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Texas A&M – Central Texas

Department of Psychology & Counseling

MHCK 513.110 Crisis Intervention & Management of Individuals & Families

Fall, 2015

ONLINE

Professor:Mee-Gaik Lim, Ph.D, LPC-S, LMFT-S

Phone:830-620-7142

E-mail:

Office Hours: Mondays-Fridays: 9:00-2:00 pm CST

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an examination of the systemic dynamics, intervention strategies and treatment of a variety of crisis situations with individuals, couples, families, and communities including, but not limited to, suicide intervention, sexual assault, domestic violence, substance dependency, PTSD, grief, and natural and man-made disasters including a review of theories and approaches to crisis intervention and management.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

a)Gain an understanding of theories regarding the way stressful events are perceived, defined, and their influence on individuals, families and communities.

b)Gain an appreciation for the meanings attributed to family crises and the process of attributing meaning to these events.

c)Learn the characteristics of functional and dysfunctional coping strategies.

d)Learn to assess both developmental and situational crises and the ways in which they impact the family and how families respond to such events in healthy and unhealthy ways.

e)Learn intervention strategies for crises and the application skills necessary for these interventions

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to…

a)Demonstrate their understanding of theories relevant to crisis intervention.

b)Identify dysfunctional coping strategies and recommend adaptive coping strategies.

c)Assess the functioning of individuals and families who are experiencing crises.

d)Implement intervention strategies and apply therapeutic skills in the context of crises.

REQUIRED TEXT

Essentials of Crisis Counseling and Intervention (2003) by Donald E. Wiger and Kathy J. Harowski ISBN: 0-471-417566-6 paperback.

ASSIGNMENTS

Online Discussions (100 points)

Students will complete online discussions each week. Students are expected to check the online class at least three to four times each week and complete weekly assignments. This averages out to be about 6-8 hrs per week of online activities, navigating and conducting research over the web. All initial posts have to be submitted by noon each Friday and responses to other students be submitted by noon each Sunday.

Note: Students will receive 7 pts for their initial response and 3 pts for responding to another student (10 pts).

Resource list (30 points)

To be familiar with real-world knowledge related to crisis intervention, students will compile a list of fifteen local resources for individuals in crisis (e.g., shelters, food banks, youth services). The list should include contact information, specific services provided by these agencies, consumers they serve, associated cost, etc.

Triage Assessment Form: Movie (30 pts)

Select a movie of choice and complete the Triage Assessment Form (located in Appendix B at the end of the book) on a specific individual or group of people who has recently experienced a crisis from the movie.Use the formto assess affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions of individuals to crisis events. This assessment model offers clinicians an understanding of the type of reactions clients are experiencing as well as the intensity of these reactions. Fill out the form upon completion of the interview and thereafter, write a one page reflection of the interview process.

Movie List:

  • After the Flood(2001)
  • A Town Has Turned to Dust(1998)
  • The Bed Sitting Room(1969)
  • Beyond the Time Barrier(1960)
  • The Book of Eli(2010)
  • Christmas with the Stars: An International Earthquake Benefit(1989, TV movie)
  • The Colony(2009–, TV series)
  • Damnation Alley(1977)
  • The Dark Knight Rises(2012)
  • Day the World Ended(1955)
  • Deathlands: Homeward Bound(2003)
  • Doomsday(2008)
  • The Eden Formula(2006)
  • Epoch: Evolution(2003)
  • Five(1951)
  • In the Year 2889(1967)
  • The Last Woman on Earth(1960)
  • La Jetée(1962)
  • Lost City Raiders(2008, TV movie)
  • The Noah(1975)
  • Mad Max(1979)
  • Oblivion(2013)
  • Other selections

Triage Assessment Form: Individual (30 pts)

Complete the Triage Assessment Form (located in Appendix B at the end of the book) on an individual who has experienced a crisis within the last year (developmental, situational, or existential crisis). The form assesses affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions of individuals to crisis events. This assessment model offers clinicians an understanding of the type of reactions clients are experiencing as well as the intensity of these reactions. Fill out the form upon completion of the interview and thereafter, write a one page reflection of the interview process.

NOTE: Kindly use a fictitious name for this individual.

Personal Crisis Reflection(20 points)

Students will write a 3-5 page personal crisis reflection paper. The crisis can be either a developmental, situational, or existential crises. Describe the personal crisis, address emotions experienced prior to, during, and after the crisis, support system during the crisis, and how you were able to move forward. Also discuss how it has impacted your life since the crisis experience.

