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228 COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2016-2017 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
CNS 5310
Counseling Theory
This course provides a broad, foundational overview and critique of personality and counseling theories. Emphasis is on the application
of these theories by exploring the techniques and strategies of each theory, including systems theory. The philosophical
presuppositions, theological implications, situational appropriateness, and effectiveness with client populations are addressed.
Students are encouraged to begin the process of synthesizing various approaches into their personal paradigm of counseling. (3)
CNS 5313
Personal and Spiritual Development
This course emphasizes personal and spiritual well-being and growth within the context of professional development as a clinical mental
health counselor and/or marriage and family therapist. To this end, students will be asked to personally engage in a psycho-educational
process of self-care and self-understanding through readings, reflection papers, and assessments. Spiritual development will be
encouraged through a biblical understanding of and connection with God and His transformational processes, such as spiritual
disciplines and connection to others through a weekly small group. The student's professional impact and ministry will be developed
as a natural outgrowth of their active engagement with these processes of development. (3)
Additional fee for assessment material
CNS 5330
Professional Orientation and Ethics
In this course students study the practice of professional counseling within the context of ethical and legal standards and potential
future directions of the field. Information about legal responsibilities and liabilities in the practice of marriage and family therapy is also
covered, including research, family law, confidentiality issues, and codes of ethics. The course focus is on the following four areas:
Models of ethical decision-making are presented and practiced through case presentations; ethical standards that govern the
professional practice of counseling and marriage and family therapy are studied and integrated with personal, theological, and cultural
values and professional and legal standards; legal standards that impact the field of professional counseling and marriage and family
therapy are examined in light of the realities of daily practice; and the future direction of counseling and marriage and family therapy
as a profession and ministry is explored. (3)
CNS 5342
Foundations of Marriage and Family Counseling
This course provides students with an overview of God's design for developing and maintaining meaningful relationships. His design
includes four foundational areas which include: 1) Receiving God's love as the starting point for all other relationships; 2) Finding one's
true identity as God's workmanship; 3) Loving others as we have been loved by God; and 4) Using what was learned from the first
three areas to connect well in personal and professional relationships. In order to establish a paradigm from which to work with couples
and families, students will be introduced to family therapy models and will receive practical resources for getting started. Couples and
families are viewed in the context of larger influential systems which have their own cultural and community distinctiveness. (3)
CNS 5410
Research, Statistics, and Evaluation
This course provides an advanced understanding of research statistics, report development, implementation, program evaluation,
needs assessment, and ethical and legal considerations. The course also will focus on research methodology, data analysis, and the
evaluation of research. Students apply this understanding in a variety of venues such as clinical mental health counseling and research,
marriage & family research, and research that needs to be done within the religious community. Students will be introduced to research
as it is conducted for single-subject designs, experimental/quasi-experimental designs, and system-oriented designs. Both quantitative
and qualitative processes are explored. Students conduct literature review and produce a research proposal. (3)
CNS 5420
Psychopathology
This course provides an understanding of mental illness with focus on the behavioral manifestations, experiential dynamics, and
relational/family impact of these disorders. Study is done in the most current
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(
DSM
) in order to learn the categories of symptoms of psychopathology necessary to diagnose and treat mental disorders. A variety of
perspectives on psychopathology are presented to form a whole-person (or bio-psy-cho-social-spiritual) and systemic context for
understanding. Students are challenged to determine theologically what they believe are the standards for pathology and how these
correlate with the DSM. (3)
Prerequisite: Undergraduate General Psychology or Introduction to Psychology
CNS 6310
Human Growth and Development
This is a course in applied developmental counseling. Drawing from the biological, cognitive, socio-emotional, and spiritual markers set
forth by the major theories of human growth, students will be able to conceptualize the needs of their clients within a developmentally
appropriate framework. Personal exploration of one’s own developmental process is built into course assignments. Consideration also
is given to the process of spiritual transformation as an integral part of the Creator’s design for growth. (3)
Prerequisite: Undergraduate
Developmental Psychology
CNS 6410
Counseling Techniques
This course is an introduction to the basic counseling skills that are foundational to doing effective individual counseling and marriage
& family therapy. Students are required to understand and to successfully demonstrate basic counseling skills in the form of video-
recorded competencies in order to progress through the course. While counseling techniques and therapeutic skills are important, they
do not replace the person of the counselor as the primary intervention tool. Emphasis is on how a counselor impacts the therapeutic
alliance with clients and not just what the counselor does in the session to help facilitate client change. This course is taught largely
from a client-focused, strengths-based model utilizing client feedback in each session. (3)
CNS 6420
Diagnostics of Psychopathology
This course provides the student with advanced skills in the diagnostics of psychopathology, including coverage of the most current
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(
DSM
), with a focus on differential diagnosis. The student develops the ability to
synthesize skills and understanding from other courses into an integrated process of client engagement, assessment, case
conceptualization, and treatment planning. Students are trained to diagnose using role plays, and are being presented with atypical
symptoms, multiple diagnoses, and overlapping criteria. In order to develop a whole person and contextual understanding of pathology,