Counseling Research Guide

Clinical Practice Reflection Papers:

Three weeks (for weeks 2, 4, 6), students will write a clinical practice reflection paper (no more than 4-5 pages double-spaced). Each assigned topic should be written as a scholarly reflection, which means it is a combination research/reflection paper. Research portion should include a minimum of two appropriate scholarly sources outside your course reading. You should include a brief survey of relevant literature, observations from assigned videos and readings from your text. This portion should not include 1^st person pronouns or your opinions. The paper should also include a description of how you might apply what you have learned from the article personally and/or professionally. You should address how the information interacts with your personal belief system including your theological beliefs.

For this assignment, you will find PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and PsycBooks extremely useful. ATLA Religion Database is also useful. You can access those resources using the All APA Search on the Welcome page or by selecting Articles or eBooks in the left menu bar. 

As you search these resources, here are some helpful videos and resources for you to consult. 

• Need a refresher on what is a Scholarly Article? 

• Need help on how to make the most of your searches? Consult the links below and the Need Help box to the left.

Students will produce a 3-4 page abstract of a journal article during the course from a professional journal that emphasizes group dynamics. (Note: not all articles about groups discuss group dynamics. Please discuss with the instructor if you are unsure if your article choice is appropriate.) You are allowed to choose an article that deals with a topic you hope to use for your final project and presentation. Please turn in a copy of the journal article with the abstract. If uploading a copy of the article, copy must be a PDF of the journal article uploaded as a separate document. Papers that do not include a copy of the article will not be graded. This is a Turnitin assignment.

For this assignment you will want to use PsycINFO which is available through the Articles link to the left or the subject search for Group Dynamics below. 

You will find it helpful to do an Advanced Search for Group Dynamics AND a narrower topic of your choice as shown below:

For this assignment you need to provide and APA style citation of the article AND discussion of the research methods (if applicable), results, and discussion. The links below provide more information on APA style and Research Methods. 

Assignment Description

Students will work in groups (up to four people) to explore and report on research pertaining to a particular underserved population (based on demographic variable) and particular clinical concern (such as depression, eating disorders, etc.) addressed through a particular theoretical lens.

Students will research and write a psychotherapy group plan (not solely a support group), approximately 20 pages in length. Choose a clinical focus, population, and context. Your final paper should include two parts: 1) research and support for your plan, and 2) details for the planned group. The first part does not include your opinions and should be written as a review of literature.

APA format (7th ed.) is expected. All sources of information should come from professional/scholarly resources and be cited correctly in the paper and in your references section. A minimum of 15 scholarly sources is expected. (Do not rely upon Wikipedia, blogs, etc.; information for both the psychological and theological content should come from well-documented, relevant recent and/or legacy scholarly texts and research articles.) The majority of your paper should be a scholarly literature review, which means a synthesis of research on your topic.

For this assignment using PsycInfo, PsycArticles, and PsycBooks will be vital in addition to using books found through LCU DISCOVERY and I-Share.

For theological resources, you will want to use ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials Plus.

Links to those resources are available under Books, eBooks, and Articles.

The best searches will be an Advanced Search which includes your population, concern, and theory as noted below:

If you scroll down further, Advanced Search in PsycINFO offers additional limit options. Options that are helpful include Age Groups and Population Groups. Methodology may be useful as well. 

Your assignment requires at least 15 scholarly sources. The Library recommends finding at least 20 so that you have a cushion in case a source isn't as helpful as you think. 

For Career Counseling resources you will wish to use several databases and resources. In addition to PsycINFO, make sure to consult ERIC, an education database. You may find Professional Development Collection helpful as well. 

Best Subject Headings:

Using Subject Headings helps to make your searches much more specific. The following page explains subject headings and how to find them using the Thesaurus in a database. Make sure to scroll to the bottom where there is a video linked as well.

As PsycINFO and ERIC focus on different subject areas, the subject headings used are slightly different. Subject headings related to Career Counseling are listed below for each database.

PsycINFO:

ERIC: 

Professional Development Collection:

Professional Development Collection is another great resource to use for this topic and uses the heading Vocational Guidance.

Additional Resources:

The following online publications are useful for Career Counseling topics.