Terms 2 & 3, 2000 - 2001

Distance Education

Professor: Scott E. Borrelli, EdD, ABPP, FICPP

Tel: (44) [0] 7802 290 247 (London, UK)

E-mail: sborrell@faculty.ed.umuc.edu

Post: 10 Becmead Ave, London SW16 1UQ England

This course will focus on the needs and entitlements of employees over the life span and the changing responsibilities of the workplace in meeting these needs. The role of the counselor in helping employees and organizations to address these issues will be explored.

The course will explore various counseling services provided to adults in the work environment. Concepts and theories of organizational development will provide the initial basis for understanding and appreciating employment and management issues and needs. Knowledge of organizational structures and workplace concerns will also be addressed. The course will examine various counseling models that address the psychological needs of the working adult. Select issues unique to counseling in the work setting will be presented.

Primary Textbook:

Jewell, L.N. (1998). Contemporary Industrial/Organizational Psychology, 3^rd ed., CA/Brooks/Cole Publishing.

Additional readings will be assigned and available on the WWW.

By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the following:

1. Understanding the needs of employees in various work settings;
2. Understanding of the importance of balancing work and personal concerns, including the management of stress and prevention of burn-out;
3. Understanding of organizational operations and dynamics that impact on employees;
4. Comprehension of various counseling models that provide personal, social, and vocational counseling to employees;
5. Understanding of the scientific study of human behavior and the importance of person-environment issues;
6. Application of intervention strategies with employees concerning such topics as absenteeism, motivation, and job satisfaction;
7. Understanding of leadership in organizations with a focus on change.
8. Application of prevention and intervention strategies for a variety of work related problems.

It is understood that unavoidable circumstances may make absences necessary for some students. When absences occur, the students and the professor will determine how the student can compensate for the loss of time. Weekly exchange between students on current topics is an essential part of the learning process, and students are expected to have access to the course at least twice weekly. Participation grades will be lowered for excessive absence.

Papers are to be typed and double-spaced following APA Style Format (1994). Papers that are poorly written will be returned for revisions or will receive a significantly lowered grade. Assignments are expected to be submitted on time, so plan your work accordingly. Extensions are granted upon request and only in circumstances beyond the student's control. To guard against loss, always keep a copy of your assignments in your personal file.

Please refer to the recent catalogue for the University System of Maryland Graduate Programs - Europe.

Each of the following four activities is worth 1/3 of the final course grade.

1) Weekly assignments and discussion: Students will be assigned discussion questions (DQ's) each week. Each student will contribute responses to the assignments and also respond to at least two others which have been submitted by other students. New discussion topics, usually associated with the topic of the week in the text, will be provided weekly (Monday a.m.). Students must respond by the end of the appropriate week (Sunday p.m.) in order to receive credit for that week's work. Additional Assignments and Web Searches will be provided during the term. These will be brief, and meant to augment the learnings from weekly discussions and text chapter readings.

Possible discussion topics include:

1. Use of assessment instruments in the recruitment and selection of employees or minority discrimination?
2. Employee training and educational programs.
3. Appraisal of work performance - who judges whom?
4. Drug testing in the workplace or invasion of personal liberties?
5. Unions and representation or participatory management?
6. Affirmative action or discrimination?
7. How are appropriate strategies for the management of stress and the prevention of burn-out best developed?

2) Term Project: Each student will choose and develop a topic of interest dealing directly with counseling adults in the workplace. The final paper will explore and analyze the issues in depth using professional journals, texts, and Internet resources. The paper will vary in length but should be no more than 10 pages. Research topics include retirement issues, disability, intervention programs, etc.. An intervention and/or program design proposal are additional project possibilities.

3) Interview: A brief interview and written summary of a person at work, in order to identify and assess problem issues, and develop a counseling intervention plan. Further guidelines for this activity will be available soon after the course begins.

The course calendar will be provided at the start of the term, and will include regular assignments keyed to readings in the text.

The course schedule and assignments are subject to change in order to enhance learning and to reflect the particular needs of the class. Changes are expected to be minor, and students will be given at least two weeks notice.

Instructor Biography:
Dr. Scott E. Borrelli is a licensed (USA), Chartered (UK), and Board Certified (ABPP) psychologist, as well as a certified professional counselor(NBCC). He has been teaching for the University of Maryland, European Division, for six years. He continues to enjoy his career as a professional counseling psychologist and consultant, and has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, schools, and university counseling departments. He has special interests in integrative psychotherapies, diversity issues, psychopharmacology, clinical hypnotherapy, stress management and post-trauma stress treatment (EMDR). He has been training counselors and psychologists in Europe for the past eleven years, and was previously a member of the psychology faculty at Boston University. He is a native Bostonian, now living in London.