COUN 507

Principles & Practices of Mental Health Counseling

Fall 2008

Instructor: Janet L. Muse-Burke, Ph.D.

E-mail: [email protected]
Office Phone: 570-348-6211 ext. 2367

Office Hours: McGowan Center, Room 1029

Thursday, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Friday, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Appointments may be scheduled for other days/times as needed.

Classroom: LAC 114

Tuesdays, 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Course Description:
This course explores the issues of mental health service delivery in a mental health setting. The
course will focus on knowledge of the principles and practices of ethical standards and codes of
the counseling profession, as well as the role and function of the mental health counselor within
a community agency setting. Students will be exposed to current professional issues within the
field of counseling and psychology.

Method of Instruction:
Lecture, large group discussion, small group work, role-play, and skills demonstration.

Textbooks:
Hill, C. E. (2004). Helping skills: Facilitating exploration, insight, and action (2nd ed.).
Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

MacCluskie, K. C., & Ingersoll, R. E. (2001). Becoming a 21st century agency counselor:
Personal and professional explorations. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Required Reading:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual (5th ed.). Washington
DC: Author.

Moodle: Course content and information will be available on the Web via Moodle.
Students are required to login weekly to check for course-related documents and information.
Specifically, students are required to print or download and bring to class the Power Point lecture
slides each week. To access Moodle:

 Go to the Marywood Homepage: http://www.marywood.edu/

 Click on “Academics”
 Click on “Moodle”
  Login (get instructions by clicking on “create a new account” if you do not have a login)
 Click on “Fall 2008”
 Click on “COUN 507: Principles & Practices of Mental Health Counseling”

Course Objectives:
 To acquire an understanding of the evolution of the counseling profession to date,
certification and licensure issues, and accreditation practices and standards.
 To develop an understanding of the roles, functions, and professional identity of mental
health counselors.
 To develop an understanding and knowledge of the ethical responsibilities and standards of
the counseling profession as outlined by ACA’s Code of Ethics.
 To acquire knowledge of the implications of professional issues of mental health counseling,
including recognition, reimbursement, right to practice, access to and practice privileges
within managed care systems, empirically supported treatment, and expert witness status.
 To acquire a working knowledge of consultative theory and consultative relationships with a
variety of community agency personnel.
 To improve understanding of how multicultural issues interact with mental health counseling.
 To develop and practice counseling skills through role-play, modeling, direct instruction, and
peer feedback.

Course Grading:
372 – 400 points = A
360 – 371 points = A-
348 – 359 points = B+
332 – 347 points = B
320 – 331 points = B-
308 – 319 points = C+
292 – 307 points = C
< 292 = F

Course Requirements:
 Classroom Participation – 50 points – All students will be expected to complete assigned
readings. Further, students will be expected to actively and thoughtfully participate in
classroom discussions, role-plays, and activities. Students who are unprepared for class (e.g.,
do not have Power Point slides from Moodle) will have points deducted from their
participation grade. Students who are absent or tardy for more than 2 class periods will
automatically receive a deduction in their participation grade for each absence (10 points) /
tardiness (5 points). Students with three or more absences will be in danger of failing the
class.

 Ethical Issues Outline and Presentation – 100 points – The objective of this assignment is
to have you examine in-depth an ethical issue, present relevant information to the class, and
develop a scenario for class discussion. Each student will select a counseling issue (e.g.,
multicultural counseling, child abuse reporting, managed care, multiple relationships, suicide,
licensure) and research the ethical and legal considerations involved. Students will inform the
instructor of their topic of choice on 9/16/2008 and presentation dates will be assigned. Using
 outline form, present the following information: (a) History of Issue, (b) Definitions, (c)
Ethical Issues, (d) Relevant ACA Code of Ethics, and (e) Guidelines for Practice. In addition,
each student must develop a case or scenario for class discussion relevant to the ethical issue.
Moreover, each student must provide a list of references using APA style (see APA Style
Reference Guide under “Resources” on Moodle). A copy of the outline, scenario, and
references should be provided to each class member. Presentation and discussion should be
15 – 20 minutes. (One point will be deducted for every minute a presentation exceeds the 20
minutes allotted.)

 Service Learning Counseling Intervention Project – 125 points – The objective of this
assignment is to have students (1) serve as consultants to local mental health counseling
agencies; (2) design a group intervention program to meet the agencies’ specific
counseling/prevention needs; (3) develop a means of evaluating the intervention program’s
outcomes; and (4) present the intervention program to peers, instructor, faculty, and agency
counselors on the last evening of class. Notably, you will not provide direct counseling
services to clients; rather, you will develop a group counseling/prevention intervention
program that the mental health counseling agency may employ with their clients.

