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End Date: Feb 12, 2023

Syllabus
Site: My Courses
Course: PSYC 6223 - Group Counselling (23W-1H)
Book: Syllabus
Printed by: Stefanie Stanley
Date: Monday, 13 February 2023, 12:57 PM
Table of contents
 Welcome to the Course!
 Important Course Information
 Your Professor
 Course Outcomes
 Required Materials
 Graded Components
 Discussions
o Rubric

 MACP & YU Policies

 Learning Support

Welcome to the Course!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Yorkville University is committed to making diversity, equity and inclusion an integral part of our learning
environment and culture. Please feel free to connect with any member of the YU Student Diversity Advisory
Council (DAC) in order to provide feedback in relation to improving your experience. Members of the DAC
can be found HERE

Accessibility and Accommodations

 YU's goal is to create a learning experience that is as accessible as possible. If you anticipate any issues
related to the format, materials, or requirements of this course, please reach out to the Academic
Accommodations and Accessibility office: [email protected]

Welcome to PSYC6223, Group Counselling! This course will begin by introducing the purposes of group
counselling, group stages and dynamics, and leadership styles. The first three units of the course each focus on
specific group stages – the beginning stage (including pre-group preparation), the working stage, and the
ending or closing stage. In Units 4 and 5, you will have the opportunity to experience group counselling – in
one of those units you will work with a co-facilitator to lead a Counselling/Therapy group focused on a
professional development topic and In the other unit, you will participate in two groups led by your peers.

Important: Due to the sensitivity of practicing group therapy skills on fellow students (versus mental health
clients in the community), topics for the groups in this class will focus on professional development (i.e. Self-
Care, Stress Management, etc.) versus traditional mental health topics (i.e. Anxiety, Depression, etc.). Co-
facilitating from the perspective of a Counselling/Therapy group will allow you to learn and practice the same
skills as leading a mental health topic group in the community (i.e. an Anxiety or Depression group), however
will be appropriate to this setting as your fellow students will be the participating as themselves (another
master's student versus a mental health client). To practice and build the skills necessary to prepare you to lead
a master's level group therapy in the community, you will be co-facilitating a Counselling/Therapy group--
NOT a support group, psychoeducational group, etc.

For example, if Self-Care for New Counsellors is the chosen group focus, the following would be potential
ideas for leading group discussions and activities:

What participants self-care currently looks like compared to how it has looked in the past? How participants
define their own self-care and their need for it? How participants make time for self-care, navigate barrier
preventing them from doing self-care activities? How they feel about the need for self-care and how it impacts
them? How they recognize when they are not taking care of themselves (how others react to them when they
are not taking care of themselves, how work/school is impacted) and how they navigate when this happens?
etc.

If you have a question as to whether the topic you have chosen is an appropriate professional development
topic for the purposes of co-leading your Counselling/Therapy group for this class, please reach out to your
instructor for confirmation.

As you will be experiencing dual relationships in these groups (i.e., student peers and counsellor /participants),
as you plan the group you will facilitate you will select appropriate, professional development topics (e.g.,
managing the stress of grad school, development of theoretical orientation, etc.). Also, it will be very
important to deal with the issue of confidentiality in this course as we will be engaging in group counselling
sessions in addition to our typical philosophical discussions about the unit’s readings.

This course is structured slightly differently from other courses in the program. You will find less emphasis on
academic writing and journal articles and much more on experiential learning and reflection.

Because of our online format, we will use technology to support our group sessions.

Meeting and planning your group sessions with your co-facilitator can be done however you wish, though an
online meeting space to meet in real time and share notes if that’s convenient. The group counselling sessions
you will be co-facilitating can be “live” (synchronous) within a separate, closed online Zoom meeting session
(3 group sessions x 60 minutes each), and will be recorded for later review. It will require some coordination
of schedules but will closely simulate an in-person group experience. You may also conduct these sessions in a
discussion forum in Moodle (actively participate for five (5) days Monday-Friday), which is less synchronous,
and text-based only, but should allow for a reasonable facsimile of a live event where the logistics of
scheduling a live event are prohibitive.

