PY764 Considerations and Counseling Approaches: Working with Individuals with Disabilities (2 cr.)

This course provides an introduction and overview of working with individuals’ differences in physical, intellectual, and learning abilities. The social, emotional, and psychological impact of having a disability are explored. Students will examine the influence of social and cultural contexts, including interacting with social service systems. The course addresses specific clinical adaptations for effectively working with individuals with disabilities in a counseling setting, such as modifying assessment, counseling techniques, and treatment planning. 

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Utilize strategies for building rapport and facilitating therapeutic change for clients with disabilities. 
2. Incorporate the individual’s experience of living with a disability, and their cultural context, into clinical case conceptualization and treatment planning. 
3. Evaluate current research regarding evidence based practices for clinical work with individuals with disabilities.
4. Utilize a collaborative treatment model to integrate counseling with individuals’ support teams.