Course Syllabus

PY570 Professional Issues in Counseling (Online)

Arcadia University Graduate Programs in Counseling Psychology Fall 2011

Eleonora Bartoli, Ph.D. Office: Boyer 133 Phone: (W) 267-620-4130 E-mail: bartolie@arcadia.edu Welcome! Welcome to your Arcadia University course, PY570 Professional Issues in Counseling. This course is designed to introduce students to the profession of counseling. Students will learn about the history of the profession, professional roles and functions, professional organizations, credentialing and licensure, as well as ethical, legal and advocacy issues related to counseling. When relevant, the course will also address current issues impacting the profession. Required Materials

For this course, you will be required to purchase the following textbooks and CD-ROM: Corey, G., Corey, M.S., & Callanan, P. (2007). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Corey, G., Corey, M.S., & Haynes, R. (2003). Ethics in action CD-ROM (Version 1.2). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

The main textbook and the CD-ROM are available as one package directly from the publisher at www.iChapters.com by selecting ISBN 1111115753 first class. Additional readings are uploaded and posted under the relevant Unit.

Since this course is being delivered online, your computer system will need to meet specific hardware and software requirements. For this course, you Office). Additionally, we will be using other software packages, which you will need to access or install on your computer (they are all free programs installed the following hardware/software:

1 - Headset w/ microphone (or a computer camera with microphone). 2 - Before your online course begins, you should check to make sure that you have the following items installed on your computer: y Microsoft Office 2000 2007 y We strongly recommend using Firefox or Chrome as your internet browser. y Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, Real Player, and QuickTime. Please make sure to have the current ver go to the following site: http://student.arcadia.edu/online/online_downloads.htm

Make sure that you are easily able to use both of the above. You will need to quickly and without technical issues use both of the above in your very f Evaluation

Assignment Participation (Wimba Live

Weight

Grading 0-4*

Percentage of final grade EACH class

Classrooms, face-to-face classes, posting of questions for invited speaker, media presence clean-up) Discussion Boards: Unit 1 (Introductions); Unit 2 (Readings); Unit 5 (Aspirational stories); Unit 8 (Values); Unit 11 (Training and supervision); Unit 15 (Final reflection post) Quiz on licensing laws Homework : Unit 3 (Voice Board); Unit 5 (Homework #1); Unit 6 (Homework #2); Units 9 & 10 (Wiki project) Information literacy (Blog, professional activities, and listserv reports) Mock interview and related reflection paper Research presentation (& Search Alert report)

20%

participation/assignment is worth about 2.5% EACH discussion board is worth about 4%

25% 0-4**

5% 20%

0-100 0-4** (Except Units 5 & 6: 0-100) 0-4** EACH homework/ project/post is worth 5% EACH information literacy assignment is worth about 1.5%

5%

10% 15%

0-100 0-100

* See Grading Rubric for 0-4* ** See Grading Rubric for 0-4**

Introduction This course is being presented in an online fashion. For the most of the course, you will log on to the course at your own time. However, three classes will broadcasted synchronously; it is required that you attend these sessions (or that you review the archived audios of them): Wed, Aug. 31 - 4:30-7:10pm (Wimba Live Classroom) Wed, Sept. 7 - 4:30-7:00pm (Wimba Live Classroom) Wed, Nov. 16 - 5:00-7:00pm (Wimba Live Classroom) In addition, three classes will require your in-person attendance: Wed, Sept. 21 - 4:30-7:10pm (face-to-face class) Wed, Oct. 19 - 4:30-7:10pm (face-to-face class) Wed, Nov. 30 - 4:30-7:10pm (face-to-face class) Wed, Dec. 7 - 4:30-7:10pm (face-to-face class) For these four face-to-face classes you will be meeting in the room indicated on the on-line listing of this class posted in the Arcadia University class schedule for this fall (classroom assignments can change up to the very last few days before the semester starts, so make sure to check the room assignment again at the very beginning of the semester). Throughout the course, it is important that you login on a regular basis (daily if possible) and work on a consistent basis to complete course requirements. Even though you will be given about a week to complete the work required by each Unit, each unit will have embedded often two separate deadlines. Each Unit involves readings, viewing of lectures, participating in discussion boards, and doing homework assignments. You should plan to spend about 10-12hrs a week working on the course. You will not be able to catch up on all of the tasks involved in each Unit by logging in only on weekends (especially given you will have deadlines for various projects every few days), so you should plan to spread the work throughout the week.

