Counseling Skills in Human Relations

Prerequisite:

Graduate standing or permission of instructor.  This course emphasizes basic and specialized skills necessary to promote effective counseling in a professional helping relationship.  Concepts and skills will be studied and learned through the readings, video reviews, mock counseling session submissions, reflection paper, and online discussions. 

Emphasis will be placed upon understanding the nature of the helping process in a practical and applied way.  Various levels of communication skills will be practiced and different approaches to problem-solving and thinking about the counseling process will be studied.  The helping model will be one that promotes positive relationships, strategic planning, exploration, insight and action.

This is a three-credit hour online course. Please see your local Site Director or email our online site coordinator at [email protected]

Student materials are available at the OU Bookstore Website at https://ou.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php. The website has book selling, renting, buying, returning, and order tracking capabilities. If you need help with an order, or if you have any questions contact the toll-free phone at 1-(855)-790-6637, agents are available from 9a – 5p (EST) Monday – Friday. Text prices are available online.

Spadaro, Rush-Wilson, and Thorton (2017) A Counseling Skills Primer 3-minute Microskills Videos for the Visual Learner. Pension Press, Kindle Version only. MED 10200 Medical/ Mental Health.

All official correspondence from instructors will be sent only to students’ ou.edu address.

Email Account and Canvas: Students are expected to check their OU email accounts and the course site on Canvas daily for updates from the instructor

The College of Arts and Sciences offers an online orientation for students who are enrolled in online or blended courses. The purpose of the orientation is to ensure that students are well prepared both technically and practically to take online courses. The orientation can be found on their website at: http://www.ou.edu/content/cas/online/student-online-orientation.html

The College of Arts and Sciences Online and Academic Technology Services office is here to assist you with any questions, problems, or concerns you may have. For assistance visit their website at http://www.ou.edu/content/cas/online/student-information.html or contact them by telephone at: (405) 325-5854 or email: [email protected]

The objectives of this course are for students to:

• learn basic and specialized skills in counseling within the human relations field;
• acquire an advanced understanding of counseling as an active helping process;
• practice various communication skills in order to gain a working familiarity with counseling techniques; • develop a thorough understanding of how to set counseling objectives that are outcome oriented;
• examine the counseling process critically and strategically.
• increase self-knowledge related to being an effective human relations professional; and
• enhance the ability to self-monitor as a human relations counselor.

1. Eight mock counseling video submissions. This is an eight-week/eight module course. Once you purchase the Kindle textbook for this course. You will find the multiple video demonstrations of micro and macro skills of counseling in the book. The book consists of seven chapters, the chapters will be assigned into an 8 module progression. You are tasked to complete one module at a time during the eight week course. Each module offers you opportunities to learn, view, and practice specific counseling skills. As you finish each module you will upload a 3-5 minute mock video of you practicing some of the skills covered in that module. You do not have to perform all the skills covered in the module, just a few skills that you have chosen from that module and want to practice with a fellow student, friend, or family member.

Each of these eight video submissions are worth 10 points each for a total of 80 points. Points are assigned for timely submission, clarity of audio and video presentation and clarity of the skill(s) you are demonstrating. Please use the techniques of posture, proximity, voice, and physical and emotional presence demonstrated and discussed in the textbook. Submissions will be due at the end of each module. The course which runs from November 1^st to December 31, 2022.

2. Monograph (non-research) Paper: You will complete one first person monograph paper for this course. This paper is due the last week of the course. In this paper you will reflect on your family of origin strengths and limitations, your personal strengths and limitations, and discuss the clientele and counseling setting in which you plan to work. This paper should be 7-9 pages long, written is a readable and well-organized style, and does not require in paragraph citations or references. Only include personal information you feel comfortable discussing in your paper. This paper is worth 50 points.

3. Discussion posts: This is an online course; therefore, you will be required to post one substantial discussion for each module. This post must include material from the assigned chapter, information from the videos, and finally your reflections on your development of learning and applying these skills. You are also required to respond to two other student’s posts. These responses must show empathy and understanding for that students’ progress and specifically address one issue or skill the student discusses in their post. To summarize, you will provide one primary post each week based on the chapter assignment of the week, and two response posts to two other students. These posts are due before the end of each module. These posts are worth 5 points each, for a total of 15 points a week and a total of 120 points for the eight weeks.

