Posted: November 23rd, 2014

Self Evaluation

Self Evaluation

Students will submit a 5 to 7-page paper (NOT APA) addressing the following topics:

1.    Reflections on the counselor-client relationship (e.g., what have you learned about the counselor-client relationship; what role did the relationship play in the counseling process; upon reflection how would you have wanted the relationship to be different – if at all); I have learned that the relationship has to be sincere and as a counselor, empathy and compassion are the most important aspects for me to portray to clients.

2.    Reflections on technical ability (e.g., what do you perceive to be your most developed skills – contrast these with your least developed skills; from your perspective, which skills are easiest/most difficult for you, and what might be the reasons). Be sure to discuss all of your core counseling skills; My perceived skills that I am comfortable with are paraphrasing and reframing.  I need to keep working on asking open ended questions versus closed questions.

3.    Reflections on assessment and goal-setting (e.g., what did you learn about the importance of assessment and goal-setting; upon reflection what might you have done differently – or more/less of);  The most important part of the therapy sessions is to set reasonable goals for the client to focus on.  This will hopefully bring comfort to them. Reflections help the client to understand their feelings.  I might have worked more on the goal setting early on in the sessions to give the client more to work on immediately instead of just reflections.  It is positive for the client to focus on goals and positive resolution for them.

4.    Reflections on the working stage (defining strategies and selecting interventions) and preparations for termination. What role did interventions, other than helping skills, play in this process? Be sure to discuss each intervention (affective, cognitive, behavioral, systemic); add your own professional thoughts please

5.    Reflections on your knowledge of psychopharmacology and how this will help you in your work as a counselor; add your own professional thoughts please.  Just know as a mental health counselor, I cannot prescribe meds but can suggest them in conjunction with therapy.

6.    Reflections on what you have learned about yourself through your experiences in this course (e.g., what have you learned about yourself as a person; how does this relate to you in your role as a counselor); and  I have learned that my style seems to be person-centered therapy in that I am very empathetic to the clients and their stories.  I will have to learn to control my emotions thought.  I found myself feeling overly sensitive when watching all of the counseling session videos in class.

7.    What’s next (e.g., based on what you have learned – what are your next steps in your development as a counselor).  My next steps are to continue the next year working diligently on my graduate degree.  I hope to gain a lot of experience with the upcoming internship in the spring.  I hope to develop and maintain microskills that will be second nature for me as a therapist.  I hope to learn how to use many different approaches and theories that will be incorporated in my practice as a therapist.

COURSE SYLLABUS:

Mental Health Counseling
Catalog Description of Course:
This course will introduce you to basic skills that initiate counseling relationships and follow with the four principal approaches to counseling: cognitive, affective, behavioral, and family/systemic. These approaches will provide the context for assessment, goal setting, and the integration of skills into interventions. In addition, this course also provides an introduction to the understanding of the basic neurobiology of psychopathology and the different types of psychotropic medications to treat these conditions. As such, this aspect of the course emphasizes the counselor’s role as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team in facilitating treatment compliance,
monitoring the efficacy as well as side effects of the psychotropic medication prescribed, and the counselor’s role in integrating pharmacologic treatments with other non-pharmacological modalities.

B. Student Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of MHC 669, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate satisfactory understanding of counseling attitudes, skills and techniques.
2. Demonstrate satisfactory performance of counseling attitudes, skills, and techniques necessary to develop and maintain the therapeutic relationship.
3. Demonstrate a working knowledge of, and adhere to issues of confidentiality and professionalism with students, faculty, and staff within and carried through to clinical placements.
4. Demonstrate their ability to maintain professionalism and composure in difficult situations.
5. Begin to apply counseling theory to counseling practice.
6. Demonstrate insight and the ability to focus on the context as well as the content of interpersonal interactions.
7. Describe the basic mechanisms of the central nervous system (CNS) and the impact of mental illness on its functioning.
8. Describe how different psychotropic medications affect the CNS and their impact on the course of mental illness.
9. Identify the appropriate pharmacological treatments for specific disorders.
10. Identify and monitor the signs of effective psychopharmacological treatment.
11. Identify and monitor side effects of psychopharmacological treatment.
12. Demonstrate an ability to be a valuable member of a treatment team or case conference.
13. Demonstrate effective consultative skills regarding psychotropic medication.
14. Demonstrate evidence of self-awareness with regard to biases, fears, concerns, and personal circumstances and their potential impact on counseling and the therapeutic relationship.

C. Outline of Course Content CACREP Standard Course Calendar and Topics:
Counseling Skills:

•    Ethics, Multi-Cultural Competence, and Wellness
•    Attending and Observation Skills: Basic Communication
•    Questions: Opening Communication
•    Encouraging, Paraphrasing & Summarizing: Skills of Active Listening
•    Observing & Reflecting Feelings: A Foundation of Client Experiencing
•    How to Conduct an Interview Using only Listening Skills
•    The Skill of Confrontation: Supporting While Challenging
•    Focusing the Interview: Exploring the Story from Multiple Perspectives
•    Reflection of Meaning and Interpretation/Reframing: Helping Clients Restore Their Lives
•    Self-Disclosure and Feedback: Bringing Immediacy into the Interview
•    Logical Consequences, Information/Psychoeducation, and Directives: Helping Clients Move to Action
•    Decisional Counseling, Skill Integration, Treatment Plans, and Case Management
•    Applications of Microskills: Cognitive-Behavioral Crisis Counseling and Brief Interviewing and Counseling
•    Determining Personal Style: Self Evaluation and the Future

Clinical Psychopharmacology for Mental Health Practitioners:

•    Integrated Models
•    Neurobiology
•    Pharmacology
•    Preliminary Diagnostic Considerations
•    Depressive Disorders
•    Bipolar Disorders
•    Anxiety Disorders
•    Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
•    Psychotic Disorders
•    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
•    Borderline Personality Disorder
•    Substance-Related Disorders
•    Antidepressant Medications
•    Bipolar Medications
•    Antianxiety Medications
•    Antipsychotic Medications
•    Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology

D. Means of Assessing Student Learning:
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Standard Grading Scale:

A    =  1000-930 points    A – =  929-900 points    B + =  899-870 points    B  =  869-830 points
B – =   829-800 points    C + =  799-770 points    C   =  769-700 points    F  =  699 points or less

Points of Assessment     Date Due    How much of total grade    Which Learning Objective will this assessment meet?
Journals    Weekly online    7%    6, 14
Chapter Quizzes    Weekly online    18%    7-11
Skills Demonstration    Week 3 online    5%    2, 12
Psychopharmacology Research Paper    Week 4 online    10%    7-10
Midterm Evaluation of Counseling Skills    Start of Residency    12.5%    2, 5
Mock Counseling Dyad    Week 6 online    5%    1-6, 12-14
Self-Evaluation Paper    End of Residency    12.5%    1, 5, 6, 13, 14
Final Evaluation of Counseling Skills    End of Residency    15%    2, 5
Class Participation    Weekly    15%    4, 6, 12

As per the 2013-2014 Mental Health Counseling handbook, “a student earning a C- or lower (i.e., an F) in any course is required to repeat the course; a student may carry a maximum of two C grades on their transcript during the program EXCEPT in the following core courses, where a B- or better MUST be achieved in MHC 650 MHC 631, MHC 600, MHC 620, MHC 605, MHC 669, MHC 670”.

Course Format:
The class will utilize Blackboard to maximize the time and potential for learning.  This course combines classroom experiences as well as independent work (done before the residency Nov 18-23). The clinical skills portion of the

Midterm Evaluation of Counseling Skills (125 points); near start of Residency
This is an evaluation by the course instructor of a 20-minute counseling practice session performed in class. Your grade will be based on the quality of your counseling skills demonstrated in the class. Feedback will include an evaluation of your progress on the Prepracticum Clinical Skills Evaluation Form. Guidelines and a grading rubric will be provided.

Mock Counseling Dyad (50 points); Due Week 6 online:
Students will participate in a Role-Play Practice Session with a volunteer “mock client” of your choice. The session is expected to last 30 minutes and should focus on the development and/or enhancement of your microskills as discussed in the text. This session is practice for upcoming clinical experience, and it is a way to show the instructor that you are ready to go into the field for your placements. Therefore, it is to be taken seriously. You will record the session and select a 10-minute segment to be uploaded to a private, class YouTube account and linked to on Blackboard for review by your Instructor and peers. Students will be assigned to Peer Review Groups and are expected to review each other’s videos and provide constructive feedback on Blackboard.

Final Evaluation of Counseling Skills. (150 points) end of Residency:
This is an evaluation by the course instructor of a 20-minute counseling practice session performed in class. Your grade will be based on the quality of your counseling skills demonstrated in the class. Feedback will include an evaluation of your progress on the Prepracticum Clinical Skills Evaluation Form. Guidelines and a grading rubric will be provided.

Class Participation (150 points total)
1.    Students are expected to come to class fully conversant with the content of the materials. You will have ample opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the material in class, including discussion of the readings, role-plays, analysis of case studies, and various other activities.
2.    To help you to get started, you are required to post at least ONE comment for each of the discussion questions, as well as at least ONE response to a classmate’s comment posted on Blackboard. Comments on the class discussion board are expected to be thoughtful and reflective. Superficial comments and responses will result in lower points being awarded.

E. Course Attendance Policy (Clinical) Mental Health Counseling Attendance Policy
In your development as a counselor it is essential that you understand the importance of commitment to classmates, instructors, supervisors and most importantly clients. Participation is a critical and mandatory part of your education and clinical training. In the event of a serious illness or family emergency that will result in your inability to participate, students must immediately contact their Professor to notify them of their situation. It is expected that each member will not only attend consistently but will take an active part in the experiential aspects of the course. Participation will affect the final grade for the course. Students who do not participate as required may be at risk of (a) receiving a lower grade; or (b) failing the course.  Students who fail to participate as required and/or fail to contact their instructor in a timely manner, or who do not have an excused absence will be given an F for the course.

F. Textbooks:
Title: Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists
Authors: John D. Preston, John H. O’Neal, & Mary C. Talaga
Year: 2013
Edition: 7th
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
ISBN: 9781572247031

Title: Essentials of Intentional Interviewing: Counseling in a Multicultural World.
Author: Allen E. Ivey, Mary Bradford Ivey, Carlos Zalaquett, & Kathryn Quirk
Year: 2012
Edition: 2nd
Publisher: Thomson/Brooks/Cole
ISBN:  0-8400-3456-3

G. Suggested Reading List: (CACREP current (5 years) educational material)
Antonuccio, D. (2008). Treating depressed children with antidepressants: More harm than
benefit? J Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 15(2), 92-97.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (2010). Incorporating spirituality and religion into the treatment of African American clients. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(7), 976-1000. doi:10.1177/0011000010374881Hagan, B. Wong-Wylie, G., & Pijl-Zieber, E. (2010). Tablets or talk: A critical review of the literature comparing antidepressants and counseling for treatment of depression. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 32, 102-124.
Kaut, K. P. (2011). Psychopharmacology and mental health practice: An important alliance. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 33(3), 196-222.
Morris, J., & Stone, G. (2011). Children and psychotropic medication: A cautionary note. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 37, 299-306.
Nyamathi, A., Shoptaw, S., Cohen, A., Greengold, B., Nyamathi, K., Mar

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