You will need to be self-motivated and try to stay as organized as possible; it is a good idea to develop a consistent schedule with times specifically dedicated to the course just as if you were attending a class (e.g., an hour a day, 15-30min several times a day at designated times). Again, the course will progress quickly and with recurring deadlines. Not logging in consistently from the beginning of the course and failing to hand in assignments on time will put you very quickly behind in the course both in terms of content and grade. There wont be much room, if at all, to make most of the assignments up. Since we are not meeting face-to-face on a regular basis, it will be imperative that you participate in the discussion forums with your classmates, as well as communicate often with both the instructor and peers via this Bb, e-mail, and/or the phone/Skype. You might also find it helpful when you log in at the beginning of each week to copy all assignments into a Word document. This will allow you to construct a quality answer (both in content and form) before you post it on line. Finally, the Cyber Cafe is available for you to interact with your fellow students outside of the course content (see the Cyber Caf thread under the Discussion Board button). Studying time It is expected that students spend at least 10-12hrs a week studying for this course (in addition to attending the on-line and face-to-face class). This time will entail doing the readings, studying (e.g., making flash cards, memorizing), doing homework, rehearsing presentations, and writing. In the process of developing the skills needed for all of these activities, students are strongly encouraged to regularly meet with the instructor, a librarian (e.g., Larissa Gordon, x2136, gordonl@arcadia.edu), and/or tutors at the Writing Center (arcadiawc@gmail.com, 215-572-4051, Taylor 206). Should you be unable to locate a resource that you need to succeed in this course, please feel free to consult with the instructor or your advisor about it. Tips for Discussion Board Sessions: 1. When quoting the work of another scholar, it is important that you cite the work correctly. All citations should be in APA style. 2. Use this opportunity to share your own experiences, but remember to support your assertions with current research findings whenever warranted. 3. Your postings will be evaluated based upon the substantive nature and how it efficiently addresses the question at hand. Simple responses such as "I agree", repeating others postings, or provide superficial

comments are of no value and will not be counted as an acceptable posting. Please try to be succinct and to the point. Strive to respond at the synthesis or evaluation levels. 4. ALL postings should be written FORMALLY, clearly, grammatically, and PROFESSIONALLY (NO exceptions!) Discussion Etiquette In this course, we welcome a dialogue that is open, thoughtful, and founded on the basis of research in the field. At times, some of you will not agree on the positions that are taken in the forums. This diversity is welcomed. However, each student must exercise respect for the thoughts and comments that are posted by their peers. If any posted comments are inappropriate or of an offensive nature, they will be removed from the forum and I will address the issue with the author of the content. Please follow the following guidelines: Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal. Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments. If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person. Never post content that is harmful, abusive, racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive, vulgar or otherwise potentially offensive. Guidelines for all written assignments All written assignments will be graded according to the criteria provided on the attached grading sheet. The form also allows you to provide comments before the instructor grades your paper. A grade will be deducted for each day a paper is handed in late. No papers will be accepted if more than one week late. No extensions or rewriting of papers and exams will be allowed, except in the most unusual circumstances (e.g., death of a family member, visit to the emergency room) and with appropriate documentation. All papers must be fully written by the student, and, therefore, they may NOT include any direct quotes. However, students must appropriately reference all of the sources they have used. All references (both within the text and in the reference page) as well as the format of the paper must be in APA style. Further,

all papers should be written in 12-point Times New Roman (as well as double-spaced and with 1-inch margin on all sides, as indicated by APA style). Please note that you are NOT required to have a cover page or an abstract. This means that your paper should begin with the first page headed by the title. Furthermore, in order to facilitate anonymous grading, you must write your name on the back of the very last page (it may be handwritten). If you are not familiar with APA style, there is a tutorial on this Bb site (see APA Style and Other Tutorials tab on the left menu), you can find External Links to APA Style Guides on the Psychology Room page of the Library website, there are copies of the APA Publication Manual in the library, you may attend one of APA Style workshops offered by the GPCP at the beginning of the semester, you may enlist the support of Larissa Gordon (Reference Librarian), and/or you may enlist the assistance of tutors at the Writing Center. Arcadia University supports the use of SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection program. You will be required to turn in all of your papers to this program (do NOT submit drafts to SafeAssign!). If you are not familiar with SafeAssign, there is a tutorial on this Bb site (see APA Style and Other Tutorials tab on the left menu). Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The Americans with Disabilities Act is a series of laws designed to protect individuals with disabilities in the workplace and within educational environments. Arcadia University must make, and looks forward to making, a reasonable effort to accommodate your disability. ADA includes not only physical disabilities, but also learning disabilities, mental health disabilities, and disabilities related to AIDS. Students are responsible for initiating all services. To receive classroom accommodations or any other special services or consideration due to a disability, students must identify themselves with the Learning Resource Network (LRN) for each semester that they are enrolled. Students requiring accommodations should meet with the LRN staff during the first week of classes. To make an appointment, students should call the director of the LRN at 215-572-4086 before classes begin. Academic Conduct This course adheres to the Arcadia University Code of Academic Responsibility outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook, which states that:

