3 hours.  This course is an introduction into the field of clinical counseling with an emphasis on helping to student to gain a professional identity and to learn to navigate the course to licensure and certification.  The course will introduce the student to the general knowledge and skills a counselor needs to know, to some of the areas in which the counselor can apply their knowledge/skills, and to some of the theories and ethical issues important to the professional counselor.   Students will also be introduced to the education & skills sets of allied professionals and of the various roles counselors and other professionals play within the mental health field.

Required Texts

American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6^th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. ISBN-13: 978-1433805615

Corey, M. S., & Corey G. (2011). Becoming a helper (7^th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Neukrug, E. (2007). The world of the counselor: An introduction to the counseling profession (5^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Required Readings

Brink, S. (April 29, 2014). Mental health now covered under ACA, but not for everyone. US News & World Report.  http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/04/29/mental-health-now-covered-under-aca-but-not-for-everyone

Murphy, S. N. (February 21, 2011). Your witness, Counseling Today. American Counseling Association. http://ct.counseling.org/2011/02/your-witness/

Sundararaman, R. (April 12, 2009). The U.S. Mental Delivery System Infrastructure: A Primer. Congressional Research Report. https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40536.pdf

By the end of the course, students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the following learning outcomes:

Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice (2016 CACREP 2.F.1)

a. history and philosophy of the counseling profession and its specialty areas

b. the multiple professional roles and functions of counselors across specialty areas, and their relationships with human service and integrated behavioral health care systems, including interagency and interorganizational collaboration and consultation

c. counselors' roles and responsibilities as members of interdisciplinary community outreach and emergency management response teams

d. the role and process of the professional counselor advocating on behalf of the profession

e. advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients

f. professional counseling organizations, including membership benefits, activities, services to members, and current issues

g. professional counseling credentialing, including certification, licensure, and accreditation practices and standards, and the effects of public policy on these issues

h. current labor market information relevant to opportunities for practice within the counseling profession

i. ethical standards of professional counseling organizations and credentialing bodies, and applications of ethical and legal considerations in professional counseling

j. technology's impact on the counseling profession

k. strategies for personal and professional self-evaluation and implications for practice

l. self-care strategies appropriate to the counselor role

m. the role of counseling supervision in the profession

Counseling and Relationships (2016 CACREP 2.F.5)

c. theories, models, and strategies for understanding and practicing consultation

e. the impact of technology on the counseling process

k. strategies to promote client understanding of and access to a variety of community-based resources

n. processes for aiding students in developing a personal model of counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Foundations (2016 CACREP 5.C.1)

a. history and development of clinical mental health counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Contextual Dimensions (2016 CACREP 5.C.2)

a. roles and settings of clinical mental health counselors

b. etiology, nomenclature, treatment, referral, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders

c. mental health service delivery modalities within the continuum of care, such as inpatient, outpatient, partial treatment and aftercare, and the mental health counseling services networks

i. legislation and government policy relevant to clinical mental health counseling

k. professional organizations, preparation standards, and credentials relevant to the practice of clinical mental health counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practice (2016 CACREP 5.C.3)                           

d. strategies for interfacing with integrated behavioral health care professionals

e. strategies to advocate for persons with mental health issues