Writing Style and Scholarly Effort: All of your written work for this course should be carefully edited before submission. Your papers should be well organized, free of grammatical errors, thoughtful and give evidence of scholarly work. If you cite other writers, APA style should be used in the citations and reference list. The paper must be submitted through the assignment portal.

This is a letter-graded course: A, B, C, D, or F.

A         181-200

B         161-180

C         141-160

D         121 – 140

F          Below 121

Points Available:

Module discussions                120 points

Video practice submissions      80 points

Monograph reflective paper     50 points

Total Points                            200 points

Notice: Failure to meet assignment due dates could result in a grade of I (Incomplete) and may adversely impact Tuition Assistance and/or Financial Aid. There is no extra credit work for this course.

In addition to interaction via Canvas and email contact, students are required to contact the instructor via email or telephone before the beginning of the course term for an initial briefing. Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required.

Student assignments and student/instructor communications will be conducted via Canvas, although students may contact the instructor via telephone, postal mail, email, or fax as needed

A grade of “I” is not automatically assigned, but rather must be requested by the student by submitting to the instructor a “Petition for and Work to Remove an Incompleted Grade” form. An “I” can never be used in lieu of an “F” nor can an “I” be assigned because of excessive failure to participate in class activities.

If you experience technical problems, contact Information Technology by visiting their website at: http://webapps.ou.edu/it/ or contacting them by telephone at: (405) 325-HELP (4357).

Materials posted on the OU CANVAS system:

Access CANVAS at http://canvas.ou.edu; enter your OU NetID (4+4) and password, and select course to access the material.

Procedures for Completion of Course Evaluation: 

Upon completion of the course students should go to the Advanced Programs Online Learning Information webpage and click on the applicable semester link under “Online Course Evaluation” which will direct them to the evaluation.  The evaluation will take approximately five minutes to complete.  Completion of the online evaluation is an important tool allowing Advanced Programs to gain information and student feedback for improvement of courses.

Your responses will be kept confidential.  They will be reviewed by the department and only supplied to the professor once grades for the course have been submitted.

Materials posted on the OU CANVAS system:

Access CANVAS at http://canvas.ou.edu; enter your OU NetID (4+4) and password, and select course to access material. Please contact your local the IT Help desk at 405-325-HELP if you require assistance.  IT is available 24/7

Statement about the MHR Program Planner and Human Relations Website

Students should become familiar with the MHR Program Planner that was sent to each student upon admission into the program.  The planner has a description of the HR program objectives and requirements, suggestions for graduate study, financial assistance, and graduation information. Of particular interest is the information on the comprehensive exams and the internship.  For further information please visit the Department of Human Relations Website at: http://www.ou.edu/cas/hr

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities.  Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.  Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations in this course.  The Office of Disability Services is located in Goddard Health Center, Suite 166, phone 405-325-3852 or TDD only 405-325-4173. For more information please see the Disability Resource Center website http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html

Civility/Inclusivity Statement:

We understand our members represent a rich variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The Human Relations Department is committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity. While working together to build this community we ask all members to:

• share their unique experiences, values and beliefs
• be open to the views of others
• honor the uniqueness of their colleagues
• appreciate the opportunity we have to learn from each other in this community
• value each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
• keep confidential discussions the community has of a personal (or professional) nature
• use this opportunity together to discuss ways in which we can create an inclusive environment in this course and across the University of Oklahoma community.

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without a penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty.

Attendance/Grade Policy

Attendance and participation in interaction, individual assignments, group exercises, simulations, role playing, etc. are valuable aspects of any course because much of the learning comes from discussions in class with other students. It is expected that you attend all classes and be on time except for excused emergencies.

Excused absences are given for professor mandated activities or legally required activities such as emergencies or military assignments. It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays. Unavoidable personal emergencies, including (but not limited to) serious illness; delays in getting to class because of accidents, etc.; deaths and funerals, and hazardous road conditions will be excused.

