Course Descriptions
COUN 6100 Introduction to Mental Health Counseling (5 cr.)
This course introduces students to the mental health counseling profession. The history, philosophy, and theoretical foundations of the profession, and the scope of practice, credentialing, and other professional issues are explored. The course, which focuses on the student as a future mental health counselor, provides an overview of the mental health counseling program, the profession, and professional competencies.
COUN 6101 Foundations for Graduate Study in Counseling (1 cr.)
This course introduces students to Walden University and to the requirements for successful participation in an online curriculum. It provides a foundation for academic and professional success as a scholar-practitioner and social change agent. Course assignments focus on practical application of writing and critical-thinking skills and promote professional and academic excellence as they relate to practice in psychology and counseling.
COUN 6215 Lifespan Development (5 cr.)
This course provides students with an overview of development through the lifespan, including childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and aging experiences. Physical, social, emotional, and cognitive issues are covered, as well as the expected developmental milestones during each of these phases of development. The latest research in attachment theory, brain research, and aging is included, and themes of diversity issues related to developmental research are highlighted throughout the course.
COUN 6250 Group Process and Dynamics (5 cr.)
This course prepares students to work with groups in various settings. It examines group theory, process, and dynamics. Using relevant literature, multimedia resources, and a scholar-practitioner model, students develop an understanding of culturally and contextually relevant group practice, group leaders’ roles and responsibilities, the relevance and purpose of group work, and strategies for using groups to foster social change. Students also participate in a group experience in their community.
COUN 6306 Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling (5 cr.)
This course provides students with an introduction to the field of professional counseling and the foundations of mental health counseling. The course addresses the following topics: history, philosophy, client and counselor advocacy with an emphasis on the counselor’s role as social change agent, cultural dynamics, consultation, and trends in professional and mental health counseling. The counseling profession’s ethical standards are also addressed with an emphasis on the American Counseling Association code of ethics and counselor ethical decision-making processes.
COUN 6316 Techniques in Counseling (5 cr.)
This course focuses on principles and skills related to interviewing and observation, as well as related legal, ethical, and cultural issues. Students gain practice in conducting interviews, making behavioral observations, collecting and interpreting data during an interview, and developing written reports of findings. Note: In addition to the course materials listed by the university bookstore, this course also requires that students have access to a video recording device, a tripod, and an audio recording device, which they will begin using the first week of class.
COUN 6326 Research and Program Evaluation (5 cr.)
This course introduces students to evaluation research and provides students with a foundation in the design of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches to counseling research and evaluation. Students learn the strengths and limitations of each method and under what circumstances each approach would be the most appropriate research design. Students learn how to identify a topic for research, how to conduct a literature search, and the importance of scholarly writing. Other topics include the history and theory underlying program evaluation, approaches to evaluation, procedures and techniques for entering a group for which one would provide evaluation services, and techniques used to perform the evaluation, strategies for getting gatekeepers to be invested in the development of the research and in the outcomes, demonstration of program effectives, and dissemination of results to stakeholders. Students learn to write a research proposal, addressing the following key elements: researching, writing an introduction, stating a purpose for the study, identifying research questions and hypotheses, using theory, defining the significance of the study, and collecting and analyzing data. Students are exposed to legal and ethical issues associated with human subjects’ protection.
COUN 6336 Crisis, Trauma, and Disaster Response (5 cr.)
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the systemic impact of crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on marriages, couples, families, and households. Students are exposed to the knowledge, skills, and practices specific to crisis counseling, including theories of crisis intervention; models for working with children and adolescents; working with victims of violence and their abusers; assessing and intervening with suicidal clients; and issues of health-related, school, and mental health crises. Students will critically analyze research and learn methods for applying research findings to crisis intervention. Legal and ethical issues related to crisis counseling are explored.
COUN 6360 Assessment in Counseling and Education (5 cr.)
This course provides students with an overview of the different types of tests used in clinical, educational, and organizational settings. It includes a comprehensive examination of psychometric properties used to develop and evaluate these instruments. Topics include normative sampling and standardization, reliability and validity, test score interpretation, and test development. The course also addresses ethical, legal, and sociocultural issues including cultural bias and fairness. Professional standards for testing provide a foundation for the course.
COUN 6671 Counseling Practicum (3 cr.)
The focus of this course is on experiential learning, which is an essential component of applied professional training. Students complete a supervised practicum experience at an approved site with a minimum of 100 hours, allowing them to develop their counseling skills and professional knowledge while under supervision. Students communicate their learning at the site with their colleagues and instructor in the practicum course and gain additional knowledge regarding clinical practice by interacting with their colleagues and instructor. There is an offline requirement of a triadic supervision teleconference once a week with the practicum instructor or another university supervisor. (Prerequisite: Approval of the field experience coordinator.) Note: Effective Dec. 1, 2009.
COUN 6682A Internship I (3 cr.)
The focus of this course is on the internship, which provides students with supervised clinical instruction. This course is the first of two courses designed to prepare students to be counselors. Students are required to complete a total of 900 hours in their internship. Under clinical supervision, students will perform a variety of counseling activities, including but not limited to individual and group counseling, record-keeping, report writing, and administering referrals. Students also will complete weekly assignments and attend weekly group supervision teleconferences to further develop their clinical and professional skills. (Prerequisite: COUN 6671 and approval of field experience coordinator.) Note: Effective Dec. 1, 2009.
