CED: 733 Introduction to Group Counseling Fall Semester 3 Credit Hours 4:00 6:45 Thursday

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1 Counselor Education Program Educational and Clinical Studies Department College of Education CED: 733 Introduction to Group Counseling Fall Semester 3 Credit Hours 4:00 6:45 Thursday Instructor Wendy Hoskins, Ph.D. wendy.hoskins@unlv.edu Office hours: M-F by appointment Office phone: (702) Classroom: CEB 218 I. COURSE DESCRIPTION EPC 733: Group counseling skills for use in the school and clinical mental health settings, with emphasis on intra and inter relations. II. COURSE OBJECTIVES Objectives for this course were developed to reflect the standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Standards addressed in this course include: II. G. 6. GROUP WORK - studies that provide both theoretical and experiential understandings of group purpose, development, dynamics, counseling theories, methods and skills, and other group approaches in a multicultural society, including all of the following: a. Principles of group dynamics, including group process components, developmental stage theories, group members roles and behaviors, and therapeutic factors of group work; b. Group leadership or facilitation styles and approaches, including characteristics of various types of group leaders and leadership styles; CACREP II. G.6. a- e c. Theories of group counseling, including commonalties, distinguishing characteristics, and pertinent research and literature; d. Group counseling methods, including group counselor orientations and behaviors, appropriate selection criteria and methods, and methods of evaluation of effectiveness; and e. Direct experiences in which students participate as group members in a small group activity, approved by the program, for a minimum of 10 clock hours over the course of one academic term. Page 1 of 7

2 A. Knowledge Upon completion of this course, students will: Understand the stages of group counseling Understand better the process of group counseling Better understand the process of building collaborative relationships within the group experience and to relate the tools to the outside environment. B. Skills Upon completion of this course, students will be better able to: Incorporate methods of group intervention and leadership, Incorporate the core skills of attending and responding in the group experience, Conduct appropriate interventions for effective group counseling. C. Dispositions By the end of this course, students are expected to be aware of the characteristics of effective group counseling and experience these attributes themselves. III. RESULTS Students will demonstrate attainment of course objectives through: Participation in small group and large class discussions designed to facilitate critical thinking about and evaluation of class lectures, readings, and activities, Demonstrating an understanding and use of group counseling skills in a group activity within the class setting. Demonstrating a willingness to participate in a group counseling activity with members of the class. IV. TEXT(S) Required texts Yalom, I. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (5 th ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books. Additional Readings Additional course readings will be made available by the instructor. Page 2 of 7

3 V. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS, GRADING POLICIES, & ATTENDANCE Attendance and participation This is an experiential class requiring active involvement in activities, demonstrations, and structured role-playing. Attendance is mandatory. Missing more than two sessions (lecture or group) will require the student to withdraw from the course and take it during a semester they can commit to regular attendance. Actively participate in a group counseling experience This group counseling experience is distinguished from all other types of groups by a rather rigid adherence to what is called the "here-and-now". There are therapeutic factors within such groups. There is no history taking, no storytelling, and no futureplanning activity. The entire energy of the group is focused on the immediate present, trying to discover that reality and discussing it openly with each other. The skills of using feedback and immediacy in the here-and-now of the group comprise much of the group focus. Confidentiality needs to be honored and maintained. *Note: As per the ASGW Ethical Guidelines for Group Counselors (1989), participation in the group will NOT determine academic grade. If for some reason you do not believe that you can participate fully in the group then you may wish to withdraw from the course. Students have the right and responsibility to decide their own level of self-disclosure and interpersonal risk. Journal reflection of your group counseling experience: 50 points Journaling is one tool used in group counseling practice to help an individual continue to process between groups. You will write one journal entry after each group counseling experience attended and turn it into your group counselor the following week. After the final group counseling session, your journal entry will be a culmination of the entire experience and turned into the instructor. Each journal entry will be approximately one, doubled-spaced, typed page. Each journal entry will have two sections: Personal Experience and Professional Analysis. Section 1 Personal Experience: This section is to be an extension of the group and an exercise of in-depth self-exploration. Your focus should be your own feelings, reactions, thoughts, fears, insights, etc. Your writing will provide you with a means of preparing for the next group session as you work to clarify and understand your personal experience, organize your thoughts, and identify issues you may want to bring up in the next group session. Section 2 Professional Analysis: This section is an objective, professional application of Yalom's group theory to you, group members, interactions, the facilitator, and the group process. Example topics to reflect on could include: Changes in relationships Identify stage of development Identify therapeutic factors that are present Identify predominate themes, member interactions, norms, etc. Identify how conflict/lack of conflict is managed Page 3 of 7

