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DIVISION OF COUNSELING

Dr. J. Craig Garrett
Associate Dean

Faculty

Kristyn S. Carver, BS, MAMFC, PhD, LPC-S
Professor of Counseling, occupying the
James D. and Rose Ramsey Chair of Psychology and Counseling

Kelle Falterman, BA, MEd, MA, PhD, LPC-S
Core Faculty in Counseling

J. Craig Garrett, BA, MEd, ThM, PhD, LPC-S
Professor of Counseling, occupying the
Baptist Community Ministries Chair of Pastoral Care and Counseling;
Academic Unit Leader for Counseling Programs;
Associate Dean for the Division of Counseling

Ian F. Jones, BA, MARE, MDiv, PhD, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT-S
Professor of Counseling (Ministry-Based)

Jeffery W. Nave, BS, MDiv, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT-S
Professor of Counseling, occupying the
James H. and Susan E. Brown Chair of Christian Counseling;
Director of Student Counseling;
Director, Leeke Magee Christian Counseling

Alex Wendel, MA, ThM, PhD, LPC
Assistant Professor of Counseling;
Director, Counselor Training

Clinical Counselor Supervisors

  • Kelle Falterman, PhD, LPC-S

  • Kathy Steele, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT-S

  • Alex Wendel, MA, ThM, PhD, LPC

  • Andy Wiggins, MA. PLPC

  • Sarah Black, MA, LPC

  • Lauren Graham, MS, NCC

Description of Courses

The following list represents courses offered in the Division of Counseling. This list does not contain specific information regarding the session and time of offering. Specific information will be made available to the student by the Registrar’s Office and through posted syllabi prior to registration.

Counseling

COUN5000 Student Process Group (0 hours)
This course is designed to allow students the opportunity to identify and explore areas for personal growth important to their development as counselors and to help students begin developing interpersonal and communication skills necessary for counseling. This course is designed as an 8-week process group. Students will participate fully by attending group meetings, setting goals, developing their own homework, and providing feedback to fellow members.

COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry (3 hours)
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of pastoral care and counseling. A Bible-based, reality-focused, five-session model will be learned. In addition, the class will emphasize application heavily through the use of role play. Specific clinical issues to be considered include marital and family distress, depression, grief, and spiritual direction. Also may be taken as PATH5310.

COUN5303 Advanced Pastoral Counseling (3 hours)
This course is designed to build on the foundation presented in COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry. A solution-focused model of pastoral counseling is presented with an emphasis on gaining practical experience through role play and outside class experience. Prerequisite: COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry.

COUN5310 Practical Integration of Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in the Counseling Setting (3 hours)
This course will address issues in practice related to the active integration of psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling. The practical application of these respective disciplines to a variety of counseling concerns will be emphasized.

COUN5311 The Bible in the Professional Counselor (3 hours)
Recognizing the need for personal integration of the Bible into the counselor’s own life, this course is designed to examine and express the connections between humans and God as defined in Scripture. Models of integrating Scripture and counseling are presented. Students are challenged to learn effective, therapeutic methods of sharing biblical passages, principles, theology, and historical contexts with counselees. God’s Word is presented as the truth, which permeates the presence of the Christian counseling environment.

COUN5320 Personality Development (3 hours)
In this course students are presented an overview of the major theories, concepts, and research methods of the psychology of personality. Students will relate theorists and theories to the field of the counseling ministry. A biblical and theological understanding of the development of humans is reviewed.

COUN5321 Human Development (3 hours)
The course includes advanced study of human development. The theories, concepts, and research regarding the developmental characteristics of the body, spirit, and mind at each state of human growth are examined and related to Christian ministry.

COUN5322 Human Sexuality (3 hours)
A study of human sexual development, sexual practices, and treatments for the sexual dysfunctions and paraphilias is made. Theological and Christian practice issues are applied to human sexuality. Students learn techniques of sex therapy with a systemic perspective.

COUN5330 Group Counseling (3 hours)
This course consists of lectures on the theory and practice of group therapy. Principles relating to group processes will be examined. Various models of groups are considered, including both psycho-educational and process groups. Student groups are formed, and each student will lead one outside counseling group during the semester.

COUN5331 Social and Multicultural Issues in Counseling (3 hours)
This course is designed to introduce students to transcultural theory and the application of counseling principles to multicultural and multi-ethnic situations. This will include transcultural communication, ethnography, worldview, and racial and gender identity development. Specific ethnic groups, gender, and racial issues impacting the therapeutic process are explored.

