COUC 604 Crisis Counseling

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. 

Discussion

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student must post a 250–300-word thread demonstrating course-related knowledge in response to a prompt. Each thread must contain 2 scholarly references published within the last 5 years and 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 Counseling Assignment

The Introduction to Crisis Counseling Assignment is a practical assignment designed to familiarize the student with the definition of a crisis, the four types, and examples of each. Additionally, the student will explore services available within his/her local community and to familiarize himself/herself to the importance of being able to employ a community in action in time of a crisis. In addition to identifying local and national referral agencies and the significance of working closely within his/her community to establish a well-organized disaster plan, the student will begin treatment planning by identifying a problem and SMART goal from a case scenario. The assignment has 3 sections. The paper must be 1 ¾ – 3 pages in length and be in current APA format. 

Suicide Intervention Plan Assignment

The student will be given a case study on a client who is actively suicidal. Using the texts and notes from this course, the student will be required to give a step-by-step intervention plan as well as a treatment plan that covers a 3-month action plan complete with appropriate goal setting and interventions. The paper must be 4½ – 5 pages in length and follow current APA format. (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)

Wellness Plan Assignment

The student will explore the importance of wellness and self-care in the counseling profession and for crisis response. The student will complete a self-care assessment exploring where his/her current deficits are and then reflect on both the assessment and the course, applying learning to his/her future profession. The student will create a treatment plan addressing the deficits found in the assessment. There are 3 parts to this assignment, and each part must be 1-2 pages for a total of 3-6 pages. This assignment must be in APA format. 

Quiz: Case Study Treatment Plan

The student will create two treatment plans based on a case scenario. The first will be for a client who is currently in crisis and the second for a client who is coming for trauma therapy. This will be submitted as a quiz and will assist the student in differentiating between crisis and trauma work. This quiz is open-book/open-notes, contains 1 essay question, allows 1 attempt, and has a time limit of 4 hours.

Quiz: Crisis Counseling for Specific Populations

The quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 50 multiple-choice questions, allow 1 attempt, and have a 1-hour-and-15-minute time limit. (CLO: A, C, F)

Quiz: Dispositions Reflection

This quiz will allow students to reflect on the 9 dispositions required for the program. The quiz contains 9 multiple-choice and 1 essay question, has a 1-hour time limit, allows 1 attempt, and is open-book/open-notes.