Class time will be provided for project completion so that you might consult regularly with
peers and the instructor. As such, the project should be finished and ready to present by the
end of class. On the due date, students must submit to the instructor (1) all handouts/Power
Point slides/presentation materials and (2) a report addressing all project requirements.
Further, students must provide to the agency counselors with whom they consulted a copy of
the report addressing all project requirements. You may work individually or in groups of 2,
splitting sections. If you choose to work in a group, the group will hand in one completed
project. In addition, each group member will submit to the instructor a written paragraph
describing her or his contributions to the group project. The assignment is carried out in five
steps. Below please find the project requirements. The service learning counseling
intervention project is due on 11/18/2008.

The service learning counseling intervention project will be graded using several means.

1. The instructor will evaluate the quality of the service learning counseling intervention
project, including the report and presentation, and the extent to which all requirements
were met.
2. Quantitative feedback will be solicited from presentation attendees, which will be
considered when assigning a grade (see “Service Learning Evaluation Form” on Moodle).
3. Agency counselors will be contacted as appropriate regarding their evaluation of the
consultation process and outcome of the final report.

Intervention Project
You can make a difference in a person's life by a one-to-one intervention in a person's thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors, which is counseling. Counseling reaches few persons and often is not the
appropriate intervention. Moreover, there are needs common to particular populations or to
particular clienteles. These needs are best met by program interventions. In this assignment, you
will develop a program intervention that might be implemented in the future.
I. Population Selection and Needs Identification
 Identify the general population or clientele with whom you will work (e.g., elementary or
high school students, single mothers, the elderly). Then, specify a subgroup within that
population if the population is a comprehensive one (e.g., within a university student
population, you might specify African American students, first year students, or clients of the
counseling center).
 Identify a specific counseling area on which you would like to focus your intervention (e.g.,
career, eating disorders, depression, PTSD).
 Describe how you will identify the needs of that population (i.e., assessment of needs by
some instrument(s) and asking persons with responsibility for a population). Show
illustrative data you would collect by interviewing a few persons of the target population.

II. Agency/School Visit

 Identify an agency/school that provides counseling assistance to the population you identified
in section I.
 Visit that agency/school and report your visit with respect to the following:
 General Identification of Agency (for confidentiality, alter the agency name).
 Description: (l) physical layout; (2) staffing - titles, preparation required; (3) number of
clients served by day or other unit; (4) materials (general description of materials related
to intervention activities); (5) programmed interventions; and (6) evaluation (i.e., submit
your evaluation about the effectiveness of the agency).

III. Program Design

 Describe the specifics of your intervention. In your proposal, include:
 Specific expected outcomes of the intervention program. Introduce these with the phrase,
"By the end of the program, each client (or student) will have demonstrated…."
 Activities - the series of strategies you will provide.
 Justification for each strategy of the program.
 Theoretical propositions and/or empirical research, which relate to each strategy.
 Staffing needs, including any special competencies required of staff.
 Material needs, including an itemized budget.

IV. Evaluation
 Explain how you intend to evaluate the success/failure of your program. Provide means of
evaluating the specific goals and objectives that you proposed as well as the overall program.
 Review the literature to find reliable and valid assessment measures that may be used to
assess the outcome of your program.

V. References
 Using APA style (see APA Style Reference Guide under “Resources” on Moodle), list
empirical and theoretical references in support of your program.
 Must reference at least 6 sources from scholarly journals and texts.
VI. Class Presentation
 Each project group will have 30 minutes to make a creative presentation (using handouts,
overheads, and/or other presentation materials), summarizing the sections detailed above.
This is a briefing that will be presented to peers, instructor, faculty, and agency counselors
for possible adoption and implementation. Points will be deducted from presentations taking
more than 30 minutes. Presentations should take between 20-25 minutes with 5-10 minutes
available for questions. (Please note the instructor might alter the presentation time
depending on the number of groups presenting. Advanced notice will be given if the time is
changed.)

 Service Learning Reflection Papers – 25 points each – The objective of this assignment is
to encourage critical reflection on the service learning counseling intervention project and
relate it to concepts learned in class through readings, lecture, and discussion. There will be
three reflection papers due over the course of the semester. Write 2 to 4 pages, reflecting on
the issues described below. Papers must be written using APA style; however, they may be
written from a first person perspective. Also, do not include an abstract. Reflection papers
must be submitted electronically to the instructor ([email protected]) by 4:29
PM on the due dates specified. Instructor feedback will be e-mailed back to the student using
Track Changes. It is expected that students will use instructor feedback to improve
subsequent papers. Due dates for the reflection papers are 9/30/2008, 10/21/2008, and
11/4/2008.