COUN5332 Crisis Counseling (3 hours)
Students study the theory of crisis intervention and emergency psychology. High stress communication skills and a specialized counseling approach, the crisis intervention model, are presented. Students acquire knowledge and skill through observation, study, and practice.  Biblical and theological bases for understanding crisis events are considered. Various crises are examined including such events as suicide, death, grief, physical illness, family emergencies, and situational and developmental crises.

COUN5340 Lifestyle Development and Career Counseling (3 hours)
Students will examine the developmental theories, personality career theories, and decision-making theories to develop a framework for lifestyle development and career counseling. Lifestyle and vocational assessment, choice, search tactics, family influences, and God’s will and spiritual direction are examined. Students will learn to administer and interpret career assessment inventories. At the discretion of the professor, a small additional fee may be assessed to cover testing materials.

COUN6186/6286/6386 Special Topics in Counseling
Specialized courses in the field of counseling offered on an as-needed basis. This learning experience also provides students with the opportunity to attend a seminar, retreat, professional meeting, or other extra-curricular activity related to the field of counseling. Prior to the regular registration cycle for the semester, students will petition the appropriate professor in the counseling program for approval to attend the event. The application will include the scope of the event, the title, place, leadership, and other pertinent information to inform the professor about the relevance of the event to the curriculum of study the student is pursuing. Prior to the event, the professor will establish the expected pre- and post-event academic requirements. The faculty member will establish the criteria for the completion of the project. The special topics event will require a minimum of two faculty-to-student meetings. The evaluation of the student’s involvement in the event will be the responsibility of the academic professor who established the criteria for attendance.

COUN6301 Psychopathology: Diagnosis and Treatment (3 hours)
This course is designed as a comprehensive overview of mental disorders and treatments. Students will acquire a working knowledge of the DSM-5 classification system, the diagnostic categories, and the primary treatment options for the major mental disorders. Diagnostic techniques, etiology and pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical course, and psychopharmacology are also examined. This course and COUN6302, COUN6303 and COUN6350 OR COUN6351 are prerequisites for all other counseling courses.

COUN6302 Techniques and Skills in Counseling (3 hours)
Counseling theory, practice, and skills are presented through active learning and traditional methods to train students in techniques and skills for effective counseling. Additionally, psychotherapeutic process research is examined. A model conducive to the use of the counseling skills is taught. This course and COUN6301, COUN6303 and COUN6350 OR COUN6351 are prerequisites for all other counseling courses.

COUN6303 Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling (3 hours)
Students develop ethical, legal, and professional knowledge and responses to issues arising in professional counseling. The following issues relevant to the practice of professional counseling are investigated: licensure and certification (e.g., LPC, NBCC); legal responsibilities and liabilities; and emotional, spiritual, and personal concerns of the practicing Christian counselor. The second half of the course is designed to teach a process of ethical decision making to help increase a student’s awareness of ethical practice. Students will examine the code of ethics statements of the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners, and the American Counseling Association. Role-plays and video segments will be utilized to gain an experiential understanding regarding ethical responses to topics such as boundaries issues, moral issues, dual relationships, confidentiality, financial matters, termination processes, and duty to report and warn. This course and COUN6301, COUN6302 and COUN6350 OR COUN6351 are prerequisites for all other counseling courses.

COUN6304 Family Systems Theory in Practice (3 hours)
This course is designed to develop students’ practical skills for application of Family Systems theory in marriage and family counseling. Students will examine theoretical foundations, research findings, basic principles, assessment techniques, and the intervention strategies of Structural, Strategic and Intergenerational models. These examinations are applied to a wide variety of problems in living and are framed within a Christian theological context.

COUN6331 Professional Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (3 hours)
This course is the capstone course for the counseling program and is designed to address practical issues relevant to the practice of clinical mental health counseling. The course will be presented as a hybrid, with a portion of the course being taught through Canvas and the other portion in class. The following topics will be addressed: preparing for the National Counselor Exam (NCE) & Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE), applying for licensure and certification (e.g., LPC, NBCC, AAMFT), advocacy, resumes and interviews, and practice management. December graduates must take this course in the spring semester prior to graduation and May graduates must take this course in the fall semester prior to graduation.