Definition of three types of crisis:

Developmental crises are normal developmental events in which a change or transition leads to a crisis response

Situational crises take place when a sudden, unpredictable, and uncontrollable event takes place. Examples include automobile accidents, a crime, job loss, hostage situations, sexual victimization, and culture shock.

Existential crises revolve around such themes as one's sense of purpose, meaning, or personal freedom. They are inner conflicts, rather than outside stressors. Examples of existential crises include feeling that one will never accomplish one's goals, reach one's potential, or do something meaningful with one's life.

Review of Emergency Organizations (30 pts)

Visit a local organization that provides emergency or disaster reliefservices (natural disaster, suicidality, family violence, terrorism, chemical emergency, etc). Address the types of servicesprovided by this organization; explain their crisis intervention model; who are the providers of crisis service (mental health workers, emergency responders, etc); training of volunteers; duration of services provided, etc

Upon completion of the visit, write a 4-5 page paper that provides an overview of services provided by the organization.

Grade Distribution

Online Discussions100 points

Chapter Reviews 90 points

Resource List 30 points

Triage Assessment Form: Movie 30 points

Triage Assessment Form: Individual 30 points

Personal Crisis Experience 30 points

Review of Emergency Organizations 30 points

Total340 points

A = 306-340 = 90-100 pts

B = 272-305 = 80-89 pts

C = 238-271 = 70-79 pts

D = 204 and below

COURSE OUTLINE AND CALENDER

Date / Content Discussions / Assignments Due

1 Aug 24-30

/ Chapter 1

2 Aug 31-Sept 6

/ Chapter 2
3 Sept 7-13 / Chapter 3
4 Sept 14-20 / Personal Crisis Reflection /
Personal Crisis Reflection
5Sept 21-27 / Chapter 4
6Sept 28-Oct 4 /

Resource List

/ Resource List
7 Oct 5-11 / Chapter 5
8Oct 12-18 /
Triage Assessment Form: Movie
/
Triage Assessment Form: Movie
9 Oct 19-25 / Chapter 6
10 Oct 26-Nov 1 /
Triage Assessment Form:
Individual /
Triage Assessment Form:
Individual
11 Nov 2-8 / Chapter 7
12 Nov 9-15 / Chapter 8
13 Nov 16-22 / Review ofEmergency Organization /
Review of Emergency Organization
14 Nov 23-29 / Thanksgiving Break
15 Nov 30-Dec 6 / Chapter 9
16 Dec 7 / Personal Reflections (Due on Monday)

UNILERT

Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central TexasUNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central Texas the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly via email, text message, and social media. All students are automatically enrolled in UNILERT

through their myCT email account. Connect at to change where you receive your alerts or to opt out. By staying enrolled in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on safety-related information, regardless of your location.

COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES AND POLICIES

Drop Policy. If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will provide a deadline for which the form must be returned, completed and signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Warrior Web and confirm that you are no

longer enrolled. Should you still be enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately? You are to attend class until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.

Academic Integrity

Texas A&M University -Central Texas values the integrity of the academic enterprise and strives for the highest standards of academic conduct. A&M-Central Texas expects its students, faculty, and staff to support the adherence to high standards of personal and scholarly conduct to preserve the honor and integrity of the creative community. Academic integrity is defined as a commitment to honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Any deviation by students from this expectation may result in a failing grade for the assignment and potentially a failing grade for the course. Academic misconduct is any act that improperly affects a true and honest evaluation of a student’s

academic performance and includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism and improper citation of sources, using another student’s work, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. All academic misconduct concerns will be reported to the university’s Office of Student Conduct. Ignorance of the university’s standards and expectations is never an excuse to act with a lack of integrity. When in doubt on collaboration, citation, or any issue, please contact your instructor before taking a course of action.

Disability Support and Access Services

At Texas A&M University – Central Texas, we value an inclusive learning environment where every student has an equal chance to succeed and has the right to an education that is barrier-free. The Office of Disability Support and Access is responsible for ensuring that students with a disability enjoy equal access to the University's programs, services and activities. Some aspects of this course or the way the course is taught may present barriers to learning due to a disability. If you feel this is the case, please contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior Hall, Ste. 212. For more information, please visit their website at Any

information you provide is private and confidential and will be treated as such.

Tutoring

Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing, and APA formatting. Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Warrior Hall, Room 111. Visit and click "Tutoring Support" for tutor schedules and contact information. If you have questions, need to schedule a tutoring session, or if you are

interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-501-5830/5836 or by emailing

Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for almost any subject on your computer! Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMUCT students to log-in and receive FREE online tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. To access Tutor.com, log into your Blackboard account and click.