Program Description
The counseling program is designed for individuals pursuing a career in the professional counseling/mental health counseling field. The curriculum is focused on providing students with the theory and skills in counselor training recommended by the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). The program curriculum satisfies the educational requirements for state licensure in certain states(1) and the educational requirements for the NBCC(2) .

The degree in counseling requires satisfactory completion of 48 credit hours of coursework, including a minimum of 6 credit hours of learning practicum.

Program Curriculum
The 48 credit hours required for the master of arts (M.A.) degree must include the following courses:

COUN 5020 Foundations of Counseling: The Helping Relationship (Requisite Course)
COUN 5050 Human Growth and Development
COUN 5100 Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling
COUN 5200 Theories of Counseling
COUN 5220 Psychodiagnostic Assessment
COUN 5600 Techniques of Group Counseling
COUN 5700 Lifestyle and Career Development
COUN 5800 Professional Orientation and Ethics
COUN 5850 Research and Evaluation
COUN 6000 Counseling Learning Practicum (a minimum of 6 credit hours)
In addition to the core courses, students select electives from the counseling program curriculum. Certain state licensure laws require specific courses in addition to the above core requirements, and the student should consult with the Counseling Faculty Coordinator/ Academic Advisor before selecting elective courses. Also please note that certain state licensure laws do not allow for courses to be completed through Directed Studies. The student should consult with the Counseling Faculty Coordinator/Academic Advisor regarding this option.

General Requirements
The student is subject to the policies and procedures for graduate studies and the specific requirements of the counseling program. As stated in the academic policies and procedure guidelines, the counseling program is excluded from dual major and sequential degree options.

Admissions
The admission requirements for the counseling program include a strong background in the behavioral and social sciences gained from an undergraduate degree program, from any other formal study program, or from other documented learning.

All applicants must have a transcripted course or formal verification of competence in each of the following areas (or a content equivalent): human growth and development; psychology of learning and/or cognition; personality theory; abnormal psychology or psychopathology; and social psychology. In addition, it is recommended that the applicant have a working knowledge of statistical methods.

Individual applicants who do not have the above undergraduate courses or their equivalent will be evaluated as to their undergraduate/graduate experience by an admission advisor and the Counseling Faculty Advisory Committee. Additional coursework may be required to meet the admission requirements.

Transfer of graduate credit into the program must be approved by the Counseling Faculty Coordinator/ Academic Advisor. Petitions for transfer of graduate credit must be evaluated at the time of admission.

Students in other graduate degree programs who wish to select counseling courses as electives must have their academic background evaluated before registration for any courses in the counseling program is permitted.

Course Descriptions
COUN 5000 Theories of Personality (3)
The student examines the origins, development, and current status of major contemporary personality theories. Attention is given to the psychoanalytic movement, learning, and field theory approaches.

COUN 5010 Comparative Psychotherapy (3)
This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the major theories of counseling. Dimensions of the course include a comparative survey of various theories and the use of these theories in the counseling situation, skill assessment, and practical applications of the various counseling techniques and modalities.

COUN 5020 Foundations of Counseling: The Helping Relationship (Requisite Course) (3)
The student examines the philosophic bases of counseling and the helping relationship and consultation theory, practice, and application. Development of counselor and client self-awareness is emphasized.

COUN 5050 Human Growth and Development (3)
The student examines the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels. Emphasis is placed on psychological, sociological, and physiological approaches. Included are such areas as human behavior (normal and abnormal), personality theory, and learning theory.

COUN 5100 Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling (3)
The student examines the impact on counseling of social change, ethnic groups, subcultures, changing roles of women, sexism, urban and rural societies, population patterns, cultural mores, use of leisure time, and differing life patterns.

COUN 5150 Psychopathology (3)
The course focuses on the major psychological disorders as detailed in the current Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders. The behavioral manifestations and dynamics of mental disorders will be explored, focusing on therapeutic assessment issues.

COUN 5160 Issues in Counseling (3)
The classroom is used as a laboratory to demonstrate and examine various aspects of the counseling field. Selected reading and classroom participation introduce the student to trends in counseling. The student becomes familiar with the terminology and techniques developed by leaders in the counseling field. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs.

COUN 5200 Theories of Counseling (3)
The student examines the application of basic theories, principles, and techniques of counseling to professional counseling settings.

COUN 5220 Psychodiagnostic Assessment (3)
The student examines the various frameworks for understanding the individual, including methods of data gathering and interpretation, individual and group testing, case study approaches, and the study of individual differences. Ethnic, cultural, and sex factors are considered.

COUN 5230 Psychodynamics and Psychotherapy (3)
This course is designed to help students conceptualize mental disorders and develop treatment strategies, including choice of therapeutic models and indications/ contraindications for particular kinds of therapy.

COUN 5500 Professional Seminars (1–3)
Students participate in seminars designed to examine contemporary issues in counseling. The professional seminar supplements the core and elective courses in the area of counseling by focusing on issues of current and special interest. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs. Graduate students may apply a maximum of 3 credit hours of these seminars as electives to meet the credit-hour requirements for graduation. This course may not be completed by directed study.

