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ADVANCED COUNSELING SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES

COMPREHENSIVE OUTLINE

The course presents advanced counseling methods for dealing with individual and family crises.  Applications are made to school and clinical populations. Special concerns such as suicidality, homocidality, addictive behavior, and domestic violence are examined.

1.                  Evaluating and demonstrating the appropriate use of techniques associated with multiple counseling theories with application to given cases.

                   Psychoanalytic Therapy

Adlerian Therapy

Existential Therapy

Person-centered Therapy

Gestalt Therapy

Transactional Analysis

Behavior Therapy

Multimodal Therapy

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy

Reality Therapy

Feminist Therapy

Prominent Family Therapies

Transpersonal Therapy

Emerging Therapies

2.                  Evaluating and demonstrating the appropriate use of techniques associated with school counseling, including referral procedures and the use of special programs and services.

Knowledge Competencies

human development theories and concepts

individual counseling theories

consultation theories and techniques

group counseling theories and techniques

career decision-making theories and techniques

learning theories

motivational theories

the effect of culture on individual development and behavior

evaluation theories and processes

ethical and legal issues related to counseling

program development models

Skill Competencies

diagnosing student needs

individual counseling

group counseling

consultation with staff, students, and parents

coordination of programs, e.g., testing, career development, substance abuse

career counseling

educational counseling

identifying and making appropriate referrals

administering and interpreting achievement, interest, aptitude, and personality   tests

cross-cultural counseling

ethical decision-making

building supportive climates for students and staff

removing an/or decreasing race and gender bias in school policy and curriculum

explaining to the staff, community, and parents, the scope of practice and functions of a school counselor

planning and conducting in-service for staff

identifying resources and information related to helping clients

evaluating the effectiveness of counseling programs

3.                  Demonstrating case management skills as applied in either a clinical or school setting..

Completing a case study to illustrate the following:

      thorough, comprehensive conceptualization of the client’s needs, strengths, and

      goals

      accurate diagnosis of problems and/or pathology

      logical, goal based treatment planning

      specific, relevant evaluation of the treatment recommendations and revisions

      application of critical thinking skills throughout the process

4.                  Understanding human development as it applies to school and non-school settings and developing a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program that encourages all learners to achieve their full potential.

Human Development Theories

      Freud

      Erikson

      Piaget

      Kohlberg and Gilligan

      Maslow-Hierarchy of Needs

      Ken Wilber’s Integral Model

      Human Potential Model

Models for Guidance and Counseling Programs

      ASCA National Model

      Texas Model

5.                  Identifying and applying the theories and methods of individual and family counseling in schools and mental health settings.

Case Study Analysis

Role-plays to demonstrate comprehension and applications of skills

6.                  Identifying and understanding cultural specific issues, including gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic, and physically challenged individuals in schools and mental health settings.

Approaches to Viewing Cultures/Clients

      Autoplastic Approach

Alloplastic Approach

Models for describing and explaining multicultural interactions

      Atkinson, Morton, and Sue Model

      Pedersen Model

Contemporary Issues Related to Multicultural Functioning

      Gender Biases, Boundaries and Barriers

      Aging Issues

      Teen Pregnancy

      Loss and Grief

      Disabilities

      Abuse and Addiction

      Family Redefinition and Reconfiguration

      Gay and Lesbian Rights

      Homeless Persons

      Intergroup Marriages

      Ethnic Group Identity and Rights

      Discrimination and Stereotyping

Definitions

      Acculturation

      Ageism

      Assimilation

      Culture

      Cultural Pluralism

      Culture Shock

      Empowerment

      Ethnocentrism

      Majority-minority

      Oppression

7.                  Developing effective leadership skills to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive approach to either a counseling and guidance program or to a clinical practice.

Leadership Styles

Basic leadership competencies

Models to Assess Counselor Effectiveness as a Leader

8.                  Developing collaborative school-home relationships that promote and facilitate clients/learners’ academic, personal, social and career growth.

