Course Descriptions

EDCS 502. Human Communication Skills (4) A communication skills course that examines interpersonal processes related to the development of counseling skills and strategies and their application to interviewing, assessment and intervention in school and community settings. Demonstration of skills using videotape and feedback is required. {Fall}

EDCS 505. Cross Cultural Counseling (4) Focus on attitudes and issues arising from different values and cultural assumptions which affect educational counseling. Attention to cultural sub-groupings of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, relationship status, age, disability, and other demographics as they relate to the counseling process. Emphasis on counselor roles in advocacy. {Fall}

EDCS 510. Theories of Developmental Counseling with Children and Adolescents (4) Focuses on the major developmental approaches to counseling interventions with children and adolescents, integrating learning theories and language development. Attention to developmental issues and tasks necessary for competent counseling with children and adolescents, including cognitive, biological, psychological, social and cultural processes that influence or disrupt normal development. {Winter}

EDCS 515. Theories of Developmental Counseling with Adults and Families (4) Exploration of the biological, psychological, social developmental tasks, and the life events of the adult years, including a family and vocational perspective. The focus is on developmental issues salient to relationships, separation/divorce, blended families, biethnic/biracial families and their effect on academic and personal success. {Spring}

EDCS 525. Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling (4) Focus on legal and ethical issues pertaining to educational and community counseling as found in State codes and in professional organizational ethical standards. Included are the laws governing minors and the reporting requirement imposed upon educational counselors by regulation, statute and case law. Professional orientation issues, such as goals of professional organizations, standards training and credentialing requirements are also presented. {Spring}

EDCS 530. Human Sexuality (4) Course focuses on the integration of human sexuality issues and their impact on the educational counseling process. The emphasis will be on identification of issues and the use of counseling strategies and techniques to facilitate healthy development and functioning in educational and community counseling settings. {not offered at this time}

EDCS 540. Introduction to Counseling (4) This introductory course focuses on the role and function of the counselor within the social structure of the educational and community system, including a discussion of the current trends in the organization and delivery of pupil personnel services, student services and community counseling services in multicultural educational settings. {Fall, Spring}

EDCS 532. Assessment for Counselors (4) Survey of selected assessment instruments, including standardized tests and other programs and techniques commonly used by school counselors to evaluate individuals and groups. Addressed are factors that bear upon academic assessment and achievement and the selection, administration, and interpretation of instruments appropriate to academic, career and personal/social counseling. {Winter}

EDCS 560. Research Methods in Educational Counseling (4) An analysis of methods utilized in educational counseling research. Emphasis on review of literature, hypothesis testing, proper sampling techniques and data collection, statistical methods for data analysis and interpretation of results as reported in counseling literature. {Winter}

EDCS 570. Career Counseling (4) Focuses on the processes of career and academic development through the life span, including an emphasis on theories of career education and career counseling, culturally different populations, the interface between the individual and the organizational climate and the resources utilized in the career and academic counseling process. {Spring}

EDCS 581. Practicum (4) Focuses on the observation of the practice of counselors across five distinct settings: elementary schools, junior high/middle school, senior high schools, postsecondary student services and community agencies. The major thrust will be on providing supervised experiential experiences of school counseling procedures and practices that focus on the academic, career and social/personal issues. {Fall}

EDCS 590. Special Problems in Counseling (1) Review and analysis of specific topics in counseling. May be used to extend field practice for those students requiring more than three quarters to complete the required hours of Internship (field practice). Prerequisite: Permission of Coordinator. (Fall, Winter, Spring)

EDCS 601. Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence (4) Focus on understanding the issues of substance abuse and domestic violence as they affect educational success. Addressed will be prevention, assessment, intervention and legal reporting issues related to substance abuse and violence in families. {Fall}

EDCS 605. Theories of Counseling (4) Focus upon basic concepts and theoretical models of counseling with an emphasis on their application for use with students in educational settings. Models may include Psychoanalytic, Cognitive, behavioral, Person Centered, Gestalt, reality, Solution-Focused, Existential and Brief approaches. Application of each theoretical perspective across the life span and with diverse populations is discussed. {Spring}

EDCS 620. Group Counseling (4) Focus on the major approaches to group counseling for applications to college or university settings. Emphasis on small and large group processes and involvement in group experiential activities designed to relate the counseling process to theory. Not designed for School Counseling concentration. {Spring}

EDCS 635. Theory and Practice of Consultation (4) This course focuses on discussion of the theory and practice of consultation and other primary skills required for effective functioning for student service professions in higher education settings. It is designed to enable counselors to promote primary prevention and facilitate change processes by functioning as consultants and managers within a variety of college and university settings. Not designed for School Counseling concentration. {Winter every 2 years}

EDCS 645. Techniques of School Counseling (4) Course focuses on the development of the counseling skills necessary for effective functioning within multicultural educational settings. Experiences in curriculum awareness, assessment of classroom interaction, interpretation of educational tests and academic and career planning will be provided through observation, demonstration and practice Not designed for Student Affairs concentration. {Winter}

EDCS 650. Group and Consultation in School Settings (4) Focus on the theory and skills necessary for effective group and consultation interventions in multicultural K-12 educational settings. Enables school counselors to establish the conditions necessary for primary and secondary change in such settings. Not designed for Student Affairs concentration. {Spring}

EDCS 691. Counseling Internship (5) Supervised field practice that allows the demonstration of knowledge and skill in areas of educational assessment, personal and social counseling, academic and career counseling, program development, program coordination and supervision, consultation, legal aspects and professional ethics. Students must provide evidence of professional liability insurance to enroll. Offered on credit/no-credit basis only. Prerequisite: Advanced to Candidacy standing and permission to enroll by Internship Coordinator. {Fall, Winter, Spring}

EDCS 692. Counseling Internship II (5) This course is a continuation of EDCS 691.Students must provide evidence of professional liability insurance to enroll. Offered on credit/no-credit basis only. Prerequisite: EDCS 691 and permission to enroll by Internship Coordinator. {Fall, Winter, Spring}

EDCS 693 Counseling Internship III (5) This course is a continuation of EDCS 692. A minimum of six hundred (600) clock hours of field practice is required (across EDCS 691, 692 and 693). Students must provide evidence of professional liability insurance to enroll. Offered on credit/no-credit basis only. Prerequisite: EDCS 692 and permission to enroll by Internship Coordinator. {Fall, Winter, Spring}

EDCS 696. Master's Project: Counseling (5) This is a supervised project appropriate to the professional field of counseling. The written abstract includes objectives, methodology and a conclusion. Prerequisite: Submission and Acceptance of Culminating Activity form to Graduate Studies Evaluator, Advanced to Candidacy Standing and permission to enroll by Program Coordinator. {Fall, Winter, Spring}

EDCS 697. Master's Exam: Counseling (2) This is a comprehensive examination in the field of counseling. Prerequisite: Submission and Acceptance of Culminating Activity form to Graduate Studies Evaluator, Advanced to Candidacy Standing and permission to enroll by Program Coordinator. {Fall, Winter, Spring}