If you are obtaining financial assistance (TA, STAP, FA, VA, Scholarship, etc.) to pay all or part of your tuition cost, you must follow your funding agency/institution’s policy regarding “I” (Incomplete) grades unless the timeline is longer than what the University policy allows then you must adhere to the University policy. Students who receive Financial Aid must resolve/complete any “I” (Incomplete) grades by the end of the term or he/she may be placed on “financial aid probation.” If the “I” grade is not resolved/completed by the end of the following term, the student’s Financial Aid may be suspended make the student ineligible for further Financial Aid.

Students are responsible for meeting the guidelines of Tuition Assistance and Veterans Assistance. See the education counselor at your local education center for a complete description of your TA or VA requirements.

OU faculty will submit grades online through ONE not later than 30 days after the course end date. Course end dates are approximately one calendar month after the final seminar date on this syllabus and are provided on the official scheduling website for reference.

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct 

Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Academic assignments exist to help students learn; grades exist to show how fully this goal is attained. Therefore all work and all grades should result from the student's own understanding and effort.

Academic misconduct is any act which improperly affects the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement. Misconduct occurs when the student either knows or reasonably should know that the act constitutes misconduct. Academic misconduct includes: cheating and using unauthorized materials on examinations and other assignments; improper collaboration, submitting the same assignment for different classes (self-plagiarism); fabrication, forgery, alteration of documents, lying, etc…in order to obtain an academic advantage; assisting others in academic misconduct; attempting to commit academic misconduct; destruction of property, hacking, etc…; intimidation and interference with integrity process; and plagiarism. All students should review the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity at http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html 

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. All students should review policies regarding student conduct at http://studentconduct.ou.edu/ 

Accommodation Statement

The University of Oklahoma is committed to making its activities as accessible as possible. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact your local OU Site Director.

Adjustment for Pregnancy/Childbirth-Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact the professor as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html. 

Title IX Resources

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at [email protected] or (405) 325-2215 (8-5), or the Sexual Assault Response Team at (405) 615 -0013 (24/7) to report an incident. To learn more about Title IX, please visit the Institutional Equity Office’s website at http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo.html 

Course Policies

Extended Campus (also and formerly known as Advanced Programs) policy is to order books in paperback if available. Courses, dates, and professors are subject to change. Please check with your OU Site Director. Students should retain a copy of any assignments that are e/mailed to the professor for the course. Neither duplicating services nor office supplies are provided.

Any and all course materials, syllabus, lessons, lectures, etc. are the property of professor teaching the course and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and are protected under applicable copyright.

For more information about OU Extended Campus, visit our website at: http://www.goou.ou.edu/

Statement on Respect

The classroom should provide a safe learning environment where students can express their views without fear of reprisal. That freedom of expression must be balanced by demonstrated respect for other’s viewpoints and appropriate and reasonable sensitivity, especially within the context of scholarly disagreement.  Disrespectful or uncivil dialogue (including, but not limited to, personal attacks, insults, or harassment) will not be tolerated.

Recording Devices/Phones/Computers

It is important for students to be fully present during class to fully benefit from lectures, discussions, and experiential assignments. Class sessions may not be tape-recorded. All telephones and pagers should be turned off or placed on silent mode. Computers may not be used during class. Students who require an exception to this policy should discuss exceptional circumstances with the professor.

Thom D. Balmer, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT

Education: Ph.D. –   Counseling Studies

                     M.A.    – Marriage and Family Therapy          

                     M.Div. – Psychiatric Chaplaincy

Current Positions

 Lecturer (Retired)

Representative Honors and Awards Received

I was the first chair of the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure when it was established as a super board overseeing LPC, LMFT, and LBP licenses in 2013. I served on the Board until 2020.

Major Professional Affiliations

American Counseling Association – Former clinical member (Retired)

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy – Diplomate and Approved Supervisor since 1984.

I entered the field of counseling in 1979 and served as a clinician, supervisor, and college professor full-time until my retirement in December 2021. I practiced in community mental health, inpatient mental health hospitals, medical hospitals with mental health units, residential care facilities for the persistent mentally ill, outpatient clinical settings, and veteran service organizations.