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Addis Ababa University

College of Education and Behavioral Studies
School of Psychology
Graduate Extension Program-Counseling Track

Professionals for the 21st Century: Competent, Committed, and Ethical

Module Title: Advanced Counselling Theories,

Techniques, and Skills

Module Code: Psy-C 621

Credit Value: 8-ECTS

Date and time: MWF

Classroom: OCR-219

Instructor's Name: Mastewal Mekonnen, Ph. D.

Office Number: By Appointment

Email Address: mastewal.mekonnen@yahoo.co.uk OR

Make a call @ +251-913-291805

******* This syllabus is open for revision

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Module Description
This module aims to give students an overview of the different theories, techniques
and skills of counseling and psychotherapy.
It aims to locate these theories within their historical context, and to develop
students understanding of several key concepts and ideas within each of these
approaches. It focuses on examining variety of skills today's counselors are
expected to exhibit.

Through the teaching-leaning process, the student will be expected to demonstrate

the ability to understand, discuss (both in verbal and written form) and critique the
key concepts of traditional and contemporary counseling theory and practice.
Students will develop competency in a particular theoretical orientation to
counseling and develop their own personal theory. The course will also include a
review of the common factors that facilitate change in counseling regarding a
particular theoretical approach.

The other component of this course is designed to provide students a foundation in

basic and advanced counseling skills. These skills include listening, attending,
paraphrasing, asking questions, reflecting feelings, summarizing, reflecting
meaning, and confrontation. In addition to learning the above skills, students will
be encouraged to develop their own personal counseling style. Reading, lecture,
role plays, audio/video recorded peer counseling sessions and feedbacks will be
used to achieve the above learning objectives.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, it is intended that students will be able to:
 develop awareness of the historical background of the counseling profession
as well as roles of the professional counselor
 demonstrate basic knowledge of ethical codes and boundaries of the
counseling profession
 identify common factors associated with effective counseling
 demonstrate an understanding of various counseling theories and their basic
philosophical assumptions
 recognize techniques associated with theoretical perspectives
 consider multicultural and ethical issues in relation to applying counseling
theories
 critically integrate aspects of their preferred theories and develop a personal
theory of counseling
 list and describe stages of change

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 identify cultural power, personal identity and other role issues that affect the
counseling relationship.
 integrate theory, skills and personal knowledge into a conceptualization of
helping roles and how change occurs.
 Apply knowledge of different counseling theories and skills to a range of
counseling problems and client groups
 Identify and evaluate how their interpersonal style and beliefs affect the
counseling process
 Conduct a counseling session that demonstrate an acceptable level of micro
counseling skills and self-reflection

Contents

The following topics are included in this module:

I. Historical and Professional Foundations of Counseling and Psychotherapy

 History of and Trends in Counseling & Psychotherapy
 Personal and Professional Aspects of Counseling & Psychotherapy
 Ethical and Legal Aspects of Counseling & Psychotherapy
 Counseling & Psychotherapy in a Multicultural and Diverse Society

II. Theories and Techniques: Ten theories, but the Focus will be on six selected
theories

The areas explored within the theory sessions include:

1. Understanding the basic concepts from a number of theories and how these
explain the development of personality and the problems of living; explaining the
counseling process and the counselor-client relationship using a variety of
theoretical concepts; making use of specific techniques which accompany the
different theories and doing so with appropriateness, judgment and sensitivity.

2. Examining theoretical counseling models with particular reference to the

following key areas:
(a) The model of the person and the nature of human beings, (b) Key concepts and
underlying assumptions, (c) Psychological development, e.g. the structure and
development of personality, the development of psychological difficulties /
disturbance, (d) impact of cultural context and oppressions upon psychology of the
person (e) Techniques and applications to counseling, including mechanisms of

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change, (e) The specific and unique personal development implications of the
perspectives, (f) Comparisons with other perspectives.

