This course studies the current ethical issues and professional role of marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors and school counselors. This includes study of the Texas Family Code, the licensing acts for Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, and regulations for school counselors. A comprehensive study is made of contemporary practices of consultation and coordination in the school counseling profession. The course includes study of community service agencies, referral sources, legal and ethical practices and the acquisition of practical school counseling skills. The course provides supervised experiences in a counseling setting.
Study is made of the duties and responsibilities of the counselor at work.
Study will include the principles of assessment and evaluation in counseling, assessment instruments used in the counseling services, elementary statistical concepts, methods of evaluating assessment instruments, the process of synthesizing and interpreting assessment data, and the ethics of assessment. The focus of this course will be on advanced issues related to substance abuse treatment. Primarily there will be an exploration of individual counseling strategies and techniques. This course will provide students with a critical understanding of a variety of important issues and problems surrounding the subject of drugs. A different topic will be discussed each class meeting.