Counselor Education 688

COED 688
Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling

1. Catalog Entry

COED 688
Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling

Prerequisite: COED 610, COED 611, and COED 612 or permission of instructor

Credit hours (3)

This course will provide graduate students the opportunity to learn, understand, implement, and experience the theories and helping skills that guide the practices of crisis intervention and trauma counseling.  Students will begin to learn how to put theory into practice in this critical area of counseling.

2. Detailed Description of Course

The course will:
• Explore crisis intervention theory, assessment and intervention
• Apply these theoretically informed methods of intervention in a variety of crisis situations and with diverse populations
• Examine and explore reactions and responses to traumatic and life-threatening events, and examine the longer term consequences of traumatic experiences
• Suggest foundational guidelines for clinical practice in trauma counseling
• Examine a number of models for processing traumas
• Propose elements of a meta-framework for counseling traumatized clients

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The course will consist of an interaction of the didactic and experiential.  The class format will be seminar style with the expectation of active class involvement and participation.  The class will have a combination of brief lectures, class discussion, small group exercises and group presentations, multimedia, and guest speakers.

4. Goals and Objectives of the Course

Upon completion of this Course and the following goals students will be able to:
• Identify characteristics and key components of crises in various contexts, settings, and populations
• Recognize different theories of crisis intervention and be able to apply a model of intervention
• Effectively assess clients along multiple dimensions of functioning
• Utilize basic crisis intervention skills
• Recognize elements of disaster mental health
• Recognize and assess symptoms of trauma and PTSD
• Utilize and access emergency services and protocols for crisis stabilization services
• Utilize general treatment goals for work with primary trauma symptom clusters
• Recognize different models for working with traumatized clients
• Identify curative factors in major models of trauma counseling
• Recognize and assess compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and identify steps toward self-care

5. Assessment Measures

The course grade will be assessed on the basis of student performance which may include the following areas:
• Class attendance and participation
• Group presentation
• Journal entries
• Article review
• Technique review
• Final examination

6. Other Course Information

None

Review and Approval
February 1, 2008