Undergraduate Courses
Explore a sample of undergraduate courses offered by the UW–Madison Department of Counseling Psychology.
COUN PSY 101 — Academic Enhancement Seminar
1 credit
This course is for students who want to improve their study skills and improve their grades. The seminar is divided into three distinct phases: (1) helping students clarify the reasons they are in school and what they expect to achieve; (2) assisting students to formulate strategies and improve problem-solving skills that facilitate academic and social goals; and (3) facilitating students to develop social competence that is integral to academic and interpersonal success.
COUN PSY 125 — The Wisconsin Experience Seminar
1 credit
Examine transition to UW–Madison through exploration of the research university and the Wisconsin Experience. A variety of texts, including a novel and textbook, will provide a context for discussion, writing, and experiential assignments.
COUN PSY 225 — Intersectionalities, Self Awareness, and Social Actions for Social Change
3 credits
An introduction to the intersectionality framework in the United States to enhance skills necessary for culturally responsive awareness and interactions, with specific emphasis on how to think critically about and hold multiple perspectives and how to prepare for service learning.
COUN PSY 230 — Race and the Developing Child
3 credits
Children’s psychological experience of racial, ethnic and cultural (REC) status, development of their understandings of REC, and implications of this development for discussing, dialoguing, and working with REC diversity with an emphasis on educational contexts.
COUN PSY 237 — Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
3 credits
Designed to increase knowledge, awareness, and skills of students interested in working on mental health matters within diverse identity groups and communities. Conceptualize mental health and well-being across communities in terms of (a) intersectional identities (individual and groups), (b) mental health and access and utilization of services, and (c) social determinants of health in different contexts and settings. Engage in reflective exercises to understand how their social identities influence their work in different types of communities.
COUN PSY 531 — Prevention & Intervention in Mental Health Across the Lifespan
3 credits
Introduction to mental health concerns and well-being, protective and risk factors, and the design and outcomes of evidence-based intervention and prevention programs to promote behavioral and emotional well-being across the lifespan. The focus is on individual, family, and community health, with particular attention to socioeconomic, cultural, social, and structural mechanisms. Throughout the course, issues related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of prevention and intervention programs are described and addressed.
COUN PSY 655 — Clinical Communication Skills
3 credits
Develop an understanding of the clinical communication process, practice and develop clinical communication skills, and receive an introduction to applications of this process in a variety of contexts (e.g., healthcare, counseling, law). Develop basic competencies in clinical communication and listening skills, including live and recorded practice roleplays. Emphasis is placed on the importance of establishing a strong facilitative relationship, reflective listening, and demonstrating empathy. Gain an increased awareness of self, including personal and cultural characteristics that impact the communication process. This course also introduces topics useful in many professional settings such as Motivational Interviewing, interprofessional communication, breaking bad news, managing anger and conflict, compassion fatigue, and deliberate practice.
