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School Psychology, Counseling and Leadership | Library | Other SPCL OER

SPCL 7807T Practicum in School Counseling (Elmadani)

Course Description

  1. 30 hours lecture/supervision, 100 hours practicum; 3 credits
  2. Planned program of supervised fieldwork in a setting similar to that in which the student expects to work and application of individual and group theory to individuals and groups in schools.
  3. Students co-lead groups and deliver individual counseling sessions in school setting, group seminar/supervision, case conference, and triadic supervision. One hundred hours (100) of practicum at an approved school: 40 hours of direct counseling services and 60 hours of indirect / collateral services.

Course Objectives

This course is a planned program of supervised fieldwork in a K-12 setting. Students are expected to work at applying relevant counseling and human development theories in their work with individuals and groups. Students will co-lead groups, deliver individual counseling sessions and collaborate with school personnel and families. Students will participate in group and triadic supervision sessions. They will complete a minimum of one hundred hours (100) of practicum at an approved school; 40 hours of direct counseling services and 60 hours of indirect / collateral services.

This course is organized to help students acquire knowledge and skills regarding the roles, duties and responsibilities of professional school counselors in urban school settings. The course highlights the importance of experiential learning and stresses the role of school counselors in planning, organizing and implementing services to support students’ academic, social emotional and career development.

  1. Learn to conceptualize client cases using relevant counseling theories and considering cultural factors, CACREP Standards 5.G.3.i. ; 5.G.3.h
  2. Assessed: Application activities, reports, video recordings, transcription Utilize micro-counseling skills and culturally appropriate counseling interventions in individual and group counseling sessions [CACREP Standards 5.G.3.f.; 5.G.3.d.
  3. Assessed: Application activities, audio and video recording, session reports and documentation,
  4. Demonstrate how racial and cultural factors, social class, gender, (dis)ability and other important variables impact their work with students. CACREP Standards: 5.G.3.k; 5.G.3.b.
    • Assessed: Application activities, case presentation, case notes, audio and video recording.Learn to conceptualize client cases using relevant counseling theories and considering cultural factors, CACREP Standards: 5.G.3.i.
  5. Utilize micro-counseling skills and culturally appropriate counseling interventions that are most appropriate for students in a school setting, CACREP Standards: 5.G.3.g.; 5.G.3.l.
  6. Demonstrate how racial and cultural factors, social class and gender, and other important variables impact their work with students. CACREP Standards: 5.G.3.o.; 5.G.3.k. 5.G.3.c.
  • 5.G.3.b. design and evaluation of school counseling programs
  • 5.G.3.c. develop core curriculum design, lesson plan development, classroom management strategies, and differentiated instructional strategies
  • 5.G.3.d.apply interventions to promote academic development
  • 5.G.3.f. use techniques of personal/social counseling in school settings
  • 5.G.3.h. use skills to critically examine the connections between social, familial, emotional, and behavior problems and academic achievement
  • 5.G.3.i. apply approaches to increase promotion and graduation rates
  • 5.G.3.j. use interventions to promote college and career readiness
  • 5.G.3.k. apply strategies to promote equity in student achievement and college access
  • 5.G.3.l. use techniques to foster collaboration and teamwork within schools
  • 5.G.3.o. use of data to advocate for programs and students

Important Info

Students are expected to have completed all the readings for each class and be prepared to engage in team activities and class discussion regarding the assigned material.

This course uses Open Educational Resources (OERs)  “Open Educational Resources are teaching and learning materials you may use without charge."

All materials are on the OER website SPCL 7807T Practicum in School Counseling at URL: https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/spcl7807t/

It is highly encouraged that students take hand-written (better than typed) notes with each reading, as this fosters a deeper cognitive processing of the material and ultimately better retention when the notes are reviewed.