Reflection Paper 1: Reflect on what you have learned about counselor burnout (from
readings, lecture, and discussion) with respect to the counseling agency visited. In your
paper, (1) describe what burnout is and the causes of burnout, (2) discuss evidence of burnout
seen during the site visit, (3) discuss what the agency might do to minimize counselor
burnout, and (4) address what specific actions you will take in the future to prevent burnout.

Reflection Paper 2: Reflect on what you have learned about crisis intervention (from
readings, lecture, and discussion) in the context of the counseling agency site visit. In your
paper, address: (1) what a counselor should do in providing a thorough and appropriate
suicide assessment, (2) how the site addresses suicidality (e.g., policy, assessment, etc.), (3)
how effectively the site addresses suicidality, and (4) what thoughts and feelings you might
experience in working with a suicidal client.

Reflection Paper 3: Reflect on what you have learned about professional identity
development (from readings, lecture, and discussion), including information from the
counseling agency site visit. In your paper, discuss: (1) how your personal beliefs, life
experiences, and personal needs have influenced your decision to enter the field of
counseling; (2) how the site visit affected your perceptions of and feelings toward your
choice to become a counselor; and (3) how these factors might positively and negatively
affect your future work with clients.

 Final Exam – 50 points – The objective of this assignment is to have you demonstrate
knowledge of professional issues relevant to mental health counseling. There will be an
objective final exam that will consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions. For the
 exam, you are permitted to use your notes, textbook, and readings. The exam will be given
during class time.

For Students with Disabilities: Marywood University complies with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with
disabilities who need special accommodations should advise their instructor and submit
documentation of the disability to the Office of Student Support Services for reasonable
accommodations to be granted. The Associate Director of Student Support Services, Ms. Diane
Taylor, will partner with students to determine the appropriate accommodation and, in
cooperation with the instructor, will work to ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to
perform in this class. To best service the needs of the student, it is preferred that students notify
their instructor and the Associate Director of Student Support Services of any special
accommodation needs no later than the last day to register for semester classes.

For more information, please contact:

Diane Taylor, Associate Director of Student Support Services
Liberal Arts Center - Room 223B
(570) 348-6211 x2335

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any written or orally presented material must be in your own
words with appropriate citation for paraphrasing another's work. Any direct quotes from another
source must be designated with quotation marks and cited appropriately. See the APA manual
for additional information about plagiarism and visit the Marywood library's webpage for useful
links regarding plagiarism (http://www.marywood.edu/library/facplagi.htm). Please note that
quoting or using the exact wording of another author because you do not understand what is
written is unacceptable. Any assignments completed through plagiarism will earn 0 points.

Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date specified in the class schedule.
Assignments that are submitted late will receive a 10% deduction from your grade for each day it
is late. If you are unable to submit the assignment in person, it must be sent via e-mail or postal
mail on the due date; otherwise, a deduction to the grade will apply. There will be no exceptions.
Class Schedule

Date Topic/Activities Reading Assignments

8/26/2008 Introduction MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapters 1
Agency Counseling &2

9/2/2008 Self-Exploration MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapter 3

Consultation

9/9/2008 Counseling Skills I Hill, Chapters 2, 5 & 6

(Intervention Project Planning)

9/16/2008 Ethical Issues MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapter 4;

Select Ethics Presentation Date Hill, Chapter 4

9/23/2008 Counseling Services MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapter 5

(Intervention Project Planning)

9/30/2008 Counseling Skills II Hill, Chapters 7 & 8

Reflection Paper 1 Due
(Ethics Presentations)

10/7/2008 Advocacy and Research MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapter 6

(Ethics Presentations)

10/14/2008 Fall Break – No Class (Tentative)

10/21/2008 Funding and Politics MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapter 7

Reflection Paper 2 Due
(Ethics Presentations)

10/28/2008 Counseling Skills III Hill, Chapter 9

(Ethics Presentations)

11/4/2008 Managed Care & Counseling Skills IV MacCluskie & Ingersoll, Chapter 8;
Reflection Paper 3 Due Hill, Chapters 10 & 11

11/11/2008 Final Exam

(Intervention Project Planning)

11/18/2008 All Intervention Projects Due

(Intervention Project Presentations)

12/2/2008 Make-Up Day (if needed)