We're very excited to have the opportunity to introduce the topic of group counselling in this innovative
format. It has been an interesting challenge to find creative and effective ways to bring the topic to life online.

This is a very full course, and the five units will go by extremely quickly. Feedback from past students
confirms that keeping up with the weekly readings, checking in regularly to the discussion forums, and
beginning each assignment early will contribute to your success in this course. For the Group Observation,
Participation, and Reflection's assignment, you will find it especially helpful to keep up with watching the
DVD and journaling your reflections so that there will be minimal work left to do concurrently with your
Participant Reflections assignment due at the end of Unit 4 or 5 (whichever week you were a group
participant). (Note: Although the Moodle site is set up with the last date of the course as the due date for both
assignments, your Group Observation, Participation, and Reflection's assignment is due at the end of the unit
that you participate in two groups and your Group Facilitation and Reflections assignment (completed with
your co-facilitator) is due at the end of the unit that you co-facilitate your group.)

As the flow of this course is quite different from other courses in the YU program (to accommodate the
experiential and reflective components), a Course Map has been developed to help keep you on track with due
dates and course requirements. You may find it helpful to print the “Map” and keep it nearby as you navigate
this course.

To get started in Unit 1, please jump into the discussion forums early and often and work through the assigned
textbook chapters as they provide an important foundation for planning your groups for the Group
Observation, Participation, and Reflection's assignment. There are lots of “housekeeping tasks” this unit -
please identify a co-facilitator for your group (by Wednesday), sign-up for your preferred type of group ("live"
group or Moodle) and post your topic (by Friday) and sign up to participate in two additional groups by
Sunday (in the unit in which you are not facilitating). Do be prepared to have fun as participants--this is a great
opportunity to learn more about the counselling/therapy group process, group dynamics, and yourself as you
prepare to lead groups in the community in the very near future!

Important Course Information

 Please do not post to the weekly discussion forums prior to the first day of your course. Your
professor will not be monitoring the discussion forums until the course gets underway. You may post
your introductory message at any time. Thank you for your cooperation.

 You are advised to have a backup computer (friend, family member) and backup Internet
access plan, for technical problems that may arise.

 Students will have access to their courses for about four weeks after the last day of the term. After
this four-week period, old courses will not appear on the online campus and students will not be able
to access old lectures, assignments, etc. It is strongly recommended that students download and save
any material they wish to keep such as assignments, projects etc.

 It is your responsibility to inform your instructors within the first 48 hours of the course start
date of any upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences. Please see our Religious
Observation Guidelines for more details.

 Each week, you should review the Unit Tasks and Readings page. This provides important
information and reminders that will help you throughout the course.
  Your first point of contact for concerns or questions regarding this course is your professor. You
can find their information which includes their YU email address in the Course Syllabus (please use
this link). If you are having technical issues in the course or using the YU features and need technical
support, submit a ticket for IT support (please use this link) to contact our ASKYU system. If you
need to contact your MACP Program Advisor submit a ticket for student support (please use this link).

Your Professor

Tricia Chandler, PhD, MA, LPC, MAC

Licensed Professional Counselor with a dual Master's Degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Art
Therapist for over 25 years from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. My clinical career includes working with
children, adolescents, and adults with significant trauma histories and co-occurring disorders in a variety of
milieus that include outpatient, day treatment schools, residential facilities, and hospital settings.

Psychologist with a doctorate in Humanistic/Transpersonal Psychology within the Clinical Psychology track
from Saybrook University, in San Francisco, CA in 2010. Have been teaching graduate traditional and online
counseling programs since that time. I have taught, published, and revised curriculum at two of the universities
I have worked for. I have also presented at conferences and in webinars.

I live in Colorado with my husband and my mini and full Australian Shepherds and enjoy creating art, white
water rafting, hiking, and dancing.

It is my privilege to share my professional experience and clinical skills when teaching in graduate counseling
programs.