Professors for Section R4AL (10543) / R4AP(10542)

Professor Dr. Abdelaziz Elmadani
Session Times
  • Triadic #1: 3:40-4:30 p.m.
  • Didactic: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #2: 6:10-7:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #3: 7:10-8:00 p.m.
Email Abdelaziz.Elmadani@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Phone 718-951-5876
Office Hours Thursdays, 8:00-9:00 p.m., additional times by appt
Professor Caitlin Kelly
Session Times
  • Triadic #1: 6:10-7:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #2: 7:10-8:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #3: 8:10-9:00 p.m.
Email Caitlin.Kelly@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Phone 718-951-5876
Office Hours Thursdays, 9:00-9:30 p.m.

Professors for Section R4BL(10545) / R4BP(10544)

Professor Sherlene Thomas
Session Times
  • Didactic: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #1: 6:10-7:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #2: 7:10-8:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #3: 8:10-9:00 p.m.
Email set140@yahoo.com
Phone 718-951-5876
Office Hours Thursdays, 9:00-9:30 p.m.
Professor Jessica DeSanto
Session Times
  • Triadic #1: 6:10-7:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #2: 7:10-8:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #3: 8:10-9:00 p.m.
Email jdesanto13@gmail.com
Phone 718-951-5876
Office Hours Thursdays, 9:00-9:30 p.m.

Professors for Section R4CL(37617) / R4CP(37615)

Professor Donna Brown
Session Times
  • Didactic: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #1: 6:10-7:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #2: 7:10-8:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #3: 8:10-9:00 p.m.
Email keilerbrown0827@gmail.com
Phone 718-951-5876
Office Hours Thursdays, 9:00-9:30 p.m.
Professor Cara Spitzer
Session Times
  • Triadic #1: 6:10-7:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #2: 7:10-8:00 p.m.
  • Triadic #3: 8:10-9:00 p.m.
Email  
Phone 718-951-5876
Office Hours Thursdays, 9:00-9:30 p.m.

Mission Statements and Frameworks

The content of this course as well as methodologies used are consistent with the mission of the Graduate Program in School Counseling at Brooklyn College. The mission of the School Counseling Program is to prepare school counselors to advocate for a high-quality education for all students in schools in this city and beyond, and to nurture the holistic development of every student – i.e., his or her academic competence, and emotional, social and spiritual well-being.

The full text of the mission is as follows:

The Brooklyn College Counseling Program prepares school counselors to advocate for a high quality education for all students in schools in this city and beyond, and to nurture the holistic development of every student- his or her academic competence, and emotional, social and spiritual well-being. Our program enables counselors to accomplish these aims within complex educational bureaucracies by developing their capacities for critical self- reflection, collaborative leadership, empathy, and imagination. In our classrooms, at field sites in urban schools, and in communities, we strive to model an approach to learning that is democratic and experiential. In preparing our students for their role in creating humane and just environments, we foster sensitivity to diversity, and the courage and skills to challenge harmful biases and stereotypes, while promoting greater understanding and respect. Our graduates are equipped to encourage and guide children and youth in their aspirations, and to collaborate with their families and with other educators to prepare them well for postsecondary education, meaningful life work and citizenship.

The School Counseling Program also supports implementation of the standards of the Education Trust’s Transforming School Counseling Initiative and the curriculum standards of the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, CACREP (www.counseling.org/cacrep).

The School of Education at Brooklyn College prepares teachers, administrators, counselors, and school psychologists to serve, lead and thrive in the schools and agencies of this city and beyond. Through collaborative action, teaching and research, we develop our students’ capacities to create socially just, intellectually vital, aesthetically rich and compassionate communities that value equity and excellence, access and rigor. We design our programs in cooperation with Liberal Arts and Sciences faculties and in consultation with local schools in order to provide our students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge, proficiencies and understandings needed to work with New York City’s racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse populations. We believe that teaching is an art that incorporates critical self-reflection, openness to new ideas, practices and technologies, and that focuses on the individual learner’s needs and promotes growth. Our collective work is shaped by scholarship and is animated by a commitment to educate our students to the highest standards of professional competence.

