counseling someone

Learning Goal: I’m working on a psychology question and need support to help me learn.

You will complete an audio and/or video taped helping interaction with a classmate (to be assigned) in
which you are in the role of helper. You will also play the role of helpee for that same classmate in a
separate 45-minute taped helping interaction (instructions for this assignment will be posted on CANVAS).
After the recorded interaction in which you were in the role of helper, you will provide a written analysis of
your session.
Helping Session
In order to have realistic helping sessions/interactions in which students can practice helping skills, all
students are expected to participate as a client/helpee during this course. In the client/helpee role, you have
two participation options:
1) You may choose to disclose personal information. You may not share very intimate details or problems,
but may talk about some minor issues or problems in your life. Appropriate topics include: issues related to
career and graduate school application/decisions, relationships, roommate problems, time management and
academic issues, etc. Other appropriate topics are discussed in the text (see page 22).
2) You may assume the role of a client/helpee (i.e., adopt a persona). In this way you are not disclosing your
own personal information, but are acting as if you are a client. You should think about your character and
consider the issues of the person, and how this character might react cognitively, behaviorally, and
emotionally in a helping situation.
Please note that you are NOT required by this course to disclose personal information, although you may
choose to do so.
You will not be evaluated based on the participation option you select. Moreover, you are not required
to disclose to the Instructor, other students, or anyone which participation option you choose. Regardless of
the option you select, practice sessions should not be used as a substitute for therapy. The purpose of
disclosure is for helpers to have problems to work with, not for students to use this course as a substitute for
therapy. Again, students who are experiencing personal distress related to issues in their lives should talk to
me about a referral and/or contact the University Counseling Center (804.828.6200).
Assignments and Grading: (Due dates are shown in the schedule)
Formats for assignments: All papers should be written in APA style, using the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (6th edition, 2009). All papers should be in Times New Roman font
size 12 with standard 1-inch margins. I expect all assignments to utilize proper grammar and spelling and
reflect the writing level of a college student. Assignments that are illegible, poorly written, have spelling or
grammatical errors, and are not in APA style, will receive lower grades regardless of content.