Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Introduction to Counseling and Psychotherapy (Face-to-Face)

PSY 4340-02

Course: PSY 4340-02
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: PSY
CRN: 13665

Course Description

This course provides exposure to many of the contemporary approaches to psychotherapy. Lectures are supplemented with experiential exercises. This course is team taught with the instructors presenting therapies that represent their particular interests in psychology. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded Letter]

Required Texts

Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2018). Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories in Context and Practice: Skills Strategies, and Techniques (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley

Frankyl, V., (1946). Man’s Search for Meaning (Free Online)

Roger, C., (1954). On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers (Free Online)

Learning Outcomes

Our theoretical (and personal) assumptions about people and their motives influence how we see the strengths and weaknesses of our clients, the style of therapeutic relationship we develop, the kind of therapeutic goals we set, how we attempt to intervene to meet these goals, and how we study this process. As a result, it is especially important for us to develop a strong, useful theoretical viewpoint, as well as to understand those of other therapists.

This is a senior level course and will require significant thinking and writing. I believe that you will significantly profit from this work, as will the people you work with in the future. By the end of this semester, you will begin to be able to:


  1. Describe, understand, and begin to use the major foundational ideas in counseling. These skills include empathy, listening, and influencing, as well as recognizing worldviews.
  2. Describe, understand and use the major psychotherapy approaches; You should be able to use the theory’s terminology and concepts and apply it to yourself and others.
  3. Think divergently about a single phenomenon. This course will ask you to consider multiple explanations for a person’s behavior.
  4. Explore social context. As we consider the change process, we will consider how issues of gender, sexual orientation, culture, class, and physical ability affect our experience of ourselves and others. As you do so, you may find that your ability to be empathic increases.
  5. Apply these ideas to yourself and others. Knowledge that is unapplied is sterile. You’ll apply these ideas to yourself and others. 


  6. Initiate conscious self-change. Although this is not a primary goal of this course, I hope that you consider your life during this course, using the ideas presented here as a springboard for your own change. Furthermore, you will learn to use writing to support your process of growth.

Course Requirements

  • Syllabus Quiz: There is a 10 point syllabus quiz that will be completed on the first day of class. This quiz reviews important information about how the course works.

    Chapter Quizzes: The quizzes are designed to help you study and self-assess if you have mastered the material from each chapter.  There is a 10-question quiz for each chapter. These quizzes are multiple choice. Exam questions are frequently based on the quiz questions, so it behooves you to study these quizzes. These quizzes are to be completed on Canvas and are open to any resource except another person.

    Examinations: There will be two exams. The midterm exam is worth 100 points. The final is worth 150 points. Exams are closed book and closed note with the exception of a 3x5 card on which you can write notes. Exams are administered in the testing center. The midterm exam will cover chapters 1-5. The final exam will be comprehensive.

    Conceptualizations: There will be three conceptualizations. Each conceptualization is worth 50 points. These conceptualizations are open book and open note. These will be completed in the testing center. These will cover 3 or 4 chapters each. For these conceptualizations you will watch/listen to a 10-15 minute case description. You will then be asked a series of conceptual questions.

    Book Journals: We will read two books this term. They are both free online. We will read all of Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankyl and excerpts from On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers. Each book will be divided into sections. For each section you will complete a journal entry. The journals need to meet the following criteria.

  • Presentation: With a group of your choosing, you will give a presentation on a psychotherapy/therapeutic approach. Your presentation will be worth 50 points. The directions are here.   


Course Outline

Course Calendar:

Date | Assignments | Points
January 8th | Syllabus Quiz | 10
13 | 
 | 

15 | Quiz Chapter 1 | 10
20 | 
 | 

22 | Quiz Chapter 2 | 10
27 | 
 | 

29 | Quiz Chapter 3Conceptualization 1 | 1050
February 3 | 
 | 

5 | Quiz Chapter 4 | 10
10 | 
 | 

12 | Quiz Chapter 5 | 10
17 | Book Journal 1 Due | 50
19 | Midterm Exam | 100
24 | 
 | 

26 | Quiz Chapter 7 | 10
March 3 | 
 | 

5 | Quiz Chapter 8Conceptualization 2 | 1050
17 | 
 | 

19 | Quiz Chapter 9 | 10
24 | 
 | 

26 | Quiz Chapter 12 | 10
31 | 
 | 

April 2 | Quiz Chapter 13Conceptualization 3 | 1050
7 | Work Day | 

9 | Presentations | 

14 | PresentationsBook Journal 2 Due | 
50
16 | Presentations
 | 50
23 | Final exam in the testing center anytime from the 20th to the 23rd before the testing center closes.  | 150

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Work will be accepted 1 day late. Scores will be reduced by 20%. Work will not be accepted after one day late. 

Attendance Policy

  • Attendance is not required. You are adults and the course content is highly valuable, so hopefully you are intrinsically motivated to attend class. However, for those of you who need extrinsic motivation to attend class, the essay questions on lectures will come from class lectures, so it is necessary to attend class in order to do well. 

Course Fees

$4 per credit

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.