COUN 5540 Family Systems Theory (3)
This course explores the contribution of general systems theory to the development of family therapy. The focus is on examining different theoretical perspectives. Students will expand their acquired theoretical foundation by exploring the influence of their family of origin and current family life.

COUN 5560 Human Sexuality (3)
The student examines the theories of human sexuality including the physiological, psychological, and sociocultural variables associated with sexual identity, behavior, and disorders. Prerequisite: admission to counseling program.

COUN 5600 Techniques of Group Counseling (3)
The student examines group theory and types of groups, as well as descriptions of group practices, methods, dynamics, and facilitative skills.

COUN 5610 Techniques of Counseling (3)
The course emphasizes the stages of the helping relationship. Students practice basic attending and communications skills, including questioning, reflection of feeling and meaning, summarization, focusing, and self-disclosure. Students learn to help clients identify the problem that provides the focus for counseling. Students practice skills in role-played situations staged in class. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs.

COUN 5620 Techniques of Crisis Intervention (3)
The student examines the theory and methods of crisis intervention. Particular attention is given to the various contemporary techniques of intervention and resolution. Assessment techniques used in the intervention process are explored.

COUN 5630 Techniques of Substance Abuse Counseling (3)
The student examines the motivation and behavior patterns of the drug/alcohol user. This examination takes place in the wider context of deviance. A portion of the course is devoted to a survey and evaluation of the services and programs available to the drug/ alcohol user from the point of view of the user, the user's family, and society.

COUN 5635 Techniques of Counseling Special Populations (3)
This course focuses on the application of counseling theory to working with clients from special population groups, e.g., exceptional students, dropouts, minorities, women re-entering the labor force, and older persons.

COUN 5640 Marriage and Family Counseling (3)
The student examines the issues of family therapy, stressing the application of general systems theory. The focus is on the major constructs in family therapy, identification of family structures and communication patterns, and the formulation of treatment goals.

COUN 5650 Conjoint Counseling (3)
This course examines the application of differing styles of counseling couples and families, stressing practice in simultaneously working with more than one client. The primary focus is on the approaches, strategies, and interventions employed in counseling various combinations of persons in relationships. Students will explore the various forms of counseling couples, including persons in marriage, work relationships, friends, and extended family members.

COUN 5660 Sexual Counseling (3)
The student examines human sexual behavior and the theories of human sexuality underlying sexual counseling. Current techniques of sex therapies are discussed and evaluated, with focus on issues related to counseling the sexually abused, the sexual offender, and the sexually dysfunctional. Prerequisite: admission to counseling program.

COUN 5670 Counseling of Children (3)
The student examines issues related to the counseling of children. Focus is on the application of counseling theories; techniques for interviewing children and their families; methods for designing and evaluating treatment plans; and the application of ethical standards and legal requirements. Prerequisite: admission to counseling program.

COUN 5680 Counseling in the School Setting (3)
The student examines counseling practices in relation to children and adolescents in the school setting and the role and function of the counselor as a partner in the learning process. Focus is on developmental needs and age-related issues. Special problems of physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, suicide, and grief are examined. Prerequisite: admission to counseling program.

COUN 5700 Lifestyle and Career Development (3)
The student examines such areas as vocational choice theory, the relationship between career choice and lifestyle, sources of occupational and educational information, approaches to career decision-making processes, and career development exploration techniques.

COUN 5800 Professional Orientation and Ethics (3)
The student examines goals and objectives of professional organizations, codes of ethics, legal considerations, standards of preparation, certification, licensing, role identity of counselors and other personnel services specialists, and fee structures and the impact of fees on the counseling relationship.

COUN 5820 Consultation for the Counseling Profession (3)
This course examines consultation theory and practice as employed by counselors working in mental health facilities, educational institutions, and other counseling settings. The various forms of consultation will be explored, examining the framework for consultation with other professionals, educators, parents, and administrators.

COUN 5850 Research and Evaluation (3)
The student examines such areas as statistics, research design, and development of research and demonstration proposals. It includes understanding of legislation related to the development of research, program development, and demonstration proposals, as well as the development and evaluation of program objectives.

COUN 5900 Advanced Diagnostics and Treatment (3)
This course is designed to prepare the student to assess and treat specific clinical problems (i.e., anxiety disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders). The focus will be assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral problems using standardized diagnostic nomenclature. This is an advanced topics course and course content will be specified. Students are expected to have completed foundational courses. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs. Prerequisite: permission of instructor/academic advisor.

COUN 6000 Counseling Learning Practicum (3–12)
Students are required to complete a practicum in conjunction with their counseling curriculum. Each student plans his or her practicum with an academic advisor before completion of 15 credit hours in the program. A formal practicum proposal must be submitted to the counseling advisor before a student can register for the practicum, and the practicum should constitute the last course hours of the student's program. This is a non-paid practicum. Prerequisite: completion of all other required courses in this major. Course may be repeated for credit. The practicum is graded on the CR (credit) Option. Certain states may require more than 6 credit hours of practicum. Requires permission of instructor/academic advisor.