COUN 6682B Internship II (3 cr.)
This course is a continuation of COUN 6682A Internship I and focuses on the refinement of clinical and professional skills. Students are required to continue working to complete their 900 hours of clinical instruction during the second term of internship. Under clinical supervision, students will continue to perform a variety of counseling activities including but not limited to individual and group counseling, record-keeping, report writing, and administering referrals. Students also will complete weekly assignments and attend weekly group supervision teleconferences to further refine their clinical and professional skills. (Prerequisite: COUN 6682A.) Note: Effective Dec. 1, 2009.
COUN 6720 Diagnosis and Assessment (5 cr.)
This course is an overview of what is commonly referred to as abnormal psychology; however, what constitutes normalcy is considered from multiple perspectives. Specifically, this is an applied course where students explore the application of diagnostic criteria in various mental health work settings such as schools, rehabilitation facilities, community agencies, and private practices. Environmental and biological factors contributing to behavioral disorders are considered, using the scholar-practitioner model. Techniques are reviewed for the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive, emotional, and developmental disorders, as well as for psychophysiological and psychosocial problems. Multicultural factors that complicate diagnosis are reviewed.
COUN 6722 Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories (5 cr.)
This course summarizes the history and explores the primary concepts of the major approaches to counseling and psychotherapy in current use. The empirical foundations of each theory are examined, and examples are supplied showing how each method is applied to clients. Limitations of each approach are also explored.
COUN 6723 Multicultural Counseling (5 cr.)
This course is designed to increase students’ awareness and knowledge of, and skills related to, multicultural counseling and the delivery of psychological services. Students explore diversity and identity issues and discuss their impact on the therapeutic relationship. The application of traditional theoretical orientations and current multicultural theories to culturally diverse groups is addressed. Topics include race and ethnicity, sex and gender, sexual orientation, social class, and age and ability.
COUN 6726 Couples and Family Therapy (5 cr.)
This course introduces students to theoretical perspectives and techniques, classical schools of thought, and recent developments in marriage and family therapy. Culture, gender, and ethnicity factors in family development are explored. Theoretical frameworks in marriage and family therapy, including psychosocial, psychodynamic, transgenerational, strategic, cognitive-behavioral, and social constructionist models, are reviewed and compared. The roles of culture, spirituality, and values in understanding families are explored.
COUN 6728 Substance Abuse Counseling (5 cr.)
This course examines psychological aspects of addictions involving alcohol, prescription medications, and illegal substances. Current research in the field of dependency and addiction is explored. Topics include diagnosis, models of treatment, treatment planning, use of group and family treatment plans, and efficacy of treatment. Strategies to promote change, including the transtheoretical model of behavior change, are discussed.
COUN 6753 Career Counseling (5 cr.)
This course examines major career development theories, assumptions, and implications for practice. Career information programs and systems in terms of their application to personnel assessment, counseling, development, and placement are reviewed. Focus is placed on the implications of individual differences in culture-, gender-, and age-related issues. Students obtain a theoretical and practical basis for supporting individuals in vocation selection and career development.
COUN 6785 Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation (5 cr.)
This course provides an inquiry into prevention and intervention programs for individuals, groups, and communities. Students consider cultural, social, psychological, family, organizational, and political factors bearing on the mental health and development of people in various settings, including schools, communities, and organizations. Theoretical frameworks guiding prevention and intervention are explored, including constructivist and ecological-developmental perspectives. Students gain experience in developing prevention-oriented programs within diverse systems.
Forensic Psychology Specialization
COUN 6511 Treatment of Forensic Populations (5 cr.) Required
This course provides students with the basic knowledge necessary to evaluate and subsequently treat many different forensic populations. Various forensic populations, such as sex offenders, substance abusers, victims of crime, and employee assistance to law enforcement personnel, will be covered. The use of traditional forms of intervention, such as individual and group psychotherapy, as well s recent developments in intervention, such as restorative justice, will be addressed.
COUN 6512 Juvenile Justice, Delinquency, and Development (5 cr.) Optional
The focus of this course is on the various aspects of the juvenile justice system and the population that it serves. As such, a thorough understanding of normal juvenile development is provided as a backdrop in which to better apply current juvenile justice codes and case law. The changing landscape of the juvenile justice field based on current research with its population will be covered.
COUN 6742 Conflict, Conflict Resolution and Peace (5 cr.) Optional
This course represents a study of conflict resolution within the broad social context. Topics include historical, socio-ecological, and theoretical frameworks that influence current views and practices related to conflict resolution; peace and conflict theory; political, religious, and economic conflicts, as well as and major peace movements; conflict resolution in practice; and ethical issues in conflict resolution. Topics are presented in a cultural context, including examination of cultural differences and cross-cultural and multicultural approaches for successful negotiation and mediation.
COUN 6912 Mental Health Law (5 cr.) Optional
This course examines several different aspects of the law related to mental health issues. Laws and court decisions that affect the practice of psychology—such as the Tarasoff ruling, mandated reporting, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—are addressed, as are the many areas of law that constitute forensic psychological practice including civil matters (such as personal injury and civil competency issues) and criminal matters (such as competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, diminished capacity, and death penalty issues). (Prerequisite: PSYC 6910.)
