Masters: Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

The Program

Department of Graduate Psychology & Counseling Concentrations  

*licensure track concentrations

Sample Academic Timetable (pdf file)

General Course Titles & Descriptions

Abnormal Psychology

Includes the study of the various approaches to the systematic description of psychological disorders: historical, sociopolitical, medical, behavioral, and epidemiological. This exploration includes the various patterns of pathological behaviors as well as the nosological system (DSM-IV-TR), the differential diagnosis among its subcategories, knowledge of etiology, as well as possible alternatives to the existing system.

Advanced Counseling Methods & Practicum

This course provides a framework for the integration of clinical mental health principles and techniques, with a focus on the development of advanced diagnostic and clinical interventions, skills, and procedures. Topic readings will include the principles and guidelines for conducting an intake interview, conducting a comprehensive mental status evaluation, and a bio-social and mental health history. Also covered are the guidelines for treatment planning and caseload management. This course includes a 100-hour practicum as a component of the course requirements.

Appraisal & Diagnostic Techniques

This course offers the learner a general introduction to the basic concepts of testing and other assessment techniques including norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment, environmental assessment, performance assessment, individual and group test and inventory methods, behavioral observations, alternative assessment, and computer-managed and computer-assisted methods.

Biological Bases of Behavior

Includes studies of the gross anatomy of the nervous system, the basic relationship between the brain, the chemical neurotransmitters and behavior, with a special focus on memory and retrieval processes. Topics to be considered are: right versus left hemisphere specialization; theories of learning disorders and differences; the relationship between neurotransmitters and depression and related mood disorders; long-term, short-term, episodic and semantic memory; and, memory retrieval.

Career & Lifestyle Development

This course is designed to assist counselors to attain the knowledge and skills needed in helping individuals to consider possible career and lifestyle options. The focus will be on the application of career development theory and research in counseling and educational settings. This course also examines such areas as the relationship between career choice and lifestyle, sources of occupational and educational information, approaches to career decision-making processes, and career development exploration techniques.

Clinical Assessment

Includes a basic overview of psychological assessment, emphasizing the personality assessment. The focus will be on the application of the instruments and the procedures for developing a personality profile, and the results in the therapeutic-intervention process. The course emphasizes the psychological profile that will be based on information obtained through clinical interviews, behavioral observations, brief screens, objective personality measures, and projective assessment procedures.

Clinical Consultation

Includes studies that examine the role of mental health counselors and psychologists as consultants in community and mental health environments. Various models for consultation are examined, including case consultation, interdisciplinary team involvement, and the mental health professional as an expert working with diverse populations. Consultation as it applies to individuals, groups, and organizations are also studied. The course also examines issues related to contact, gathering information, evaluation, diagnosis, models of intervention, and follow-up services. Graduate learners have the opportunity to apply consultation skills using experiential exercises as well as examining aspects of consultation as it applies to their practicum and internship roles.

Clinical Psychology Internship I

This is an off campus, supervised internship in clinical psychology designed to integrate theoretical understanding with direct, hands-on exposure to praxis. The purpose of this fieldwork is to practice the skills of clinical psychology in an applied setting under the supervision of an experienced practitioner and a college supervisor. Learners must accumulate a minimum of 300 hours of internship at a site approved by the faculty in order to complete this three-credit requirement. All aspects of psychological practice – appraisal, therapeutic intervention, and consultation – will receive exposure in this experience. Both a site and college supervisor will closely monitor the activity of the learner throughout this internship and will ensure that all internship activities are appropriate to this field of psychology. The college supervisor and the field or site supervisor will also formally evaluate the progress of the individual learner. Expected outcomes include submission of an internship log and reflective essay that chronicle the learner’s growth and development, as well as satisfactory field evaluations.

Clinical Psychology Internship II

This is the second required three-credit internship experience in clinical psychology. Learners are required to accumulate a minimum of 300 supervised internship hours to complete this requirement, brining the total internship hours to 600 to complete the program.

Counseling Psychology Internship I

This is an off campus, supervised internship in counseling psychology designed to integrate theoretical understanding with direct, hands-on exposure to praxis. The purpose of this fieldwork is to practice the skills of counseling psychology in an applied setting under the supervision of an experienced practitioner and a college supervisor. Learners must accumulate a minimum of 300 hours of internship at a site approved by the faculty in order to complete this three-credit requirement. All aspects of psychological practice – appraisal, therapeutic intervention, and consultation – will receive exposure in this experience. Both a site and college supervisor will closely monitor the activity of the learner throughout this internship and will ensure that all internship activities are appropriate to this field of psychology. The college supervisor and the field or site supervisor will also formally evaluate the progress of the individual learner. Expected outcomes include submission of an internship log and reflective essay that chronicle the learner’s growth and development, as well as satisfactory field evaluations.

