Lecture Notes: Counseling Exam Preparation Boot Camp

Introduction

• Presenter: Dr. Howard Rosenthal
• Content Origin: 47-Minute Super Review Boot Camp for Counseling Exam Preparation (2002)
• Relevance: 95%-99% is still accurate today despite being from 2002.
• Terminology: Slightly outdated; focus shifted in multicultural counseling.

Human Growth and Development

• Nature vs. Nurture Debate: Genetics vs. upbringing/environment.
• Key Theorists:
  • Biological/Physical Theories: Genes inheritance.
  • Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic:
    • Freud: Five-step stage model.
    • Eric Erickson: Eight-step epigenetic psychosocial theory.
  • Freud's Theory:
    • Dynamic five-step stage model: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital.
    • Oedipal/Electra Complex: Occurs in Phallic stage.
    • Structural theory: Id (pleasure), Superego (moral), Ego (balance).
    • Life instincts: Eros (life) vs. Thanatos (death).
  • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Progression from physiological to self-actualization.
  • Piaget's Cognitive Development Stages: Sensorimotor, Pre-operational, Concrete, Formal.
  • William Perry: Cognitive development of college students.
  • Lawrence Kohlberg: Moral development stages.
    • Carol Gilligan’s critique: Gender-based morality focus.
  • Daniel Levinson: Midlife crisis concept.
  • Albert Bandura: Social learning theory.

Social and Cultural Foundations

• Culture Definitions
  • Dynamic: Changes/evolves at its own rate.
  • Types of Culture: Universal, National, Regional, Ecological, Macro, and Micro cultures.
  • Race and Racism: Genetically transmitted characteristics, ethnocentrism.
  • Emic vs. Etic Approaches: Client's culture understanding vs. similarities.
  • Autoplastic vs. Alloplastic Dilemma: Client change vs. environment change.
  • Paralanguage: Tone, inflection in communication.
  • High vs. Low Context Communication: Non-verbal reliance.

Counseling Relationships and Theories

• Freudian Psychoanalysis: Theory of personality and therapy.
  • Techniques: Free association, catharsis, insight.
  • Ego Defense Mechanisms: Repression, Displacement, Projection, etc.
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT): Albert Ellis' cognitive therapy.
  • ABC Theory: Activating event, Belief system, Emotional consequence.
• Transactional Analysis (TA): Eric Berne’s PAC model.
• Person-Centered Therapy: Carl Rogers' empathy, unconditional positive regard, genuineness.
• Reality Therapy: William Glasser’s choice theory.
• Behavior Modification: Based on B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning.

Group Counseling

• Why Groups Work: Yalom's 11 factors including altruism, universality, and cohesiveness.
• Leadership Styles: Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez-faire.
• Types of Groups: Guidance, Counseling, Therapy, Self-help.

Career Counseling

• Trait Factor Theory: Frank Parsons’ matching approach.
  • Anne Roe's Needs Approach
  • Developmental Theories: Ginsberg and others.
  • Personality Typology: John Holland's six types.

Appraisal

• Key Concepts: Raw scores, Range, Measures of Central Tendency (Mean, Mode, Median).
• Validity and Reliability: Essential for psychological tests.

Research and Evaluation

• Correlation vs. Causality: Correlation does not imply causation.
• Experiment Design: Use of IV (Independent Variable) and DV (Dependent Variable).
• Statistical Analyses: Descriptive vs. Inferential statistics.

Professional Orientation and Ethics

• Scope of Practice: Practice within training.
• Duty to Warn: Based on Tarasov principle.
• Dual Relationships: Avoid significant relationships with clients.
• Privileged Communication: Legal confidentiality in sessions.

Conclusion

• Preparation Tips: Check latest Internet counseling ethics on NBCC and ACA websites.
• Dr. Rosenthal’s Encouragement: Relax and study in a pleasant setting.