Cafe Victoria

Last week, I finished the additional course that was added to my graduate degree program. As I mention in my post of Sat. March 14, 2009, I had learned the graduate program I graduated from more than a year ago added one more course requirement and changed the degree to Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development. It originally was called Master of Education in College Student Affairs (CSA).  I made the choice to go ahead and take this additional course because at many community college campuses across CA, to be able to teach in their counseling division or apply to be a faculty member, applicants must have “counseling” in the degree. Which ended up being one of the reasons APU updated their Master of Education in College Student Affairs program. Now that I have completed the Career Counseling and Development, I believe that the following additional 12 units from APU’s past CSA program makes me and many other past graduates qualified to join counseling divisions. I strongly believe that Student Affairs professionals and Community College Counselors have a lot in common. We each share a common passion to be part of the support college students need to be successful both in and outside the classroom. Our training might be slightly different, but the focus towards the college experience is still there.

APU College Student Affairs/ now called Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development Program Course Descriptions with Counseling Focus:

CSA 552: The Process of Adult Development (3 unit) Students study and critique selected human development theories relevant to the process of being and becoming an adult. An overview of models for translating theory to practice and assessment techniques to be applied to individuals, groups, and the environment is provided.

CSA 583: Counseling Issues and Practice (3 unit) Conflict, crisis, and dysfunctional behavior on the college campus are examined. Specific attention is given to the key issues relevant to culturally diverse student populations, including prejudice, substance abuse, promiscuity, suicide, cults, and eating disorders. An opportunity for the development of skills applicable to college student affairs roles is provided through laboratory experience/practice.

CSA 563: Counseling: The Helping Relationship (3 unit) This course includes an introduction to and overview of various theoretical approaches to the helping relationship and an examination of helping techniques (with culturally diverse populations) as applied through advising, crisis intervention, and consultation roles. Behavior development and change as an interpersonal process is addressed. Practice in role-playing situations involving various helping and human relations skills is included.

CSA 573: Career Counseling and Development (3)  This course provides a comprehensive review of career theory, as well as resources and techniques utilized in assisting individuals to make informed educational and career choices. An exploration of changing concepts of work and careers and their implications for career counseling are emphasized. A focus on the relationship of career to other issues of counseling and development is addressed.

CSA 562: Today’s College Students (3 unit) Students are provided with a review and analysis of the ecology of college students in contemporary American higher education. Student characteristics, subcultures, values, beliefs, lifestyles, and other critical variables are examined in relation to assessment methods and policy/program implications.

CSA 598: Special Topics: Strength Implementation in Higher Education (3 unit) This course will introduce a strengths-based philosophy and assessment tool for higher education. Applications of strengths-based philosophy for personal development, leadership, individual student development, student team development, and institutional culture change will be discussed. Students will develop curricula for strengths implementation into both the curriculum and co-curriculum.

Taken from: http://www.apu.edu/bas/csdol/studentdevelopment/courses/

I’ve been on maternity leave for 2 1/2 weeks now. My first real break from work in a really long time. I’ve done a pretty good job of not responding to work emails. I check my work email maybe every other day to clean out junk email. I think once the baby comes, I will find myself having no time to even think about checking it. However, what I am realizing about myself is how important my friendships and feeling connected to people is to me. My job in the field of student affairs naturally has me connect with people all day. For years, my days were filled with daily student interaction, meetings, and checking in with other staff at lunch time. I also do work that has me connect groups of people to each other. Now, my daily interaction is with people in my yoga class, at a local restaurant, grocery store, etc. I have this desire to start a mini mom’s group/club from the women and men in our weekly labor classes. Something, I would totally encourage if I was leading the class.

I am scheduled to return to work June 1. I will keep you posted on how I make the transition into motherhood and how I start to see my career in my life. Right now, I see becoming a mom as an extension of myself, kind of the same way I see my work in student affairs. It will be fun to see how many mom groups I connect with. I hope at least one. I’m also interested in how I will view myself and work down the road.

As president and member of the California Community College Student Affairs Association (CCCSAA), I have noticed a very hot topic that has come up on our Email List Serve. There have been a lot of questions and responses around what is the role of student government advisors, what can campuses do when the administration is talking about cutting student life programs as part of the budget cuts, and what will be the future of student affairs on community college campuses.

To help bring awareness about the importance of student life programs, especially on community college campuses and to help advisors advocate more for their programs, the CCCSAA board decided to bring back a document that was developed in 1994 at our Annual Professional Conference. The document is called the California Community College Student Affairs Association Statement of Professional Standards and Competences. The document provides professional standards and competencies for student affairs professionals on community college campuses. The professional standards and competences address management, supervision, and professional development, along with student development and student relationships. The document also includes Student Affairs/Activities minimum standards for hiring Student Affairs/Activities Personnel.

I encourage all student affairs professionals and managers to visit www.cccsaa.org, click on resources to download a copy of the CCCSAA Statement of Professional Standards and Competences. It is an excellent resource. There is a link off my website under Links.