Plan of Study

This course is designed to provide theoretical and experiential knowledge regarding basic principles of educational assessment and intervention for all learners. Teacher candidates will become data and assessment literate, focusing on examining the use of assessment practices and strategies to improve student success. This course places a strong emphasis on the planning of formative and summative assessments, the analysis of the use of data-driven instruction, and the application of grading practices. Teacher candidates will become familiar with measures to assess learners with special needs and learners from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. Teacher candidates will develop data literacy to utilize assessment data to analyze and adjust curriculum and assessments to enhance their instructional practices and to implement evidence-based, data-driven instructional interventions.

This course focuses on the nature of physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and moral development from birth through adolescence, with implications for learning and teaching; major perspectives on the study of child development, including Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of child development and learning; periods of child development from birth through adolescence, seen in cultural context, with implications for learning and teaching; integration of theory and research findings from the fields of developmental and educational psychology; and multicultural contexts for growth, development, and learning with diverse student populations.

This course offers a review of the historical, philosophical, legal, and ethical underpinnings of the school counseling profession. The course explores the current and emerging role of the school counselor, from writing student assessments and dealing with school crises to setting budgets and running effective meetings. The course also addresses the transformed role of school counselor as it pertains to the American School Counselor Association's National Model for Counseling Programs.

The course explores the legal and ethical issues involved in School Counseling and the research relevant to ethical behavior of counselors in mental health, career, and school settings. The course further explores the study of important legal developments related to confidentiality, testing, and supervision.

This course provides an examination of the role and importance of the community in the school system. It also provides an important look at the significance of community relations within the school system and its impact on the students, teachers and administration. This course is meant as an introduction to the principles of the community collaboration in school-student-parent relations.

This course examines the dynamics and approaches of major theories in the field of counseling, as well as explores the historical perspectives and philosophies upon which they are based. Theories to be addressed include Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Gestalt Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy. The course will also focus on various experiential techniques.

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of theoretical and practice aspects of career development across the life-span. In this context, the major career development theories will be presented as well as the treatment implications for counseling and psycho-educational interventions.

The course provides a detailed analysis of modern learning theories and practices as they relate to the k-12 environment. The course investigates the major research in educational psychology focusing on cognition and further explores emotional and behavioral perspectives.

This course is a continuation of PSY 636 and examines additional disorders and their assessments.  The course focuses on utilizing rating scales and more quantifiable methodology to assess social-emotional status, and contrasts clinical and non-clinical populations. Work, school and home intervention techniques are emphasized and include topics such as functional behavioral assessment, and behavior management applications.

For School Counselors, understanding teaching and learning is critical. Besides testing and counseling, School Counselors are expected to serve on pre-referral intervention teams and to consult with over-worked teachers on a variety of issues. This course provides students with tools to perform those functions. Students attain a basic understanding of how people learn, as well as the most popular theories about learning as a social and cognitive process. Focus is on recognizing where and how learning problems typically arise, tools and strategies to prevent and/or remediate such problems. While there is an assessment component, this is not a testing course. The assessment in this course is dynamic in nature and used directly in intervention planning.  Consultation issues are briefly covered.

This course covers a range of issues involved in managing a school counseling program, from writing student assessments and dealing with school crises to setting budgets and running effective meetings. The course addresses the transformed role of school counselor as it pertains to the American School Counselor Association's National Model for Counseling Programs. The course further provides the necessary knowledge for developing a comprehensive school counseling program by working through the planning, designing, implementing and evaluating stages.

The focus of this course is to develop an understanding of the role and dynamics of a family in the management of exceptional children. The course introduces Family Systems theory and also explores the family as a mediator of the culture and as a context within which the child develops. The course addresses the interactions of families with children with handicapping conditions such as medical conditions and learning problems. A focus is on the impact of the child with special needs on parents and siblings. Students develop skills in assessing the family’s interactions with the referred child, and evaluation of the family’s needs. They become familiar with the impact and relevance of the socio/economic and cultural context for families with special needs children.

The course builds on theories introduced in the prerequisite course, Use of Self (PSGN 682), and applies these theories to diagnosing key challenges in organizations.  Students learn to use a consultative approach to affect change.  Discussion, role-play, field practice and reflection will be the primary tools for learning. Students must be prepared to find a “client” with which to conduct fieldwork.

This practicum experience provides 100 hours of supervised practice in a counseling setting similar to the setting in which the student may be placed in internships. The practicum includes class meetings for group supervision and discussions and is designed to provide opportunities for students to work with diverse clients and client situations, affording students a structured and supportive environment in which to apply counseling theories, techniques and skills learned in previous course work. Focusing on the school environment (K-12), students also develop skills in observations, feedback, case preparation, interview analysis and reporting as well as become aware of a variety of professional resources and community referral agencies.

This course examines the role of the school counselor in serving children and adolescents who present behavior problems in the school and/or community. The course introduces basic behavior management techniques. The course further focuses on teaching social skills (primarily through cognitive or cognitive behavioral interventions) with an emphasis on teaching students self-regulations and strategies aimed at changing their own behavior.

This course provides a solid understanding of the process of improving high schools so that more students are able to excel in freshman-level college courses or entry-level jobs, laying a solid foundation for lifelong growth and success. The course also provides guidelines for high school faculty to adapt their programs of instruction in the direction of enhanced college/career readiness. Further explored are practical strategies for improving students' content knowledge and academic behaviors through best practices and research-based recommendations for change.

This course is designed to provide an overview of different perspectives on multiculturalism in North American society, including theories and models of identity development as they pertain to ecological and societal forces influencing the provision of counseling services to culturally diverse clients in educational and community settings. The aim of this course is to provide students with skills to increase their effectiveness in serving underrepresented and minority populations.

The purpose of this practicum experience is to provide opportunities for students to work with diverse clients and client situations, affording students a structured and supportive environment in which to apply counseling theories, techniques and skills learned in previous course work. Focusing on the school environment (K-12), students also develop skills in observations, feedback, case preparation, interview analysis and reporting as well as become aware of a variety of professional resources and community referral agencies.

This course covers the theoretical foundations and current research on the impact of trauma and disasters on children, adolescents and adults. It focuses on best practices for short-term and crisis intervention to support a return to normalcy and resilience in youth. A major focus is on identification, intervention, and treatment of children who exhibit signs of distress or who are at-risk for future mental health problems. Group work is explored as a means to therapeutically intervene with youngsters who exhibit signs of traumatic stress.

As a continuation of SC 701, the purpose of this internship 300 hour experience is to provide opportunities for students to work with diverse clients and client situations, affording students a structured and supportive environment in which to apply counseling theories, techniques and skills learned in previous course work. The internship includes class meetings for group supervision and discussions, focusing on the school environment (K-12). Students will develop skills in observations, feedback, case preparation, interview analysis and reporting as well as become aware of a variety of professional resources and community referral agencies.