Mission Statement
The MA in Counseling Psychology/Marriage & Family Therapy degree program is committed to preparing counselors and marriage and family therapists. The program embraces a range of relevant theory and techniques applicable in the three major areas of counseling psychology: a) the remedial (assisting in remedying problems in living), b) the preventive (anticipating, circumventing, and forestalling difficulties that may arise in the future), and c) the educative and developmental (discovering and developing potentialities). That is a) the focus is on normal individuals, and developmental life stages challenges,b) a focus on assets, strengths, and positive mental health, c) an emphasis on relatively brief interventions, and d) an emphasis on context, socioculturalpolitical influences, diversity, and person-environment interactions rather than exclusive emphasis on the individual.
Program Formats
Courses are offered on campus on Saturdays from 9 a.m.–4 p.m., one morning course from 9 a.m.–12 p.m., and one afternoon course from 1–4 p.m., weekday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and, and blended/online with mandatory on-campus meetings. Full-time students will take two on-campus courses and one online course each semester. During the fall and spring semesters, courses run for 15 weeks. During the summer semester, courses run for 7.5 weeks. It takes approximately two years for full-time students to complete the program (taking approximately three courses per semester, including summers). Course sequencing currently begins each fall and spring, and practicum also begins in the fall. Those students, who begin during spring or summer semesters, and those who elect to attend part-time, will require additional time to complete the program. Full-time students should plan to spend approximately 20 hours doing homework each week, and should arrange their work and family lives accordingly. Students who cannot accommodate this workload or whose past academic records are less strong should plan to attend part-time.
Program of Study
During their first semester of the MA in Counseling Psychology/Marriage & Family Therapy degree program, students complete a program of study by indicating when they intend to take required courses. Students receive academic advisement throughout the program. Advisement is considered an essential part of student matriculation, helping students to plan a program that is sequential so that each course builds on the previous one. Advisement is conducted in both a group format and through individual appointments prior to online enrollment in classes. Courses taken outside of the program of study will not count toward the courses required for the degree. Any student wishing to change a program of study must submit a written request to an advisor, indicating the change and the reasons for it. Students are required to retake any course for which they receive a grade below a “B-.”
Privacy
Personal growth and development is considered necessary to becoming an effective counselor. As a result, courses incorporate strategies for promoting such growth. These experiences may include, among others, journaling, reflecting on one’s difficulties with the counseling process, identifying and sharing personal issues and history that may hinder effective and culturally sensitive counseling, and sharing personal experiences with bias and discrimination. We recognize the sensitivity necessary to create an environment of safety for such sharing, and expect faculty and students to conduct themselves in a way that promotes such safety. One necessary component in creating safety is the faith that one’s disclosures will be held in confidence. Therefore, we expect students to keep confidential any material shared in class and in course assignments.
Application Deadlines
Students may enter the program at various points throughout the year, although course sequencing begins in the fall semester. All admission materials for the MA in Counseling Psychology/Marriage & Family Therapy degree program must be submitted by the following dates.
Fall Admission
Spring Admission
| October 30 |
Final Deadline |
Summer Admission
The applicant is expected to provide all required materials to the Admissions Department by the application deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Prior to the deadline, applicants should check with the Admissions Department concerning the status of their files. After all materials are complete, they will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee, and an interview with program faculty will be set up with those applicants who meet the requirements below to determine the level of fit between the applicant and the program. After the interview, the Admissions Committee will make a determination regarding admission to the program. The director of Admissions will notify all applicants of the Admissions Committee’s decisions.
Enrollment Requirements
Students in the program enroll in two to three classes per semester. During the second year practicum which includes an on-campus seminar, students generally enroll in one additional course each semester, or they may enroll in the practicum alone. Students are offered approximately one course per semester online. The remainder must be taken on-campus. Continuous enrollment is required until students satisfy graduation requirements. If a required course is not available, or if a student fails the Comprehensive or Clinical Competency Examinations, they must register for Directed Study (PC 6801 )
Additional Graduation Requirements
In addition to the stated requirements, students must successfully complete
- All program requirements within four years of matriculation into the program
- The Clinical Competency Examination (CCE)
Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements
The practicum is the first opportunity provided to students for field training in counseling psychology. The practicum provides students with the opportunity for working under supervision with a clinical population in a mental health delivery system. The practicum is an essential part of training in counseling, and all students are required to participate in the practicum experience. Liability insurance is included in the cost of the practicum.
Students may be placed in a practicum and practicum seminar during the second year of study. A student may also have the option of waiting until all coursework is completed before beginning the practicum experience. Students who work full-time during the day cannot be guaranteed evening and weekend practicum. It is recommended that students begin early to plan for work flexibility as some practicum hours will take place during weekdays. For registration purposes, the practicum and seminar are treated as a single course. The practicum is a 10-month experience, running from fall through summer I. Practicum usually begins in September and concludes in June. During this time, the students will be required to spend a minimum of 700 hours, or 16–20 hours per week, in the practicum training experience.
