Advanced Counseling Technique (CH-725)

Course Details:

This is an advanced hands-on training and supervision designed to further equip chaplains to provide counseling to individuals, couples, and families, with special attention to Muslim clients. More specifically, core topics will include identification and differentiation of more complex presentations of psychospiritual issues, illustrations of how to work with psychological trauma, process oriented interventions, deepening of the introspective and emotional processes of counseling encounters, more complex dynamics of the counselor/client relationship, examination of metacommunication, cognitive restructuring, behavioral modification and spiritually oriented interventions with some attention on the role of character reformation. This is an experiential course that will involve some lecture, discussion of case vignettes, modeling/demonstrations of techniques and role-play. While these are critical skills for Islamic chaplains to learn, chaplains from other faith traditions may benefit from learning how to counsel across cultures and faith traditions, using the Muslim tradition as a case example.

Course Pre-requisites: CH-615 Mental Health: A Spiritual Perspective & AM-638 Essential Skills in Pastoral Counseling or permission of the instructor.

Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAC - Chaplaincy elective
MAC - Islamic Chaplaincy elective

Instructor(s):

• Hooman Keshavarzi