Each of the following constitutes a violation of the Code of Academic Responsibility: 1. Plagiarism: a. If you appropriate the ideas, concepts or language of another person and present them without attribution, you are guilty of plagiarism. Great care should be taken in academic work to acknowledge fully the source or sources of all ideas, language, diagrams, charts, etc. For specific questions the faculty member should be consulted, but the following rules must be observed: (1) Any sequence of words which are taken verbatim from another source must be enclosed in quotation marks and the source identified in the manner designated by the instructor. (2) Paraphrases and interpretations from a source should have the source identified. (3) Unless otherwise directed, when you are doing laboratory work, you are expected to make all necessary measurements, drawings and calculations independently, based on your own work. Observations, including numerical data, are to be collected independently. (4) If instructors permit you to seek the assistance of other students on academic work, the exact nature of the assistance must be acknowledged in detail. This refers not just to papers, but also to laboratory work and computer programs. (5) Any use of a commercial writing service is forbidden. 2. Submitting the same work for credit in more than one course without permission of each instructor involved. 3. Attempting to give or to receive unauthorized assistance on academic work, and attempting to hinder others in their academic work. 4. Furnishing false information to University officials on matters relating to academic work. This is to include: a. False information provided for the purpose of obtaining special consideration (for example, postponement of examinations or of deadlines for written work). b. Fraudulent registration for classes. c. Signing the name of an absent person to an attendance sheet. d. Reporting the results of experiments or surveys not performed. 4. Attempting to gain unauthorized access to exams or tests. 5. Cheating during examinations, which includes: a. Attempting to look at another students exam. b. Attempting to communicate concerning the content of the exam with another student.

c. Attempting to use any materials (such as notebooks, notes, textbooks) not specifically authorized by the faculty member. 6. Failure to follow any of the procedures outlined above in regard to taking examinations, tests and quizzes. 7. Failure to sign out a book or periodical from the Library. The instructor will adhere to the procedures for handling a violation of the code of academic responsibility outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook. Should the instructor and the student not opt to handle the case through Arcadias Judicial Board, the penalty for violating the code will be as follows: students who are for the first time in this class found to plagiarize, fabricate, cheat, or engage in academic misconduct in a homework, quiz, exam, presentation, or paper, will automatically receive an F for that homework, presentation, or paper regardless of circumstances or motive. Students who are found to plagiarize, fabricate, cheat, or engage in academic misconduct two or more times during the course of this class, will have to report to the Judicial Board. At that point, the instructor will recommend that the student receive an F for the entire course, regardless of circumstances or motive. Therefore, if you are in doubt regarding any of the requirements included in this or other sections of this syllabus, please consult with the instructor. Weekly Schedule You can find detailed information about content of assignments and their due dates under each Unit! The following is your weekly schedule at a glance. Unit 1 (Aug. 31-Sept. 7): Professional identity Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have virtually met and begun to know other students in the class y Have learned about the history and characteristics of the counseling field y Know how counseling compares to other mental health professions Assignments & Due Dates Attend informational live classroom: Introductions:

Wed, Aug. 31 (1st day of class) 4:30-7:10pm Fri, Sept. 2

Replies to introductions: Readings:

Wed, Sept. 7 Wed, Sept. 7

Unit 2 (Sept. 7-Sept. 14): Best practices in job searches Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have learned about the best practices for job application processes in the field of counseling (e.g., interviewing, resume writing) y Have demonstrate interviewing skills y Be able to communicate to other professionals as well as clients how you fit into the mental health field in general and the counseling field in particular Assignments & Due Dates Participate in virtual classroom: Wed, Sept. 7 (4:30-7:10pm) Begin discussion entries on readings: Wed, Sept. 7 Posting of questions for instructor: Mon, Sept. 12 Schedule mock interview by: Wed, Sept. 14 Complete mock interviews and relevant paper: NO LATER than Fri, Nov. 18 ONLY for those missing the virtual classroom, the reflection paper on the archived class is also due **Wed, Sept. 14** Unit 3 (Sept. 14-Sept. 21): Licensing laws, professionalism, and public speaking Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have been able to find the rules regulating licensure for professional counselors in the State of Pennsylvania on-line y Have understood the main aspects of the rules and memorized them y Begun implementing professional standards surrounding the job application process (e.g., media presence, preparing for interviews)

