Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Course List and Descriptions
COUN 601 Lifespan Development
Provides students with an understanding of human development from birth to death. Introduces appropriate interventions that can be used in counseling people across their lifespan. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 603 Counseling Skills and Strategies
Introduces students to the core concepts, methods, and skills needed to conduct effective interviews in a helping relationship. Students gain practical one-on-one listening skills, develop a framework for the counseling process, and develop competencies in building helping relationships. Students must attend Residency 1 during this course. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 605 Introduction & Orientation to the Profession: Mental Health Counseling
Provides an overview of the counseling field and the various roles of professional counselors. Specific topics include preparation for licensure, certifications, professional development and self-care, supervision, integration of faith, and a Christian worldview with the counseling profession. (2 CREDITS)
COUN 607 Professional Issues and Ethics for the Mental Health Counselor
Explores professional issues for the counseling field. Specific topics include ethical standards (ACA Code of Ethics), ethical decision making, legal issues, consultation, and collaboration. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 610 Counseling Theories
Introduces students to the major historical and contemporary counseling theories, focusing on empirical research, analysis of theory from a Christian worldview, and application of theory to case studies. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 612 Career Counseling & Development
Overview of the theories of career development. Provides instruction on career counseling interview and intervention skills along with a focus on career assessment strategies. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 613 Integration of Faith in the Counseling Process
Explores the doctrines, faith-informed counseling skills, and techniques of Christian integration along with an emphasis on using advanced helping interventions and counseling strategies. Prerequisites: COUN 603 (2 CREDITS)
COUN 615 Theological Foundations for Counseling
Introduces basic theology and explores the implications for the counselor’s professional and personal identity. Emphasis on examining the assumptions and beliefs of the Christian worldview. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 618 Crisis Intervention and Trauma-Informed Counseling Strategies
Provides an overview of the concepts and principles in crisis counseling, including implementation across a variety of settings and with various problems and concerns. Special attention is given to understanding the impact of trauma on the individual, family, and community. Implications for a trauma informed model of care are addressed. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 622 Foundations of Addictions and Dual-Diagnosis Counseling
Introduction to the etiology of addiction co-occurring with mental illness. Provides instruction on prevention strategies, evidence-based assessment and intervention approaches when working in a dual-diagnosis setting, and a review of the current research on dual-diagnosis treatment. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 625 Psychopharmacology of Addiction
A study of basic neuroanatomy and functioning, medications and medication issues in psychopharmacology, and implications prescription drugs have for treating individuals with a dual diagnosis. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 630 Group Counseling
Provides both theoretical and experiential understandings of small groups, group counseling, group purpose, development, dynamics, and an overview of the major theories informing the practice of group counseling. Additionally, this course will contain an emphasis on group counseling methods, skills, and interventions. Students must attend Residency 2 during this course. Prerequisites: COUN 603. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 635 Counseling in a Multicultural Society
A study of the social and cultural topics and issues of a multicultural and diverse society. Specific topics include age, gender, sexual orientation, education, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, nationality, religious values, spirituality, and mental/physical characteristics. Cross-cultural counseling approaches will be explored. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 640 Family and Couple Counseling
Overview of the systemic theories that inform family and couple counseling. Healthy relational functioning, contemporary issues in families and couples, and effective counseling techniques will be addressed. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 642 Counseling Children and Adolescents
Explores the fundamental skills, strategies, and interventions for counseling children and adolescents across a variety of settings; including, schools, multidisciplinary clinics and hospitals, in-home, and residential programs. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 643 Gerontological Counseling
Explores the adaptations that can be used when counseling older adults. Specific topics include grief and loss, chronic illness, cognitive impairment, family caregivers, interdisciplinary collaboration, and ethics. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 645 Human Sexuality
Provides an overview of psychological, developmental, social-cultural, and spiritual variables associated with sexuality. Counseling strategies for addressing issues of sexuality will be addressed. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 647 Introduction to Play Therapy
Introduces the theories and skills for providing play-based therapy in individual, family, and group counseling approaches. Application of play therapy interventions for specific child and adolescent mental health concerns will be addressed. Prerequisite: COUN 642 (3 CREDITS)
COUN 661 Research and Evaluation in Counseling and Education
This course will prepare students to engage in understanding and critically evaluating research in education and the mental health field. Students will gain a thorough knowledge of APA format and experience in designing, implementing, and presenting research and program evaluation. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 680 Appraisal in Mental Health Counseling
Survey of measurement and evaluation techniques that can be used in individual, family, and group services. Students will gain experience analyzing and interpreting psychometric data from standardized instruments, self-report forms, objective and projective assessments. The ethical considerations of testing and assessment will be discussed. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 683 Psychopathology and Diagnosis: Childhood through Adulthood
Provides information on the etiology, prevalence, current literature, and diagnostic classification of psychopathology from childhood through adulthood. Diagnostic methods using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will be emphasized. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 685 Clinical Intervention and Treatment Planning
This course will review the current literature on evidence based clinical counseling interventions and prepare students to develop targeted treatment plans for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders and dysfunctional behaviors. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 690 Capstone
This course serves as a professional experience where students integrate core counseling concepts, research, and practice into a professional project to be presented during Residency III’s research forum. (2 CREDITS)
COUN 695 Practicum: Mental Health Counseling
The initial supervised, field-based, clinical experience in providing counseling services. The practicum course requires a minimum of 100 clock hours (40 direct service hours). Supervision will be onsite and in class. This course has a synchronous component of weekly supervision facilitated by a faculty. The timing of this supervision is determined by the course instructor. (3 CREDIT)
COUN 697 Internship I: Mental Health Counseling
Supervised, field-based, clinical training where students will gain direct experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. Internship requires a total of 600 clock hours (240 direct service hours) between Internship I and II. Supervision will be onsite and in class. This course has a synchronous component of weekly supervision facilitated by a faculty. The timing of this supervision is determined by the course instructor. (3 CREDITS)
COUN 698 Internship II: Mental Health Counseling
Supervised, field-based, clinical training where students will gain direct experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. Internship requires a total of 600 clock hours (240 direct service hours) between Internship I and II. Supervision will be onsite and in class. This course has a synchronous component of weekly supervision facilitated by a faculty. The timing of this supervision is determined by the course instructor. Prerequisite: COUN 697 (3 CREDITS)
COUN 699 Internship III: Mental Health Counseling
Supervised, field-based, clinical training where students will gain direct experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. Internship III provides students with additional hours of academic supervised clinical experience. Supervision will be onsite and in class. This course has a synchronous component of weekly supervision facilitated by a faculty. The timing of this supervision is determined by the course instructor. Prerequisite: COUN 698 (CREDITS 1-3)