CNSL -Counseling

This exam provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply the theory and skills acquired in their course work. It is given during the student’s last semester of enrollment prior to graduation. The exam is a standardized written exam. Questions cover the area of specialization as indicated on the student’s degree plan and in this catalog. The policies and procedures for the administration and scoring of the comprehensive examination for each specialization are available through the Director of the Graduate Counseling Program and the Program Coordinator. The comprehensive exam may only be retaken once. Exam fee is required.

A service course designed to permit the offering of topics of current interest.

This course is designed to provide a mechanism for students to gain supervision for required internship hours that were not completed during the semester in which they were enrolled in either CNSL 6397 or CNSL 6398. Students who have not completed a minimum of 80% (240) of the required 300 hours for Internship II must enroll in this course in order to continue accruing hours for internship. Students who wish to accrue supervised hours outside of the published dates of a course may also use this course to accrue internship hours. Students are required to meet with faculty and complete a deficiency contract stating how long they need to complete the remaining hours and to enroll in one credit for each month (or portion of a month) they need to complete the required hours for Internship II (e.g., one month or less = one credit; one to two months = two credits; two to three months = 3 credits). This course can be enrolled in concurrently with CNSL 6398 Internship II (for students who did not complete Internship I hours on time). This course can also be used for students who were unable to complete CNSL 6398 Internship II hours as a means of maintaining continuous enrollment until graduation. This course can be repeated as needed. Approval is needed prior to registering for this course. Lab fee is required.

A service course designed to permit the offering of topics of current interest.

This course is designed to provide a mechanism for students to gain supervision for required internship hours that were not completed during the semester in which they were enrolled in either CNSL 6397 or CNSL 6398. Students who have not completed a minimum of 80% (240) of the required 300 hours for Internship II must enroll in this course in order to continue accruing hours for internship. Students who wish to accrue supervised hours outside of the published dates of a course may also use this course to accrue internship hours. Students are required to meet with faculty and complete a deficiency contract stating how long they need to complete the remaining hours and to enroll in one credit for each month (or portion of a month) they need to complete the required hours for Internship II (e.g., one month or less = one credit; one to two months = two credits; two to three months = 3 credits). This course can be enrolled in concurrently with CNSL 6398 Internship II (for students who did not complete Internship I hours on time). This course can also be used for students who were unable to complete CNSL 6398 Internship II hours as a means of maintaining continuous enrollment until graduation. This course can be repeated as needed. Approval is needed prior to registering for this course. Lab fee is required.

This course is designed to explore the major conceptual approaches, methods, and techniques; evaluation; and ethical and legal issues related to clinical supervision of master’s level therapists. Definitions, theory-based approaches, supervision formats, and research are reviewed. This course is taught with both a didactic and experiential component. Throughout this course, students will focus on strategies for working with supervisees representing diverse backgrounds and developmental and learning styles. After a critical analysis of the purpose of supervision and theoretical frameworks and models of marriage and family supervision. Students will develop and apply their own theory of supervision in a supervised practice setting that includes each student supervising a group of clinical mental health counseling practicum students. Approval is needed prior to registering for this course.

This course provides an in-depth study of the theory and practice of brief counseling with individuals, couples, and families. Students will learn to integrate brief and solution-focused theory and apply these skills with individuals and families.

Study is made of the psychology of career choice and its effects upon human development as well as the psychological, sociological, and phenomenological factors affecting career/life plans. Systematic study of career inquiry, job analysis, manpower trends, forecasting, and futuristic jobs are covered. Students will have the “hands-on-experience” of using career information and career counseling strategies. Lab fee.

This course provides students with an understanding of the various systemic approaches and presenting issues in marital and couples therapy and unique ethical dilemmas faced in working with couples. The experiential component of the course gives students the opportunity to practice marital counseling strategies using a variety of approaches.

Students are introduced to the theories and etiology of addictions and addictive behaviors, including strategies for prevention, intervention, and treatment. This course also introduces the student to psychopharmacological interventions as they relate to clinical mental health counseling to include medication classification, indications, contraindications, and side-effects. Techniques used in psychoeducation with clients and other health care members are also discussed.

This course serves as an introduction to play therapy and provides an overview of counseling interventions with children and adolescents in agency, school, and community-based settings. Group, individual, and family systems techniques will be covered. Emphasis will be on understanding the interactions between the developmental needs of children and adolescents and finding counseling techniques appropriate for these age groups. Childhood disorders and developmental diagnoses will also be discussed as well as techniques for consulting with parents.