Tricia Chandler, PhD, MA, LPC, MAC

Contact [email protected]

Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
  compare and contrast group vs. individual counselling approaches, from theoretical and research-
based perspectives;
 examine their own values, biases, beliefs, and theoretical orientation to facilitate “safe and effective
use of self” in the context of group counselling;
 articulate ethical and legal considerations unique to group counselling;
 explain and work effectively with the diverse roles played by group members;
 identify specific stages of group development and appropriately adjust facilitation;
 identify the roles and responsibilities for group members, leaders, co-leaders, and supervisors;
 facilitate the process of setting group norms;
 identify strategies for successfully resolving challenging group situations;
 facilitate a group on a relevant counselling topic;
 critically evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of various group counselling techniques for
specific clients in diverse programs;
 reflect on their own personal experiences as group members, including the impact of personal style
and prior life experiences on both leaders and members; and
 reflect on their own personal experiences as group leaders, including the impact of personal style and
prior life experiences on both co-leaders and members.

Required Materials
Textbooks

Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016). Group counseling: Strategies
and skills (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
ISBN: 9781305087309


o
 Note: ebook available; must order textbook bundled with DVD for this course.

Gladding, S. T. (2018). The counseling dictionary (4th ed.). American Counseling

Association. https://search-ebscohost-com.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/login.aspx?
direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=nlebk&AN=1561316

Neukrug, E. (Ed). (2015). The SAGE encyclopedia of theory in counseling and psychotherapy. Sage
Publications, Inc. https://search-ebscohost-com.libraryservices.yorkvilleu.ca/login.aspx?
direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=nlebk&AN=1061337

 The above two books are the references of choice for ensuring proper use of
psychology terms. Please do not use Oxford, Merriam, or Dictionary.com etc. for
psychological terms.

Optional Material

Fehr, S. S. (2010). 101 interventions in group therapy (Rev. ed.). Routledge.

ISBN: 978-0415882170


o
 Highly recommended
Group Sign Up

For each of Units 4 and 5, sign up either as a co-facilitator OR twice as a participant (i.e., in one unit you
facilitate and in the other you participate in two groups). The professor reserves the right to move participants
or facilitators to create equal sized groups or to evenly spread the groups throughout the two units.

You will need to record your session – please see the guidelines regarding Online Meetings. To learn more
about this platform, including how to access it for conducting your own meetings with your peers, how to use
the software on your computer, tablet or smart-device, or how to get help, please click on the links in
the Course Tools block on the right hand side of the course homepage.

For instructions on sending the file to your co-facilitator, the professor, or anyone else who may need it, please
click on the “Sharing Your Online Meeting Recording” link below.

o Sharing Your Online Meeting Recording

Graded Components
% of
Graded Item Due Date
Final Grade
Discussions 15 Unit 1, 2, & 3
Group Preparation: Backgrounder, Outline, and
Readings
20 Unit 2
Note: with a co-facilitator/s; each submit the
same version of the assignment
Group Facilitation and Reflections
Unit 4 or 5; at the end of the
Note: with a co-facilitator/s; each submit the 35
unit that you co-facilitate
same version of the assignment
Group Observation, Participation, and Unit 4 or 5; at the end of the
30
Reflections unit that you co-facilitate
Total 100%
Grading of Assessments

Assignments will be marked based on comprehensiveness, presentation quality, form, and content.
Submissions must be presented in the manner requested of each particular assignment. Please do not email
instructors asking when grades will appear, as responding to numerous emails to this effect tends to delay the
process.

Rubrics

Each submitted assignment has its own rubric depending on the assignment’s goals and objectives. General
requirements include the understanding of the course material in question, neatness and organization, and
successful completion of minimum requirements. After being submitted, assignments will be graded by the
professor and returned to the student with feedback.

Grade Standards
Every graded assignment will have a rubric defining the criteria unique to the assignment. Student evidence of
having relatively demonstrated or mastered these criteria will be assessed according to the grade standards
found in the New Brunswick Academic Calendar (Section 8 - Graduate Program Grading Policies).

Grading Periods

There are 2 DQ grading periods in the course – Weeks/Units 1, 2-3 (weighted 33.3%, 66.7% of the final
discussion grade). Please do not email instructors asking when grades will appear, as responding to numerous
emails to this effect tends to delay the process. Final grades will appear no later than 7 days after the last day of
the course.

APA

All written work for this course must be formatted according to the APA style as outlined in the 7th edition of
the Publication Manual of the APA.

