Elective general education courses appear in your program of study as GNED 0000. This is called a “placeholder.” This placeholder is replaced by an actual course that you will select from a list of available "elective" general education courses when you register in the relevant semester.

Please note that the type and number of elective courses available will vary from semester to semester and from year to year.

Please visit the General Education website for more information.

This course is designed to provide students with communication principles that will allow them to reflect and improve their ability to communicate effectively with clients, superiors and peers.  Topics include listening, verbal and non-verbal communication, conflict management, assertiveness training, self-disclosure, cross-cultural communication and critical thinking.

This course provides students with an introduction to the basic theory and skills necessary for effective interviewing and counselling.  A micro-skills approach to intentional counselling is taken.  Throughout this course, students use role-play situations to practise skills, concepts, and methods designed to develop concrete competencies in interviewing and counselling. 

This course will help students gain a better understanding of Durham College’s and the Child and Youth Worker Program’s key policies and procedures and learn habits of mind that provide a framework for student success.  This subject introduces the student to the unique perspectives, theories and interventions in which Child and Youth Work is grounded.  Students will be presented with an historical overview of the development of the profession.  Acquisition of knowledge will be reinforced with real-life examples, self-reflection exercises and learning from others.  Key topic areas will include self-awareness, relationship building, milieu therapy and important domains of Child and Youth Work that have been researched and identified as essential to effective practice.  In-class guest presentations will introduce students to the various roles/responsibilities that Child and Youth Workers can assume in a variety of settings.  Students will also be introduced to the Field Placement Preparation and Observation course offered in Semester 2 and will be required to complete preparatory tasks.

Psychology is the study of human behaviour. This course is designed to increase student understanding of the basic principles that underlie behaviour.  Through practical examples, students will be introduced to important psychological concepts and key research findings.  The course examines such processes as: biology and behaviour, sensation and perception, learning and memory, emotion and motivation, consciousness, and social psychology.

This course introduces students to the professional, ethical and legal issues facing the Social Service Workers or Child & Youth workers.  A process for ethical decision-making will be explored and this process will be applied to a wide variety of complex professional dilemmas.

This course is designed particularly for students who work or will be working in the human services areas.  The focus will be on effective written communication skills.  Students will be introduced to record keeping and report writing which will include client case notes, client treatment plans, incident reports, and other documentation related to the human services field.  Students will be encouraged to develop an approach to writing which is based on the writer’s purpose, audience and the context of the communication.  Samples of each type of report will be produced by the student.

Child and Adolescent Development is a comprehensive study of human development from a developmental psychology perspective.  The course examines developmental processes and milestones of the individual from conception to early adulthood.  Students will be introduced to the major psychological theories and controversies in the field of human development.  The study of human development allows students the opportunity to gain insight into their own developmental processes and milestones.  They will learn how to assess “who they are”, “how they have come to be this way”, and “what their future holds for them”. Moreover, students in the community services field will gain valuable information that they can apply to their client populations.

This course examines crisis intervention theory and its application. The material builds on the student’s general knowledge of counselling and related issues and focuses on concepts central to crisis work. By way of introduction, students learn to distinguish between long-term counselling and crisis intervention. Following this, crisis related assessment techniques and relevant intervention strategies are studied. Potentially violent situations common to Human Service agencies are explored and the concept of professional burnout as a crisis issue is covered in some detail. In conclusion, the course examines various dispositional crises, ranging from suicide to sexual assault.

This course is designed to allow the student to develop an overview of the agencies who support Child and Youth Work student placements.  Specifically the course will allow the students to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the education system and what the role and responsibilities of a Child and Youth Worker includes in a school setting.  Students will be introduced to some intervention strategies to use with children/youth.  The course will also introduce and familiarize the student with the placement process involved in completing CYW placements and also the documentation that is such an integral part of all their future placement courses.  The seminar component of this course will provide the students with some knowledge about what stages are involved in placement experiences and what skills will be necessary to successfully master these stages.  Each week during seminar the students will be encouraged to share their experiences. 

This course in intended to build and expand upon the foundation of counselling skills introduced and practiced in Interviewing Skills I.  Students will be introduced to various higher order skills as measured by the interpersonal influence continuum, including confrontation, interpretation and focusing.  In addition, students will be introduced to a variety of major theoretical perspectives on counselling, including the cognitive behavioural and brief therapy models.  Emphasis will be placed on experiential learning and students will have the opportunity to integrate theoretical concepts with their emerging counselling skills.

Sociology is the study of people and how they interact with each other and various social groups. This course deals with the study of people's lives, their relationship to society as a whole, and how people are affected by the society in which they live. The concepts, theories and methods of the discipline will be introduced and discussed, with particular emphasis on the dynamics of Canadian society and Canadian social problems.

This experiential learning course is based on the Life Skills Coaching model.  It allows students an opportunity to participate in a therapeutic group intended to promote personal growth through the development of some core interpersonal skills.

This course is the first of two therapeutic activity courses that will focus on the therapeutic value and use of programming in the care and treatment of children/adolescents.  It will introduce the student to the concepts and practice of therapeutic activities and how they are applied in a variety of children’s mental health settings and also in the context of group programming.  Students will explore the importance of play and will have the opportunity to develop and facilitate activities with children/adolescents.  Students will learn about the importance of establishing appropriate environments for the application of therapeutic play activities/tools that can be applied in the field.  Leadership skills and relationship building through activities will also be introduced.  The student will be required to develop a resource file and therapeutic activity bag of tricks (tools to use in ongoing programming work with children/youth).

