Examines various perspectives on the integration of faith and psychology. Students will receive a deeper understanding of the field, be given tools to develop their own viewpoints, and be encouraged to link the course material with their counselling practice. Particular consideration will be given to familiarity with anthropology, suffering, prayer, Scripture, and the role of community.

Provides an overview of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a focus on a case formulation approach and clinical interventions such as self-monitoring, relaxation training, systematic desensitization, flooding or exposure, reinforcement procedures, stress inoculation training or coping skills training, cognitive restructuring, problem-solving, behavioral activation or weekly scheduling, and reversal including social skills training. A biblical approach to and critique of CBT, including mindfulness- and acceptance-based CBT such as MBCT, DBT, and ACT, will also be covered. A biblical approach to spiritually oriented CBT including inner healing prayer and the use of Scripture, with appropriate ethical guidelines will be described.

Explores DBT's theoretical basis, specific DBT interventions, and how to teach skills in individual, group, and milieu settings. Familiarity with these skills and techniques along with experiential exercises will enhance your clinical skills and professional development. Guided by the latest research and policy in evidence-based practices, this course teaches the clinical process and content of DBT from theory to practice. Going beyond prescriptive applications, this course shows you how to use essentials such as validation, dialectical strategies, communication styles, and the best ways of changing behaviors to effectively balance acceptance and change with your clients.

Designed to acquaint the student with a richer understanding of grief and loss through the life span. Grief and loss as discussed in class will include not only the separations that occur through death but also those psychological, physical, and situational changes that occur throughout life which affect us all.

Designed to provide a thorough understanding of couples therapy from a developmental and integrative perspective. The developmental stages are derived from Margaret Mahler's work on infant developmental stages and proposed by Dr. Ellyn Bader and Dr. Peter Pearson from the Couples Institute in Menlo Park, California. The course will address the 5 stages of couple development, the assessment and treatment appropriate for each stage of development and suggest interventions to remove impasses that hinder the couple from progressing from stage to stage. This model is future focused rather than conflict-content focused and promotes hope during the more difficult aspects of couple development. The course will also address the biblical foundation for couple health and conditions that limit the use of couple therapy. Didactic instruction with applied interventions of the model will be provided as well as opportunities to practice couple therapy in a modified lab setting.

Involves an in-depth exploration of experiential therapies and the current state of research in the field. Current findings from the field of neuroscience will be explored along with corresponding shifts in the focus of therapies, from an emphasis on cognition and emotion processing, to a burgeoning of holistic, experiential therapies. The formation of the person of the experiential therapist and integration of one's faith are key considerations of the course. Participants will develop experiential skills known to facilitate the collaborative, safe and dynamic relational matrix within which personal transformation takes place.

Provides the student with an exploration of the psychological trauma field, it's treatment and recovery. Included is the history, current theoretical treatment frameworks and methodology, the nature of trauma (physical, emotional, sexual abuse, combat, natural disasters, collective trauma, etc.), the biopsychosocial underpinnings of trauma, PTSD, and complex trauma. Assessment issues, clinical diagnostic considerations, varying degrees of symptomology and how the experience shapes and is shaped by language, will be examined. The clinician's response to trauma and vicarious traumatization will also be considered, as well as theological considerations of trauma and recovery.

A critical exploration of the self of therapist as one of the most crucial components in the therapeutic relationship and endeavours. Students will develop insights into how their personal identities, values, personalities, lived experiences, and clinical knowledge and skills impact the therapeutic relationship and client's outcomes. Through reading, writing, group discussions, lectures, assessment instruments, clinical experiences, and self-reflective practices students will develop and experience increased awareness and skill in the safe and effective use of self. These insight and skills will serve to enhance the clinician's therapeutic relationships and effectiveness. A final paper will form part of the research portfolio.

The development of an integrated theoretical perspective and practical model of clinical counselling/psychotherapy. This process will incorporate unique person-of-the-therapist values and factors, and components of established psychological and psychotherapeutic theories and/or modalities that influence the student's perspective. Through critical reflections on readings, writings, group discussions, lectures, and clinical field experiences, students will identify an aspect of their model that will form the basis of their research proposal in this course and the field research project in Year C.

Aims at developing a fundamental understanding of and skills in research methods, design, planning and management, implementation, and ethical consideration. Research forms a vital foundation as a counsellor moves forward in their clinical work by equipping them to be responsible consumers of research and enabling them to implement research findings in their own clinical work.