3. The basic concepts and techniques of the 10 theories.

The areas explored within the skills sessions include:

The instructor will briefly present the skills, then students will be asked to
participate in demonstrations and in class activities. The later portion of each
class will consist of students applying the skills in a practice interview context.
During practice sessions, peers will provide each other with suggestions as well as
receive feedback from the instructors.

Methods of Instruction

Students will be exposed to learning through lecture, oral presentation, written

papers and projects, in-class discussion, and experiential practice situations. The
instructional method will be mainly comprised of in-class lecture, modeling,
collaborative learning (discussion, role-plays), audio/video tape review, reflection,
self-assessment, and independent reading and learning/ Review prior class
material/Check-in re: questions.

NOTE: Scheduling and activities are tentative and may be changed based upon the
pace and interests of the class. Although readings and assignments will not be
moved up, some topics or due dates may be shifted back to accommodate the speed
at which topics are completed. Some topics may be deleted or replaced if mutually
agreed upon

Required Textbooks and Readings:

Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (8th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B., & Zalaquett, C. P. (2018). Intentional interviewing &
counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (9thed.). US:
Brooks/Cole-Cengage Learning

Young, M. E. (2009) Learning the art of helping (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson, Merrill, Prentice Hal (Some Chapters, not all the book)

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Other readings as assigned by Instructors. Instructors reserve the right to change

the contents of the syllabus as they see fit.

Student Performance, Evaluation Criteria and Procedures

Student Evaluation:

Students are evaluated based upon the assignments listed below. It is the
responsibility of the student to complete assigned tasks on the date the assignment
is due. The assignments listed below will draw upon the required reading and
information presented during class. In the event that circumstances prevent the
completion of an assignment on time or being present for an in-class activity, the
student shall notify the instructor prior to the due date. Sequencing of assignments
and assessments are extremely important in this course and the skills and practice
scaffold throughout the semester. If prior arrangements cannot be made, three
percent of the maximum grade will be deducted from the assignment for each day
the assignment is late.

Description of Assignments

1. Theory Briefs ………….…. 10 points each x 6 theories= 60 Points

There are 10 theories that we study (check on the content section of the syllabus).
However, you will be required to work this assignment only on five selected
theories: Adlerian, CBT, person centered, existential, and gestalt theories. Based
on the additional instructions, you will come with a two-page typed "brief" or
summary of the main points of the theory we are studying on that class day. This
will help organize your thinking as you read, and help you reflect on your personal
reaction to the material. It will also give you (by the end of the class) a set of study
and review guides. Each brief must be no more than one page long, typed, and
should include information under each of the following headings:
1. One Sentence Summary: Using just one short, simple sentence, capture as
much of the theory as possible (particularly what the theory says about the possible
factors that causes problems, and what leads to change). Please don't just use a
quote from the text – you are to do the summary here.
2. Personal Influences: What are the experiences, beliefs and values of the theory
developer(s) that might have influenced the theory (including the social, cultural
and historical setting of the theory's development)? How the theory views human
nature?

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3. Ways of Knowing: Identify the key knowing components of this theory,

including:
a. Roots of Client Concerns:
 How does this theory explain the concerns that bring clients to counseling?
 What is at the root of these concerns?
 How the theory views maladjustment
b. Assessment:
 What does this theory say is important information for a counselor to
learn/know about the client (the content)?
 What does the theory say about how the counselor gathers that information
(the method)?

c. Client Change:
 What does the theory focus on changing (behaviors, thoughts, emotions,
values, relationships, etc.)?
 How change occurs in the counseling relationship?
 What a counselor must be done for clients to grow and improve?
 What must clients do to change?
4. Ways of Doing: Identify the key doing components of this theory, including:
a. Goals:
 what is the role of counseling goals in this theory?
 How are goals set and evaluated?
b. Interventions: List some of the most common techniques that a counselor might
use to help create client change.

5. Ways of Being: Identify the key being components of this theory, including
what the theory says about the role of the counselor.