COUN6332 Professional Issues in Marriage and Family Counseling (3 hours)
This course is the capstone course for the counseling program and is designed to address practical issues relevant to the practice of professional marriage and family counseling. The course will be presented as a hybrid, with a portion of the course being taught through Canvas and the other portion in class. The following topics will be addressed: preparing for the National Counselor Exam (NCE) & Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE), applying for licensure and certification (e.g., LPC, NBCC, AAMFT), advocacy, resumes and interviews, and practice management. December graduates must take this course in the spring semester prior to graduation and May graduates must take this course in the fall semester prior to graduation.

COUN6341 Addiction Counseling (3 hours)
Students are introduced to basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, along with effects of various classes of substances on the brain. In addition, students will learn major etiological models of chemical dependency and corresponding treatment options. Students are encouraged to incorporate the broadest level of integration of physiological, psychological, and theological insights into the problem of chemical dependency. Family intervention programs are examined, and a family systems perspective is used. The chemically dependent family system is studied.

COUN6348 Trauma-Informed Care for Foster and Adoptive Families (3 hours)
A detailed study is made of the major factors faced by kids from hard places: developmental trauma, attachment issues, self-regulation, sensory processing, interpersonal relationship skills, and behavioral challenges. These problems will be addressed from the Trust Based Relational Intervention Model. Non-counseling majors must have taken a prerequisite course, COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry, before taking this course.

COUN6349 Trauma: Theories and Counseling (3 hours)
The purpose of this course is to develop students’ knowledge and skill in the treatment of trauma for individuals, marriages, and families. Students will explore the psychological trauma field, including the current theories in the field, the nature of trauma, how trauma affects individuals and systems, grief reactions, and traumatic stress. Also included is the exploration of the professional’s response to trauma, vicarious traumatization, comorbid disorders and general treatment issues. Students will have the opportunity to review evidence-based practices in the trauma field. A variety of theoretical frameworks are presented, including cognitive, spiritual, neurobiological, clinical, and socio-cultural.

COUN6350 Clinical Marriage and Family Assessment (3 hours)
The purpose of this course is to enable students to assess family systems, to develop knowledge of current family life demographics, and to examine various clinical family assessment techniques and tools. Lectures, discussions, assessments, and experiential methods are used to help students gain an understanding of marriage and family styles, symptomatology, and interviewing and assessment techniques. A study of healthy and dysfunctional families is included. The courses COUN6301 COUN6302, COUN6303 and COUN6350 OR COUN6351 are prerequisites for all other counseling courses.

COUN6351 Counseling Theories and Treatment (3 hours)
This course examines the theoretic and practical foundations of the family systems approach to marital and family counseling. The major theorists, theories, models, and practices are examined. The primary focus is upon the theories, principles, and language which support the numerous marriage and family counseling models. The courses COUN6301 COUN6302, COUN6303 and COUN6351 OR COUN6350 are prerequisites for all other counseling courses.

COUN6354 Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling for Individuals, Marriage and Family (3 hours)
The purpose of this course is to develop students’ knowledge and skill in the cognitive-behavioral approach to individual, marital, and family counseling within a systemic perspective. Students will examine theoretical foundations, research findings, basic principles, assessment techniques, and the intervention strategies of cognitive-behavioral therapy. These examinations are applied to a wide variety of problems in marriage, family, and social relationships and are framed within a Christian theological context. Non-counseling majors must have taken a prerequisite course, COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry, before taking this course.

COUN6355 Brief Approaches to Individual, Marriage and Family Counseling (3 hours)
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of brief approaches to individual, marriage, and family counseling. Special attention is given to solution-focused and selected depth-oriented models and their practical application in the ministry setting. Students should come prepared to spend extensive time participating in live supervision using each of these selected models. Non-counseling majors must have taken a prerequisite course, COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry, before taking this course.

COUN6356 Childhood Disorders and Treatments (3 hours)
This course is designed as a comprehensive overview of mental and behavioral disorders and problems affecting children and adolescents. Students will acquire knowledge of the DSM-5 classification system as it pertains to various childhood disorders. Emphasis is placed on diagnostic techniques, etiology, and the primary treatment strategies for the disorders and problems studied. The course is designed to help students develop effectively as practitioners working with children, adolescents, and their families. This course is taught from a systemic perspective.

COUN6357 Contemporary Approaches to Marital/Pre-Marital Counseling (3 hours)
Students study a variety of leading contemporary theories of marriage and pre-marriage counseling from a systematic approach. Concurrent emphasis is placed on mastery of the techniques used within each of those theories. Students will develop a personal model of marriage and pre-marriage counseling including assessment, treatment planning, interventions, and follow-up. Non-counseling majors must have taken a prerequisite course, COUN5300 Counseling in Ministry, before taking this course.

