UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS COUNSELING PROGRAM COUN INTERPERSONAL SKILLS IN HELPING RELATIONSHIPS SPRING 2007 DESCRIPTION

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1 Page 1 of 9 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS COUNSELING PROGRAM COUN INTERPERSONAL SKILLS IN HELPING RELATIONSHIPS SPRING 2007 DESCRIPTION Didactic and experiential training in interpersonal relationships; analysis and application of effective counseling activities. Prerequisite: COUN 2610 or permission. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Discuss stages of the helping process 2. Recognize, describe, and demonstrate specific skills fundamental to helping relationships including: (1) invitational skills; (2) reflection of content, feelings, and meaning; (3) summarization skills; (4) challenging skills; (5) assessment skills; (6) goal-setting skills; and (7) solution skills 3. Demonstrate purpose in enactment of helping skills 4. Identify behaviors and attitudes that facilitate and hinder helping relationships 5. Articulate understanding regarding reasons why people seek professional helpers 6. Articulate hypotheses regarding how people change and connect these hypotheses to a personal style of helping 7. Discuss several commonly used advanced counseling strategies 8. Apply course material and skills to personal and/or professional experiences METHODS OF INSTRUCTION This course is designed to be highly interactive, and students will be invited to participate in numerous ways. Didactic lectures will be supplemented with experiential lab activities, discussion, videos, guest speaker presentations, and student presentations. Please see instructor as soon as possible if you have special needs or problems with any aspect of this course Each student will complete the following assignments: OVERVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS 1. Oral presentation 2. Three (3) helping skills practice sessions, transcripts, and reflections 3. Behavior Challenge Journal 4. Behavior Challenge Reflection Paper 5. Midterm Exam 6. Final Exam REQUIRED TEXTS

2 Page 2 of 9 Young, M. E. (2005). Learning the art of helping: Building blocks and techniques (3 rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. Young, M. E., & Chromy, S. (2005). Exercises in the art of helping (3 rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. CLASS POLICIES Attendance: Students will gain the most from this class by being present and participating fully in all classes and assignments. Students may miss up to 3 classes during this semester without consequence. Additional absences will result in the following: 4 absences (1/2 letter grade reduction in final grade), 5 absences (1 letter grade reduction in final grade), 6 absences (2 letter grade reduction in final grade). Students who have more than 6 absences will receive a WF (withdraw-fail) for nonattendance. The above policy is intended to allow for reasonable accommodation in case of illness, family emergencies, or car problems. Individuals who chose to use non-penalized absences for other situations risk not having allowable absences available when needed. Accommodations will only be made in situations which all absences are severe, extenuating, and documented. Students are responsible for signing the daily roster. Students are responsible for ALL material and assignments covered on days they are absent. In the event of an absence, please contact a classmate to get pertinent class notes, handouts, etc. Lateness/leaving early: Class will begin promptly at the scheduled time and end at the scheduled time. The instructor may chose to document late arrivals and early departures as 1/2 absences. Classroom and clinic conduct: Due to the nature of this course, we will be covering sensitive information at times. Students are expected to display professional conduct at all times during class and clinic experiences. This means that students are expected to treat personal information with respect, sensitivity, and integrity. The class will meet in a Counseling Program clinic a number of times during the semester to practice the skills covered in class. While in the clinic, you are expected to follow clinic policies regarding equipment and refrain from talking in the hallways or entering rooms without permission; such behaviors are disruptive to those seeking counseling at this center. Students who choose to engage in disrespectful and/or disruptive behaviors may be asked to leave. Those who are asked to leave will be considered absent for the day and will be required to attend an individual meeting with the instructor. Electronic communication devices: It is disrespectful to the class when learning is interrupted; please turn off pagers, cell phones, and all other electronic communication devices before class and keep them off during class. Due dates and deadlines: Students are responsible for submitting assignments on the date indicated on the syllabus. Assignments will be considered late if not received by class on the date expected. When necessary, students may submit assignments early or via . Late assignments will receive a 1 point deduction for each day late. Students are strongly advised not to expect or rely on exceptions as a means of managing course responsibilities. Format guidelines: Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments should