Counseling Psychology Internship II

This is the second required three-credit internship experience in counseling psychology. Learners are required to accumulate a minimum of 300 supervised internship hours to complete this requirement, brining the total internship hours to 600 to complete the program.

Counseling Theory & Practice

Includes studies that affords the learner an opportunity to examine the major theories and procedures in counseling and psychotherapy and to study their applications to various client populations. As part of this process, the learner will also study the historical and cultural context in which these theories were developed, explore the specific techniques of the contemporary therapeutic systems and their limitations, and examine the ethical and professional issues associated with these theories and counseling practices.

Contextual Dimensions of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

An advanced course covering a range of topics and issues pertinent to clinical mental health counselors. Topics will include the roles of clinical mental health counseling with a focus on the functions and relationships among interdisciplinary treatment teams, and an understanding of the historical, organizational, legal, and financial dimensions of public and private mental health care systems. Also examined during the course are the principles, theories, and practices of community interventions, including the concepts of primary, secondary, and tertiary care. There will be a focus on programs and facilities for inpatient, outpatient, partial treatment, aftercare, and community based human service networks. Presentations involving strategies for community needs assessment to design, and implement clinical mental health care programs and systems will develop throughout the course. Management of mental health care systems and programs, including administration, finance, and budgeting in the public and private sectors are examined, as well as the principles and practices for establishing and maintaining an independent practice, procedures for determining outcomes, accountability, and cost containment in private practice.

Family Therapy

This course provides the history, theories, and practices in the field of family therapy. The course provides an analysis and comparative study of the most prominent schools of thought within the field of family therapy, their beliefs, therapeutic strategies, and techniques. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the differences between individual and systems approaches to helping families, use of the genogram in family therapy, and the role and the function of a family therapist.

Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

This course includes a foundational overview of the interventions and considerations within the context of clinical mental health counseling. Topics and readings include the understanding of the functions, roles and professional identity of clinical mental health counselors, the current trends in mental health counseling. Also reviewed are the credentialing bodies, preparations of standards, ethical and legal considerations, and public policy issues relevant to the practice of clinical mental health counseling.

Group Dynamics & Therapy

This course offers the learner introduction to the basic elements of the group process, dynamics, strategies, and methods used in group therapy. An overview of ten theoretical approaches and key concepts to group counseling are presented, as well as a focus on the practical applications of these theoretical models to group work. The learner will also study the historical and cultural context in which these theories were developed and will examine the ethical and professional issues associated with these theories and group counseling practices.

Helping Relationships

This course focuses on the basic building block skills that are necessary to the counseling relationship and teaches the learner of the collaborative nature of the helper-client relationship. The learner will study the steps of a three stage helping model that drives the client problem-managing and opportunity-developing action: helping clients tell their stories, helping clients determine what they need and want, and helping clients develop strategies to accomplish their goals. The learner will also learn the basic helping skills, including nonverbal skills and reflecting skills. The course also consists of a residency requirement that is intended to help the learner achieve proficiency with these counseling skills by providing the opportunity to role play, video tape, and simulate counseling situations to provide feedback to the learner.

History and Foundations of Psychology

Includes studies that trace the history of the major theoretical positions in psychology (structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, gestalt, and psychoanalysis) from their epistemological, both rationalistic and empirical, and philosophical roots, dating from ancient Greece to the present time. Finally, contemporary positions, including the cognitive revolution will be examined.

Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling I

This is an off campus, supervised internship in clinical mental health counseling designed to integrate theoretical understanding with direct, hands-on exposure to praxis. The purpose of this fieldwork is to practice the skills of counseling psychology in an applied setting under the supervision of an experienced practitioner and a college supervisor. Learners must accumulate a minimum of 300 hours of internship at a site approved by the faculty in order to complete this three-credit requirement. All aspects of psychological practice – appraisal, therapeutic intervention, and consultation – will receive exposure in this experience. Both a site and college supervisor will closely monitor the activity of the learner throughout this internship and will ensure that all internship activities are appropriate to this field of psychology. The college supervisor and the field or site supervisor will also formally evaluate the progress of the individual learner. Expected outcomes include submission of an internship log and reflective essay that chronicle the learner’s growth and development, as well as satisfactory field evaluations.

Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling II

This is the second required three-credit internship experience in clinical mental health counseling. Learners are required to accumulate a minimum of 300 supervised internship hours to complete this requirement, brining the total internship hours to 600 to complete the program.

Personality Theory & Development

This course studies the major theories of personality, with specific attention to the three major schools of personality; the psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic. Through the study of the DSM-IV-TR, the learner examines the symptomology associated with the major psychiatric disorders, and look at the causes and nature of personality.