Program Expectations for Assignments

Please use 12pt text size with Times New Roman font for all assignments. Running head for the assignment is
not needed. The reference list should only include sources that were used for in-text citations in the paper
itself.

Assignment Preparation Tips

In preparation for the three assignments that comprise the bulk of the grade for this course, be sure to read the
instructions for all assignments thoroughly.

 In the first unit of the course students will pair up with a co-facilitator/s for their group in Units 4 or 5,
and determine their group’s topic and approach, as described in the Group Preparation: Backgrounder,
Outline, and Readings assignment. This will allow other students an opportunity to choose the groups
they would like to participate in. A group signup sheet will be available for this in Unit 1.
 Over the final two units (Units 4 & 5), roughly half the class will be facilitators of a brief counselling
group (3 live sessions in an Online Meeting or 5 days in an asynchronous Moodle discussion- Monday
through Friday), while the other half play the parts of group participants. In the second unit, the roles
are switched and the process repeated, so that by the end all students will have co-facilitated one
group in one unit, and been participants in two groups in the other unit. Students may not facilitate
and participate in the same week.
 The Group Preparation: Backgrounder, Outline, and Readings assignment is designed to help you
prepare to facilitate your group. Note: your outline and activities will likely differ if you choose to
work “live” in an Online Meeting or asynchronously in a Moodle discussion, so please plan
accordingly.
 The Group Facilitation and Reflections assignment describes how students process their experiences
as co-facilitators in whichever unit they play that role. This assignment is due in either.
 The Group Observation, Participation, and Reflections assignment describes how students process
their experiences as participants in whichever unit they play that role.

Discussions
Value

15% of final grade.

Participating in required discussion questions is mandatory. Not doing so will result in a grade of zero
and one of the following outcomes:

 You will be required to withdraw from the course (if during the withdrawal period). Please
reach out to Student Services to inquire, or
 You will fail the course and be required to retake it (two fails will result in academic dismissal
from the program).

Evaluation

Your discussion grade will be evaluated on each requirement below. Receiving a high score in one (1) criterion
does not equal an overall high discussion question grade. Posts must address all requirements from every
category:

Quantity and Timeliness (15%)

 Posts should be between 150-200 words (not including references).

 Posts should spread out during the week to facilitate interaction with others.
 Discussion post deadlines are based on Atlantic Standard Time. (Sunday at midnight is the end of each
week.)

Evidence of Reading (20%)

 Reflects the degree to which you have read and absorbed, and then incorporated into the discussion,
the readings assigned to the unit (or in some cases, to the specific questions themselves).
 Reflects the extent to which you have read other postings on the topic from your peers and
have integrated their perspectives into the conversation.
 Encourages students to engage in all the parts of the questions and topics.

Critical Thinking, Reflection, and Participation in Ongoing Discussions (50%)

 Ensure your posts take the discussion to a deeper level, contributing new perspectives or examples,
asking probing questions, stimulating reflection and providing graduate level conversation - this is a
higher level skill.
 Read what has already been posted (or, if starting the discussion, avoid regurgitating course readings
and, instead, build on the readings by offering your insights, reflections, critique, concerns, or unique
perspective).
 Demonstrate respect for differences in opinion; debate and critical reflection is encouraged but it must
remain respectful.
 Although encouragement and support for each other is appreciated, contributions must go beyond
“cheerleading” to add something of substance to the discussion.

Quality of the Writing (15%)

 Focus on writing in a clear, intelligent, and professional manner.

 Avoid mini-essays compiled in isolation; discussions are intended to be interactive.
  Avoid colloquialisms and texting-style shorthand - professional grammar, spelling, and style is
expected.
 Provide clear and accurate citations and/or links to external references where necessary – again, you
do have to give clear credit for other peoples’ work.
 Clearly indicate and cite all direct quotations (plagiarism will result in a “Zero”).

