Department of Counselor Education

This is an archived copy of the 2017-2018 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit catalog.shsu.edu.

Chair: Dr. Mary Nichter

The Department of Counselor Education currently offers a minor in Human Services at the undergraduate level.  The department offers graduate degrees in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.  See the current graduate catalog for more details.

COUN 2332. Career Development. 3 Hours.

This course will help students explore a lifelong plan for career development. Students will use real life assessments to determine aptitudes, interests and values related to careers. Students will learn how to utilize on campus and internet resources to develop resumes, portfolios and practice job interviewing skills. Activities in this course are designed to give students an advantage for entering the job market.

COUN 3321. Intro To Helping Relationship. 3 Hours.

This course will provide an introduction to the helping relationship, especially as it relates to educational and community settings. Students will be challenged to consider their motivations, needs, and goals related to the art of helping. Students will engage in a service learning project as part of exploring the nature of the helping relationship. Students will also be introduced to basic attitudes, dispositions and skills needed for helping relationships and counseling.

COUN 3322. Career Development. 3 Hours.

This course will help students explore a lifelong plan for career development. Students will use real life assessments to determine aptitudes, interests and values related to careers. Students will learn how to utilize on campus and internet resources to develop resumes, portfolios and practice job interviewing skills. Activities in this course are designed to give students an advantage for entering the job market.

COUN 3331. Intro To Principles Of Counsln. 3 Hours.

This course will provide students with an overview of the counseling profession to include professional issues, ethics, history, credentialing, professional associations, and roles of counselors in various settings. Emphasis is placed on the development of professional identity, the value of the counseling relationship, and theory. Students will choose from several activities allowing them to recognize the value of counseling in human service activities.

COUN 3332. Therapeutic Play Skills. 3 Hours.

Participants will learn the basic principles that guide child-centered play sessions via didactic and experiential activities. The course will help participants understand how child-centered play sessions facilitate the recognition and expression of feelings in children, as well as strengthen problem-solving skills, pro-social skills, and engagement with parents. Students will role-play facilitative skills including recognizing and responding to childrenis feelings, play session limit setting, and building children's self-esteem. Students will have opportunities to observe live and video taped child-centered play sessions.

COUN 4088. Special Topics in Counseling. 3 Hours.

COUN 4089. Independent Stdy in Counseling. 1-3 Hours.

This independent study course will allow the undergraduate student to conduct in-depth study in a specific topic area related to counseling and human services. Topics will vary as needs demand. May be repeated as scheduled topics vary.

COUN 4379. Wellness Counseling. 3 Hours.

This course is an introduction to the history of wellness and the contributions of various cultures to the wellness concept. Several models and theories for the practice of counseling are addressed. Behavior change models and current research related to specific wellness domains will be explored with a focus for working with clients from a wellness perspective.

Chair: Mary S. Nichter

Sinem Akay, PHD, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of North Texas; MED, Univ of North Texas; MS, Middle East Technical Univ; BS, Hacettepe University

Rick A. Bruhn, EDD, Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, EDD, Texas AM - Commerce; MSED, Univ of Wisconsin-Stout; BA, Univ of Wisconsin-Stout

Yvonne Garza-Chaves, PHD, Associate Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of North Texas; MSW, Our Lady of Lake University; BSW, Univ of Texas-Pan American

Richard C Henriksen, PHD, Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Texas AM - Commerce; MS, Texas AM - Commerce; BS, Texas AM - Commerce

David M Lawson, PHD, Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of North Texas; MED, Stephen F Austin University; BS, Stephen F Austin University

Chi-Sing Li, PHD, Associate Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Texas AM - Commerce; MED, Univ of Louisiana-Monroe; MED, Univ of Louisiana-Monroe; BA, Univ of Texas At Austin

Levi Shannon McClendon, PHD, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of Texas-San Antonio; MA, Univ of Texas At Tyler; BA, Univ of Texas At Tyler; BA, Univ of Texas At Tyler

Mary S. Nichter, PHD, Professor of Counseling and Chair, Department of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Texas Woman's University; MS, Univ of Houston-Clear Lake; BSED, Univ of Houston-Main

Rebecca A Robles-Pina, PHD, Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Texas AM University; MA, Western Michigan University; BA, Texas AM University

Sheryl Anne Serres, PHD, Associate Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Texas AM - Commerce; MED, Sam Houston State University; BS, East Texas Baptist University

Jeffrey M Sullivan, PHD, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of North Texas; MS, Univ of North Texas; BA, Univ of Texas At Austin

Richard Eugene Watts, PHD, Distinguished Professor of Counseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of North Texas; MA, Southwest Baptist Theo Seminar; BMED, Sam Houston State University

Interim Faculty

Tina Marie Ainsworth, PHD, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Sam Houston State University; MA, Sam Houston State University; BS, Sam Houston State University

Ruby Rodriguez Almendarez, PHD, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Sam Houston State University; MS, Sam Houston State University; BACJ, Sam Houston State University; BS, Sam Houston State University

Emily Annette De France, PHD, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Univ of Detroit; MA, Univ of Detroit; BA, West Virginia Wesleyan College

Dustin S Ellis, MA, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, MA, Sam Houston State University; BA, Houston Baptist University

Evelyne Kimbriel Fitzgerald, PHD, Lecturer of Couseling, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Sam Houston State University; MA, Sam Houston State University; BA, Univ of Houston-Main

Irma Violeta Guardiola Castillo, PHD, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Sam Houston State University; MED, Sam Houston State University; BA, U-Houston Downtown

Susan Elizabeth Henderson, PHD, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, PHD, Sam Houston State University; MS, Sam Houston State University

Andrea Tinesh Johnson Ross, MA, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, MA, Prairie View AM University; BS, Western Carolina University

Naomi Leigh Timm, MA, Lecturer of Counselor Education, Department of Counselor Education, MA, Sam Houston State University; BS, Minnesota State Univ-Mankato