CSL6765
Crisis Counseling
This course presents an in-depth study of crisis intervention information, skills and strategies needed for counseling professionals to provide effective mental health care to clients facing a variety of crisis situations. This course first examines the overall background, basic concepts and definitions, and theoretical models of the crisis intervention field of professional counseling. Next, this course provides a study of the essential components of crisis care and application including working with multicultural clients, basic attending skills, assessment models, case management, and crisis counseling through the use of technology. Additionally, this course provides an overview of effective crisis counseling and handling of clients dealing with a specific type of responses to crisis, including PTSD, sexual assault, family and partner violence, lethal violence, and bereavement and grief. And lastly, a critical component to this course is the in-depth review and provision of strategies needed by crisis workers with respect to the various types of crisis care-giving environments, such as, mental health care facilities, schools, hostage situations, and natural disaster areas. This course in crisis counseling is extremely important to students enrolled in the professional counseling degree program. This course will be a required course for the state mandated curriculum changes, which will take place on August 1, 2017. Moreover, it is critical that students at Amberton University have the knowledge and skills required to effectively assist individuals, institutions, and communities impacted and affected by both man-made and natural disasters. This course is designed to prepare students to function as mental health care professionals for those affected by crisis events and situations.
UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:
- Developing collaborative client relationships that promote crisis care in multiple environments.
- Defining and understanding the field of crisis counseling in historical, modern and multicultural societies.
- Understanding the concepts of crisis intervention, advocacy, and triage as applied in overall crisis care.
- Conducting effective and accurate client initial care, assessments, evaluations and referrals.
- Evaluating the social, political, and community factors that are also impacted by crisis events.
- Identifying and examining the major theories, strategies, and skills used in crisis counseling.
- Identifying and understanding the legal and ethical issues related to crisis work in various counseling institutions and crisis care environments.
- Exploring the associated care-giver issues of burnout, traumatization, and compassion fatigue.
- Comparing and contrasting the implications and various approaches to crisis telephone and internet work.
- Identifying and effectively implementing various approaches to assisting clients impacted by violence, abuse, sexual assault, and chemical dependency.
- Comparing and contrasting the implications and various approaches to conducting crisis care work both in schools and mental health care agencies.
- Comprehending and applying crisis counseling approaches that are specific to working with children versus adults.
- Understanding the critical components to assessing, diagnosing and providing care with respect to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Understanding the differing aspects and approaches to working with both man-made and natural disaster related client issues.
- Learning about and understanding the dynamics of disaster response teams and how they are impacted and affected by crisis situations.
- Assessing crisis and providing intervention from an integrative perspective.
- Assessing and identifying the dynamics of suicide, murder, bereavement and grief for the clients and the clients support system.
- Examining the role of counseling in hostage situations.