Counseling Experience Journal & Paper (100 points - Unit 6) In order to provide students with an introduction the counseling experience, and provide future counselors with the experience of counseling from the client’s perspective, students will be provided with the opportunity to experience or simulate individual or group counseling by choosing one of the following: 1. Attending a Counseling Experience for CEP 401 Students 2. Viewing videos of counseling sessions or 3. Reading a counseling related book or The experience will consist of the equivalent of four or five individual or group counseling sessions at 40-75 minutes each. Video selections are available for streaming for from the UB Libraries (I will also send the link posted in our school website)

There are two requirements for this paper A. Journal (40 points) - You will use the Journal in the Counseling Experience Paper template to document each ‘session’. Use the guiding questions provided for your type of experience (Group or Individual). * You need to write a minimum of 5 Journal Entries no matter which option you select. You should reflect on your experience in each journal entry. (How were you affected by the experience?) This should not be summarizing the experience (although some contextual clues are helpful), but your thoughts about what you are doing/seeing/reading. Your 2-3 page reflection paper will summarize your experience. B. Reflection Paper (60 points) - Once your sessions are complete you will prepare a 2-3 page summary paper about your experience. Again, You are not required to include personal content discussed in the sessions. Both requirements will be submitted together as the “Counseling Experience Journal & Paper”. A template is available in UBlearns. Be sure to address in your Reflection Paper: 1. Briefly identify the experience that will be the basis of this paper, identifying a. The client population b. The goals of the sessions c. Theoretical orientation d. Interventions used 2. Based on what you read about the personal connection between counselors and clients, identify several counselor behaviors that helped to develop the relationship(s). Explain how these behaviors were effective. 3. Identify the most effective interventions utilized by the counselor(s). Explain how they helped change maladaptive cognitions, affect, and/or behavior. 4. What did you learn about being a helper based on these experiences? 5. What did you learn about being a caring and empathic person based on these experiences?