News - Rutgers - School of Health Professions

Rutgers SHP Requirements for Graduation and Course Descriptions

Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation & Counseling Professions

Psychiatric Rehabilitation

PSRT5313 - Foundations of the Counseling Profession

Course Description

This course provides an overview of the foundations of the counseling profession including the history and philosophy of the field; counselor roles, functions and scope of practice; professional credentialing; public and private policy processes; counseling-related legislation; ethical standards and decision-making, and advocacy processes to address institutional and social barriers.

Credits/Modes of Instruction

Credits: 3

Modes of instruction include lecture, classroom-based activities, and discussion. This course is offered in both on-campus and online formats.

Prerequisites

None

Course Goals and Outcomes:

Goals

This course will assist students in understanding the following aspects of counseling practice:
Establishing professional identity as a counselor including understanding of counseling roles, functions, and scope of practice as well as relationships with other service providers;
History and philosophy of the counseling profession including current societal issues and trends;
Professional organizations such as ACA, NJCA, NRA, NJRA, AMHCA, their divisions, state chapters, branches and affiliates, including membership benefits, activities, services to members and current emphases;
Professional credentialing, including certification, licensure and accreditation practice and standards, and the effects of public policy on these issues;
Ethical standards of the ACA and its divisions and the CRCC and how to address ethical decision-making;
Counseling-related legislation including the rights of people with disabilities;
Public and private policy processes including the role of the counselor in advocacy on behalf of the profession;
Advocacy processes required to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity and success for clients;
The organizational structure of community-based service systems (public, private-for-profit, and not-for-profit service settings) including mental and physical healthcare, educational, and rehabilitation service systems;
Informed client choice, review and personal responsibility in the counseling process, and how to operationalize these principles in practice;
Technological competence and computer literacy.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Describe counseling roles, function, and scope of practice including relationships with other service providers;
Discuss the history and philosophy of the counseling profession, including specializations within the field and current societal issues and trends;
Name the national and state organizations for the counseling profession and list their activities, services, and benefits as well as discuss their current emphases;
identify differences among certification, licensure, and accreditation and discuss effects of public policy on these issues;
Using the ACA Code of Ethics and other relevant Codes, apply ethical decision making principles to practical problems;
Discuss major counseling-related legislation including legislation concerning the rights of people with disabilities;
Describe public and private policy processes and plan an advocacy effort to address an issue on behalf of the profession;
Identify institutional and societal barriers that impede client access, equity, and success, and discuss approaches such as advocacy to address them;
Give an overview of the organizational structure of the community service system including the relationship among public, not-for-profit, and private, for-profit services.
Name ways to facilitate client choice, review and personal responsibility in the counseling process; and
Demonstrate technological competence and computer literacy in using computer resources to research counseling-related materials including accessing ACA and other related counseling journals.