Online Group Activities to Enhance Counselor Education - Spiral

by Kylie P. Dotson-Blake (Author), J. Scott Glass (Author)

Given the success of ASGW's previous activity books, and the fact that more and more Counselor Education courses are being taught (at least in part) via an online format, we decided that creating a book aimed at online activities for counselor educators would be useful. As the field of education continues to change as technology is being infused into classrooms at an amazing rate, we thought it would be helpful to compile a number of activities that counselor educators could implement in their courses. Each activity stands alone and includes goals and learning objectives, suggested courses for usage, a point in the group when activity might be best implemented, estimated time length, technology needs, directions for the activity, processing questions, possible adaptations, and potential cautions or issues that might arise. In addition, three introductory chapters are included that we hope will help counselor educators examine issues related to online group work, building a sense of community via online education, and group dynamics that may take place. While the activities are organized by suggested courses for their usage, we encourage all readers to read them through a creative lens, and (like all effective group counselors) imagine how they might be adapted for use in other courses or with other topics as well. We greatly appreciate the efforts of those who contributed activities to this book and hope that you will enjoy using them and find them helpful in promoting effective learning communities in your online counselor education courses.

Author Biography

About the Editors J. Scott Glass is an Associate Professor in the Counselor Education program at East Carolina University. Prior to his appointment at ECU, he taught at Elon University and Mississippi State University at Meridian. Dr. Glass received his Bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University, and attended East Carolina University for his Master's degree in Counselor Education. He then earned his PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (North Carolina) and Nationally Certified Counselor, Dr. Glass has worked primarily in an outdoor setting where adventure based programming was offered. These programs emphasize group work and aim to foster group cohesion while focusing on group dynamics, problem-solving and processing. Dr. Glass' areas of interest include adventure based counseling, group work with all ages, processing, and issues related to diversity in counseling. He has served as President of the North Carolina ASGW, and served on the editorial board for the Journal for Specialists in Group Work for over 10 years. He has had numerous presentations at the international, national, and state levels on topics related to adventure based counseling and group work. Kylie P. Dotson-Blake is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education program at East Carolina University. Prior to her appointment at ECU, she taught as a visiting professor at the College of William & Mary. Dr. Dotson-Blake received her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from East Carolina University before attending the College of William & Mary for her PhD in Counselor Education. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (North Carolina) and Nationally Certified Counselor, Dr. Dotson-Blake has worked primarily in the areas of family counseling and school counseling. Dr. Dotson-Blake's areas of interest include family counseling, school counseling, sexual identity, family-school-community partnerships, and diversity issues related to counseling. She has served as President of the North Carolina ASGW, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Board for Certified Counselors. She has had numerous presentations at the international, national, and state levels on topics related to family counseling and culturally-inclusive family-school-community partnerships.