CCMH/506 - Personality Theories and Counseling Models

Course Description

This course enables students to differentiate among the primary theoretical models of personality theory and counseling practice, including psychodynamic, affective, cognitive behavioral, humanistic, interpersonal, multicultural, and systems theory. A focus on evidence-based practices that incorporate cultural diversity issues with population- specific approaches is significant feature of this course. Emphasis is on the importance of students recognizing belief systems that accurately reflect their own personal style and to recognize strategies and approaches likely to be most successful with a particular client population. Students have opportunities to establish a strong theoretical foundation as the basis of clinical practice and to evaluate and assess clinical situations for implementation of therapeutic interventions that are gender and culturally appropriate. Assessment and intervention for emergency/crisis is introduced.

This graduate course is 8 weeks.

This course has a prerequisite. Please see details in the Prerequisite section below. Students may complete a maximum of four (4) graduate level courses from the available counseling course selection.

Students residing in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, or North Carolina and individuals who live outside the United States are not eligible to enroll in this course.

PLEASE NOTE:
Attendance and participation are mandatory in all university courses, and specific requirements may differ by course. If attendance requirements are not met, a student may be removed from the course. Please review the Course Attendance Policy in the Catalog for more information.

Course Objectives

Week 1

• Describe the history and philosophy of the counseling profession.
• Discuss the basic construct of personality as a foundation for counseling theories and counseling models.
• Explain the importance of following a theoretical orientation in counseling.
• Describe common ethical issues in the counseling profession.

Week 2

• Describe the major principles of psychoanalytic theory and its contributors.
• Explain the major concepts of Adlerian theory and their application to counseling.
• Demonstrate understanding of appropriate counseling strategies of psychoanalytic and Adlerian counseling models.

Week 3

• Describe the existential approach to counseling.
• Explain the application of the major concepts of person-centered theory to counseling.
• Describe the major concepts of Gestalt theory.
• Demonstrate understanding of appropriate counseling strategies of existential, person-centered, and Gestalt counseling models.

Week 4

• Describe the major concepts of behavioral theory and their application to counseling.
• Analyze the major concepts of cognitive–behavioral theory.
• Explain choice theory and the reality therapy approach to counseling.
• Compare the cognitive behavioral approaches to counseling.

Week 5

• Describe the application of the major principles of feminist theory to counseling.
• Explain the main concepts of constructive theory.

Week 6

• Describe the major principles of family systems counseling models.
• Explain the importance of culturally competent counseling.
• Describe the major principles of multicultural counseling.

Week 7

• Describe the effect of new generation therapies on the field of counseling.

Week 8

• Evaluate theoretical assumptions and major differences in counseling approaches.
• Justify a personal theoretical alignment.

Notes

A prerequisite is required for this course. The purpose of a prerequisite is to ensure students have the knowledge and/or skills needed to be successful in the course. Students are required to provide proof of prerequisite during the enrollment/registration process. To meet to a course prerequisite requirement, a student must have successfully completed the prerequisite course at University of Phoenix, provide proof via transcript of completing a comparable course (at least 75% match) or higher level course with at least a grade of C at another institution or have a University of Phoenix approved Student Appeal on file with the University.

This course requires the prerequisite below. Click on the prerequisite course to review the course topics and objectives.

Disclaimers

The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses.

While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with an Enrollment Representative.

Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.