Dr. James Ruby Director of the Graduate Counseling Program; Professor of Counseling

COUN505 - Professional Orientation

This course introduces students to the field of counseling in diverse settings, including school and clinical mental health settings. The course provides a broad overview and survey of the counseling profession, including its historical and theoretical foundations, the major professional associations of the counseling profession, and roles and responsibilities of counselors in a variety of settings and within and among the other mental health professions. Students will begin development of a professional identity and will reflect on their calling to the profession of counseling and their vision for using their master's degree in the future. Students will begin the process of spiritual formation for counseling. (3 credits)

COUN550 - Theories & Skills Of Counseling I

This course is part one of a two-part integrated skills and theories series that introduces students to the basic skills of the counseling relationship and the major theories of personality and psychotherapy, and provides students an experiential opportunity to begin practicing and assimilating these skills in their counselor identity. In Theories and Skills of Counseling I, students are introduced to counseling skills such as attending, active listening, empathy, questioning, observation, encouraging, summarizing, reflecting, and challenging. Skills are practiced with role play partners, video recorded and submitted to the professor for review and feedback. Theories covered in Theories and Skills of Counseling I include Psychodynamic, Adlerian, Client-Centered, Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy, Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive Therapy. Modern psychotherapies are considered through a biblical world view. Prerequisite: COUN515. (3 credits)

COUN551 - Theories & Skills of Counseling II

This course is part two of a two-part integrated skills and theories series that introduces students to the basic skills of the counseling relationship and the major theories of personality and psychotherapy, and provides students an experiential opportunity to begin practicing and assimilating these skills in their counselor identity. In Theories and Skills of Counseling II, students review counseling skills such as attending, active listening, empathy, questioning, observation, encouraging, summarizing, reflecting, and challenging. Skills are practiced with role play partners, video recorded and submitted to the professor for review and feedback. Theories covered in Theories and Skills of Counseling II include Existential, Gestalt, Interpersonal, Family Systems, Mindfulness/Contemplative, Positive Psychology, Integrative, and Multicultural approaches. Modern psychotherapies are considered through a biblical world view. Prerequisites: COUN515 and COUN550. (3 credits)

COUN555 - Crisis, Trauma and Suicide

This course introduces students to the field of counseling in diverse settings, including school and clinical mental health settings. The course provides a broad overview and survey of the counseling profession, including its historical and theoretical foundations, the major professional associations of the counseling profession, and roles and responsibilities of counselors in a variety of settings and within and among the other mental health professions. Students will begin development of a professional identity and will reflect on their calling to the profession of counseling and their vision for using their master's degree in the future. Students will begin the process of spiritual formation for counseling. (3 credits)

COUN605 - Skills II

This course is designed to give students practice experience engaging in a counseling relationship over the course of six sessions, in the practice setting most relevant to the client's future practice (clinical mental health, school counseling, etc.). Students will review and utilize basic counseling skills and continue developing their own individual counseling approaches with an emphasis on integration of theoretical orientation techniques, ethical practices, personality, spiritual integration, and setting-specific practices, under the instruction and evaluation of the course instructor. This course is largely experiential and is focused on preparing students for their Practicum experiences. Students will engage in a multi-session counseling experience with a learning partner focused on solidification of basic counseling skills and growth of advanced counseling skills. Prerequisites: COUN505, COUN515, COUN520, COUN550, COUN551, COUN555 (prerequisite or concurrent), CMHC520 or SCO520. (3 credits)