Hours: 60
Thesis: Optional

The degree in Counseling Psychology is designed to prepare students for professional counseling services in community agencies. The program is structured to develop personal awareness of self as a counselor, knowledge of counseling and psychological concepts, and skills in counseling and mental health service delivery. Included in this program is an emphasis on developing assessment and research skills and using research findings in mental health service delivery. Upon completion of the program, students will have met the academic eligibility requirements to sit for the Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselor Examination.

Admission to this program requires the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), an autobiography, and an interview. Applicants are notified of the date of the interview after ALL general admission requirements have been completed. Applicants who do not have a Psychology background will be asked to complete additional undergraduate Psychology courses.

Each course is three semester hours unless otherwise stated. Students will complete sixty (60) semester hours and a comprehensive examination prior to graduation.

Professional credits students who intend to apply for admission to the M.A. in Counseling Psychology are limited to THREE courses prior to admission. All students accepted into this program must complete all requirements within eight (8) calendar years.

The following is the course of study for this program. Acceptable substitute courses are listed beneath each required course.

Students enroll in the Field Experience (Internship) for two consecutive semesters (Fall/Spring), for a total of 6 credits. Students are expected to have completed ALL nonelective course work prior to Field Experience Internship. (Exceptions must be cleared by the Student’s Faculty Advisor.) Internship requires a pre-registration professional liability insurance, child abuse clearance, and a criminal record check.

The faculty members of the Department of Counseling and Human Services reserve the right to terminate the training or supervision of any candidate who does not show himself or herself capable of achieving an acceptable standard of personal and/or professional behavior. This standard also applies to candidates for admission.

NOTE: Upon admission, all students are given a copy of the Department Student Evaluation Policy. A copy of this policy is also on file in the Department Office.

COU 594 Field Experience IV

Requirements for the field experience in agency counseling begin prior to the internship year, typically during the preceding spring semester. In consultation with the instructor, students identify a site distinctly different from their employment setting where a supervisor with experience in counseling (or a related field) will provide one hour minimum per week supervision. Students should meet or exceed 600 hours of internship-related activity over the course of the year. For a 35 week program, about 17 hours of internship activity per week is expected. Although no minimum number of direct client contact is required, as the year progresses interns are expected to raise their client caseloads to somewhere between seven and fifteen clients per week based on one-hour face-to-face individual and group client contact. Additional activities counted toward the internship hourly requirement include but are not limited to, weekly seminar supervision, psycho-educational program delivery, on-site consultation, on-site team and staff meetings, clinical and assessment observation, formal assessment, note taking, report writing, literature review, professional conference attendance, making a presentation, transcript analysis, case conceptualization, and self-evaluation. Students are expected to abide by the American Counseling Association (and other relevant) standards of practice, and to obtain any clearances required by their internship setting. Participation in weekly seminar supervision sessions should include but not be limited to sharing crisis concerns, presenting audio and video tapes for analysis, raising theory and practice questions germane to work with clients, and completing course requirements.

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The Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology (Agency Counseling) Program Guide