Sport Counseling Certificate

COAT 520 Sport Counseling and Psychological Skills Training 3 Credits

The practice of sport counseling uses psychological skills training (PST). This method is grounded in mental health training principles, such as cognitive behavioral approaches, mindfulness techniques, and goal setting used by elite athletes, business professionals, and special operations personnel to achieve and maintain the highest levels of resilience, readiness, and performance. Classic PST techniques that define the canon of mental toughness will be presented with history, theory, and extensive embedded self-exercises. This course will include self-awareness training, goal setting, imagery and visualization, attentional and concentration techniques, arousal and intensity regulation, as well as stress management. A complete mindfulness sports performance enhancement (MSPE) protocol using the latest research from the sport sciences, counseling, psychology, and neuroscience will be presented including guidance for building mindfulness skills essential to consistent, optimal performance.

COAT 521 Clinical Sport Counseling 3 Credits

This course will introduce a variety of topics in the field of Clinical Sport Counseling, bridging the gap between clinical counseling and sport, exercise, and performance counseling through an examination of research and applied practice. This course provides practitioners from a variety of disciplines (e.g., coaching, athletic administration, sport counseling, etc.) with greater understanding of the varying dimensions of clinical phenomena and how nonclinical, subclinical, and clinical issues impact performance and the overall well-being of athletes and performers at a variety of developmental and competition levels. The content of this course is designed to provide an introduction to the field of Clinical Sport Counseling so that students can use the information provided to be more effective in supporting the well-being of athletes in future professional endeavors.

CNPY 514 Psychopathology 3 Credits

A survey of the study of abnormal psychology. Includes classification, assessment, and treatment and prevention of psychopathology. Characteristics of healthy psychological functioning are examined. Biological, psychological, and sociocultural bases of well-adjusted and maladjusted behavior patterns are considered. Stress, anxiety, and milder forms of psychopathology are considered, as are more severe psychopathological conditions.

COUN 520 Multicultural Counseling and Relationship Development 3 Credits

Introduces, examines, and critically analyzes and reflects upon major origins and dimensions of human similarities and differences. Explores and personalizes the social-psychological and behavioral implications of these similarities and differences. Examines issues of race, ethnicity, class, disability, age, gender identity, sexual identity, etc., in the light of theories of individual and group identity development and the impact of these on, between and within group relationships. Each student is expected to utilize this knowledge for the development of healthy multicultural skills. A semester-long engagement in a multicultural interaction and a presentation of a multicultural discovery project are required.

COUN 530 Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling and Psychotherapy 3 Credits

Examines and analyzes the legal, ethical, and professional parameters of counseling and psychotherapy. Discusses legal liabilities and malpractice cases arising from constitutional, tort, contract, family, privacy, and criminal laws. Examines client rights and counselor duties and responsibilities. Explores legal, ethical, and professional implications of third party payment, informed consent, medication, case documentation, client termination and abandonment. Advertisement of counseling services, crisis and case management, consultation and supervision, "duty-to-warn" and court appearances of an expert witness will be explored. Special attention will be given to child abuse reporting issues, dual relationships and to regional legal and ethical developments.

COUN 550 Counseling and Helping Techniques Laboratory 3 Credits

This is a laboratory course, which provides opportunities for both the observation and practice of counseling and professional helping skills. The purpose of this course is to provide students with their initial training in counseling and helping skills under closely supervised conditions. The focus of this course is the development of initial client interviewing and basic counseling and helping skills through an emphasis on techniques (basic and advanced listening and helping skills), strategy (the counseling and helping process), and self-development (the student as counselor and helper) grounded in theories of counseling and related helping professions.

EDPS 503 Human Growth and Development 3 Credits

Provides an overview and broad understanding of life span developmental theories and research applied to counseling services with special emphasis on developmental processes, individual differences and mental health. Includes strategies for working with developmental issues across the life span.

EDUC 500 Introduction To Research 3 Credits

This course will provide students with the tools to evaluate the claims and uses of research related to teaching, counseling, and psychology. Students will learn how to find and critique the literature, and will be able to conduct some of their own basic evaluative research to assess the efficacy of their practice and programs. At the conclusion of the course, students will have developed an understanding of rigorous research and evaluation design, and will have skills in data analysis and interpretation.