This course, offered in a lecture and seminar format, provides students with the opportunity to study ethical standards as they apply to counselors and mental health providers. The course examines various codes of ethics, professional organizations, licensure and other credentialing processes, advocacy and public policy, professional identity, and current issues within the counseling profession. This course must be taken the first or second semester of the student’s graduate course of study and prior to enrolling in clinical instruction courses. Students must pass this course with a grad of "B" or higher before they can be admitted to candidacy. This course may be retaken only once.

This course provides an in-depth study of the theories of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development from the prenatal period through aging and death. Biological and environmental foundations, cultural influences, and diversity of lifestyles in adult development are considered. Strategies for facilitating development and wellness across the lifespan are included. This course will use both lecture and seminar formats. The student will learn how human development impacts the counseling process.

This core course includes the study of group development and group counseling theories. Further considerations include group leadership styles, methods and skills, and ethical considerations in group work. Group dynamics will be studied through participation in an experiential growth group. Lab fee required.

This course provides an introduction to the study of behavioral, emotional, and mental disorders, including the models used in the study and treatment of clinical mental health counseling. This course also introduces the student to clinical assessment and diagnosis using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system. This course is a prerequisite for CNSL 6326, Psychological Assessment. Students must pass this course with a grade of "B" or higher before they can be admitted to candidacy. This course may be retaken only once.

This course covers basic attending and relationship building skills needed to develop a therapeutic relationship, establish counseling goals, design intervention strategies, evaluate client outcome, and terminate the counseling relationship, as well as a model for direct intervention. Students will present digital video recordings of counseling sessions. Prerequisite CNSL 6320. Lab fee.

Basic concepts and theories in marriage and family therapy are discussed. The focus of the course is on theories of change and foundations of family systems work, including assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning.

This course introduces students to the theories used in the counseling profession and to the historical, current, and future trends in the practice of counseling. The counselor as a person and professional is explored. Students will engage in an in-depth study of the major concepts and practices of the contemporary therapeutic systems. Students must pass this course with a grade of "B" or higher before they can be admitted to candidacy. This course may be retaken only once. Lab fee.

The theory, ethical considerations, and practice of general diagnostic procedures are discussed. Students will learn the concepts of quantified assessment including statistical methods used in test development. In addition to learning to use the clinical interview, mental status exam, and biopsychosocial history as means of client assessment, students will also learn to use assessment instruments for appraisal of intelligence, achievement, personality, and addictions. Students will administer, score, and interpret a psychological battery of tests and complete a comprehensive assessment report. Prerequisites: CNSL 6308, CNSL 6315, CNSL 6320. Lab fee.

This course addresses the assessment of individual, couple, and family functioning from a systemic viewpoint. This course is designed to provide a background in relational diagnosis and assessment including skills necessary to conduct a relational assessment interview, as well as the development of assessment skills through the use of family sculpture, family genogram, role play, and exercises. The planning and implementation of marital, couple and family treatment methods are also discussed.

This course is designed to prepare students to respond effectively in critical situations and to help counsel clients who are experiencing crisis events in their lives. Students will learn that crisis intervention are founded on theory and will be able to apply theory to crisis intervention techniques to individual and family situations. Special attention will be paid to counseling approaches for use with circumstantial and developmental life crises in the community.

The goal of this course is to introduce the student to the concepts and techniques of research used in the counseling profession. The course is designed to be theoretical and applied. Students will develop an understanding of basic qualitative and quantitative research design and basic statistical analysis. Lab fee.

This course presents an in-depth study of the socialization patterns, cultural backgrounds, values, attitudes, behaviors, and learning problems of individuals whose cultural and ethnic backgrounds are different from those of the dominant culture. Emphasis is on both theoretical constructs and practice in the development of leadership roles in organizations, in clinical practice, and in the community.

This advanced course includes the study of group development and group counseling theories with the opportunity to co-lead groups under supervision. Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in advertising and screening members for groups. Group leadership styles, methods and skills, and ethical considerations in group work will be discussed. Group dynamics will be studied through participation as a co-leader in a community-based group at the Community Life Center or elsewhere. Prerequisite: CNSL 6312.

This course covers counselor roles, behaviors, and expectations in prevention, consultation, and supervision. Methods, models, and principles of consultation, prevention, and supervision are explored. Prevention and consultation opportunities for counselors are discussed for interventions related to individuals, couples, and families. Related legal and ethical issues are explored. The counselor’s role in understanding client advocacy and promoting mental health in a multicultural society are discussed.

This course provides a synthesis of information to introduce students to issues related to sexual identity development, physiological and psychological effects on sexuality and sexual relationships, deviant behavior related to sexual dysfunction, and how family can influence or be influenced by each of these issues. Student will have an opportunity to examine their own developmental process and how it may interplay with client’s issues.

This course provides an in-depth study of the symptomatology and etiology of behavioral, emotional, and mental health disorders classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system.  This course addresses major categories of psychopathology and associated treatment planning for clinical mental health counseling work. 