Have learned and begun to practice public speaking skills relevant to the field of counseling

Assignments & Due Dates Create audio introduction: Comments on others audio introductions: Discussion threads about media presence clean-up process: Take Licensing laws quiz: Informal course evaluation (survey) LATER than Tue, Sept. 21)

Fri, Sept. 16 Wed, Sept. 21 Wed, Sept 21 Tue, Sept. 28 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (and NO

Unit 4 (Sept. 21-Sept. 28): Professional collaboration Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have practice your interviewing skills and demonstrated professionalism in interacting with other mental health professionals y Have learned strategies to remain abreast of professional development advances in the field Assignments & Due Dates Participate in the face-to-face class: Wed, Sept. 21, 4:30-7:10pm Reports on blog AND professional development activities: Wed, Sept. 28 Set up search alerts AND sign up to listserv: Wed, Sept. 28 Dont forget to take the licensing laws quiz (available under Unit3)! Wed, Sept. 28 Unit 5 (Sept. 28-Oct. 5): Introduction to ethics and ethical-decision making Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have understood and discussed the difference between mandatory and aspirational ethics y Have understood and reflected upon the role of basic moral principles underlying codes of ethics

Have applied ethical decision-making steps

Assignments & Due Dates Post aspirational ethics stories (replies are optional): Wed, Oct. 5 Homework #1: Wed, Oct. 5 Unit 6 (Oct. 5-Oct. 12): Informed consent Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have understood the role of informed consent in counseling y Have learned how to obtain informed consent from both minors and adults y Have applied ethical and legal guidelines on informed consent to a clinical case Assignments & Due Dates Homework #2: Informal course evaluation (survey): Oct. 12)

Wed, Oct. 12 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (and NO LATER than Tue,

Unit 7 (Oct. 12-Oct. 19): Privacy and confidentiality Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have Understood the role of, and regulations surrounding, confidentiality and privacy in counseling y Have demonstrated the ability to apply the ethical and legal regulations surrounding confidentiality and privacy to clinical cases y Have learned how to work collaboratively with other professionals to address ethical dilemmas Assignments & Due Dates Case Analyses (face-to-face class):

Wed, Oct. 19

Formal paper due (ONLY for those missing the face-to-face class): Wed, Oct. 19 Unit 8 (Oct. 19-Nov. 26): Boundaries and multiple relationships Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have learned how to address appropriately to the issue of multiple relationships in counseling y Have learned how to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries in counseling Assignments & Due Dates Post comment on discussion board: Reply to another students post: Listserv assignment from Unit 4:

Fri, Oct. 21 Wed, Oct. 26 Wed, Oct. 26

Unit 9 & 10 (Oct. 26-Nov. 9): Multicultural/feminist ethics and advocacy Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have understood the role of multicultural, feminist and advocacy models of ethics in counseling y Have learned how to apply, multicultural, feminist and advocacy models of ethics to case studies Assignments & Due Dates Questions for invited speakers: Wiki project:

Wed, Nov. 2 Wed, Nov. 9

Unit 11 (Nov. 9-Nov. 16): Competence, training and supervision Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have understood what is meant by competence and have learned how to remain within its limits y Have learned the ethical issues surrounding the training of counselors

Have learned how to engage in supervisory relationships ethically

Assignments & Due Dates Post comments on discussion board: Fri, Nov. 11 Post reply to another students comments: Wed, Nov. 16 Mock interview report (see Unit 2 for details): Fri, Nov. 18 Unit 12 (Nov. 16-Nov. 30): Ethics and the law Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have learned the relationship between ethics and the law y Have understood legal matters affecting counseling practice in the State of Pennsylvania (e.g., with children, mandated reporting) Assignments & Due Dates Participate in Live Classroom: Wed, Nov. 16 (5-7:00pm) ONLY for those missing the virtual classroom presentation, the reflection paper on the archived class is due on **Wed, Nov. 30** Unit 13 & 14 (Nov. 30-Dec. 7): Research presentations Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have identified an area of interest in the field of ethics and counseling y Have developed and delivered a peer-training program on a chosen topics y Have demonstrated the ability to apply several of the best public speaking practices in the field of counseling learned earlier in the course Assignments & Due Dates

Research presentation (on both Wed, Nov. 30 & Wed, Dec. 7) Unit 15 (Dec. 7-Dec. 14): Burn-out, self-care, and conclusions Objectives At the end of this Unit, you will: y Have learned about the potential for burn-out in the counseling profession, how to recognize its signs, how to best prevent it and address it once it occurs y Have identified self-care strategies y Have strategized about ways to integrate self-care into your daily life Assignments & Due Dates Final reflection assignment:

Wed, Dec. 14