Graduate Counselling and Applied Psychology (GCAP) 648

Counselling Children and Adolescents from a Developmental Perspective (Revision 4)

Status:

Open

Delivery mode:

Paced study. Delivered via Brightspace.

Credits:

Area of study:

Counselling

Prerequisites:

GCAP 631, GCAP 633

Precluded:

None

Faculty:

Faculty of Health Disciplines

Notes:

Students with a disability, who require academic accommodation, need to register with the Access to Students with Disabilities Centre at Athabasca University. Notification of the need for academic accommodation must normally be provided to the program office no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the first day of class. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Disability Centre to request academic accommodation if required and to notify the instructor that such accommodation has been requested. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate individual student needs. However, because GCAP courses are paced, all student are required to participate weekly in the online discussion forums. There are also several courses where online exams are required.

Overview

Counsellors provide assessment and intervention across the lifespan. Children and adolescents are the focus of counselling as often as adults, and working with them requires knowledge of their physical, emotional, and cognitive development. On completion of this course, students will be able to integrate their theoretical approach to counselling, knowledge of human development, and a systemic view of the child and his or her relationship with family, school, society, and culture. Interventions will include verbal and non-verbal approaches to counselling. This course will provide the conceptual foundation necessary for students to undertake supervised practicum experience intervening with children and adolescents.

Outline

Outline
Unit 1 – Week 1	Child and Adolescent Therapy: Definition, Overview, and Pragmatics
Unit 2 – Week 2	Responsive Relationships with Children, Youth, and Their Families
Unit 3	Neurodevelopmental Factors
Week 3	Temperament; Theories of Child and Adolescent Development
Week 4	Developmental Psychopathology
Week 5	Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Learning Problems
Unit 4	Individual Approaches
Week 6	Crisis Intervention with Children and Youth
Week 7	Skill Training
Week 8	Playful Approaches to Counselling
Unit 5 – Week 9	Specific Approaches to Child and Adolescent Therapy
Unit 6	Family and Social Network Approaches
Week 10	Conceptualizing Interpersonal Patterns
Week 11	School-Based Intervention and Parent Training
Unit 7 – Week 12	Legal and Ethical Issues in Child and Adolescent Therapy
Unit 8 – Week 13	Planning for Continuing Competence

Evaluation

To receive credit for GCAP 648, students must submit all of the course assignments. The passing grade for the course is B- (70%). The assessment structure for GCAP 648 is based on the following course activities, with the percentage weighting of each activity as indicated. Your final grade for the course will be based on your performance in these course activities.

Activity	Weight
Assignment 1: Culture, History, and Self-Care in Working with Young People	30%
Assignment 2: Child/Adolescent Therapy Model or Intervention Presentation	30%
Assignment 3: Child/Youth & Family Profile	30%
Assignment 4: On-line Discussion	10%
Total	100%

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 4, September 6, 2024

Updated September 6, 2024

View previous revision

Graduate Counselling and Applied Psychology (GCAP) 648

Overview

Outline

Evaluation

Materials

Important links