Courses

This course explores the laws and ethics that guide practitioners in the field of counselling psychology. Students will be expected to grapple with complex issues that arise when confronted with ethical dilemmas in a variety of professional contexts, including clinical practice, research, teaching, consultation, and supervision. Since ethical and legal principles are not the only standards by which counsellors make decisions, students will be challenged to integrate these guidelines with their personal values and spiritual beliefs, as well as clinical judgments and multicultural considerations. This is a “capstone” course, which enables students to demonstrate their accumulated learning throughout the Counselling Psychology program.

Focuses on the theory, interventions, and research relevant to providing crisis management services with people experiencing situational, transitional, and cultural/socio-structural crises. The course, based on a psycho-socio-cultural perspective, explores the interaction of crises with situational factors, developmental status, family dynamics, ethnicity, and gender. The course involves exploration of interactions between crises and situational factors, developmental levels, family dynamics, ethnicity, and gender, as well as both didactic and skills development components.

This course is designed to provide students with a foundation in the theory and practice of assessment, diagnosis and interventions with children and youth. Consideration of presenting problems will be informed by understanding of lifespan human development. Both individual- and systems-focused interventions will be examined. An advocacy focus on culturally competent perspectives, collaboration with larger systems, and the impact of sociocultural issues on children and families is maintained. Expressive and structured counseling modalities are considered as they relate to research evidence and the need to tailor interventions to individual clients' needs. Discussion of faith-informed perspectives and legal-ethical principles as they inform practice with children and their families will be encouraged.

This course is designed to provide students with a foundation in the theory and practice of assessment, diagnosis and interventions with couples and older adults. Consideration of presenting problems will be informed by understanding of lifespan human development. Both individual- and systems- focused interventions will be examined. An advocacy focus on culturally competent perspectives, collaboration with larger systems, and the impact of sociocultural issues on couples and older adults is maintained. A clinical focus on relational violence will be used to integrate various professional priorities. Multiple clinical modalities are considered as they relate to research evidence and the need to tailor interventions to individual clients' needs. Discussion of faith-informed perspectives and legal-ethical principles as they inform practice with couples and older adults will be encouraged.

This course covers basic principles of psychometrics as applied to the construction and validation of formal tests as well as an introduction to the administration and interpretation of assessment instruments. Addresses ethical standards of test usage, multicultural assessment, and assessment paradigms. Students learn how to select appropriate tests for specific purposes, to conduct assessment interviews, and to synthesize qualitative and quantitative assessment information in normal personality assessment. Overviews ethical, legal, and cultural facets of psychological assessment. Students are introduced to selected cognitive, personality/behavioral assessment instruments and trained in administration, interpretation, report writing and assessment feedback through a mandatory course lab experience. Multicultural and multilingual issues in assessment are addressed.

Examines the foundations of counselling in various educational settings, including elementary and secondary schools, and college counselling, and explores relevant issues and challenges relating to diverse learners, community contexts, and the changing ecology of education in Canada. This skill-building course emphasizes legal and ethical standards of practice and the importance of developing a comprehensive counselling program for students. The class sessions are interactive and experiential, providing opportunities for critical discussion, site visits, and professional consultation.

Examination of paradigms and developments in professional ethics. This course builds on the 184 professional ethics training infused throughout the curriculum, including topics in legal issues, family therapy, professional psychology and counselling, consultation, and client advocacy. International developments are addressed in professional mobility and regulations, competency standards, and multicultural contexts of professional standards. Emphasis is placed on fostering student proficiency in navigating licensure requirements and fostering accountability in professional practice.

Current theories and treatments of addictive behaviour are reviewed, and the impact of addiction upon family systems and other relationships is particularly stressed. Content includes reviews of the effects of mood-altering substances on the body, and therapy modalities for both chemical and process addictions. Co-occurring disorders are addressed, and students are introduced to agency settings where addiction treatment is offered.

A survey of recently developed assessments and treatments for psychological trauma and dissociation, especially sequelae of domestic violence, sexual abuse and sexual assault. Trauma-related disorders include: PTSD, Complex PTSD, Dissociative Disorders, Somatoform Disorders, Eating Disorders, and Substance Abuse Disorders. The neuroscience of psychological trauma, along with relational, cultural, and sociological influences, is also discussed.