Consider organizing your paper by making each bullet point a level one heading
• Strengths and areas for improvement (1-1 ½ pages). Students will identify one strength in the session as well as one area for improvement (also describe how you can improve in this area). Points should be supported with examples. What are your goal/s for development in this class/progress?
• Commonalities (1/2 – 1 page). Read the Commonalities of Therapist Development. Discuss what category you are in and where you would like to be at the end of your graduate program and why. What resources, training, motivation, etc. do you think it will take in order for you to become an experienced professional?
• Theory (1-1 ½ pages). Students will examine how their personal theory of counseling was used to help guide their work in the session. Describe one concept of your approach and how that concept influenced how you worked with the mock client. In the event you can not identify how you used theory to guide your session, discuss how you can do so in the next session and why it is important.
• Self-care (1/2-1 page). Counseling students as well as practicing counselors should practice self-care as well as advocate for clients to implement it in their lives. Students will identify and describe at least one way in which they implement self-care during the week. If you do not practice it currently, reflect on why that may be. What are some things that you could begin to implement self-care?
Course Objective: Analyze counselor characteristics, roles, and behaviors conducive to building a positive therapeutic working alliance with a diverse client population. (CLO1)
• Learning outcome 1: Illustrate understanding of commonalities of counselor development and reflect on the growth of a counselor. (W2LO1)
• Learning outcome 2: Investigate the efficacy of core conditions facilitative to building the counseling relationship. (W2LO2)
• Learning outcome 3: Utilize counseling theory to provide techniques and strategies for client success. (W2LO3)
• Learning outcome 4: Identify and reflect upon personal acts of self-care/wellness or lack thereof and how student can implement self-care in his/her daily routine. (W2LO4)
Course Objective: Examine the use of counseling skills, strategies, techniques and behaviors to provide services to clients. (CLO2)
• Learning outcome 1: Critique strengths and areas of improvement for peer videos to enhance peer’s counseling skills as well as student’s own skills. (W2LO1)
• Learning outcome 2: Integrate appropriate listening and reflection (reflection of content) counseling skills based upon personal theory of counseling. (W2LO2)
Course Objective: Develop invitational and advanced counseling skills for use within a counseling setting to promote client wellness and success. (CLO3)
• Learning outcome: Select and apply appropriate attending and invitational counseling skills such as verbal tracking, selective attending and paraphrasing in addition to Week 1’s skills to connect with clients. (W2LO1)
See articles also: • Mayorga, M.G., Devries, S.R., & Wardle, E.A. (2015). The practice of self-care among counseling students. Journal on Educational Psychology, 8, 21-28. SelfCare.pdf
• Watts, R.E. (1993). Developing a personal theory of counseling: A brief guide for students. Journal of Professional Counseling, 21(1), 103-104. Watts 1993 Developing a Personal Theory of Counseling.pdf
