Group Counseling – COUC 512

Course Description

Rationale

Persons involved in both professional counseling and helping ministries find that group work can be an important strategy for conducting their daily work. Therefore, knowledge of group theory and the development of group leadership skills are essential to becoming more effective practitioners in either setting.

Method of Instruction: This semester-long course is delivered using a digital synchronous format. The student will attend 2 hours of digital synchronous video-based instruction each week. In addition to the once-a-week digital synchronous class time, the student is expected to complete additional work online over the duration of the term.

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.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will create a discussion thread in response to the provided prompt for the assigned module. In each discussion, both the student and the instructor interact to bring more content and learning to the experience. The student will post an initial thread of at least 200-250 words and post a reply to one (1) classmate in 100-150 words based on the provided reply prompt. Each thread and reply must incorporate a minimum of 2 scholarly sources published within the last five years cited in current APA format. Acceptable sources include peer-reviewed journals and the textbook. The student should consider the discussion topic from a Christian/Biblical worldview and integrate his or her thoughts from this perspective along with any applicable Biblical references. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Allender Journal Assignments (10)

The student will complete the assigned reading and journal questions as per the course schedule. Each journal entry will answer one question per assigned chapter. The student's answers should reflect two elements: critical thinking and personal application of each chapter content to his or her life. Each entry should be 1-1.5 pages in length per journal question. References and citations are not needed for this assignment and first-person may be used, but the student must structure the paper according to general APA formatting requirements (i.e., title page, appropriate font, double spacing, etc.). Journals are due before the scheduled class time each respective week. Because these journals are the basis of class, no exceptions will be made for late submissions.  (CLO: E, F)

Benchmark Critical Incident Paper Assignment

The student will choose one (1) of the two ethical scenarios provided in the Benchmark Critical Incident Paper Assignment Instructions and apply the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics to the scenario. The student will identify the issue, briefly summarize the code(s) that address the situation, and address the best course of action to take to resolve the issue. The student's response must be no longer than 300 words total. The student will submit this assignment twice for grading: once in Canvas so an originality report can be generated through the Turnitin plagiarism checking tool and once either within CORE: CompMS (CMHC students only) or a second Canvas submission link (all other students). (CLO: G)

Quizzes (18)

Each quiz covers one chapter of the Gladding text and consists of 10 multiple-choice questions. Each quiz has a time limit of 20 minutes, allows for one attempt, and is open-book and open-notes. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Quiz: Emergency Contact Information

In order to participate in the experiential portion of this class, the student must complete the Quiz: Emergency Contact Information. The quiz consists of 2 fill-in-the-blank questions, has no time limit, and allows for one attempt. (CLO: E)

Quiz: Group Disclosure and Consent

In order to participate in the experiential portion of this class, the student must thoroughly read the Group Disclosure and Consent Form included in the quiz description as an assignment resource. Following this, the student must complete the Quiz: Group Disclosure and Consent. This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and true/false questions, has no time limit, and allows for unlimited attempts with the highest attempt counting towards the grade. (CLO: E)

Quiz: Group Leader Feedback

During the class, the student will participate in the role of the process observer. This role requires the student to observe and provide verbal and written feedback to the group leader. The student will download the editable Group Leader Feedback form on Canvas, complete it, and return it to the leader. Each group leader will then upload one of the completed forms received from his/her peers to the Quiz: Group Leader Feedback. This quiz contains one file upload question, has no time limit, and allows for unlimited attempts with the highest attempt counting towards the grade. (CLO: A, B, E)

Quiz: Benchmark Attendance and Participation

In order to pass this class, the student must attend weekly classes online. Each week, the student will be graded on attendance/punctuality, preparation, and participation. Points are lost for being late, being unprepared and not participating.

The student must participate in direct experience of group, both as a group member and leader for a minimum of 10 clock hours. If a student misses 2 or more weekly class sessions (10 or more minutes late to class constitutes an absence) or fails to meet the minimum 10 clock hours of group experience, the student may be awarded a grade of "F."

The student will participate in a small (personal growth) group as a group member, group leader, and process observer. Each class, the student will be assigned to the role of a group member, a co-leader, and a process observer. The student will be instructed on the expectations of each of those roles. Participation is graded for these activities. Simply sitting without contributing in any of these roles is not enough to pass the course. For this quiz, the student will provide a self-evaluation on the Quiz: Benchmark Attendance and Participation Grading Rubric, based on his or her participation during class. The student will upload his/her grading rubric within the quiz on Canvas with the sections highlighted that he/she believes best describes his/her overall attendance and participation during the semester. Professors will determine the student's final grade for attendance and participation but will take the student's self-evaluations into account. This quiz contains one file upload question, has no time limit, and allows for one attempt. For this quiz, CMHC students will submit their self-evaluations within the CORE: CompMS submission portal. For all other students, the self-evaluation will be submitted within Canvas. (CLO: E)

Quiz: Dispositions Reflection

The Quiz: Dispositions Reflection will ask the student to rate him or herself on the nine dispositions required for this program by our accrediting bodies. This quiz consists of 9 multiple-choice questions and 1 essay question, allows for one attempt, and has a time limit of 1 hour. CMHC students should complete this quiz within the link to CORE: CompMS provided within Canvas. For all other students, the quiz should be completed directly within Canvas.