COUNSELING RESEARCH PROJECT: PAPER ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW This is the
COUNSELING RESEARCH PROJECT: PAPER ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
This is the capstone project for this course. Your research will be made available to all the other
students in the course to use as a future reference tool, so strive for excellence in your
contribution. If everyone takes their assignment seriously and works hard to provide the best
information and research, you all will have an invaluable tool to use in the future.
There are two purposes for this project. The first purpose is to assist you in gaining information
and resources on the major issues women may bring to you in counseling. Every student in this
course will select a different topic to research. At the end of this course, each student will share
his or her research with the rest of the class. This will allow you to compile a resource notebook
or a resource file on counseling women. The second purpose is to help you prepare a
presentation for a future workshop you may teach on your selected topic.
INSTRUCTIONS
Topic
You are to select a topic that is of specific interest to you and research your topic as if you were
preparing a workshop on it to teach to a group of fellow counselors. The topic list provided
purposely does not include topics that are discussed in this course. The reason is to help you gain
additional information beyond what is covered in the course materials and activities. You are
allowed to seek approval of a different topic you would like to present if it is not on the provided
list. Before beginning your research, be sure the topic is not covered already in this course, that it
is not already selected by another student, and that you have received your instructor’s approval.
The Discussion: Counseling Research Project: Topic Selection Assignment Instructions
document contains more information on this.
Paper Assignment Instructions
This part of the project contains the primary research information you would prepare in order to
put together a presentation on your topic. It will follow the format of a research paper, including
subheadings to be used in presenting your topic.
1. Research your topic by looking for information on treatment options or intervention
approaches to assist women seeking “counseling” with that particular problem/disorder.
Investigate your topic in depth; do not provide a broad survey of the topic. Remember
this should be written from a counseling perspective. In other words, what treatment is
best for counselors to use when counseling clients presenting with this problem/topic?
2. This part of the project must be 10-12 pages in content length. (The abstract, appendices
and reference list are not included as content.)
3. The entire paper should follow current APA format.
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4. You must research at least 10-12 “professional” resources for your topic. A majority
(about 80%) of these resources need to be scholarly books, professional journal articles,
or professional online websites with no more than 3–4 from professional websites. A
combination of all three resources will earn you a better grade. Also, a majority (about
90%) of your resources must be published within the last 10 years.
5. You must include biblical integration as part of your treatment options.
6. Your paper must demonstrate your ability to integrate and synthesize the information you
collect in your research. You should not cut and paste information from your sources. If
you would like to include lists (example: symptoms, causes, etc.) for any reason, put
them in an appendix and refer to them in your paper.
7. As you conduct your research, you may want to look for the following information,
however, your primary focus must be on counseling treatment options or interventions:
a. Description of the problem
Summarize the problem by providing a brief description of it.
b. Current statistics on the topic area
Provide any statistics you find in your research that discusses the prevalence
or demographics of the problem. (Example: One in four women experience
sexual abuse as a child.)
c. Symptoms of the problem
Provide a description of the most common symptoms experienced by
someone with this problem. Also, include areas a counselor would want to
specifically assess in the initial interview based on what you know about
this issue.
d. Causes of the problem
Provide a summary of the general causes that lead someone to develop this
type of problem. Include developmental and familial issues in this section.
e. Treatment of the problem – This is the major part, about 50–60%, of your paper.
Provide “counseling” treatment options that you find in your research. You
should use at least 5 resources in this section.
f. Biblical perspectives on the problem
Provide verses or biblical examples that you can use to assist someone with
this problem.
g. Homework assignments
Provide suggestions for homework assignments found in your research to
assist a client in dealing with this problem. If you do not find any in your
research, then make a few suggestions using your own creativity.
h. Additional information (optional)
If you find anything in addition that you believe would be helpful to your
classmates, please include it here. You may include advice or
recommendations from your own personal experiences with this problem
(whether you experienced it yourself or assisted someone with the problem).
When putting this part of the project together, you should include the following:
a) Title Page
b) Abstract
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c) Content (10-12 pages)
d) Appendices (additional information)
e) References page
f) If you have a personal illustration that you believe would be helpful to
incorporate into your project, please include it in an appendix.
Submit a draft of this Counseling Research Project: Paper Assignment to check the originality
of your work. The results may take 24–48 hours to process, so this must be done in advance of