Rubric
Your discussion grades per question will be based on the rubric. You are expected to contribute to all posts in
the units they are posted. In Units 1, 3, & 5, your instructor will provide one grade reflecting your overall
contributions to the discussion. It is absolutely critical to be active in these forums throughout the course. You
must contribute a minimum number of posts to register a grade for EACH of these three grading periods; a
grade of ‘0’ in any grade period (a result of not posting anything in that grade period) will result in a failing
of the course overall.*

The Unit 1 grade will be worth 20% of the final discussion grade, the Unit 3 grade (covering Units 2 & 3
discussions) will be worth 40% of the final discussion grade, and the Unit 5 grade (covering Unit 4 & 5
discussions) will be worth 40% of the final discussion grade.

Class discussion is an important and significant part of an online course. The discussion boards are the heart of
these discussions and student engagement is essential for their success. While class discussion can be
characterized by free-flowing conversation and the exchange of ideas, there are identifiable characteristics that
distinguish outstanding contributions to class discussion. The criteria on this rubric will be used to assess the
quality of your initial postings and responses to the postings and comments of your peers and instructor during
class discussion.

Participation in each discussion forum is mandatory. This is based on regulatory conditions.

Discussio
n Rubric
15 points 13 points 10 points 8 points 6 points 4 points 2 points 0 points
Quantity 5 or more 4 posts per 3 posts per 3 posts per 2 posts per 2 or more 1 post Did not
and posts per topic. topic. topic. topic. posts per per topic. meet any
Timelines topic. Posts Posts Posts Posts topic on posting
s (15%) Posts distributed distributed distributed distributed the same requireme
distributed across 4 across 3 across 2 across 2 day. nts.
across 5 days. days. days. days.
days.
20 points 17 points 15 points 12 points 5 points 2 points 1 point 0 points
Evidence DemonstraDemonstraDemonstraDemonstraDemonstraDemonstraPosts not Did not
of tes an tes a very tes a good tes a tes a basic tes little relevant meet any
Reading excellent good understandproficient understandunderstandto the posting
(20%) understandunderstanding of the understanding of the ing of the required requireme
ing of the ing of the required ing of the required required readings nts.
required required readings required readings readings and
readings readings and topics, readings and topics. and topics. topics.
and topics, and, including and topics. A lack of
including topics, basic A limited applicatio
consistent including applicatio applicatio n of
applicatio frequent n of n of concepts
 n of applicatio concepts concepts throughout
concepts n of throughoutthroughoutpostings.
throughoutconcepts postings. postings.
postings. throughout
postings.
50 points 45 points 40 points 35 points 30 points 15 points 8 points 0 points
Critical All posts Most posts Some Some Posts Posts lack Posts do Did not
Thinking, integrate integrate posts posts summarizeoriginal not meet any
Reflection an outside an outside integrate connect correct thinking contribut posting
, and resource, resource, an outside the informatio and e to requireme
Participat or relevant or relevant resource, material to n, but do evaluation ongoing nts.
ion in research, research, or relevant outside not or analysis discussio
Ongoing or specific or specific research, resources, connect of the ns or
Discussio real-life real-life or specific or real-life the material. respond
ns (50%) applicatio applicatio real-life applicatio material to Posts to other
n (work n (work applicatio ns. Posts outside generally postings.
experience experience n (work begin to resources, do not add Limited
, prior , prior experience add to the relevant to the participat
coursewor coursewor , prior depth and research, depth and ion (2
k, etc.) to k, etc.) to coursewor scope of or real-life scope of posts or
support support k, etc.) to the applicatio the less) to
important important support discussion ns and do discussion sufficient
points. points. important s through not s through ly
Posts Posts points. reflective consider reflective evaluate
actively engage in Posts add observatio alternative observatio the
engage in several to the n and perspectiv n or quality of
all ongoing depth and critical es or critical the work.
ongoing discussion scope of commenta connectioncommenta
discussion s by the ry. s between ry. Posts
s by building discussion ideas. typically
building on s through Describes repeat
on discussion reflective rather than other
discussion responses observatio analyzes postings
responses through n and ideas. and offer
through asking a critical Attempts superficial
asking a new commenta to engage commenta
new question, ry. in ry.
question, providing discussion
providing critical s but does
critical commenta not move
commenta ry the
ry supported discussion
supported by forward.
by research
research or
or personal
 personal experience
experience .
, or
starting a
new topic
for
discussion
.
15 points 13 points 12 points 11 points 10 points 8 points 5 points 0 points
Quality of No Minor A few Some Many Grammati Writing Did not
the grammatic grammatic grammatic grammatic grammatic cal, is far meet any
Writing al, al, al, al, al, spelling, below posting
(15%) spelling, spelling, spelling, spelling, spelling, citation or graduate requireme
citation, or citation, or citation or citation or citation or referencin level nts.
referencin referencin referencin referencin referencin g errors standards
g errors. g errors. g errors. g errors. g errors. are . Most
All posts All posts Most posts Most posts Most posts common posts are
are in the are in the are in the are in the are in the in each well
150 – 200 150 – 200 150 – 200 150 – 200 150 – 200 post. above or
word word word word word Many below the
range. range. range. range. range. posts are 150-200
Posts are Posts are Posts are Posts are Most posts well above word
organized organized organized organized are or below range.
and well and well and well and well organized the 150 – Not
written. written. written. written. and well 200 word enough
written. range. Not posts (2
enough posts or
posts (2 less) to
posts or sufficient
less) to ly
sufficientl evaluate
y evaluate the
the quality quality of
of the the
writing. writing.
MACP & YU Policies
Academic Appeals Process

