Counseling 101 – College & Career Orientation
 3 units – CSU transferable

Instructor:                                Belén Torres-Gil
Class Times & Location:          Online
Office:                                      Career Development Center rm. A113
Office hours:                            Online anytime or on-campus by appointment
                                                I also check my Blackboard email on a daily basis
Phone:                                     (562) 463-7615
Email:                                      btorresgil@riohondo.edu

Required Textbook & Support Materials
Sherfield, R., Montgomery R., and Moody, P. "Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well" - Full Fifth Edition.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall:

Textbook purchase: A hardcopy of the Cornerstone Full Fifth Edition (not the Concise 5th Edition) textbook can be purchased in the RHC bookstore.

Students can also purchase access to an online textbook at a much reduced price by going to http://www.safarix.com/ .
Rio Hondo College Catalog
Rio Hondo College Student Handbook

Course Description:
 This course is designed to assist in acquiring the skills, information, and personal awareness needed for college success. Students will gain knowledge about higher education, its purposes, value, and uses with particular emphasis on Rio Hondo College (RHC) and four-year institutional policies, graduation, and transfer requirements. Students will be exposed to the role and purpose of college support services, career exploration, educational planning, and personal adjustment skills. This includes exploration of the relationship between self-esteem and success in college. Upon completing the course, students should have acquired insight into the role of education in personal and career development and attained the support skills necessary to implement appropriate behaviors to attain their goals and to achieve college success.

Course Objectives

By the end of this class, a student should be able to:

1.     Discuss the philosophy and purpose of the 3 segments of higher education in California and integrate the knowledge into appropriate personal choices.

2.     Identify and discuss college policies and procedures related to enrollment, academic progress, student conduct and student grievances.

3.     Identify and discuss major, graduation, and transfer options in terms of fulfilling personal goals.

4.     Identify and discuss the relationship between general education and major coursework.

5.     Identify and utilize college support services and articulate their role, and the role of student responsibility in retention and academic success.

6.     Identify and discuss Career Development theory and integrate it with personal, major, and educational choices.

7.     Develop, discuss, and assess an educational plan.

8.     Discuss, and assess a career plan.

9.     Utilize decision-making, goal-setting, and assertive training skills as they relate to education and career choices and success.

10.  Define and discuss the concept of critical thinking as it relates to educational, career, and personal success.

11.  Understand the role of self-esteem as it pertains to college success.

12.  Identify and define living styles based on personality types.

13.  Identify learning styles.

Counseling 151 - Career Exploration & Life Planning
 3 units - CSU transferable GE

Instructor:                                Belén Torres-Gil
Class Times & Location:          Online
Office:                                      Career Development Center rm. A113
Office hours:                            Online anytime or on-campus by appointment
                                                I also check my Blackboard email on a daily basis
Phone:                                     (562) 463-7615
Email:                                      btorresgil@riohondo.edu

Required Text & Assessments:

Textbook:
The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options, 9th edition
The class will be using the updated 9th edition beginning Summer 2009.

Assessments:
These personality and skills assessments are an integral part of the course. The results will be integrated within the discussions and Final Integration Paper.

Personality Inventories
Do ONE of the following:  

1. Keirsey Temperament Sorter $9.95 (purchase  and complete online)
After you register,  click  "Begin the Temperament Sorter II" then buy and take the Career Temperament Report  - 

Group Name: Rio Hondo 
Group Password: belentg

2. Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI). $12.00
Click here for information on the popular Myers Briggs inventory.

If you choose this inventory, let me know and I will send you the appropriate form to take to the Career Center rm. A113. Once you have paid the $12 fee, you will receive a code and password allowing you access to the online assessment. Make an appointment for an interpretation with a career counselor in order to receive your results. This assessment may be FREE for EOP&S students

Interest Inventory
Do One of the following:

1. Take the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS) $19.95 
This is a comprehensive online inventory that does not require an in-person interpretation with a career counselor

2. Or, take the Strong Interest Inventory ($9.00)
If you choose this inventory,  let me know and I will send you the appropriate form to take to the Career Center rm. A113. After paying the $9.00 you will receive a code and password that allows you to take the inventory online. Make an appointment to receive your results and an interpretation with a career counselor. This assessment may be FREE to EOP&S students.

Course Description:

This course is designed for students who are:

  • undecided about academic majors & career options & opportunities.
  • seeking a career change.
  • making the transition from school to work.
  • seeking to understand successful workplace behaviors.
  • preparing for the "new" world of work.

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to life planning concepts as related to the world of work, theories of career development and career/major decision-making. Emphasis is on creating a personal awareness foundation for exploring career and educational opportunities and goal setting.

There will be weekly quizzes, assignments, and forum discussions on topics that will explore human development, career theories, decision-making, life skills, adult workplace competencies, values, interests, abilities and personality, labor market trends, job-seeking skills, and successful workplace behaviors. A career research midterm paper and a final that consists of completion of a portfolio and a phone or in person/group interview are required as well.

General Course Goals:

1.     To develop a basic understanding of human nature and adult and career development theories as related to the career planning process and decision-making.

2.     Apply and integrate knowledge of theories and concepts to the career/major planning process.

3.     Define and develop life skills and workplace competencies relevant to career/life planning.

4.     Acquire the ability to research and evaluate current and future labor markets.

5.     Be able to identify personal interests, skills, and values and match them with appropriate career choices.

6.     Understand the role of education in career choice.

7.     Acquire skills of decision-making.

8.     Identify and evaluate sources of career information.

9.     Understand the changing nature of the workplace including the changing role of men, women, minorities and special populations as related to work, family and leisure activities.

10.  Develop job search strategies and workplace success skills