Course

Professional Child and Youth Care: Theory and Practice

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Child and Youth Care
Course code
CYCC 3520
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course integrates theory and practice of child and youth care (CYC) by focusing on theoretical perspectives of change and their associated goals, strategies, and techniques. Issues and techniques in assessment, case planning, and intervention will be critically examined for their effectiveness and ethical use in support of decolonization, equity, and social justice in CYC. Practical models for case planning, presentation, and evaluation will be presented. Students will demonstrate competence in these real or simulated professional practice areas, and analyze the relationship between professional knowledge, skills, values, and styles.
Course content

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

  1. Knowledge of theories of change guides practice:
    • Development of a therapeutic relationship
    • Indigenous perspectives on learning and change
    • Psychodynamic perspectives
    • Adlerian perspective
    • Behavioural and cognitive behavioural perspectives
    • Humanistic and existential perspectives
    • Constructivist and post-modern perspectives
    • Family therapy and systems perspectives
  2. Knowledge of self has an impact on professional action and clinical practice:
    • personal beliefs, values, ethics affect professional actions
    • personality and presentation of self affect clinical practice
  3. Apply change theories to CYC case management practice (4-7 below)
  4. Assessment
    • systemic, ecological perspective
    • identifying needs
  5. Case planning
    • goals and goal statements
    • strategies
  6. Intervention
    • service actions
    • therapeutic strategies
    • techniques
  7. Case consultation, presentation and evaluation
    • Collaborative consultation
    • Trans-disciplinary teams
  8. Understanding how to provide support and guidance is better facilitated by “entering the world of the young person”:
    • Building  rapport
    • Person-centred  therapeutic perspective
  9. The development of a personal theory of child and youth care praxis through an integration of:
    • knowledge of theories of change theory  
    • knowledge of self-in-relation
    • anti-racist, anti-colonial approaches
    • current child and youth care counselling practice.
Learning activities

Lecture

Means of assessment

Typical means of evaluation may include a combination of written research assignments, case evaluation, testing, and group presentations.  Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course.

This is a letter-graded course

 
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Critically analyze change theories
  2. Articulate the perspective of each change theory on the helping relationship
  3. Identify limitations of each change theory
  4. Determine appropriate applications of various change theories in child and youth care (CYC) practice
  5. Examine their personal theory of child and youth care practice
  6. Articulate how their own social positionalities shape values, beliefs, and application of theory in CYC practice.
  7. Articulate how to intentionally link theoretical perspectives for use in different contexts of CYC practice.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for CYCC 3520
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) No credit
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit
Trinity Western University (TWU) No credit
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) No credit
University of Northern BC (UNBC) No credit
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV CYC 320 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC CYC 2XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Fall 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. B
Room
B2010
Times:
Start Time
14:30
-
End Time
17:20
Section notes

This course is restricted to BACYC students.