Counselor Education (Co Ed)

John M. Littrell, Program Coordinator

The counselor education program places a dual emphasis on the development of professional school counselors and on the academic/scholarly aspects of the counseling profession. Students are provided an opportunity for practical experience in a variety of settings.

Counselor education graduates are prepared for entry level positions as counselors in elementary and secondary schools. Graduates are educational leaders who are able to promote and enhance student learning through the three broad and interrelated areas of student development - academic, career, and personal/social. Graduates are skilled in the primary delivery methods for effective school counseling programs; counseling, consultation, collaboration, coordination, case management, guidance curriculum, and program evaluation.

Students desiring graduate work in counselor education leading to the master of science degree or master of education degree may elect one of two programs: elementary school counseling or secondary school counseling.

Courses Primarily for Graduate Students, Open to Qualified Undergraduate Students

Co Ed 529. Foundations of Counseling
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 8 credits in undergraduate education, sociology, or psychology. Research theory and conditions that facilitate behavioral change in individuals. Professional roles and functions, professional organizations and associations, professional history and trends, ethical standards and legal issues, professional preparation standards, and professional credentials.

Co Ed 531. Microcounseling
(1-2) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Credit or enrollment in 529. Building skills in listening, responding, and developing counseling relationships.

Co Ed 540. Developmental Counseling
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Credit or concurrent enrollment in 529. Understanding and counseling clients on the basis of developmental theory and critical incidents. An opportunity to integrate related concepts, e.g., transitions, crises, career development, and choice theories as part of a client's life cycle.

Co Ed 551. Occupational Choice and Development
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 529. Developmental and social factors influencing career choice. Theories, assessment instruments, classification systems, and informational sources used in career counseling.

Co Ed 555. Individual and Group Assessment
(3-0) Cr. 3. SS. Prereq: 529. Individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation. Theoretical and historical bases, validity, reliability, methods, psychometric statistics, pertinent factors related to assessment and evaluation, strategies with instruments, applications, and ethical considerations.

Co Ed 560. Counseling Theories and Models
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 529. Understanding of counseling process with focus on counseling theories including both individual and systems perspective as well as coverage of relevant research and factors considered in application. How counseling theory aids counselors in conceptualizing client concerns and facilitating client choice and/or behavioral change.

Co Ed 561. Counseling Techniques
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 529, 531, and 560, or concurrent enrollment in 560. Utilizing counseling theory to provide focus, organize client's related experiences into sequence, steps and patterns; utilizing the interpersonal process variables in counseling; choosing and implementing interventions that are client and problem specific. The laboratory provides students an opportunity to apply that which is learned through reading, lecture, and class discussions.

Co Ed 569. Group Process
(2-2) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 531, 561. Ethics for group leaders; planning, implementing, and facilitating groups. Dynamics and leader interventions at various group stages. Participation in group laboratory activities.

Co Ed 572. Management of School Counseling Programs
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 531. Design, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive developmental school program; coordination with resource persons, specialists, business, and agencies outside the school to promote program objectives; promotion of the program within the total school community; integration of guidance curriculum in the total school curriculum; data gathering methods for program planning and evaluation; time management; and referral procedures.

Co Ed 573. Implementing Community Counseling Programs
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 531. Historical, philosophical, societal, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of the mental health movement; roles of mental health counselors in a variety of practice settings; relationships between mental health counselors and other professionals in these settings; organization, fiscal, and legal dimensions of the institutions and settings in which mental health counselors practice; general principles of community intervention, consultation and outreach; evaluation of programs and systems.

Co Ed 576. Social and Cultural Issues in Counseling
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Alt. SS., offered 2003. Prereq: 560, and 561. Issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society. Focus on multicultural and pluralistic trends including characteristics and concerns of diverse groups, attitudes and behavior based on such factors as ethnicity and culture; individual, family, and group strategies with diverse populations; and ethical considerations.

Co Ed 580. Practicum in Community Counseling
Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 561 or 565. Designed for students who desire counseling experience in a community/ agency setting. Practicum experience can be arranged at urban centers, detention facilities, MDTA centers, vocational rehabilitation centers, etc.

Co Ed 581. Practicum in Secondary School Counseling
Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 561. Placement in a secondary and/or junior high school. The practicum student will perform various role functions expected of the school counselor. Emphasis on individual and group counseling functions.

Co Ed 582. Practicum in Elementary School Counseling
Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 560, 561. Placement in an elementary school. Counseling students, consulting with teachers and parents and coordinating activities that enhance student development and growth both in the cognitive and affective domains.

Co Ed 590. Special Topics
Cr. 1 to 2. Prereq: 9 graduate hours in counselor education.

Co Ed 593. Workshop in Counseling and Guidance
Cr. 1 to 3. SS. Prereq: 9 hours in counselor education. Workshops are designed to give practicing counselors an in-depth exposure to a counseling issue or a counseling model with concurrent opportunity for application of the model. Offered when demand warrants.

                B. Counseling with Exceptional Children

                D. Substance Abuse Counseling

                F. Working with Parents and Families

                G. Advanced Brief Counseling

                H. Crisis Intervention

                M. Play Therapy

                N. Counseling Children and Adolescents at Risk

Co Ed 599. Creative Component
Cr. 1 to 2. Prereq: 9 credits in counselor education.

Courses for Graduate Students

Co Ed 610. Group Counseling Practicum
Cr. 1. F.S.SS. Prereq: 580, or 581, or 582 and permission of instructor. Supervised experience facilitating and processing groups.

                A. Skill Training Lab

                B. Counseling Group

Co Ed 611. Internship
Cr. 3 to 6. F.S. Prereq: 580, or 581, or 582. A student intern performs all activities that regularly employed staff members in a counseling setting perform.

Co Ed 615. Seminar
Cr. 1 to 2. Prereq: 9 hours in counselor education. Seminars are designed to meet various needs of advanced master's students and practicing counselors. Offered when demand warrants.

                C. Current Issues and Trends in Counseling

                D. Consultation

                F. Group Intervention Strategies

Co Ed 620. Supervision of Counseling
Cr. 2. F.S. Prereq: Minimum of 3 practicum credits and permission of instructor. Advanced counseling students provide clinical supervision for students enrolled in 580, 581, and/or 582.

Co Ed 690. Advanced Special Topics
Cr. arr. Prereq: 9 credits in counselor education.