 The importance of counseling relationship

 Does the counselor get close or stay distant from the client?
 Does the counselor advise? Direct?
 Does s/he take a one-up or one-down or egalitarian position?
 How should the counselor be with clients?
6. Strengths / Limitations: What are the key strengths and limitations of this
approach, particularly related to outcome research, ethics, and gender / cultural
issues?
Personal Reflection: Discuss your personal thoughts and feelings about this
theory (in terms of what you like, dislike, are concerned about).

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 How the theory fits or contradicts with your personal values and belief
systems?
 What experiences, beliefs, and values of your own are challenged or
supported by this theory's approach?
 As you think about this theory and your reaction to it, what do you learn
about yourself? (This section requires personal reflection).
 What questions do you have about this theory that you want answered in our
class time together?

 Don't write anything that you couldn't explain to someone else—use your
own words and make sure it's understandable to you.
 This assignment will help us see that you are reading and gleaning from the
readings the information that you need, but ultimately the briefs are for you,
so make sure they meet your needs, as well as demonstrating that you are
reading and thinking. Late briefs will not receive full credit, but receiving
some points is better than none.

2. Personal Theory of Change………………………..…….60 Points

This assignment is designed to help you begin to articulate and develop your own
personal theory of counseling. Your theory is the collection of your beliefs,
thoughts, and values that guide to pay attention on how do you view human
nature, how do you conceptualize clients’ concerns, etc.
It is important to begin to understand what your theory is, how it might play out
with clients, how it is related to the established theories in the field, and to begin
refining your theory based on the collective knowledge of the profession. Using
the sections specified below as section headings, write about your own theory.

(Give it name for your theory and use it as a title)

1. Introduction: provide a brief description about your personal counseling theory
and introduce it in a short paragraph (5 points).
2. Ways of Knowing: Identify the key knowing components of your theory,
including: (10 Points)
a. Views of human nature and roots of client’s concerns:
3. how do you view human nature?
4. how do you conceptualize clients’ concerns? / Explain your insights how
clients develop concerns that bring them to counseling
5. Briefly discuss associated factors that may contribute for the development of
clients’ concerns
6. Discuss the impact of lifespan development (if any), and other
contextual/systems’ influences on clients’ issues.

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b. Assessment:
 What do you see as important information to learn/know about the client (the
content)?
 How will you gather that information (the method)?
c. Client Change: Your perception of what must be done for clients to address their
counseling needs and grow and improve in their lives. What ultimately leads to
client change and a resolution of client concerns?
What must clients do to change (clients’ roles)
7. how do you make sense of what clients offer during a counseling
relationship/clients’ roles?
8. what do you think clients should focus on changing (behaviors, thoughts,
emotions, values, relationships, etc.)?
3. Ways of Doing: Identify the key doing components of this theory, including:
(10 Points)
a. Goals:
 In your theory, what is the goal of counseling?
 How will you set and evaluate goals?
b. Interventions: List some of the most common activities that you might use to
help create client change. Briefly describe what you will do/give a general sense of
what the intervention is about, and
how you will know when to do what.
4. Ways of Being: Identify the key being components of your theory, including:
(10 Points)
a. Counselor's Role: What kind of role will you take as a counselor? Do you get
close or stay distant from the client? Do you advise? Direct? Do you take a one-up
or one-down or egalitarian position?
b. Flexibility: How will you adapt your approach when clients counseling needs
don't fit with your approach. Are there things you will not change?
5. Personal Influences: Having articulated your ideas about knowing, doing and
being, now identify what personal influences have led to your personal theory.
This is an examination of the experiences and beliefs/values from your
personal/professional life that shape your perspective on human nature, human
behavior, client concerns and what leads to client change. These things from our
personal lives may help us better understand and help our clients, and yet at the
same time may limit our understanding and ability to be helpful. Address both
sides. Don't merely relate important experiences from your life, but identify your
key values, ways of knowing, doing and being and briefly identify where they have
come from and how they influence your theory. Identify why you feel drawn
toward or away for the theories we’ve studied this semester/term (what are the

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beliefs, values and experiences that draw you toward or away from them?). 5
points
6. Theoretical Development: Discuss how your study of the major theories in
counseling has influenced your personal theory. What will you actively do in
practicum and internship courses to deepen your self-understanding and
continue to develop (expand, refine) your theory to be more helpful to your
clients? 10 points

