COUN510 - Assessment and Appraisal
This course introduces students to the field of counseling in diverse
settings, including school and clinical mental health settings. The course
provides a broad overview and survey of the counseling profession, including
its historical and theoretical foundations, the major professional
associations of the counseling profession, and roles and responsibilities of
counselors in a variety of settings and within and among the other mental
health professions. Students will begin development of a professional
identity and will reflect on their calling to the profession of counseling
and their vision for using their master's degree in the future. Students
will begin the process of spiritual formation for counseling. (3 credits)
This course introduces students to legal and ethical issues relevant to the
counseling profession and equips students with an ethical decision-making
model for navigating ethical dilemmas and issues related to professional
practice. Students will develop ethical sensitivity and utilize the ethical
principles, which serve as the profession's foundation for ethical behavior
and decision making, in evaluating case studies. An overview of the Iowa
statutes which govern practice will also be provided. The goal of this
course is to get students to think about major issues related to the
professional practice of counseling, while challenging them to formulate
positions on such issues, consider a biblical perspective, and appraise the
values impacting counselors and the counseling profession. (3 credits)
COUN520 - Social & Cultural Foundations
In this course, students will examine the psychological and sociological
factors that form self-concept and cultural identity, and consider how these
constructs impact effective counseling with diverse populations. Students
will begin a professional journey of developing multicultural competence
through developing self-awareness, sensitivity to elements of diversity,
knowledge of cultural values, and a commitment to the counseling
profession's core value of honoring diversity and embracing a multicultural
approach in support of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of
people within their social and cultural contexts. Students will learn how to
apply awareness and culturally competent skills and knowledge in
interventions and advocacy practices with diverse populations. Course
concepts will be considered through a biblical world view which provides a
foundation for understanding how God views all people groups. Prerequisite:
COUN505. (3 credits)
COUN525 - Human Growth & Development
One of the philosophies underlying the counseling profession that helps set
it apart from the other mental health professions is a developmental
perspective; a recognition that many of the issues clients face in life are
developmental in nature. This course introduces students to theories of
individual and family development across the lifespan, theories of learning,
theories of moral and spiritual development, and theories of normal and
abnormal personality development. The course also delves into factors and
circumstances that can impact a person's development; biological,
neurological, and physiological factors, addictive behaviors, systemic and
environmental factors, crises, disasters, and trauma, and culture. Students
will develop a general framework for developing interventions based on
client developmental level and ethical and culturally relevant strategies
for promoting resilience and wellness across the lifespan. (3 credits)
COUN530 - Group Counseling and Group Work
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of group
counseling, its development within the field of counseling, and its
utilization as an intervention in school counseling, clinical mental health
counseling, and other settings. Group work requires some distinct
understandings and approaches from individual counseling and as such, this
course focuses on the stages of group formation, group therapeutic factors,
group facilitation skills, dealing with challenges particular to group
settings, and utilizing the group modality effectively. Students will be
given the opportunity to participate in a group process, both as
participants and as leaders. Because of this component, there will be a
synchronous component to this course, where students will have to coordinate
a day/time where they can consistently meet with their group to meet this
requirement of the course. Prerequisites: COUN515, COUN550, COUN551,
COUN605. (3 credits)
COUN550 - Theories & Skills Of Counseling I
This course is part one of a two-part integrated skills and theories series
that introduces students to the basic skills of the counseling relationship
and the major theories of personality and psychotherapy, and provides
students an experiential opportunity to begin practicing and assimilating
these skills in their counselor identity. In Theories and Skills of
Counseling I, students are introduced to counseling skills such as
attending, active listening, empathy, questioning, observation, encouraging,
summarizing, reflecting, and challenging. Skills are practiced with role
play partners, video recorded and submitted to the professor for review and
feedback. Theories covered in Theories and Skills of Counseling I include
Psychodynamic, Adlerian, Client-Centered, Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy,
Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive Therapy. Modern psychotherapies are
considered through a biblical world view. Prerequisite: COUN515. (3 credits)
COUN555 - Crisis, Trauma and Suicide
This course introduces students to the field of counseling in diverse
settings, including school and clinical mental health settings. The course
provides a broad overview and survey of the counseling profession, including
its historical and theoretical foundations, the major professional
associations of the counseling profession, and roles and responsibilities of
counselors in a variety of settings and within and among the other mental
health professions. Students will begin development of a professional
identity and will reflect on their calling to the profession of counseling
and their vision for using their master's degree in the future. Students
will begin the process of spiritual formation for counseling. (3 credits)
COUN580 - Career Development
This course provides an overview of career development theory, models,
occupational information sources and systems, college and career readiness,
and career assessment instruments for diverse populations. Students will
consider the relevance of career in the overall development of the
counseling profession, the interrelationship between work, mental
well-being, relationships, and other life roles and factors, and specific
career interventions in clinical mental health and school counseling
settings. The course will focus on the career decision-making process and
how counselors can use assessments and different career resources to gather
information tailored to help guide the client in the decision-making
process. Prerequisite: COUN510. (3 credits)
COUN585 - Research and Program Evaluation
This course provides students with practical guidance for accessing and
comprehending published research articles with a goal of helping students
incorporate an intention of understanding the evidence base for the
interventions they use with clients and a willingness to be life-long
consumers of counseling research. The course provides an overview of
important methodological concepts of research, measurement and statistical
concepts, and quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research
methodologies. The course also examines program evaluation with a focus on
understanding the need for, and strategies for utilizing program evaluation
in diverse settings. (3 credits)
This course is intended to be a final summation of students' experience in
the clinical mental health counseling and school counseling programs. As
such, it is intended to be taken during students' last semester of the
program, where they can reflect back on what they've learned over the
previous semesters. Students will reflect on and integrate features from
psychology, theology, Christian spirituality, and the practice of
evidence-based counseling skills and methods as students work to continue
refining their individual counseling approaches that they will be applying
in school counseling and clinical mental health counseling settings.