COUN6360 Clinical Mental Health Counseling (3 hours)
In this course students will explore the historical, theoretical and practical aspects of the clinical mental health counseling field. It will explore current trends, professional and ethical issues and other relevant matters for clinical mental health counseling. Furthermore, it will examine the role of the Christian who has been called to work in such settings.

COUN6374 Scientific Research and Program Evaluation (3 hours)
This course will provide a basic understanding of research methods and program evaluation. The course covers both research design and statistical procedures. Topics covered include the program evaluation in counseling, the scientific method, experimental and correlational research, sampling methods, hypothesis development, introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics, and the choice of appropriate statistical analyses for testing specific hypotheses. Students will gain the fundamentals of statistics as they analyze counseling and counseling program data, with the emphasis on review and interpretation of research literature (particularly in the areas of community mental health counseling and marriage and family counseling), experience the role of computers in statistical analysis, and discover the relationships among measurement, design, and statistics. At the conclusion of the course, each student will have selected a research topic, and will have begun to develop a research proposal including hypotheses, sampling, and methodology. This course should be taken concurrently with COUN6390 Clinical Internship 1 or COUN6391 Clinical Internship 2.

COUN6378 Appraisal of Individuals (3 hours)
This course will examine the context of psychological testing, technical and methodological principles, test of general intellectual level, tests of separate abilities, personality tests, behavioral assessments, and ethical principles of psychological assessment. An additional fee of approximately $35 is required to cover appraisal materials.

COUN6380 Clinical Practicum (3 hours)
This course is designed as a semester-length (16-week), mental health practicum totaling at least 100 clock hours. The student is required to complete 40 hours of direct counseling, one hour per week of individual supervision, and one and one-half hours per week of group supervision. Students pursuing LPC licensure in Louisiana, majoring in the Specialization in Clinical Mental Health, must complete the Practicum of 16 weeks and 40 Direct Client Hours with individuals, couples, or families. Students pursuing the LPC licensure in Louisiana, majoring in the Specialization in Marriage and Family, must complete 10 hours of direct counseling (within the total 40 Direct Client Hours) with couples, families, children, and adolescents. Students wishing to register for this course must first go through the application and approval process and obtain a signed approval form from the NOBTS Director of Training prior to enrollment. Prerequisites: COUN6301, COUN6302, and COUN6303; and COUN6350 or COUN6351.

COUN6390 Clinical Internship I (3 hours)
This course is designed as an 18-week/300 hour placement in an approved setting (students should be prepared to complete additional hours if they are required by their placement site) where students are engaged in individual, marital, group, and family counseling. One hundred twenty (120) hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples, groups, and families must be represented within the total hours completed. Students pursuing LPC licensure in Louisiana, majoring in the Specialization in Clinical Mental Health, must complete the internship of 18 weeks and 120 Direct Client Hours with individuals, couples, or families. Students pursuing the LPC licensure in Louisiana, majoring in the Specialization in Marriage and Family, must complete 30 hours of direct counseling (within the total 120 Direct Client Hours) with couples, families, children, and adolescents. Additionally, one hour per week of individual supervision by a counseling faculty member or approved supervisor and one and one-half hours per week group supervision by a faculty member supervisor or approved supervisor are required during the placement. There is an emphasis to learn to diagnosis using the DSM-5 criteria.

COUN6391 Clinical Internship II (3 hours)
This course is designed as a 18-week/300 hour placement in an approved setting (students should be prepared to complete additional hours if they are required by their placement site) where students are engaged in individual, marital, group, and family counseling. One hundred twenty (120) hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples, groups, and families must be represented within the total hours completed. Students pursuing LPC licensure in Louisiana, majoring in the Specialization in Clinical Mental Health, must complete the internship of 18 weeks and 120 Direct Client Hours with individuals, couples, or families. Students pursuing the LPC licensure in Louisiana, majoring in the Specialization in Marriage and Family, must complete 30 hours of direct counseling (within the total 120 Direct Client Hours) with couples, families, children, and adolescents. Additionally, one hour per week of individual supervision by a counseling faculty member or approved supervisor and one and one-half hours per week group supervision by a faculty member supervisor or approved supervisor are required during the placement.

COIS6185-6385 Independent Directed Study in Counseling (1-3 hours)