Orientation to Counselor Professional Identity and Function – COUC 500

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course introduces students to concepts regarding the professional functioning of licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists, including history, roles, professional organizations, standards, and credentialing. Current issues in the practice of counseling and marriage and family therapy in a variety of professional settings are explored. Students are also introduced to program policies, graduate level writing and APA style.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Orientation to the field of professional counseling requires a thorough understanding of professional identity and current professional issues related to counselor functioning in a variety of settings.

Method of Instruction: This 8 week course is delivered in a digital asynchronous format, with Canvas as the primary instructional delivery method.  Students complete one module per week over the duration of the course. 

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Advising Acknowledgement Quiz

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. The student will create a thread of 350–400 words. The assertions for each thread must be supported with a minimum of 1 scholarly source cited in current APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 1 other classmate’s thread. Each reply must be 150–200 words with a minimum of 1 scholarly source. (CLO: B, D, F, H) 

Discussion: Video Blogs (4)

Video blogs provide the student with a place to express personal opinion and respond to the opinions of fellow classmates. (CLO: B, F, H) 

Benchmark Professional Identity and Credential Paper Assignment

The student will write a 3-5 page paper in current APA format that focuses on counselor identity. (CLO: A, B)

Benchmark Counselor Impairment and Wellness Paper Assignment

The student will write a 6-page paper in current APA format that focuses on the definition, incidence, and signs of counselor impairment and a personal assessment and wellness plan. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

Quiz Series (3)

The student will purchase a background check with fingerprints from CastleBranch and: 

  1. Upload receipt of purchase showing proof of purchase.
  2. Upload a Compliance Summary Report showing submission of the background check application to CastleBranch.
  3. Upload a new Compliance Summary Report showing submission of fingerprints to DTIS (Daon).

Quiz

As you begin the Liberty Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program, we are excited to grow together in this academic journey. Our emphasis on your faith integration in clinical practice is a major piece of your development into an ethical, competent professional counselor. This survey provides time for reflection and evaluation regarding this important domain.

Quiz: MA CMHC Online Handbook

The student will use the MA CMHC Online Handbook to complete a quiz in order to become familiar with the policies and procedures applicable to the student and Liberty University’s Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies. (CLO: G)

Quiz: Orientation

The student will demonstrate familiarity with the Clinical Mental Health program Degree Program Information. This quiz covers the Learn material from the assigned Module: Week. It is open-book/open-notes and contains 10 multiple-choice, true/false, and essay questions. It allows for 1 attempt and has no time limit. (CLO: G)

Quizzes (12)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the Module: Week in which it is assigned. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a 20-minute time limit. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)

This Dispositions Reflection quiz will ask the student to rate his or herself on the nine dispositions required for this program by our accrediting bodies using the following scale:

  • Exceeds expectations – I believe I do this exceptionally well.
  • Clearly meets expectations – I believe I am able to do this in an appropriate way as expected for graduate students at my current position in the program.
  • Adequately meets expectations – I believe I do this but could use improvement and growth in this dispositional area.
  • Does not meet expectations – I believe I do not do this well and could use improvement.