COUN 500 Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling

3 Credits

This course demonstrates the foundational principles of pastoral clinical mental health counseling by integrating the holistic understanding of persons with foundational clinical skills. Aspects of the course provide the students with an ability to distinguish both the unique features as well as overlaps among pastoral counseling, traditional therapies and mental health counseling, as well as being able to articulate their own pastoral focus. Themes such as the history and evolution of pastoral and mental health counseling and consultation; paradigms providing structure and context for these dimensions, and contemporary issues, such as commitment to advocacy, awareness of diversity, use of technology will factor into the paradigms.