Mission Statement
The Counseling Psychology degree 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.
Eligibility for Licensure
California
Graduates of the EdD in Counseling Psychology degree program are eligible to pursue licensure in California as psychologists. In addition to the educational requirements provided at Argosy University, Inland Empire; Argosy University, Los Angeles; Argosy University, Orange County; Argosy University, San Diego; and Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area, 3000 hours of supervised training is required for licensure as a psychologist. Some hours may be acquired during the doctoral program. Also, prospective psychologists must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), and the California Jurisprudence and Professional Ethics Examination (CIPEE).
For more information and application materials, please contact the Board of Psychology, 1422 Howe Avenue, Suite 22, Sacramento, CA 95825-3200, 916.263.2699, bopmail@dca.ca.gov, www.psychboard.ca.gov.
Additional Graduation Requirements
In addition to the stated graduation requirements, students must successfully complete the Comprehensive Examination.
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., one afternoon course from 1–4 p.m., weeknights, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and online with on-campus meetings. Full-time students will take two on-campus and one blended/online course each semester. During the fall and spring semesters, courses are 15 weeks long. During the summer semester, courses are 7.5 weeks long. The program is approximately three (3) years in length for students who attend full time (approximately 3 courses per semester, including summers). Full-time students should plan to spend approximately 20 hours reading and doing homework each week, and should thus arrange their work and family lives accordingly. Students whose lives will not accommodate this workload or whose past academic records are less strong should plan to attend part-time. National online courses are not part of the EdD in Counseling Psychology degree program curriculum.
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.
Program Requirements
The EdD in Counseling Psychology degree program requires the satisfactory completion of 60 semester credit hours distributed as follows: counseling theory and skills requirements, 18 credit hours; professional development and practice requirements, 18 credit hours; research requirements, 12 credit hours; and dissertation requirements, 12 credit hours.
