You are asked to develop a final Capstone paper with the following components:

1. You will conduct a scholarly literature review of acontemporary topic in counseling or related area that is of particularinterest to you. The objective of this type of paper is to explore aquestion in-depth through research and scholarly work. This work will bedriven by a critical research question of the student’s own design; itmay be population-focused or issue specific. You are being asked to identify a social justice issue or a marginalized cultural group that you would like to learn more about and/or advocate for. Write an 8-11 page paper on your chosen topic.

***Very important Note: The topic I am interested in writing about is the LGBTQ community in the middle east and their struggle with mental health. As well as the struggles they go through with family/partner/community/culture due to their sexuality. How can we help them? We want to advocate that issue and educate the older generation about it. Also, focus on tying the topic to mental health counseling/ therapy techniques.

*The 8 pages do not include the cover page or reference page, and an abstract is not required.

At least 8-11 academic references are expected (besides thecourse texts). APA format in your citations and reference list. Everycitation in your paper must have the source listed on your referencepage, and vice versa, all sources listed on the reference page must becited at least once within the text. The site (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/) is really helpful in providing guidance in APA format.

Section 1 (1-2 pages): Introduction. Succinctly describe yourown positioning and your theoretical framework. Describe how yourbackground influences your interest and engagement in the topic. Youare encouraged to reflect upon and synthesize learnings from previousCSC courses and then go deeper into one area of particular interest.

Section 2 (5-7 pages): State your research question and succinctly describe the literature review findings.

Section 3 (2-3 pages): Proposed Application (Future Plans and/or Recommendations). Youshould also being to articulate and investigate a field or context ofinterest related to future practice and imagine what you would like tocontribute. Research literature on the work being done in thosecontexts; describe what kinds of interventions are they using, why arethose interventions being used and your own analysis and hopes. Forthose students moving onto graduate school, this could lay thegroundwork for a future paper or research proposal.