Course # & Title: PYCL 570—Ethical, Legal, & Professional Issues for CounselorsNova Southeastern University Center for Psychological Studies Course # & Title: PYCL 570—Ethical, Legal, & Professional Issues for Counselors Credit Hours: 3 Location/Section: Tampa/TG3 Dates: September 24, 25, 26, 2010 October 15, 16, 17, 2010 Instructor: Dr. Marlene Zychowicz [email protected] 702-245-4058 Class Meeting Times: Fridays 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Saturdays 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Sundays 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM Required Text: Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions, 8th edition. Corey, Corey, Callanan, Thompson, Brooks/Cole Course Description: This course covers standards for professional conduct in school counseling. It considers ethical and legal decisions that the school counselor must make. Case examples, current federal and state laws/statutes, ethical codes, and standards on assessment, diagnosis, and placement data will be discussed in relation to counseling a variety of culturally diverse populations in multiple settings. Standards:Material covered in this course will provide foundation knowledge so that students will understand professional ethics, professional standards of competence, and the role and responsibilities of the counselor in the context of the school and community. Standards are aligned to National Standards for School Counseling Programs of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Counselors must possess appropriate training and credentials in the profession, be knowledgeable of national and state policy and legislation and appropriate ethical standards and practices. Their participation in this course enables students to develop knowledge, attitudes and skills that contribute to their effective development of programs for students of all grade level (1.1), can align with career goals (2.1), understand the interaction of personal characteristics with the development of moral behavior (2.2), attain attitudes, knowledge, as well as interpersonal skills to understand and respect others (3.1), make ethical and moral decisions, set goals and take appropriate actions when necessary (3.2), and contribute to a safe and healthy environment (3.3). This course also promotes the INTASC principles for helping counselors understand how they can assist in the moral development process for students, develop and provide learning activities that support their intellectual, emotional, and moral development (2), how students differ in their approaches to ethical situations based on their cultural backgrounds (3), and how counselors may use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development (4), encourage active inquiry (5), collaborative and supportive interaction (6), use formal and informal assessment strategies and foster relationships with colleagues, parents, agencies, and the larger community (7). Counselors must understand the use of formal and informal assessment strategies (8), and be a reflective practitioner as students are making choices (9), and foster relationships with parents and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well being (10). Course Objectives and Anticipated Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Gain knowledge of ethical standards of professional organizations, credentialing bodies, and public policy on the applications of ethical and legal considerations in professional counseling. . 2. Demonstrate familiarity with federal and state legislation and local regulations, particularly in regards to confidentiality, student records, and the use of technology in handling such records. 3. Demonstrate knowledge of the legal rights of students and parents and the role of the school counselor in IEP, school leadership, curriculum and advisory meetings. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of key professional and legal issues in counseling such as confidentiality, duty to warn and protect, assessment of diverse students, differences in student value systems and lifestyles, HIPAA, FERPA, etc. 5. Reflect on knowledge of one’s own attitudes and beliefs as they influence professionaland ethical behaviors and also address personal issues that may affect the counseling relationship. 6. Know the role and process of the professional counselor advocating on behalf of the profession; and advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients. 7. Knowledge of implementation of professional issues that are unique to the counseling profession including reimbursement, right to practice, core provider status, managed care systems, expert witness statutes, and Baker Act privileges. Assessment of Course Objectives: All objectives, 1-7, are assessed by the final examination, examination of the comments students make in class discussions, evaluation of the project completed and presented to the class, and evaluation of the paper written. Description of Assignments: : 1. Prior to First Class Meeting: Students should have read Chapters 1 through 6 in Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions and should be prepared to discuss cases and scenarios will be chosen from those chapters throughout the weekend. Students will research Florida statutes regarding confidentiality, duty to warn, and duty to report. Topics to be covered:  Ethical Decision Making and Legal Issues  Students at Risk for Suicide  Students at Risk for Violence  Confidentiality and Privileged Communication  Records  Substance Abuse  Parental Rights  Court Appearances  Appellate Court Decisions 2. Prior to Second Class Meeting: Students should have read Chapters 7 through 13 in Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions and be prepared for discussion based on those chaptersthroughout the weekend. Topics to be covered:  Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students  Sexual Harassment  Special Education  Supervision  Managing Boundaries  National and State Legislation  FERPA  Professional Competence and Training  Issues in Consultation  Issues in Theory, Practice and Research  Ethics in Testing  Ethical Issues in Group Work and Community Work  Case Studies 3. Class Assignments: Prior to First Class Meeting: Students will research Florida statutes