Team Building Models and Strategies

Learner orientation to program development

Cooperative learning

Group process skills

Developing awareness, support, involvement

9.                  Defining the roles and functions of counselors in schools and mental health settings.

Texas Law, Rules and Regulations for Licensed Professional Counselors

      Definition of Counseling

      Statement of roles and functions for LPC’s

American School Counseling Association Role Statement

      Individual counseling

      Small group counseling

      Large group counseling

      Consultation

      Coordination

10.              Identifying common approaches to referral that are appropriate for school and mental health counselors.

The Referral Process

Essential Knowledge about Psychological Testing (Mental Health Assessment)

Documentation and Record Keeping

11.              Describing and analyzing the ethical, professional, and legal issues in the counseling and guidance profession.

Counselor competence

      beginning assessment

      ongoing development

Professional Codes of Ethics

      Texas Board of Licensure for Professional Counselors Code of Ethics

      ASCA Code of Ethics

Laws impacting counselor practice

      authoritative bodies

      interpretation of laws for practitioners

      accepted sources/references that define practice: nature and scope

12.              Discussing Prominent Models for Planned Change.

Prochaska and Di Clemente Model

13.              Assessing a new client or client system for the purpose of effective treatment planning.

Client motivation and developmental level

Cultural Issues

Legal and Ethical Issues

Structural and Process Issues

Data Gathering

Conceptualization

Referral

Involvement and/or collaboration with other professionals

Counselor readiness for engagement with the client

14.              Decision-making and triage with clients who abuse substances.

Types of Drug Abuse

Diagnosis of Substance Abuse

Assessment of Substance Abuse

Referral and Treatment Planning

Documentation and Record Keeping

15.              Collaborating with Medical Professionals for the Safe Use of Psychotropic Medications

Symptoms and Disorders that Require a Medication Referral

Categories or Types of Psychotropic Medications

Uses of Psychotropic Medications

Side Effects of Psychotropic Medications

Clinical Management of Psychotropic Medications

Documentation and Record Keeping

16.              Assessment and Intervention in the Midst of Crises

Types of Crises and Triggering Events

Effects of Crises on Individual Functioning

Models of Crisis Intervention

17.              Dealing with Suicidality

Legal and ethical issues facing the counselor of the suicidal client/student

Traits and/or patterns to observe for during assessment of suicidality

Risk Factors for Suicidality

Assessment Approaches

Interventions for Suicidal Clients

Documentation and Record Keeping

18.              Dealing with Violence and Abuse of Others

Legal and ethical issues facing the clinician of the violent client/student

Assessment of violence and abuse

Intervention for violence and/or abuse

Documentation and Record Keeping

19.              Applying a model of counselor advocacy that includes a range of activities from empowerment to social action.

A common language and framework for understanding advocacy in counseling

Advocacy, Empowerment, and Social Action

Professional Issues influencing the implementation of advocacy roles in counseling

Working with Mental Health Advocacy Groups

20.              Developing a Personal Plan for Ongoing Growth and Competency

Self-Assessment of Progress within the Counseling Program

Surveying the Opportunities and Resources for Practicums and Internships

The Practicum Application Process

Suggested Competencies for Practicum Completion

Selecting a Supervisor

The Supervision Process

Prevention of Burnout

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

1.                  According to Freud, this refers to a quantity of psychic energy invested in a mental representation of an object.

                  a.   ambivalence

b.        anticathexis

c.         cathexis

d.        condensation

2.                  To Freud, the unconscious displacement of emotion or behavior by the psychoanalyst, from some other person to the patient is called

                  a.   transference.

b.        wish fulfillment.

c.         resistance.

d.        counter transference. 

3.                  In Adler’s theory, an innate sense of kinship with all humanity is called

                  a.   social interest.

b.        compensation.

c.         style of life.

d.        superiority complex.

4.                  Which therapy would assess the individual in four basic dimensions: the natural world, the public world, the private world, and the ideal world?

a.       Adlerian

                  b.   Person Centered

c.       Gestalt

d.   Existential

5.                  Which therapy would ask client’s to “become” their physical symptoms?

a.       Gestalt

b.      Existential

                  c.   Adlerian

d.      Psychoanalytic

6.                  Which therapy emphasizes trying out action-oriented techniques and experiments to intensify what the client is experiencing?

                  a.   Gestalt

b.        Existential

c.         Adlerian

d.        Psychoanalytic