Curriculum

This course is designed to provide an orientation to, and overview of, the counseling and human relations professions, including history of the counseling profession, standards, credentialing, professional role and identity development.

This course includes a survey of the physiological, social, and psychological factors that influence the development of personality. It seeks to understand what makes a person distinctively different, along with a critical evaluation of various theories of personality development.

Students learn to conceptualize research problems and develop hypotheses. Emphasis is on defining and measuring the important variables, design of research strategies, analysis of data, interpretation and inference, and writing and implementing a research proposal.

This course is designed to promote understanding of social and cultural diversity through study of such issues as ethnicity, gender, race, socioeconomic status, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, ability/disability, family structure and geographic location. Students will examine how their cultural identity impacts their beliefs, values and actions, and learn the skills for competent ethical practices with diverse populations.

This course provides an intensive look at selected theories of counseling and psychotherapy. The major concepts of each theory are reviewed and critiqued in light of current research and theory. Students are encouraged to begin to define their own theoretical approach.

This course is designed to help students acquire and develop skills essential to the helping process. Core elements include: the nature of the helping relationship, introduction to basic counseling skills, and exploring attitudes and beliefs involved in developing and maintaining the helping relationship and how these fundamental core elements apply to the counselor. Emphasis will also be placed on practitioner self-awareness and self-care. Role-playing videotape experiences and other skill development exercises will be included.

This course provides a legal and ethical framework for the counseling profession as well as a focus on standards and credentialing and current professional issues relevant to the work of the counselor.

This course enables students to understand the types of groups, their purpose, development and dynamics, counseling theories, and group counseling methods and skills. Ethical and legal considerations of group counseling are also explored. Students are required to participate in small groups for educational and self-assessment purposes.

This course explores the use of measurement and results in the counseling professions. It offers an understanding of group and individual educational and psychometric theories, statistics, and approaches to measurement, as well as techniques for gathering data and information. Concepts of validity, reliability, and factors that influence measurement are covered.

This course provides students an understanding of career development and related life factors. Students study career development theory and decision-making models, procedures for planning and conducting effective job searches, assessment instruments and techniques relevant to career planning and decision-making and the use of career information. Emphasis is placed on understanding the inter-relationships between career development and career decision-making, family, socio-economic status, leisure, individual interests, and abilities.

A consideration of the dynamics of marriage and family relationships is given. The emphasis is on understanding the structure and function of marriage, the various aspects of the martial relationship, family systems, and ways the counselor may approach marriage and family counseling as a creative, preventative, and healing interaction.

This course provides a general framework for understanding psychopathology in the adult population and the process of diagnosing and designing treatment plans for mental disorders in adults

This course provides a general framework for understanding psychopathology in the child and adolescent population and the process of diagnosing and designing treatment plans for mental disorders in children and adolescents.

This course provides practical clinical instruction and experience in counseling for the purpose of developing individual and group counseling skills. These experiences are similar to what a professional counselor would be expected to perform and would facilitate the internship experience.

This a beginning foundational course in pastoral theology and psychology for those interested in the work of pastoral ministry in a variety of expressions – the parish pastor, the chaplain, the pastoral counselor.

This course serves as an introduction to the field of Ministry and Leadership Studies. Attention is given to the larger cultural context in which the church finds itself at the beginning of the 21st century; pastoral skills,; current issues in the church such as language for God and human beings; gender, race and class; vocation and calling; thinking, reflecting, and writing theologically; and personal spiritual discernment. Students develop a statement on calling and vocation, and set learning goals for their theological education based on their degree program goals. The course also includes instruction in developing a portfolio in preparation for the Mid-Degree Review and information on Mentored Practice.

Pastoral care is at the heart of ministry. Pastoral care is a matter of being and doing, with the emphasis more often on being rather than doing. Pastoral care engages caregivers throughout the whole range of care giving. A care giver listens care-fully, reflects theologically and biblically, dialogues with others in light of their social locations, analyses socio/culturally, and acts with love and justice, helping to restore relationships with God, self, and community. To develop these abilities, this course puts the Case Study in the center.

This course will assist students in developing skills in working with people experiencing grief and loss. Students will understand the process of grief, address their own mortality, explore issues in thanatology, and examine a theological and pastoral approach to death.

A basic unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a 400 hour course accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. In this educational program for pastoral formation, the student is given clinical pastoral responsibility for persons in need and receives individual pastoral supervision as well as peer group feedback.