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Term Paper Guidelines
Each student will be required to write a 7-8 page paper describing a mental health profession of interest.
The paper should include the following sections: Description of the profession, the formal training required, work setting for the profession, type of counseling issues the profession deals with, type of assessments and interventions used, and professional issues relating to the profession.
Students may choose to conduct an interview with a professional who has earned at least a Master’s degree and practicing in the area of clinical or counseling psychology or related mental health (Clinical Social Worker, School Counselor, etc, as approved by the instructor).
This synthesis paper must adhere to the following guidelines:
Must follow APA format (title page, table of contents, abstract, organization into sections/subsections, correct headings, citations within the paper, and list of references)
Must be typed, double-spaced, and in 12pt. font of an academically acceptable typeface.
Must be no more than 8 pages in length and no less than 7 pages in length excluding title page, table of content, abstract, and list of references.
Must include at least 5 references from other professional psychology sources besides the textbook such as books, published articles, and information from professional organizations’ websites. (A list of the references in APA format must be attached to the paper).
Any information that is not originally from the student must be supported with a citation from professional psychology.
Plagiarism will lead to a failing grade for the paper, or for the course, depending on the gravity. Must demonstrate appropriate use of grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and writing mechanics.
Scoring guide for the Paper:
30 – 50 points:
1) Paper analyzes and synthesizes information on the chosen topic including an introduction indicating why the students are interested in the topic, a review of professional literature on the topic, and discussion analyzing the applicability of the topic to life and the student’s career goals.
2) Information presented is well supported with proper citations and references, all written in APA format, and
3) paper is written in a clear, understandable manner, without grammatical, structural, spelling problems.
20 – 30 points: Paper is lacking in one of the three criteria listed above.
10 – 20 points: Paper is lacking in two of the three criteria listed above.
0 – 10 points: Paper is lacking in all three of the criteria listed above and is not original
