| Course | CEFS 620 Counseling Children, Adolescents, and Their Families (CEFS620) |
|---|---|
| Credit hours | 3 |
| Program | MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling |
| Length | 8 Module/Weeks, online |
| Weeks with written work | 7 of 8 |
| Samples on this site | 7 week sample papers |
| Sources | Liberty's 2026-2027 catalog and the published CEFS 620 course guide |
| Updated | October 2026 |
What CEFS 620 covers
Every forum thread needs 400 words and three peer-reviewed sources, every reply 200 words and one source, and every source in the course must be no older than five years; forums fall in Modules/Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 and the analysis papers in Modules/Weeks 3 and 5.
The integrative project paper is built in stages, topic approval in Module/Week 2, a 10-source annotated bibliography in Module/Week 3, a first draft in Module/Week 4, a title page, abstract and reference page in Module/Week 6 and a 10-to-12-page final draft in Module/Week 7.
This course examines the developmental and psychological needs and problems of children, to include the transition to adolescence. Coursework emphasizes parenting, family, social, spiritual/moral, and physical issues. Counseling theories and evidence-based interventions provide foundational skills for working with children, adolescents, parents, and their families. This course will also address the impact of crisis and trauma events on children and families.
CEFS 620 week by week, with the sample for each
| Week | Written work in the course guide | Points | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Course Requirements Checklist and Reading Quiz 1 only | No written paper this week | |
| Week 2 | DB Forum 1 (Integrative Project topic approval and Reading Quiz 2 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 2 sample |
| Week 3 | Analysis Paper 1 (Integrative Project annotated bibliography and Reading Quiz 3 also due) | 150 | Read the Week 3 sample |
| Week 4 | DB Forum 2 (Integrative Project first draft and Reading Quiz 4 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 4 sample |
| Week 5 | Analysis Paper 2 (Reading Quiz 5 also due) | 150 | Read the Week 5 sample |
| Week 6 | DB Forum 3 (Integrative Project title page, abstract and references and Reading Quiz 6 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 6 sample |
| Week 7 | Integrative Project Paper: Final Draft | 200 | Read the Week 7 sample |
| Week 8 | DB Forum 4 (Reading Quiz 7 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 8 sample |
Where CEFS 620 papers lose points
CEFS 620 work slips when a source falls outside the five-year window, when papers summarize studies one by one instead of analyzing them, when effects are reported as "significant" without saying how large they are, and when recommendations ignore the families and schools around the young client.
Using a CEFS 620 sample well
The samples draw on Cook-Cottone and colleagues, McWhirter and colleagues, Racine and colleagues, Valkenburg and colleagues, Preston and Rew, Brar and colleagues, Zhang and colleagues, Li and colleagues, Dunn and Sicouri, Gaffney and colleagues, Thielemann and colleagues, Zhu and colleagues, Cuijpers and colleagues, Dippel and colleagues, Schleider and colleagues, Gijzen and colleagues, Nuij and colleagues, Dekkers and colleagues and Hillis and colleagues.
CEFS 620 questions, answered
What textbooks does CEFS 620 use?
Cook-Cottone and colleagues' The Elements of Counseling Children and Adolescents (2015) and McWhirter and colleagues' At Risk Youth (2017).
How recent must CEFS 620 sources be?
Peer-reviewed sources in the forums, analysis papers and integrative project paper must be no older than five years, so recent journal articles are essential.
What is the largest assignment in CEFS 620?
The 200-point Integrative Project Paper final draft in Module/Week 7, 10 to 12 pages with at least 10 recent peer-reviewed journal articles.
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