3 Page 3 of 9 1. Contain a cover page with name, project, and date 2. Be typed, double-spaced, with 1 margins, and in 12-point Times New Roman font 3. Contain citations and references formatted in APA style 4. Adhere to minimum page length and content guidelines papers under the minimum number of pages rarely fulfill the assignment guidelines and will be evaluated as such. Cover pages and reference pages may not be counted toward fulfilling the required page length. Citation, style, and turnitin.com: All sources used for all assignments must be cited in APA format. Failure to cite references is a direct violation of the academic integrity policy. Helpful links to citation resources and other reference guides are available online through UNT Libraries: Website: A portion of your grade for each assignment will depend on the clarity of your thoughts and the quality of your writing. All students are strongly encouraged to seek consultation on papers. The University Writing Center is located in 105 Auditorium Building and can be contacted at More information is available online: Website: The instructor may use turnitin.com to validate the originality of papers submitted for this course, and students should be prepared to submit work electronically. Instructions regarding access to this antiplagiarism tool will be provided. WebCT Vista: We may use WebCT Vista to facilitate discussion and communicate throughout the semester. Every enrolled student is automatically assigned a WebCT Vista account, and you may access this account by using your EUID and password. If you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with WebCT, you may attend an orientation workshop to assist you. Website: Eagle mail: All UNT students should activate and regularly check their Eagle Mail ( ) account. Eagle Mail is used for official communication from the University to students. Many important announcements for the University and College are sent to students via Eagle Mail. For information about Eagle Mail, including how to activate an account and how to have Eagle Mail forwarded to another address, visit This is the main electronic contact for all course-related information and/or material. Disability accommodations: The University of North Texas College of Education does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the recruitment and admission of students, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, or the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by federal laws and regulations. Copies of the College of Education ADA Compliance Document are available in the Dean s Office, Matthews Hall 214. The department Disability Accommodation Policy is printed in the Master s and Doctoral Student Handbooks and is available at or from the counseling program office in Room 155, Stovall Hall. The designated disability liaison for the counseling program is Dr. Jan Holden, Room 155, Stovall Hall. The student has the responsibility of informing the course instructor of any disabling condition that will require modification to avoid discrimination. Students with disabilities should approach each instructor

4 Page 4 of 9 within the first two weeks of class to make an appointment to discuss disability accommodation and then must follow the meeting with an or hard-copy message to the instructor summarizing the accommodations that will be made. The instructor will reply with affirmation or modification and place a copy of the communication in the student's file. Academic Misconduct: Cheating and plagiarism are types of academic misconduct. The term plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement. Plagiarism also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials. A faculty member can assign specific penalties. Penalties can include reducing or changing a grade or issuing a failing grade for an assignment/test or for the entire course and/or expulsion from the academic program and the university. A student penalized for academic misconduct has the right of appeal (University of North Texas Graduate Catalog, 2002, p. 94). Plagiarism is plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional. To avoid plagiarism, follow guidelines in the current edition of the APA Publication Manual. Some general guidelines from the th edition include: - Always cite the source of a quote or paraphrase (pp. 120 & 349) - When quoting: o Copy the original material word-for-word (p. 117) o If a quotation is less than 40 words, place quotation marks around it; if it is 40 or more words, indent the quote as a block. Double space all text (p. 117) o Follow the conclusion of a quotation immediately with the citation of author(s), year of publication or year of creation if original material is unpublished, and page number(s) (p. 120) - When paraphrasing: o Restate concepts in substantially different words than the original material (p. 349) o Immediately after paraphrased material, cite author(s), year, and, whenever possible, page o number(s) (pp. 121 & 349) In addition, according to Pan (2003), if paraphrased material extends to multiple paragraphs, be sure to cite the source in each paragraph (pp ) Plagiarism of any sort will not be tolerated and will result in a minimum of a failing grade on the assignment; plagiarism may jeopardize your standing in the program. UNT counseling program students should be prepared to submit papers and other written work electronically so that the instructor can use anti-plagiarism software to validate the originality of the student s work. Students also have access to these plagiarism prevention tools and are strongly encouraged to utilize these resources. References American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5 th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Pan, M. L. (2003). Preparing literature reviews. Los Angeles: Pyrczak. Methods of Evaluation & Grading Scale: Assignment Point Potential Due Date(s) Participation 10 Oral Presentation 30 Assigned date Midterm Exam 30 3/5 Tape 1 Transcription/Reflection 20 2/26

