidance and counseling)
http://stats.bls.gov/k12/html/edu_over.htm (Careers for Kids)
http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/sunsations/ (Florida Sunshine State Standards)
http://jtc.colstate.edu/ (Journal of Technology in Counseling)
http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/sasshome.htm (Student Assessment and
Performance)
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml (No Child Left Behind Act)
http://www.tolerance.org/ (Teaching Tolerance)
http://www.character.org/ (Character Education)
http://www.flacounseling.org/ (Florida Counseling Association)
http://info.doe.state.fl.us/fsir/ ( Florida School Indicators-data to use on schools
and characteristics-helpful in planning counseling programs)
http://www.actsofkindness.org/ (Random Acts of Kindness materials-lesson
plans)
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/read/edpicks.jhtml?src=fp (Improving Student
Performance)
http://www.florida.echoices.com/eChoices/eChoices.nsf/frmlogin?OpenForm
( Florida e-choices, a computer-assisted education/career program)
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