4 Group Counseling Unit: 50 points Part 1: Develop an original 8-week group counseling unit and submit via WebCampus. Include the following information: Target population/audience Relevant Theme Logical progression of activities Materials needed Brief description of each weekly activity Include any handouts and cite references Part 2: Choose one of the counseling activities you developed in your group counseling unit to share in class. You will have approximately 20 minutes to share your counseling activity with a small group of your peers. Make sure to bring enough materials for your peers to participate in the activity. In addition to sharing your counseling activity, you will also provide a brief overview of your entire counseling unit with your peers. The following is a rubric used in grading this assignment: Evaluate the following items on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest, 5 being highest) and add comments where appropriate. Part 1: Overall Unit Low High Eight-week group unit Cohesive and logical progression of weekly activities Target population/audience and relevant theme identified Materials needed are clearly defined and included as needed Brief description of each weekly activity is clearly defined Part 2: 20 minute counseling activity Creativity (engaging) Thoroughness Overall presentation Intended audience appropriateness of activity Overall grade Exams: 100 points total There will be two exams based on highlighted material from the text and lecture. Exams will be made available via Web Campus. Page 4 of 7

5 Final course grades will be assigned based on the following distribution: A % A % B % B 84-86% B % C % C 74-76% C % F 0-69% VI. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY & COPYRIGHT Academic Misconduct Academic integrity is a legitimate concern for every member of the campus community; all share in upholding the fundamental values of honesty, trust, respect, fairness, responsibility and professionalism. By choosing to join the UNLV community, students accept the expectations of the Academic Misconduct Policy and are encouraged when faced with choices to always take the ethical path. Students enrolling in UNLV assume the obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with UNLV s function as an educational institution. An example of academic misconduct is plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of another, from the Internet or any source, without proper citation of the sources. See the Student Academic Misconduct Policy (approved December 9, 2005) located at: Copyright The University requires all members of the University Community to familiarize themselves and to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The university will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action under University policies. Additional information can be found at: Disability Resource Center (DRC) The Disability Resource Center (DRC) determines accommodations that are reasonable in promoting the equal access of a student reporting a disability to the general UNLV learning experience. In so doing, the DRC also balances instructor and departmental interests in maintaining curricular standards so as to best achieve a fair evaluation standard amongst students being assisted. In order for the DRC to be effective it must be considered in the dialog between the faculty and the student who is requesting accommodations. For this reason faculty should only provide students course adjustment after having received this Academic Accommodation Plan. If faculty members have any questions regarding the DRC, they should call a DRC counselor. Page 5 of 7

6 UNLV complies with the provisions set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC-A), Room 143, phone (702) , fax (702) For additional information, please visit: Religious Holidays Policy -- Any student missing class quizzes, examinations, or any other class or lab work because of observance of religious holidays shall be given an opportunity during that semester to make up missed work. The make-up will apply to the religious holiday absence only. It shall be the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor no later than the last day of late registration of his or her intention to participate in religious holidays, which do not fall on state holidays or periods of class recess. This policy shall not apply in the event that administering the test or examination at an alternate time would impose an undue hardship on the instructor or the university, which could have been avoided. For additional information, please visit: Tutoring -- The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides tutoring and academic assistance for all UNLV students taking UNLV courses. Students are encouraged to stop by the ASC to learn more about subjects offered, tutoring times and other academic resources. The ASC is located across from the Student Services Complex, #22 on the current UNLV map. Students may learn more about tutoring services by calling (702) or visiting the tutoring web site at: UNLV Writing Center One-on-one or small group assistance with writing is available free of charge to UNLV students at the Writing Center, located in CDC Although walk-in consultations are sometimes available, students with appointments will receive priority assistance. Appointments may be made in person or by calling The student s Rebel ID Card, a copy of the assignment (if possible), and two copies of any writing to be reviewed are requested for the consultation. More information can be found at: Rebelmail Rebelmail is UNLV s Official system for students. It is one of the primary ways students receive official university communication such as information about deadlines, major campus events, and announcements. All UNLV students receive a Rebelmail account after they have been admitted to the university. Students prefixes are listed on class rosters. The suffix is WebCampus Students are responsible for activating and accessing WebCampus for this course. Please be sure to access/login to WebCampus regularly I will send announcements to the class via WebCampus. You may access WebCampus at: For technical difficulties or troubleshooting in the use of WebCampus please contact the Student Computing Support Center for help. Page 6 of 7

7 Tentative Class Schedule Date Week Topic(s) Assignments Due 8-27 Week 1 Introduction, Syllabus, Develop our class Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Therapeutic Factors Chapters 1-2 Group Cohesiveness and Stages Chapter 3 Therapist Tasks and Norms Chapter 4-5 Group Here and Now Chapter 6 Transference, Transparency, Ethics Chapter 7 Midterm ACES Group Screening, Composition and Planning Group Screening, Composition and Planning In The Beginning Developing your Counseling Unit Advanced Groups, Problem Patients Developing your Counseling Unit Midterm available for 1 week Chapter 8-10 Chapter 11 Chapters Advanced Groups, Problem Patients Chapters Specialized Formats and Groups Chapters Last night of Group Unit Preparation THANKSGIVING Week 15 Week 16 Group Unit Presentations - Termination Final Exam Journal summary Group Unit EXAM available for one week Thanks for joining me this semester! Dr. Wendy Page 7 of 7