5 Page 5 of 9 Tape 2 Transcription/Reflection 20 4/4 Tape 3 Transcription/Reflection 20 4/18 Behavior Challenge Journal 20 (10/midterm & 10/final) Midterm 3/14 Final 4/25 Behavior Challenge Reflection Paper 20 4/25 Final Exam 30 5/7 A B C D F <119.5 ORAL PRESENTATION This assignment is designed to assist you in learning about specific topics and applying helping skills to issues you may encounter in your experiences. For this assignment, you will present in small groups on a topic from the following list and prepare a presentation and handout/brochure about the assigned topic. Presentation: In groups of three, students will prepare a minute oral presentation that provides information on a specific issue/concern someone may bring to a helping relationship. The presentation should be sensitive to the concerns of those facing the issue. In other words, you should be comfortable making your presentation to someone affected by the concern. Information utilized must be from reliable sources, and sources must be cited. Students are encouraged to be creative and to use a visual aide (computer, VCR, and overhead projectors are available). Audience interaction is also encouraged. I also expect that each member of the group will also participate in the presentation in some way. Students will address the following areas in their presentation and be prepared to field questions from the class. 1. Overview of the problem area (provide enough background information so that the class has a good general understanding of the issues you will discuss. Include such information as: definitions of key terms/ideas, history of the issue, significant statistics, population affected by the issue, social and economic implications of the issue). 2. Causes and contributing factors (any factors known to cause or contribute to the development and maintenance of this problem, effects of the problem on the individual, effects of the problem on others, warning signs or ways to tell if someone may have this problem). 3. Helping Strategies (professional help available for individuals with the problem, professional help available for those affected by contact with someone with the problem, what an individual family/friend can do to help someone with this problem, what actions would be counterproductive in terms of helping someone with this problem). Suggested topics: Alcoholism and addiction Children of alcoholics Sexual Assault and/or date rape Issues related to abuse Violence Family issues Parenting techniques Assertiveness Communication Skills Gender issues in communication Sexual and/or Gender Identity Divorce Loss and grief Issues regarding chronic illness Suicide Anger management Stress management Time management Financial management Career decisions Adjusting to college Preparing for marriage/partnership

6 Page 6 of 9 Additional topics may be proposed Helping skills for working with Understanding (insert population here) (insert issue here) A word on picking a topic: Groups are encouraged to select topics carefully. In many cases, the strongest presentations are those that are focused enough to get specific with the audience. For example, depression or alcoholism is way too large a topic to be addressed in 20 minutes. Consider a more focused presentation such as I think my friend has depression, what do I do now? or The effects of alcoholism on family dynamics. You should also consider three anticipated goals/objectives of the presentation (finish this statement: by the end of the presentation, participants should be able to ). Handout & References: Students will summarize the information from their presentation and prepare a 1-2 page handout/brochure that will be distributed to the class. The handout should be able to serve as a future reference guide and must include citations/references for more information. Additional grading considerations: Each member will complete an evaluation of themselves and other individual group members (format to be provided in class). This information will be considered when individual grades and feedback are constructed. Time considerations are very important. A target length will be presented in class. Grades will be adjusted for presentations not fitting within this time frame. For example, a team presenting for only 10 minutes rather than 20 minutes will be penalized. Similarly, a team that tries to fit a 45 minute presentation into 20 minutes will receive deduction in points. Groups are strongly encouraged to work together and to practice using the equipment, slide shows, videos, etc before the day of the presentation. Points may be deducted for preventable logistic and technical problems. TAPES 1, 2, & 3 TRANSCRIPTION/REFLECTION Students will gain experience with the interpersonal skills covered in class by pairing with a member of the course and completing a 15 minute session. Students will then turn in a typed transcription of a portion of the session and a written reflection upon the experience. The paper should follow the following format: Part I: Transcription- Choose a 5 minute portion of what you consider to be your best work. Transcribe this portion using the following: SP (for speaker), and LS (for listener-that is you as the helper). Part II: Identification of Skills- Return to your (LS) responses in Part I and label which helping skill you utilized in each of your responses. You will write this in bold at the end of each response. Here is an example: SP: I didn t have anybody to go out with for New Year s. I just sat in my empty apartment.

