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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Foundations of School Counseling (Online)

FLHD 3100-31I

Course: FLHD 3100-31I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Family Life & Human Develop
CRN: 32417

Course Description

This course will study key components of comprehensive school counseling programs, including a systemic, data-driven approach, guidance curriculum, and educational and career planning. The course will begin with a review of the historical, philosophical, legal, and ethical competencies of counselors in elementary and secondary schools in America. Pertinent laws and ethical standards will be explored. The current and emerging role of the school counselor will be covered with particular attention to the area of recent emphasis in the field of school counseling. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Textbook:
“Transforming the School Counseling Profession”, Bradley T. Erford, 6th Edition

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Understand the historical basis for school counseling and its evolution over time, including the current role of the school counselor.
  2. Identify the four components that make up a school counseling program as determined by ASCA, and be able to identify appropriate activities for each component; and how counselors demonstrate accountability.
  3. Identify legal and ethical issues that apply to school counselors, and understand how to address them.
  4. Demonstrate that you possess a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts; and know how to identify and suspend personal biases.
  5. Identify risk factors that can cause barriers to student learning and identify supports for at-risk students.

Course Requirements

Course Assessment Table
Course AssessmentsCourse Outcomes
Discussions (3)1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Reading Logs1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Assignments1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Final Projects1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Quiz4, 5
Assignment Outline
Discussions

There will be 3 discussion questions on Canvas of the assigned topic or chapter. Students are asked to make an initial posted response of around 200+ words. To expand the learning among class members, and facilitate interaction, students will respond to a minimum of two classmates' responses with meaningful and substantive comments. (200 words.) This helps to establish a “community of learners”.

Resilience Paper

Compose a 3-4 page paper using the below questions after viewing the documentary, Resilience - The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope.

  • Now, what does resilience mean to you?
  • From your perspective or profession, what stood out?
  • What do you consider the key strategies in the film?
  • What is one thing you heard or saw that touched you?
  • What one thing surprised you the most?
Reading Logs

Students will be asked 2-3 questions for each chapter to assess your comprehension of the assigned readings.

Student Mental Health

Shedding Light on Student Mental Health: students will write 1-2 paragraphs in response to a TEDx video regarding student mental health.

Articles on Mental Health: read and respond to articles on how Covid-19 has effected student's mental health.

Mental Health Resources Scavenger Hunt

Identify for different mental health resources in our community and state.

Individual & Group Counseling Case Analysis

Review a case studies from the chapter and consider the student’s needs, appropriate counseling supports, ethical considerations, and when consultation or referral may be necessary.

Case Studies

In the school counseling profession, you will often face problems without clear-cut solutions. Consider the following scenarios and respond to each scenario. Refer to chapter 7 to identify specific ACA Code of Ethics that apply to each scenario.

IDEA Disabilities Assignment

Select 5 of the 13 IDEA disabilities and identify 5 accommodations or modification that would help a student with that particular disability become more successful in a general education classroom.

MTSS & School Counselor Assignment

Design your own Multi-Tiered System of Support. I have provided you with the school level and goal statement. Your job is to fill in the rest of the template with appropriate interventions. Chapter 4 will help guide you through the process with specific examples listed on pages 87 & 88 of the text book.

YouScience Aptitude Assignment

Each student will complete a YouScience aptitude assessment. After completing the entire assessment, please upload a copy of your assessment profile as well as a one page written summary of your results. What stood out to you? Also include a brief explanation of how this information could be beneficial for counselors to help students prepare to be college and career ready

Final Projects
School Counselor Interview

Interview a practicing school counselor regarding their role in their setting. Develop a set of questions to help you understand the world the school counselor lives in on a daily basis. For example, what is their regular schedule, what is their philosophy, what curriculum (if any) do they use, how do they incorporate career guidance, what concerns/issues arise most often, who do they most often collaborate with and do they participate in support teams meetings (i.e., IEP, 504, PLC, etc.), how do they manage crisis concerns, what journey did they take to get where they are in their career, etc. Write an overview regarding the interview. The paper is to be approximately 2-3 pages in length.