Additional guidelines:
 You may or may not have thought much about these things before, and that's
okay. Take some time to reflect, and simply write what you think at this
point, or make some good guesses based on your beliefs about people and
counseling. If you've had courses or other counseling related experiences
previously, these may influence your thinking, which is also okay, but be
clear in what you write to identify these sources (among the others) that have
influenced your thinking.
 Go beyond simply listing the theories that you like, show me how they are
linked to the ideas in your personal theory. One way to link your theory to
the theories studied is to articulate aspects of your ways of knowing, doing,
and being, and then in your discussion integrate the ideas from the theories
in the field.
 It will also have a final section where you reflect on how your theory has
grown and changed.
 It should be no more than 8 pages (not including title or reference pages),
and should follow basic APA format for margins, spacing, headings, and
references.
 Rubrics for grading this paper is here below.

Personal Theory Paper – Grading Rubric

Item Marks
Turned in on time (10% off each day late) ~
Introduction 5
Personal Influences 5
Ways of Knowing 10
Ways of Doing 10
Ways of Being 10
Theoretical Development 10
Clarity (sentence structure, organization, tone) 5
Style (APA, margins, headings, font, line 5
spacing, punctuation)

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Total Points 60

3. Theory Comparison and Reflection: (40 points). This assignment has two
sections that worth 20 points each.
3.1. Theory Comparison - Choose two theories of your preference and
compare these theories based on the following (20 points)- 3-5 pages
 Views of human nature
 Personality development
 Contributing factors of clients’ concerns/ problems
 Focus of counseling/ clients’ counseling needs (behavior, emotion/feelings,
thoughts/thinking, belief patterns, relationships)
 Goals of counseling
 Counselor’s roles
 Clients’ roles
 Specific activities/techniques
3.2. Reflection – Reflect on your personal thoughts about each theory: (20
Points)
 How it aligns with your values, belief systems, and experiences?
 Which one could be a better theory to localize in Ethiopian context? To
reflect on this, think about the current counseling needs in our context
 Which theory could be easily applicable for you to address your clients’
counseling needs?

Theory Comparison – Grading Rubric

Item Marks Remarks
Theory Comparison 15
Reflection 15
Clarity (sentence 5
structure, organization,
tone)
Style (APA, margins, 5
headings, font, line
spacing, punctuation)

4. Final Exam – Date will be assigned…………………………… 50 points

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 Students are required to pass all assignment components to pass the

module.

Assignment Percentage Due Date

1 Theory Briefs 60 Pts. No fixed due
dates

2 Theory Comparison 40 Pts November

15thth/Subject to
change
3 Personal Theory Paper 50pts November 30th/
subject to
change
3.1. Theory Comparison 20 pts
3.2. Personal Reflection 20 Pts
4 Final Exam 50 Pts Date will be
assigned
Total 200 Pts

Grading policy

Points for the course will come from the assignments above. There are 200 total
points possible in the class which will be averaged to two to get your score out of
100. Your final grade will be on a standard scale from the points you have earned
(e.g. 90 = A, 80 = B, etc.). The instructors will use the grading scale of the
university when determining grades.

Roles and Responsibilities

Students are expected to:
 Regular class attendance and active participation in the course is highly
expected. Attendance is mandatory as each class is used as a building block for
the next one. A missed class without valid reasons will result in the loss of
5% of your total earned grade points. If you faced very difficult situation and
are unable to come, email or send message to the course instructor as soon as
you can. Upon return you will discuss your absence with the course instructor.
If after discussing with the instructor you continue to show poor professional
judgement in attendance, you will receive a decrease in overall grade for the
course.