Practicum students are expected to spend a minimum of 240 hours in direct, face-to-face client service. Students will receive at least two hours of on-site, face-to-face supervision per week with a licensed mental health professional, one hour of which is individual supervision. Supervision should occur at a regularly scheduled time each week. A practicum may not be done in a student’s place of employment, nor may students transfer the practicum requirements from another educational institution. Students with extensive clinical backgrounds will be placed in practicum sites that allow them to practice in areas of interest with which they do not have previous experience.
Eligibility for Practicum
Students must be in good academic standing to begin the practicum application process. They must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 and have completed the academic planning that will allow for all the practicum pre-requisite courses to be completed prior to the beginning of the practicum. No student may begin a practicum without being enrolled in the program for a minimum of two semesters.
Practicum Evaluation
The goal of the practicum is to train competent counselors who are capable of providing counseling and effective therapeutic interventions. Evaluation of student progress in clinical field training focuses on three areas: theoretical knowledge, counseling skills, and professional attitudes. A thorough review of site and seminar evaluations is conducted by the Training Department, and an overall grade of “Credit” or “No Credit” is included in the student’s academic record.
Practicum Seminar Requirements
All students enrolled in a practicum must also concurrently enroll in a practicum seminar. The seminar meets weekly during the fall semester and bi-weekly during the spring semester, and allows students to reflect on various practicum experiences and to acquire additional skills and attitudes useful in field training. The specific content and emphasis of the seminar varies according to the practicum setting, the focus of the enrolled students and the professional expertise of the faculty member.
Comprehensive Education Requirements
All students in the program are required to successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fourth year after matriculation. The examination provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate competence in the end-of-program outcomes in advancedprofessional practice (including assessment, theory application, skills application), social and cultural issues, multicultural competence, research, ethics, and personal and professional development (including self-reflection/awareness, written communication).
Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites
To sit for the Comprehensive Examination, students must have successfully completed all required coursework, and be in good standing with a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).
Comprehensive Examination Procedures
The Comprehensive Examination is offered at least once each year, typically in the summer and fall semester. Students must complete a petition to take the Comprehensive Exam (available through Student Services) one month in advance of the test date. Students should also register for ADJCOMP Comprehensive Examination Workshop during the specified semester of the year. Additional information regarding registration, qualification, format, and dates of the exam can be obtained from the program chair during the workshop.
The comprehensive exam is on-campus examination that consists of printed, APA-formatted, original responses to questions submitted by faculty. For more detailed information, please refer to the Comprehensive Exam Handbook distributed during the Comprehensive Exam Workshop.
Students who fail the exam after the first attempt will meet with the faculty evaluation committee to discuss plans for remediation. Any student who fails the Comprehensive Exam a second time is automatically dismissed from the program.
Clinical Competency Exam Requirements
The Clinical Competency Exam (CCE) requires students to present a taped session, a transcript, a clinical case report, and a self-evaluation related to a client that they have been working with during the Practicum. In the CCE students have the opportunity to demonstrate conceptual and theoretical abilities and their counseling skills in real world counseling situations. Students who have learned theoretical and applied concepts in classroom courses should make use of out-of-class clinical contacts (i.e., practicum, practicum seminar group, visiting lecturers) to refine and extend the skills that will be evaluated by the CCE. Therefore, receiving passing grades in the practicum seminar and on the practicum supervisor’s evaluation does not guarantee a passing grade on the CCE.
Description and Procedures for Successful Completion of the Clinical Competency Exam
As the Capstone Project for the practicum experience, students submit a tape of a counseling session with a client from the practicum site, a transcript of 30 minutes of the counseling session (including a verbatim, a description of counseling skills used and the reason for their use, an evaluation of each intervention including a better option if needed, and an evaluation of the impact of the intervention on the client), a clinical case report, a theory paper, and a self-evaluation paper.
Students receive clear instructions on how to complete each of these assignments, along with multiple opportunities to practice these assignments, during the practicum experience. The CCE tape cannot have been previously submitted earlier, either for the site or for the program, for review, supervision, or critique. The CCE is graded as “Pass,” “Remediate,” or “Fail.” Students are evaluated on their fund of knowledge regarding the foundations of professional counseling, the ability to manage an interview, the ability to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and dynamic formulation, the ability to develop a theoretically supported treatment plan, the ability to carry out theoretically grounded intervention strategies which promote positive movement in the client, and the ability to evaluate their own work and abilities. Feedback from the Practicum Site supervisors regarding the above will also be included in the CCE.
In the event that remediation is necessary, students will be given the opportunity to respond to specific faculty feedback. In the event that a student fails the examination, he/she will be guided on how to remediate the exam. The Clinical Training Committee, in consultation with the initial examining faculty member, will recommend a program of remediation to address concerns noted in the CCE. Should the student be unable to complete the remediation for any reason, he/she will be referred to the Clinical Training Committee and then the Student Professional Development Committee for disposition, with one option being dismissal from the program.
Course/Credit Transfer
For information about course/credit transfers, please refer to section seven, “Academic Policies and Procedures .”
