COUC 604 Crisis Counseling

This course provides students with foundational knowledge of the impact of crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on people as well as the principles of crisis intervention for people during crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events. The appropriate use of diagnosis during crisis, disaster, or other trauma causing events and the differentiation between diagnosis and developmentally appropriate reactions during crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events will be examined. Students will learn specific crisis intervention practices, including procedures for assessing and managing suicide risk, suicide prevention models, and the use of psychological first aid strategies. The counselors’ roles and responsibilities as members of an interdisciplinary emergency management response team during a crisis, disaster or other trauma-causing event and the operation of emergency management systems will be studied.

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

The course of life seldom proceeds smoothly, with trauma and crises affecting nearly everyone. Without addressing the effects of these issues, quality of life suffers greatly and may deteriorate to a point where normal developmental and emotional progress is impeded or negatively altered. It is incumbent upon the counseling practitioner to develop a theoretical rationale and a course of action that will aid the client in regaining control of these aspects of his/her life.

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. 

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Each post must demonstrate course related knowledge and assertions must be supported by scholarly resources. Each thread must be cited in current APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 classmates’ threads. Each reply must be formatted according to the instructions. 

Introduction to Crisis, Trauma, and Disaster Counseling

The purpose of this assignment is to introduce foundational concepts in crisis, trauma, and disaster counseling. The student will explore services available within his or her local community and become familiar with the importance of mobilizing community resources in times of crisis. In addition, the student will examine the role of assessment in crisis response and learn to differentiate between traditional counseling and crisis counseling. The assignment will be a 17-slide narrated PowerPoint utilizing two required sources.

Suicide Risk Intervention, Counselor Response & Re-engagement Planning

This applied case paper is designed to prepare counseling students to ethically and effectively respond to clients in suicidal crisis through analysis of a two-part clinical vignette. The assignment requires assessment of immediate suicide risk, implementation of evidence-informed interventions, and exploration of strategies for reestablishing therapeutic connection following a mandated breach of confidentiality and a 72-hour hospitalization, with application of Polyvagal Theory to support both client reengagement and counselor self-regulation. It integrates academic scholarship, clinical decision-making, cultural awareness, and ethical practice, drawing on the ACA Code of Ethics, relevant state laws, and empirical literature to justify clinical decisions. The paper must be 6–8 pages in APA format (excluding title and reference pages), organized into six clearly labeled sections, and incorporate a minimum of three scholarly sources, with content reflecting both theoretical knowledge and applied clinical skills. (CLO: B, C, D, F)

Psychological First Aid Assignment

The student will complete Psychological First Aid training which provides skills needed in the aftermath of a crisis or disaster. The certificate of completion will be submitted. 

Benchmark Crisis Intervention Plan Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is for the student, as the crisis interventionist, to learn an organized approach when working with individuals in crisis. In addition, the student is asked to be able to critically evaluate news worthy information in his/her community or nation to determine what constitutes crises. This challenges the student to begin viewing the needs of individuals and communities through the lens of a crisis interventionist. Rather than an individual reading about tragic events, the student becomes an individual reading about the possible needs of those around him/her, opening his/her therapeutic heart to reaching out to others in need. Being a crisis interventionist means being someone open to recognizing individuals and communities in crisis, recognizing the threats, being equipped and ready to intervene. Short of hands-on experience, this is an effective way to learn intervention strategies. The student will take the information from the text, knowledge from his/her experience in the field, along with other course work and apply it to a real life circumstance that has been reported in the media. Although there are three sections to this assignment it is all one assignment and must be submitted as one document. The assignment must be 4½-5½ pages in length and be in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, F)

Counselor Wellness and Understanding Professional Risks

Counselors regularly hold space for the suffering and trauma of others, making wellness a professional as well as a personal priority for ethical, effective, and sustainable practice. The American Counseling Association (ACA, 2014) affirms this responsibility, stating that counselors engage in self-care activities to maintain and promote their emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being in order to best meet professional responsibilities. This assignment requires exploration of counselor wellness, assessment of current self-care practices, reflection on the professional impact on mental health providers, and identification of strategies that support ethical, long-term well-being. The paper must be 4–6 pages in APA format, organized into five clearly labeled sections, and demonstrate integration of course concepts, research, and professional standards.

Quizzes (8)

The student will complete a total of 8 quizzes covering content found in the assigned chapters of the Jackson-Cherry & Erford textbook. The quizzes will range between 10 – 20 questions to align with the weekly reading. Quizzes are open-book/open-notes and allow 1 attempt with time limits. (CLO: A, C, F)

Quiz: Dispositions Reflection

The student will rate him/herself on the nine dispositions required for this program. The quiz will contain 9 multiple-choice questions and 1 essay question and is limited to 60 minutes. The student is allowed 1 attempt to complete the quiz.