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 Complete and submit all the assignments given before or on the due date. Late
submission will result in a loss of 3 points per day.
The instructor is expected to:
 Provide students with all the necessary technical support
 Respect every student
 Observe punctuality in executing his/her responsibilities as module
facilitator
 Exercise objectivity, fairness in evaluating students’ performances
 Notify students in advance to reschedule classes

Classroom Concerns and Issues

Academic Difficulties: A student can sometimes find him/ herself or

overwhelmed by classes or other issues. If you find yourself having difficulty in
this course, please contact me immediately and I will do what I can to help you.
Advance notice of difficulties may help work out your academics.

Confidentiality and Ethics Information: In this course, you are entering an

experience that involves a fair amount of role-playing and practice interviewing.
Thus, during the role-plays and discussions, it is quite possible that a client or peer
might say something personally important and confidential. It is your duty to
maintain confidentiality and trust. These same principles apply when you are
working with clients. Papers that do not disguise the nature of the individual with
whom you are talking will not be accepted. Papers that do not indicate that you
have the permission of the client to turn in this paper, even though the identity is
disguised, will not be accepted.

FOR YOUR OWN CONSIDERATION AND SAFETY IN YOUR OWN

ROLE PLAYS AS CLIENT IN CLASS: You have the right and personal
responsibility to only share of yourself what you want to talk about. All
experiential exercises in this course are optional and you may stop participating in
any experiential exercise you wish at any time without penalty. At the same time,
if you find yourself not wishing to engage in the exercises, you may prefer to drop
the course. This course, by its very nature, is experientially oriented.

Advanced Counselling Theories, Techniques, and Skills: Tentative Class

Schedule-
Contents – Reading
Contents – Micro-
Theoretical and Facilitator/Date
skills
Foundations Assignment

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I. Historical and Corey – Part I:  Brief

Professional Chapter 1,2&3 Discussion
Foundations for
Foundations of in class
helping skills
Counseling and . Ivey- Chapter  Reading
Psychotherapy 2
II. Theories and
techniques of
Counseling
The therapeutic
relationship.

The Helping
Relationship
The Therapeutic
Dialogue
***Psychodynamic *Attending Corey - Chapter
approaches *Empathic 4.
Dr. Mastewal
/Psychoanalytic Responding . Ivey -Chapter
Theory *Minimal -3
encouragers

Assessment and the

initial interview

Observation skills

Reflecting skills; Corey - Chapter

Paraphrasing 5
Encouraging,
Paraphrasing, and . Ivey- Chapter
***Adlerian Theory Dr. Mastewal
summarizing 6
Active Listening
Giving and Due: Theory
receiving feedback Brief- 1
***Cognitive- Corey – Dr. Mastewal
Behavioral Theory Challenging Skills Chapter 7
Ivery- Chapter Role Play-1
Questions 5 Due: Theory

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Brief -2
Reflecting Skills:
Corey - Chapter
The heart of
9&10
Empathic
Ivery- Chapter Dr. Mastewal
***Person Centered understanding:
7
Theory Reflecting feelings
Due: Theory Role Play-2
Brief 3

Corey –
 Reflecting Chapter 6
Skills: Ivery- Chapter Dr. Mastewal
***Existential
Reflecting 4
Theory
Meaning and Due: Theory Role-play 3
Summarizing Brief 4

 Reflecting
Skills: Corey –
Reflecting Chapter 8
Meaning Ivery: Chapter
Emphatic 10 and 11
***Gestalt Theor
confrontation:
identifying and Due: Theory
challenging client Brief-5
conflict

Corey –
Chapter 14 Dr. Mastewal
***Family Systems
Goal Setting Skills
Theory
Due: Theory Role-play 4
Brief- 6
Corey –
Dr. Mastewal
Choice Theory / Chapter 11
Change Techniques
Reality therapy Young –
Role-play 5
Chapter 12
Feminist Theory Outcome Corey – Dr. Mastewal
Evaluation and Chapter 12
Termination Young – Role-play 6

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Chapter 13
Corey –
Chapter 13
Becoming a Additional Dr. Mastewal
Postmodern
Counselor – reading will be
Approaches
Integrated Practice provided later Role-play 7
in the semester.

Due: Personal
Theory of
 Final Exam
Change Paper

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