Field placements provide students with an opportunity to integrate theory into practice. Students of the Child and Youth Worker program are required to complete assigned hours of field work in a community setting that provides direct client service. This is a supervised 12-week block placement.

This course is designed to introduce students to concepts, principles and procedures underlying the practice of Child and Youth Work in either residential or non-residential programs with children/adolescents.  Emphasis is placed on teaching the students how to develop a therapeutic relationship, how to establish a therapeutic milieu, how to effectively intervene with clients and how to develop a basic plan of care.  The student will also be introduced to some basic principles and concepts involved in the managing of handling aggressive behaviour.  Students in this course will also have the opportunity to research the field of child and youth care through a series of directed activities in the computer lab.

This course is an introduction to viewing and working with families from a family systems and family therapy perspective.  Students will learn to view human behaviour and behaviour problems as expressions of family interactions, dynamics and structures.  Individual therapy will be contrasted with a family systems approach and the student will be introduced to the concept of “the individual in context”.  Family dynamics will be explored as factors in the development and maintenance of various types of clinical problems including, psychopathology and mental health.  The student will be introduced to assessment and treatment planning from a family therapy perspective.

Field placement allows students the opportunity to integrate Child and Youth Worker theory into practice.  The student is required to complete the assigned hours of field work in a community setting which provides direct client service.  Field Placement Seminar will be a mandatory 1 hour timetabled class at the college.  In the seminar class, the student will have the opportunity to discuss issues pertaining to field placement.  Students will continue to be required to complete and submit required documentation (including weekly journals) according to the agency/college policies and procedures.

This course covers theoretical and practical information on the dynamics of Life Skills coaching with particular emphasis on the Saskatchewan Newstart model and subsequent developments of the theory as demonstrated through the Life Skills publications of the Y.W.C.A. Key concepts relevant to Life Skills Coaching will be examined. As well, the process and dynamics of the Life Skills I group the student participated in will be reflected on via a private and confidential format to integrate the experience into a theoretical perspective. Once students have developed a working knowledge of the model, they will conduct a group session for their peers. Students will give and receiving feedback on their application of the theory so they can enhance their assessment skills for future professional growth.

As a follow-up to Therapeutic Activities I, students will learn more advanced applications and a wider variety of applications and techniques directed towards specific problems and mental health diagnoses of children and youth.  The students will have opportunities to develop the skills necessary to adjust activities to specifically respond to the developmental and emotional needs of their clients.  The students will be exposed to a variety of creative therapies as methods and techniques for emotional expression and behavioral changes.  They will have the opportunity to practice developing and implementing activities in the classroom while reflecting on their own experience and providing peer feedback. The students will be required to design a 6-8 week group program for a particular client population that the student will then implement in his/her field placement next semester.

This course provides a theoretical framework for understanding group work as a service delivery model.  The student will learn about the nature, dynamics, and stages of groups; additionally the student will explore roles, leadership skills, communication patterns, professional/ethical issues and therapeutic intervention techniques that can be applied in group experiences.  Utilizing the processes of reflection and feedback the student’s learning experience can be enhanced and will help to focus on the relevance of theory to each student as an individual and to group practice.  Student’s will read about groups in the real world, participate in experiential learning groups and observe the group process.

This course will provide an overview of development and attitudes in society in the area of human sexuality.  An understanding of sexuality and associated typical and atypical behaviour in young people will be explored.  The implications of this in working with disturbed or troubled youth will be a major area of focus.  In addition, students will develop skills for discussing with youth numerous issues related to sexuality.

This course will examine the use of assessment instruments and recording tools used by various education and social service organizations. Why agencies keep records and how the information in these records is created, monitored and updated will be reviewed. The functional assessment tool will be studied as a process for gathering information to understand problem behaviour situations and to develop effective and supportive plans of care.

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of child/adolescent abuse in its many forms, including the causes, symptoms, indicators, preventions and treatment. Material will focus on understanding the role of the child and youth worker when dealing with issues pertaining to child protection. Students will have the opportunity to explore and discuss the dilemmas of child protection work, as well as look at the impact this work has on them as a professional.

Students will be introduced to the various child and youth psychopathologies related to intellectual, social, emotional and physical sensory functioning. They will examine the characteristics, needs and methods of assessment as they apply to the various pathologies. As well, students will consider the difficulty these children and youth have in realizing their full human potential and the methods that are employed to assist people in their attempts to be fully accepted.

This course will help the student to develop a better understanding of the concerns and issues of culturally diverse clients and their communities. They will gain appreciation for the diversity of cultures and subcultures and their interactions in Canadian society. The course will also provide the students with opportunities to look at their personal, as well as professional values, and relationships to clients of culturally diverse views.

Field placement allows students the opportunity to integrate Child and Youth Worker theory into practice.  The student is required to complete the assigned hours of field work in a community setting which provides direct client service.  Field Placement Seminar will be a mandatory 1 hour timetabled class at the college.  In the seminar class, the student will have the opportunity to discuss issues pertaining to field placement.  Students will continue to be required to complete and submit required documentation (including weekly journals) according to the agency/college policies and procedures.

Social Policy and Administration provides an overview of the Canadian social welfare system.  The course begins by highlighting relevant historical factors and exploring significant aspects of the social welfare system that are unique to Canada.  Then an array of current social issues will be addressed with an emphasis on the impact of relevant social policy.  The course progresses to address strategies for service delivery.  The various roles that are played by different professionals and the interplay of the social welfare and other related systems will be clarified.

Field placements provide students with an opportunity to integrate theory into practice. Students of the Child and Youth Worker program are required to complete assigned hours of field work in a community setting that provides direct client service. This is a supervised 16-week block placement.