The Prospectus Overview and Instructions
The prospectus is brief document that serves as a road map for the dissertation. It provides the essential framework to guide the development of the dissertation proposal. The prospectus builds on the 10 Strategic Points (shown in Appendix A) and should be no longer than 6-10 pages, excluding the criteria tables and the appendices. The prospectus will be expanded to become the dissertation proposal (Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of the dissertation), which will, in turn, be expanded to become the complete dissertation (Chapters 1-5). In short, the prospectus is a plan for the proposal. Prior to developing the prospectus, the 10 Strategic points should be reviewed with the chair and committee to ensure the points are aligned and form a clear, defined, and doable study. The10 Strategic Points should be included in Appendix A of this prospectus document. Please utilize the attached documents to complete the Dissertation Prospectus
To be prepared to explore your theoretical approach, it is important to first determine how you and the profession define counseling and therapy. Provide a definition of counseling that aligns with your beliefs about the therapeutic process, describing what you believe creates change within individuals or family systems. Discuss what factors you expect will influence the development of your theoretical approach as a new counselor. What are some of the benefits of practicing from a well-defined theoretical approach?
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers, responding to at least one. Expand the discussion in some way by asking questions, clarifying, offering another viewpoint or sharing resources.
Learning Components
This activity will help you achieve the following learning components:
- Synthesize knowledge of psychotherapeutic theories into a personal philosophy of counseling.
- Develop communications appropriate for the audience.
- Use the lexicon of the field.
- Apply knowledge of APA style for references and citations.