Professional Child and Youth Care: Theory and Practice

Curriculum Guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
CYCC 3520
Descriptive
Professional Child and Youth Care: Theory and Practice
Department
Child and Youth Care
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
Not Specified
PLAR
Yes
Semester Length
15 weeks
Max Class Size
35
Contact Hours
60 Hours: Lecture
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Learning Activities

Lecture

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 examined. Practical models for case consultation, 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
    • psychoanalytic perspective
    • Adlerian perspective
    • Behavioural and cognitive behavioural perspective
    • Rational emotive perspective
    • Humanistic and existential perspectives
    • Solution-focused perspective
  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
    • therapies
    • techniques
  7. Case consultation, presentation and evaluation
    • Collaborative consultation
    • Trans-disciplinary teams
  8. The origins of difficult and problem behaviour are better understood by “entering the world of the child”:
    • 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
    • current child and youth care counselling practice.
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 integrated case management
  5. Examine their personal theory of child and youth care practice
  6. Articulate how they intentionally link theoretical perspectives for use in different contexts of CYC case management.
Means of Assessment

Typical means of evaluation may include a combination of written research assignments, case evaluation, testing, and group presentations.  This is a Graded Course.

Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students

Thompson, C.L., Rudolph, L.B. and Henderson, D. (6th ed.) (2004). Counselling Children.  Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.

Allen-Meares, P. and Fraser, M. (2004). Interventions with Children and Adolescents: An Interdisciplinary Perspective. Boston: Pearson.

                                                          (or similar texts)

Prerequisites

Enrolment in Year 3 of CYC