Term: Fall, 1999
Class Time: Wednesday, 7:00 to 9:45 p.m.
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Edwards,
                     Dr. Anita Thomas
                     Dr. Sara Schwarzbaum

Course Description
        Practicum II: Clinical Experiences in Community and Family Counseling consists of a minimum of 100 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in an appropriate setting. At least 40 of these hours are to be spent in direct service to clients. Practicum II is to be taken concurrently with Practicum I: Group Supervision in Community Counseling. This course contributes to the counseling proficiency component of the program and is required of all students in the community and family sequence.

Prerequisites
        All course work completed for Master's degree except the research course.

Required Texts
        Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Callanan, P. (1998). Issues and ethics in the helping professions. Pacific Grove, CA, USA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
        Faiver, C., Eisengart, S.; Colonna, R., (1995). The counselor intern's handbook. Pacific Grove, CA, USA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.

Course Objectives
        The purposes of the clinical experiences are:

1. To provide the opportunity for counselors-in-training to work under supervision in an appropriate setting for a minimum of 200 hours, 40 of which are to be in direct service to clients.
2. To help them review and expand their repertoire of micro-counseling skills.
3. To allow them to put into practice the diagnostic and treatment planning strategies that they have learned in prior courses, including the concurrent Practicum I.
4. To help them integrate counseling skills and conceptual frameworks to create strategies to assist their clients.
5. Weekly individual supervision to the counselor-in-training.

Clinical Competencies
        Students should demonstrate through clinical practice their understanding of the following:

1. The ethical guidelines of the ACA, including stipulations regarding confidentiality, dual relationships, and professional disclosure.
2. The Illinois Confidentiality Act.
3. The preparation and presentation of a professional disclosure statement.
4. The clinical use of DSM-IV,
5. The on-going process of clinical assessment,
6. The appropriate use of micro-counseling skills and counseling strategies.
7. The appropriate use of an integrated counseling model.
8. Problem-solving and decision-making strategies, which may include, but not be limited to, the following:
        a) Reframing
        b) Special diagnostic questions:
                     i) How would your life be different if you didn't have this symptom?
                    ii) What is a typical day for you?
                    iii) If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
        c) Sentence completion exercises
        d) Visualization/focusing
        e) Empty chair
        f) Role playing
        g) Homework assignments
        h) Test administration and interpretation
        i) Referral

Integrative Frameworks
        Students should demonstrate their ability to select and use appropriate interpretive frameworks, which may include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Immediate gratification vs. postponement of gratification.
2. Discrepancies among ideal/perceived/experienced self (Rogers)
3. The ABCD approach to the identification of maladaptive beliefs and subsequent cognitive restructuring (Ellis)
4. The three basic questions of Glasser as a means of helping the client to identify maladaptive behavior (What do you want?, What are you doing?, Is what you are doing getting you what you want?)
5. Beck's three levels of thought processes (voluntary thoughts, automatic thoughts, assumptions or schemes) as a way of identifying maladaptive thought processes.
6. The influence of early life experiences on current assumptions and behavior (i.e., use of a mini-life style assessment based on Adler's theories or an exploration of early development using object relations theory).
7. Theoretical frameworks for viewing behavior patterns growing out of dysfunctional family life (alcoholism or drug abuse, child sexual abuse/incest, psychological, physical, and/or sexual abuse).
8. Theoretical frameworks for viewing emotional response patterns, including anger, shame, grief, fear, forgiveness, worry, anxiety.

Student Responsibilities
        Students are expected to:

1. Complete a minimum of 100 hours of on-sight supervised clinical experience, including 40 hours of individual counseling and 6 hours of group counseling.
2. Attend and participate in university and site supervision and coordination sessions with university and site supervisors.
3. Demonstrate their clinical competence as outlined above.
4. Be introspective, open, and receptive to feedback.
5. Demonstrate flexibility by making appropriate changes in response to feedback.
6. Evidence behavior in counseling relationships that:
7. Reflect a non-judgmental attitude which is:
            genuine, sincere and understanding,
            conveys positive regard,
            free of disruptive personal views and behavior.

Supervision
        Each clinical student will receive an average of one hour per week of individual supervision from the site supervisor and every other week individual supervision from the university instructor. One early supervisory session will be at the placement site. The student will be required to submit a minimum of four audiotapes during the term for critical feedback from the instructor.

Evaluation
        Students will receive mid-term and final evaluations from both the on-site and university supervisors, according to the criteria outlined on the Practicum Evaluation Form. It is understood that the clinical practicum grade will reflect the evaluation of both supervisors, but the university supervisor has the final responsibility for grade assignment.

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