Florida International University
College of Education
Fall 2003

Course Title: MHS 6700 Ethical, Legal and Professional Issues in Counseling
Credits: Three (3)
Instructor: Maureen Kenny, Ph.D.
Office: EB 238B
Office Hours: Tue. 2- 5 pm, Wed. 3- 5 pm
Phone: (305)348-3506
E mail: kennym@fiu.edu

Texts
Corey, G., Corey, M., & Callanan, P. Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (6th ed.). Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, CA.

The sixth edition of this book was just published. For the purposes of this class, you can utilize the fifth or sixth edition. The chapters listed on the syllabi correspond to the 6th edition. If you have the 5th edition, you may have to refer to a different chapter that covers the same content.

Goals
This course will provide an introduction to the ethical and legal practices in the field of counseling. Specific focus will be upon professional issues of practice. This class will provide an overview of the Florida statutes that govern the practice of counseling. Importance will be placed on the balance between professional and private life that is necessary to maintain a healthy helping style. This knowledge will allow the individual to help others more effectively as well as have a personally fulfilling career in counseling. The goal of this course is to get students thinking about major issues related to professional practice in counseling and to challenge them to formulate a position on such issues.

Competencies
The student will be able to demonstrate the following competencies:

1. To familiarize the student with ethical standards and practice.
   
   
2. To be able to identify the codes and guidelines for professional legal and ethical behavior established by the State of Florida and the American Counseling Association.
   
   
3. To recognize potential personal hurdles to cross as a practicing counselor.
   
   
4. To be able to discriminate key principles of ethical behavior from the context of a particular counseling session.
   
   
5. To consider his or her own view of the counselor and community counseling in contrast to prevailing controversies and issues in the field of counseling.
   
   
6. To familiarize students with Florida regulation of licensed mental health counselors through the study of Chs. 455, 491, 59P of Florida Statutes

7. To familiarize students with ethical decision making models.

The following Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) standards are addressed in this course:

Standard 1: Professional Identity

Standard 2: Social and Cultural Diversity

Standard 4: Career Development

Standard 5: Helping Relationships

Standard 6: Group Work

Standard 8: Research and Program Evaluation

In addition, the following Florida Educators Accomplished Practices (FEAPs) are covered in this course:

FEAP 3: Continuous Improvement

FEAP 5: Diversity

FEAP 6: Ethics

FEAP 8: Knowledge of Subject Matter

Methods of Teaching and Learning
Lecture, class discussion, student presentations, audio visual materials, handouts, and reading of assigned text. A video tape which accompanies the text will be played in class. The tape contains vignettes of ethical dilemmas which the class will observe and generate responses to. Additionally, the student is responsible for other assigned work, i.e. interview with professional counselor and assigned reading of Florida statutes. All assignments are equally weighted.

Course Requirements

• Students are required to complete the weekly readings below and be prepared to discuss them in class.
  
  
• PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW: Students are required to interview a counselor with a degree in counseling or a related field ( e.g., social worker, psychologist, school psychologist, mental health counselor, school counselor). You are to extensively interview the professional, beginning with what led to their entering the helping field. Additional areas that should be covered are their education: where they got their degree(s), what is their highest degree, what did they find most valuable in their training. You will ask them questions and provide a summary of the positions they have held and how they obtained their present position. It would be interesting to find out the visions they had about their career when they first began working, and where they are now. Finally, ask them about the most common ethical problem they have encountered, or what ethical/legal difficulties, if any, do they come up against in their work. The paper can be structured with headings to denote the various sections or can be in more of a narrative form. Information to be obtained in the interview is provided in the attached outline. Papers should be written in narrative form and at least five pages but will depend on the amount of information obtained from the professional; however, sufficient information should be obtained. (20% of final grade)
  
  
• Review of Florida Statutes. Each student is requested to obtain a copy of the Statutes that pertain to the practice of mental health counseling. You can either call the Department of Professional Regulation in Tallahassee ((850) 488-0595) or by visiting the website at www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa. Ask for a copy of the rules and laws for Mental Health Counseling. Students will be assigned sections of the statutes to report on in class. These presentations will be brief (5-10 minutes) and will summarize the main points of the statute. Students should have a handout for class. (20% of final grade)
  
• EXAM #1 : It will consist of multiple choice, short answer and fill in the blanks. The material from the books, lectures and supplemental readings will be covered. (20% of final grade).
  
  
• EXAM #2 : It will consist of multiple choice, short answer and fill in the blanks. Material from the second half of the course will be covered. (20% of final grade)
• QUIZZES: There will be take home quizzes each week of class. These quizzes are to be completed independently by the student and returned the following week. Quizzes will be graded in class and will serve as study guides. All the quiz grades will be averaged for one grade. The quizzes are available on the web. (20% of final grade)
• CHILD ABUSE REPORTING TUTUORIAL. All students must complete the on line Child Abuse Tutorial training. This training can be found at http://www.fiu.edu/~cat. You are to follow the directions on the web site. First you will complete the pre test, then read the tutorial (this will take about one hour) and then complete the post test. You will use your FIU e mail user name to log into the pre and post tests. In class, you will receive an evaluation form which is to be completed and turned in by September 16, 2003. This assignment is worth 5 points and these points will be added to your lowest exam grade.

• Students must read and be familiar with both the ACA Code of Ethics and the American School Counselor Association Ethics For School Counselors.

• ACA Code of Ethics
  http://http://www.counseling.org/site/PageServer?pagename=resources_ethics#ce

• ASCA Ethical Standards
  http://http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.cfm?L1=12&L2=2
  

Grading

Each assignment is worth a certain number of points. The grading for the class is as follows:

94-100 pts = A

90-93 = A-

86-89 = B+

83-85 = B

80-82 = B-

76-79 = C+

73-75 = C

70-72 = C-

Below 70 = D

Calendar of Assignments

General Information For Students

Academic Dishonesty:

Be assured and forewarned that cheating will not be tolerated in this course. All cases of suspected cheating will be referred to the University's Committee on Academic Misconduct. This action is required by all instructors. Regarding the consequences of being found guilty of dishonest academic practice, the instructor shall make an academic judgment about the student's grade on that work and in that course and shall report such incidents to the Primary Administrative Officer.

Office of Disability Services for Students

If you have a disability and need assistance, please notify me and/or contact the Office of Disability Services for Students (348-3532). Upon contact, the Office of Disability Services for Students will review your request and contact your professors or other appropriate personnel to make arrangements for appropriate modification and/or assistance.

Code of Decorum:

The Department of Educational and Psychological Studies has developed a Professional Code of Decorum. It can be found in the department's web site at http://www.fiu.edu/~edpsy/code.htm. All students taking courses in this department are expected to meet the expectations outlined in this Code.

Class Attendance:

It is expected that all students will be in attendance for all class sessions. Lecture material will supplement and explain text chapters and will be subject to examination. If you miss a class YOU are responsible for any material given or changes made during the class period.