This course addresses the four areas described in the Brooklyn College School of Education’s conceptual Framework. The School of Education’s Conceptual Framework offers an overview of the salient themes culled from our mission statement. The themes that follow are integrated into the course as follows:

  • Collaboration:Through the readings, class discussions, and assignments, school psychologist candidates will be placed on teams to enhance and support each other’s learning. They will be asked to share their knowledge with others in the team and the class as a whole during the weekly application activities and discussions of the assigned readings. They will also be 1) prepared to involve themselves in students’ lives by collaborating with families, teachers, administrators, other support staff, and the community; 2) prepared to establish respectful and consistent relationships with diverse families and seek to develop cooperative and reciprocal relationships with families in support of student learning and well-being; and 3) prepared to assist in the creation of classrooms that foster opportunities for student collaboration thereby enhancing student learning and social development.
  • Critical Self-Reflection and Reflective Practice: School psychologist candidates are expected to critically reflect on readings, films, class discussions, and assignments. Over the course of the semester, the school psychologist candidates: 1) critically reflect on their own assumptions about their practices, the students and families with whom they will work, the communities in which they will work, and their own development as professionals; 2) prepare to help develop classroom communities where trust, mutual respect, mindfulness, and critical self- reflection are valued.
  • Social Justice: Over the course of the semester, the school psychologist candidates develop a deeper understanding of the quest for social justice. They are prepared to 1) develop strategies that create classrooms and other educational settings that favor inclusiveness over alienation and promote high expectations for students from historically oppressed groups; and 2) be caring advocates and change agents for all students and their families in pursuit of academic excellence and social equality
  • Diversity: The course will examine the divide between theories that emphasize an evolutionary based view of human universals and those that emphasize a culturally based view of human diversity. Issues of race, ethnicity, class, cultural and linguistic diversity, religion, gender, sexuality, and special needs will be discussed as they apply to multicultural counseling and identity development. Over the course of the semester, the school psychologist candidates demonstrate a capacity to understand students’ families, cultures, and communities, and use this information as a basis for connecting instruction, counseling, and professional practices to students’ experiences.

CUNY Policies

Brooklyn College's Diverse Center for Student Disability Services group smiling.
 

The Brooklyn College Center for Student Disability Services external link. is back to working in-person on campus, though you can still reach out via email and phone. Please email them at testingcsds@brooklyn.cuny.edu for assistance.

Location: 138 Roosevelt Hall
Phone: 718.951.5538
FAX: 718.951.4442
Department Office Hours:

  • Monday: 9 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
  • Tuesday: 9 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 9 a.m.–6:45 p.m.
  • Thursday: 9 a.m.–6:45 p.m.
  • Friday: 9 a.m.–4:45 p.m.

Note: Office hours during summer and winter intersession breaks varies.

Students should inform the professor if they have a disability or any other situation that may require Section 504/ADA accommodations.  The faculty and staff will attempt to work out whatever arrangements are necessary.

Please provide your professor with your course accommodation form and discuss your specific accommodation with your professor as soon as possible to ensure accommodations are met in a timely fashion.

In order to receive academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services. Students who have a documented disability or who suspect that they might have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell or the Assistant Director, Josephine Patterson or their general email testingcsds@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS) Mission:
It is the mission of the Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS) to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to all campus facilities, curricula, and activities. The program’s objective focuses on providing students with reasonable disability-related accommodations and the opportunity to maximize their academic success at Brooklyn College. The goal is to ensure an inclusive environment while maintaining and enhancing the college’s academic excellence by providing students with disabilities the opportunity to achieve their highest possible academic potential.

Academic dishonesty of any type, including cheating and plagiarism, is unacceptable at Brooklyn College. Cheating is any misrepresentation in academic work. Plagiarism is the representation of another person’s work, words, or ideas as your own. Students should consult the Brooklyn College Student Handbook for a fuller, more specific discussion of related academic integrity standards.

Academic dishonesty is punishable by failure of the “…test, examination, term paper or other assignment on which cheating occurred” (Faculty Council, May 18, 1954).

