How might a helper most challenge a client to participate in the helping process?

Goal: Learn about the helping process to establish a foundation for constructive counseling.

Outcomes:

Objectives:

1. Readings from course and supplemental texts.

2. Discussion questions.

3. Exploration of relevant web sites.

4. Interviews with local professionals.

5. Class discussions.

Tasks:

1. Complete the assigned text readings.

2. Participate in class discussions.

3. Submit complete and thoughtful answers to questions 3-6 at the end of Chapter 1 (page 14) in your Cormier and Hackney text.

4. Complete two of the following exercises:
   

1. Explore a minimum of four web sites that provide information on the helping process.  Write a 3-page paper on what you learned about the helping process, including brief descriptions of the sites you visited as well as your reactions to, and your opinions about, the usefulness of the information provided at each site.

2. Interview local professionals who provide counseling services in the local community. These might include mental health professionals, alcohol/drug counselors, licensed psychologists, licensed professional counselors, social workers and/or school counselors.  Write a 3-page paper reporting on your findings, including the roles of the professionals you interviewed, the types of problems they typically encounter, their counseling style and philosophy, and their view of the helping process.

3. Attend a minimum of two meetings of a local Coalition (or Alliance or Task Force) working to assist a needy, underserved population in the local community. Better yet, become involved.  Write a 3-page paper reporting on your findings and describing the meetings and your reactions to them.  Describe in some detail the extent of the problems the group is dealing with and the strategies they are implementing to address these problems.  What local community constituencies are represented?  What positive outcomes are they anticipating from their efforts, and how are they measuring them?  In your opinion, is the Coalition being effective?  Why or why not?  What would you do to improve it?  How does what you have learned about the helping process fit with/relate to the work of the Coalition?