Basics of Counseling Technique (AM-692)

Course Details:

This six-week summer intensive is a combination of lecture and hands-on training and supervision designed to prepare chaplains to provide basic counseling using an Islamically integrative framework, known as Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP). The course will provide a structure for how to set up counseling sessions, effectively interact and establish a therapeutic relationship through an empathic interactional style, establish appropriate boundaries, screen and identify mental illness, offer basic interventions and refer people to the appropriate mental health professional. We will review some of the basic principles of forming a therapeutic relationship, cognitive therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, principles of behavior modification, character formation and explore the role of the spiritual healing within a counseling/therapeutic setting. Specific skills that will be taught include empathic listening, emotional reprocessing, facilitating introspection, mental health screening techniques, and how to deal and diffuse emotionally intense and/or volatile situations. This is an experiential course that will involve lecture, discussion, modeling/demonstrations of technique 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.

Prerequisite: AM-653 Mental Health: An Islamic Perspective or permission of the instructor.

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

Instructor(s):

• Hooman Keshavarzi

Course Downloads:

• Prelim Syllabus - Summer 2021