In addition, disciplinary proceedings in cases of academic dishonesty may result in penalties of admonition, warning, censure, disciplinary probation, restitution, suspension, expulsion, complaint to civil authorities, or ejection (Adopted by Policy Council, May 8, 1991).

NOTE: If you have a question about how to cite correctly ask your teacher BEFORE submitting your work.

  • The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism.
  • Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both.
  • View complete text of CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and Brooklyn College procedure for policy implementation.
  • If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member must report the violation.
  • Please read the section entitled “Academic Regulations and Procedures” in the Brooklyn College Undergraduate Bulletin or Graduate Bulletin for a complete listing of academic regulations of the College.

Bereavement Policy:

  • Students who experience the death of a loved one must contact the Division of Student Affairs, 2113 Boylan Hall, if they wish to implement either the Standard Bereavement Procedure or the Leave of Absence Bereavement Procedure. The Division of Student Affairs has the right to request a document that verifies the death (e.g., a funeral program or death notice). Contact Email: studentaffairs@brooklyn.cuny.edu
  • Typically, this death involves that of a family member, in parallel to the bereavement policy for faculty and staff. However, it is up to the discretion of the Division of Student Affairs to determine if a death outside of the immediate family warrants implementation of the student bereavement policy.
  •  As an option, and in consultation with the Division of Student Affairs, students may take the Leave of Absence Bereavement after the Standard Bereavement.
  • Reference to the Student Bereavement Policies will be noted on course syllabi.
  • Students requesting a religious accommodation should contact the Division of Student Affairs as well. The chief student affairs officer, or a designee, and the student will engage in an interactive process with the goal of finding an acceptable accommodation.

Bereavement Procedure:

  • Upon approval from the Division of Student Affairs, the student is allowed one week, commencing from the day of notification to the Division of Student Affairs, of excused absence.
  • Should the student feel that he/she needs additional days, these should be discussed with individual course instructors and/or the Division of Student Affairs.
  • The Division of Student Affairs will contact the student’s faculty and academic staff of the student’s courses.
  • Faculty and academic staff will be advised that extensions must be granted to the student for the period of one week of excused absence.
  • Further extensions may be negotiated with the student when he or she returns to campus.
  • Students are encouraged to discuss options with their instructors.

Leave of Absence Bereavement Procedure:

  • Students may be allowed to withdraw from the semester in which the death occurs.
  • The Bereavement Leave of Absence is for one semester only.
  • Students who have opted to take the Bereavement Leave of Absence and have already attended classes for the semester of the leave will be allowed to re-enter the following semester without having to reapply to the college.
  • Students who wish to take the leave of absence prior to the beginning of the semester will be required to reapply for the following semester.
  • Students who are in good academic standing will be given the opportunity to successfully complete the credits for the semester in which they return.
  • Students will consult with the Division of Student Affairs, on a case-by-case basis, as to whether they should withdraw from their courses during this leave of absence or to request incompletes from the faculty member.
  •  Given that there may be a potential impact on financial aid, students who receive financial aid and who take the Bereavement Leave of Absence, upon arrangement with the Division of Student Affairs, will meet with a financial aid adviser prior to taking this option.
  • The New York State Education Law provides that no student shall be expelled or refused admission to an institution of higher education because he or she is unable to attend classes or participate in examinations or study or work requirements on any particular day or days because of religious beliefs.
  • Students who are unable to attend classes on a particular day or days because of religious beliefs will be excused from any examination or study or work requirements.
  • Faculty must make good-faith efforts to provide students absent from class because of religious beliefs equivalent opportunities to make up the work missed; no additional fees may be charged for this consideration.
  • If classes, examinations, or study or work requirements occur on Friday after 4 p.m. or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, or study or work requirements will be made available on other days, where possible and practical.
  • The faculty and the administration will not allow any adverse or prejudicial effects to accrue to students availing themselves of this regulation.
  • If students have complaints about the application of this policy, they are entitled to bring action or a proceeding for enforcement of their rights in the Supreme Court of Kings County