Professional Orientation & Ethics

The course examines the history of professional ethics and the issues surrounding psychotherapy, law, code of conduct, and institutional guidelines for protecting human subjects in research. Topics such as client rights, confidentiality, sexual issues, diversity, managed care, and issues in group work and family therapy are reviewed.

Psychology of Human Growth & Development

The course of human development through the lifespan is studied and the interaction between genetic and biological factors and forces in the environment are examined. Specific topics covered in the course include physical development, cognitive development, learning, intelligence, language development, emotional development, and the growth of personality. Current theories are also examined.

Psychopharmacology & Substance Abuse

This course offers the learner an introduction to the field of psychopharmacology, the study of the way in which drugs interact with the brain that effects cognitive processes and behavioral states. The course begins with an introduction of the fundamental principles of psychopharmacology. Topics will include pharmacokinetics and chemical neurotransmission. Specific classes of drugs and their applications to the treatment of psychological disorders and psychosis will be discussed, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders. The course also covers substance use and abuse including such topics as basic neurophysiology, addiction, and the effects of licit and illicit drugs.

Research Methods & Program Evaluation

Includes studies that provide an understanding of types of research methods, basic descriptive and inferential statistics, and ethical and legal considerations in research. The fundamentals of program evaluation will also be considered. By the end of the course, the learner will have an understanding of the steps involved in designing and implementing research, and will understand how to evaluate programs using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Social Bases of Behavior & Cultural Diversity

Includes studies that cover a number of advanced topics in social psychology, including cultural, ethnic, and group processes, sex roles, organizational behavior, group dynamics, status role, and attribution theory. Socially inherited and transmitted patterns of pressure, expectations, and limitations learned by individuals will be considered. This course will also include studies that provide an understanding of issues and trends in a multi-cultural diverse society. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding issues pertaining to cultural diversity including, but not limited to, facilitating learner awareness of attitudes and beliefs that may negatively impact relationships with persons who are sensitive to issues of discrimination.

Test & Measurements

Includes the exploration of the theory and practice of psychological assessment. The major topics include an introduction to the psychological testing and measurement theory, clinical and practical aspects of individual test administration, educational and clinical diagnosis, interpretation, and non-discriminatory and controversial issues in testing. The course includes the examination of psychometric procedures used to develop and validate psychological and educational testing instruments. Professional standards for test development and use and the legal and ethical issues as established by the American Psychological Association will be reviewed in detail.

Thesis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling I

This is the first three-credit block of required thesis writing in counseling psychology designed to produce an approved proposal and an introductory chapter. The actual thesis topic proposal must have the potential to demonstrate scholastic excellence and breadth and depth of understanding. All written products must adhere to professional writing guidelines published in the APA Publication Manual (5 th ed.).

Thesis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling II

This is the second three-credit block of required thesis writing in counseling psychology designed to produce the review of the literature chapter and the actual research and/or contribution to the field chapter.

Thesis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling III

This is the third three-credit block of required thesis writing in counseling psychology designed to produce chapter 4 and 5. Credit will not be awarded until the learner: submits the full edited and approved version to the Department Graduation Committee, and the learner formally and successfully presents his/her thesis findings.

Thesis in Clinical Psychology I

This is the first three-credit block of required thesis writing in clinical psychology designed to produce an approved proposal and an introductory chapter. The actual thesis topic proposal must have the potential to demonstrate scholastic excellence and breadth and depth of understanding. All written products must adhere to professional writing guidelines published in the APA Publication Manual (5 th ed.)

Thesis in Clinical Psychology II

This is the second three-credit block of required thesis writing in clinical psychology designed to produce the review of the literature chapter and the actual research and/or contribution to the field chapter.

Thesis in Clinical Psychology III

This is the third three-credit block of required thesis writing in clinical psychology designed to produce chapter 4 and 5. Credit will not be awarded until the learner: submits the full edited and approved version to the Department Graduation Committee, and the learner formally and successfully presents his/her thesis findings.

Thesis in Counseling Psychology I

This is the first three-credit block of required thesis writing in counseling psychology designed to produce an approved proposal and an introductory chapter. The actual thesis topic proposal must have the potential to demonstrate scholastic excellence and breadth and depth of understanding. All written products must adhere to professional writing guidelines published in the APA Publication Manual (5 th ed.).

Thesis in Counseling Psychology II

This is the second three-credit block of required thesis writing in counseling psychology designed to produce the review of the literature chapter and the actual research and/or contribution to the field chapter.

Thesis in Counseling Psychology III

This is the third three-credit block of required thesis writing in counseling psychology designed to produce chapter 4 and 5. Credit will not be awarded until the learner: submits the full edited and approved version to the Department Graduation Committee, and the learner formally and successfully presents his/her thesis findings.