Prerequisite: COUN615. (3 credits)
SCO515 - Foundations of School Counseling
This course introduces students to the field of professional school
counseling, including its history and development, employment settings,
credentialing, legislation, research, and ethical considerations, school
counselor roles and responsibilities, and other aspects of school counselor
professional orientation. The course familiarizes students with models of
school counseling programs, with an emphasis on the American School
Counselor Association National Model. The course also covers assessments
used in school counseling, and it focuses on the importance of supporting
culturally and linguistically diverse students. (3 credits)
SCO520 - Child and Adolescent Diagnosis and Treatment
This course provides students with an overview of mental health and
behavioral disorders that impact children and adolescents with a specific
focus on impacts to the school setting, prevention, intervention, and
treatment approaches, and interfacing with family, medical, and community
systems. Considerations related to disorder etiology including
environmental, social, family, school, substance use, and sexual behavior
are considered. The course uses case studies, discussions, presentations,
and reflection papers to assist students in developing strategies for
engaging with child and adolescent clients, developing
developmentally-appropriate case conceptualizations, and developing
multicultural sensitivity in school settings. A Christian perspective on
understanding and treating mental health disorders is integrated into the
course. Prerequisites: COUN550 and COUN551. (3 credits)
SCO540 - School Counseling Practice and Programs
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the practice of professional
school counseling and the development and evaluation of school counseling
programs. Students will examine the roles and responsibilities of school
counselors as leaders and advocates in counseling, consulting, advocacy, and
collaboration to promote academic success for all students. Students will
scaffold program evaluation skills onto what they have previously learned
about program design and implementation for a comprehensive understanding of
school counseling program design, coordination, implementation, management,
and evaluation. The course also introduces students to concepts of
curriculum design, classroom management, and teaching and learning
strategies. Prerequisites: SCO515 and SCO550. (3 credits)
The counseling Practicum experience provides students with an initial
experience in providing counseling services in the school counseling setting. The Practicum
experience requires a minimum of 100 clock hours of documented contact including indirect and
direct service, and supervision both onsite (provided by a designated site supervisor) and in
class (provided by your assigned faculty member). The Practicum course is a seminar-style class
which supports students participating in their Practicum experience and which supports
students in developing their basic counseling skills and in learning a variety of
assessment and intervention techniques. Students are required to earn a minimum grade of a
B in this course in order to move forward in the program. This course requires online
students to attend weekly synchronous class meetings. The day/times of the meetings will be
determined by the course instructor. Prerequisites: COUN505, COUN515, COUN520, COUN525,
COUN550, COUN551, COUN5 and COUN605. (3 credits)
The Counseling Internship experience provides students with experience in
providing counseling services in the school counseling setting. The
Internship experience requires a minimum of 600 clock hours spread over at
least two semesters of documented contact including indirect and direct
service, and supervision both onsite (provided by a designated site
supervisor) and in class (provided by an assigned faculty member). The
Internship course is a seminar-style class which supports students
participating in their Internship experience and which supports students in
developing their counseling skills and in learning a variety of counseling
and intervention techniques.
Students are required to earn a minimum grade of a B in this course in order
to move forward in the program. This course requires online students to
attend weekly synchronous class meetings. The day/times of the meetings
will be determined by the course instructor.
In this course, students will continue to hone their clinical skills, case
conceptualization abilities, and ability to apply what they have learned in
the program to the work they do with clients. Students will continue
develop their theoretical orientations, increase awareness of their
counseling styles, and develop their counseling identities. Students will
also continue to develop their written and verbal communication and
presentation skills, and peer feedback skills.
Prerequisites: COUN610 and COUN615 (3 credits)
The Counseling Internship experience provides students with experience in providing
counseling services in the school counseling setting. The Internship experience requires
a minimum of 600 clock hours spread over at least two semesters of documented contact
including indirect and direct service, and supervision both onsite (provided by a
designated site supervisor) and in class (provided by an assigned faculty member).
The Internship course is a seminar-style class which supports students participating in
their Internship experience and which supports students in developing their counseling
skills and in learning a variety of counseling and intervention techniques.
Students are required to earn a minimum grade of a B in this course in order to move
forward in the program. This course requires online students to attend weekly
synchronous class meetings. The day/times of the meetings will be determined by the course
instructor. In this course, students will continue to hone their clinical skills, case
conceptualization abilities, and ability to apply what they have learned in the program
to the work they do with clients. Students will continue develop their theoretical
orientations, increase awareness of their counseling styles, and develop their counseling
identities. Students will also continue to develop their written and verbal communication
and presentation skills, and peer feedback skills. Prerequisites: SCO610 and SCO615. (3 credits)