Prerequisite:  CNSL 6315 Abnormal Human Behavior

This course will integrate the student’s professional knowledge and skills basic to ethical clinical mental health counseling. Students will explore a wide variety of ethical and legal topics within the clinical mental health field to include: roles, functions, and settings of clinical mental health counselors; ethical administration and management of mental health programs and services; strategies for supporting client education and advocacy; and knowledge of Texas licensing rules and regulations and related government policies. This course serves as a capstone for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and helps prepare students to apply for licensure.

A service course designed to permit the offering of topics of current interest.

The course is a clinical skills building course. Emphasis is on integrating theoretical constructs and therapeutic skills. This course will also cover diverse family issues, such as working with extended families, single parents, families in the process of divorce, remarried families, and domestic violence.  This course serves as a capstone for the Marriage, Family, & Child Counseling program and helps prepare students to apply for licensure. 

This course is designed to be an in-depth study of specific theoretical interventions, to introduce the student to appropriate professional behavior in the clinical setting and to provide practice experience in skills needed in the clinical counseling environment, such as assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and record-keeping.

This course is the first of three clinical instruction courses offering supervised clinical practice in counseling skills, behaviors, professional orientation/disposition, and assessment. Primary emphasis is on performing counseling and related activities in a specified agency, church, or community clinical mental health setting. Practicum students are required to serve as counseling interns at the UMHB Community Life Center, the counselor training facility for the Graduate Counseling Program (and/or at a faculty –approved off campus site). A total of 100 clock hours are required. Of these 100 hours, 40 must be direct counseling experience with the remaining 60 hours in assessment, report writing, case consultation, peer-supervision, client staffing and educational enhancement activities such as session tape reviews and book reviews related to specific disorders, theories, and/or issues. Prerequisites: CNSL 6308, CNSL 6312, CNSL 6315, CNSL 6320, and CNSL 6394. Lab fee is required.

This course is the first half of the two-semester clinical internship course which offers supervised clinical practice in counseling skills, behaviors, professional orientation/dispositions, and assessment. Internship provides the graduate student with practical experiences that are an integral part of the helping profession. Students will serve as interns at the UMHB Community Life Center and at a faculty-approved off-campus site of their choice. Interns will complete 300 clock hours of supervised internship, 120 of which are direct service (counseling) and 180 of which are indirect service. They will receive a minimum of one hour per week of individual or triadic supervision by the off-site supervisor, a minimum of one hour per week of individual or triadic supervision by the faculty supervisor, and will attend one and a half hours per week of group supervision provided by the faculty supervisor. Students who do not completed at least 80% or 240 hours of the clinical hours required in this course by the published deadline for this course must enroll in CNSL 6399 concurrently with CNSL 6398 to complete these hours. Approval is needed the semester prior to registering for this course. Prerequisite: CNSL 6395. Lab fee is required.

This course is the second half of the two-semester clinical internship course which offers supervised clinical practice in counseling skills, behaviors, professional orientation/dispositions, and assessment. Internship provides the graduate student with practical experiences that are an integral part of the helping profession. Students will serve as interns at the UMHB Community Life Center and at a faculty approved off-campus site of their choice. Interns will complete 300 clock hours of supervised internship, 120 of which are direct service (counseling) and 180 of which are indirect service. They will receive a minimum of one hour per week of individual or triadic supervision by the off-site supervisor, a minimum of one hour per week of individual or triadic supervision by the faculty supervisor, and will attend one and a half hours per week of group supervision provided by the faculty supervisor. Students who do not completed at least 80% or 240 hours of the clinical hours required in this course by the published deadline for this course must enroll in CNSL 6399 to complete these hours. Approval is needed the semester prior to registering for this course. Lab fee is required.

This course is designed to provide a mechanism for students to gain supervision for required internship hours that were not completed during the semester in which they were enrolled in internship (for students enrolled either in or are about to enroll in CNSL 6397 or CNSL 6398). Students who have not completed a minimum of 80% (240) of the required 300 hours for Internship II must enroll in this course in order to continue accruing hours for internship. Students who wish to accrue supervised hours outside of the published dates of a course may also use this course to accrue internship hours. Students are required to meet with faculty and complete a deficiency contract stating how long they need to complete the remaining hours and to enroll in one credit for each month (or portion of a month) they need to complete the required hours for Internship II (e.g., one month or less = one credit; one to two months = two credits; two to three months = 3 credits). This course can be enrolled in concurrently with CNSL 6398 Internship II (for students who did not complete Internship I hours on time). This course can also be used for students who were unable to complete CNSL 6398 Internship II hours as a means of maintaining continuous enrollment until graduation. This course can be repeated as needed. Approval is needed prior to registering for this course. Lab fee is required.