o Choose Section 5.6 of the New Brunswick Academic Calendar

Grade Policies

o Choose Section 8.4 of the New Brunswick Academic Calendar

 Note: In fairness to other students, individual assignment/final grades will not be adjusted on
request so that a student may achieve the next grade level, e.g., A+ from an A.

Academic Integrity and Honesty

o Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, results in serious consequences. Punishments

range from a reduced grade or a grade of zero on an assignment to automatic failure of a
course to academic dismissal from the university (see Yorkville University Academic
Calendar Section 5.6 of the New Brunswick Academic Calendar, Student Conduct, for a
statement of the University’s policy).

MACP Late Submission Policy

o Every assignment has a due date. Students are expected to submit assignments on or before
the assigned due date.
o Late assignment submissions must be arranged with the instructor PRIOR to the assignment
due date.
 Approved late assignments will be penalized 3% for each day that they are late, up to
5 days (15%).
 Approved late assignments will not be accepted after 5 days unless there are
extenuating circumstances (such as major illness or death in the family) that have
been discussed with the professor before the new assignment deadline.
o Late assignment submissions that have not been prearranged with the instructor will only be
accepted under extenuating circumstances (such as major illness or death in the family).
 The student must contact their instructor and Student Services Advisor as soon as
reasonably possible to discuss the extenuating circumstance.
 In the case of illness, arrangements may be made at the discretion of the instructor to
make up the work, however, documentation from a health care professional will be
required.

Religious Observation Guidelines

o Religious Observation Guidelines

Learning Support
Students are strongly encouraged to use numerous student learning support resources available through
the Library and the Yorkville University: MACP Student Orientation.

The MACP Student Orientation at Yorkville University provides extensive information on how to use and
navigate the Online learning environment, ways to contact key personnel, and access to your program
information pages. Return to the Orientation frequently, as this resource is constantly being updated and you
may find answers to your questions about this course and your program.

If you want to submit a ticket for student support, please use this link.

If you wish to report a technical problem, please click on the MyYU button at the top of the page and choose
the AskYU option to submit a case to our HelpDesk.

Library
Library resources include research tutorials, APA writing guides, sample essays, FAQs on information literacy,
links to web tools to help find and organize materials, and much more. The Library can be accessed throughout
the course by clicking on the MyYU icon at the top of every page.

Journal databases are also provided through the Library Website. For more information on searching databases
and course-related articles, please refer to the Library.

You can contact your Librarian HERE.

Student Success Centre

The Student Success Centre is all about helping ensure your success as a student, providing strategies, best
practices, demonstrations, tutoring services, and interactive labs on a wide variety of topics.

Also, to access Alexander Street's Behavioural and Mental Health Online video resources, login to MyYU,
select "Library", "free trials", then select "Counselling Videos".

You may also use the Psychology Open Access Journals for quick access to e-books and other resources.

APA Style and Support Resources

APA Support Centre: https://yorkvilleu.libguides.com/apasupportcentre