7 Page 7 of 9 LS: It sounds like you felt really lonely. Reflection of Feeling SP: I was. All my friends live in a different city, and it was too far to drive. LS: You do have friends, but they all live far away and you couldn t get to them. Reflection of Content Part III: Reflection- A. Identify three responses that you liked the best. B. Identify three responses that you would like to have been different. Write the response you made and then write an alternative response. C. Identify two overall strengths of the session. D. Identify two areas of personal growth. BEHAVIOR CHALLENGE (BC) Each student is asked to undertake a project to change some aspect of behavior (how you think, feel, or act) during the semester. The project should be one of considerable value to the student, yet not so personal that it cannot be shared with others participating in the course. The BC has several purposes: (1) facilitate an understanding of the change process and develop an emphatic perspective relative to the struggle for growth, (2) to assist in the application of approaches and techniques learned in class, and (3) to provide the basis for the helping activities in the classroom. Students will be asked to use their experiences related to the BC throughout the semester to illustrate classroom topics and to inform the helping discussions. In addition to applying the topics in class discussions, students should be prepared to use the BC topic as a source of discussion for clinic helping experiences. Students should feel free to withhold any information that they deem too personal to share; individuals wishing to change topics may approach the instructor at any time to do so. BC Proposal Format for the BC proposal should include: 1. The behavior or issue of concern briefly discuss the issue or behavior that you have selected as the focus of your BC and provide a rationale for the proposed change. Remember, this may be any issue or behavior of concern to you but should not be so personal you cannot share your project focus or progress with the class. 2. Goal for the semester Make a goal statement regarding the outcome you hope to achieve during the semester. In addition to your overarching goal statement, you may choose to make several subgoal statements just so that your plan is clear. 3. Strategies for change How do you plan to achieve your goal? What will you do? BC Journals Students will maintain a BC journal which they update at least once a week, and students should be prepared to submit these journals throughout the semester. Journal entries should include a restatement of the goal, weekly progress, weekly obstacles, recommendations for the following week, and insights the student has gained about the overall counseling process. This can be handwritten in a notebook or entered into a word document on the computer. FINAL REFLECTION PAPER BC Final Reflection- 2-3 pages Students will be asked to provide a summary and final analysis of the BC experience. Thorough tracking of the BC proposal and weekly journal entries will facilitate response to the questions.

8 Page 8 of 9 Topics to cover: - Review your personal goal - What were some of the obstacles encountered as you attempted to change? - What progress do you feel you made? - What helped you in the progress? - What was most helpful to you when you were in the speaker role? - What did this experience teach you about change, growth, and the counseling process in general? MIDTERM & FINAL EXAMINATIONS In-class midterm and final examinations will be required. These examinations may include objective (e.g., multiple choice, true/false) questions and essay-based questions that require application and reflection on course material.

9 Page 9 of 9 FLEXIBLE COURSE SCHEDULE DATE TOPICS READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS DUE 1/15 No class holiday 1/17 No class snow day 1/22 Course orientation & introductions 1/24 Helping as a personal journey Young ch 1 1/29 The nuts and bolts of helping The therapeutic relationship Young ch 2 & 3 BC Proposal Due 1/31 Helping someone who is different Young ch 4 2/5 Invitational skills Young ch 5 2/7 Invitational skills con t Presentation Topics/Date Requests Due (Top 3) 2/12 Paraphrasing Young ch 6 2/14 Paraphrasing con t 2/19 Tape 1 (Presentation planning) 2/21 Reflecting feelings Young ch 7 2/26 Reflecting feelings con t Tape 1 Transcription/Reflection Due 2/28 Midterm Review (Presentation planning) 3/5 Midterm Exam Mid-term 3/7 Helping Issues presentations Group 1 3/12 Helping Issues presentations Group 2 3/14 Helping Issues presentations Group 3 BC Journal Due 3/19 No class Spring Break 3/21 No class Spring Break 3/26 Common pitfalls in counseling 3/28 Questioning & clarification Tape 2 4/2 Reflecting meaning Young ch 8 4/4 Summarizing skills Young ch 8 Tape 2 Transcription/Reflection Due 4/9 Challenging skills Young ch 9 4/11 Tape 3 Assessment skills Young ch 10 4/16 Goal-setting skills Young ch 11 4/18 Solution skills Young ch 12 Tape 3 Transcription/Reflection Due 4/23 Termination skills Young ch 13 4/25 Behavior Challenge Discussion Advanced skills 4/30 Advanced skills Young ch 15 5/2 Tying it all together 5/7 Final Exam Young ch 14 BC Journals and Reflection Paper Due Note: The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at anytime.