Annotated Bibliography

Select a problem faced by students, counselors, administrators, an issue in education, or a population in the schools for which a professional school counselor could help advocate. Search the professional literature for articles that address your selected topic. Compile an annotated bibliography of at least 5 articles you have found.

Grade Scheme

The following grading standards will be used in this class:

Course AssessmentsPointsPercentages
Discussions (3)759.1
Reading Logs9010.9
ACES Survey/Resilience Paper11013.3
Case Study506.1
IDEA Assignment506.1
MTSS Assignment506.1
Shedding Light on Mental Health253.0
Ind. & Group Case Analysis506.1
Scavenger Hunt -MH253.0
YouScience Assessment10012.1
Final - School Counselor Paper10012.1
Final - Annotated Bibliography10012.1
Total825100
Grade Range
A100 % to 94.0%
A-< 94.0 % to 90.0%
B+< 90.0 % to 87.0%
B< 87.0 % to 84.0%
B-< 84.0 % to 80.0%
C+< 80.0 % to 77.0%
C< 77.0 % to 74.0%
C-< 74.0 % to 70.0%
D+< 70.0 % to 67.0%
D< 67.0 % to 64.0%
D-< 64.0 % to 61.0%
F< 61.0 % to 0.0%

Course Outline

Course Summary:

Date Details Due

Discussion Questions 1
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594909)

Email
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594915)

Fri Sep 4, 2026

Introduction Discussion
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594908)

Reading Log: Chapters 1 & 2
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594920)

Commenced Attendance Quiz
Wed Sep 9, 2026 due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594907)

ACES Survey
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594911)

Discussion Question 2
Fri Sep 18, 2026 due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594910)

Resilience Paper
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594924)

Reading Log: Chapters 5 & 6
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594923)

Fri Oct 2, 2026

School Counselor Ethical Case Studies
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594926)

IDEA Disabilities Assignment
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594916)

Fri Oct 16, 2026

Reading Log: Chapters 12 & 13
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594922)

Date Details Due

MTSS & School Counselor Assignment
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594917)

Fri Oct 30, 2026

Reading Log: Chapter 3
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594919)

Articles on Mental Health
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594913)

Individual and Group Counseling Case Study Analysis
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/19008899)

Fri Nov 6, 2026

Scavenger Hunt - Mental Health Resources
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594925)

Shedding Light on Student Mental Health
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594928)

Reading Log: Chapter 9
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594921)

Fri Nov 20, 2026

YouScience Aptitude Assessment
due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594929)

Annotated Bibliography
Fri Dec 4, 2026 Assignment due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594912)

School Counselor Interview
Fri Dec 11, 2026 Paper due by 11:59pm (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594927)

Discussion Question - Counseling Supports (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/19101673)

Date Details Due

Email (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594914)

Reading Log (https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1206233/assignments/18594918)

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

Instructor's Response Time & Feedback

Online classes provide unique challenges for interaction. For messages sent to me, I will respond in the specified amount of time. Feedback is an important part of learning please look for feedback on your assignments that I provided in the specified amount of time, to find feedback look at this tutorial How do I view assignment comments from my Instructor (https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10666-421254359) .

It is my goal to:

  • Respond to student messages within 1-2 business days
  • Provide grades and feedback within 1 - 6 days from the due date
Student Responsibilities

Late and missing assignments should be the exception, but will be accepted provided a reasonable explanation is given for the assignment being late or missing.

There are no extra credit assignments. Late and missing assignments can be submitted at any time, provided a reasonable explanation is given.

Attendance Policy

As this is an online course, your attendance will be measured by your participation and completion of course activities and assignments.

Course Fees

Program and Course Fees

Credits, Prerequisites, and Registration Restrictions

3 Credit(s)

Prerequisite(s): FLHD 1500 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Registration Restriction(s): None

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.