Prerequisite: None

The course provides an overview of the counseling field, emphasizing understanding the nature and stages of counseling and the counselor’s role in individual and group work. Major counseling theories and the techniques associated with the theoretical approaches are presented. Awareness of professional organizations and scholarly work is highlighted.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course examines establishing, facilitating, and effectively terminating various counseling groups. Group counseling theories and specialized techniques for enhancing interpersonal communication skills are presented. Students will actively participate in group sessions to better comprehend group dynamics, stages of group development, and the role of the facilitator in group counseling sessions.

Offered fall semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course focuses on the development of counseling skills through instruction and experiential exercises, including videotaped practice sessions. Techniques and skills will be examined, including developing a treatment alliance, active listening, reflection, formulation of questions, and addressing issues of resistance to treatment and personal biases.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course explores professional practice issues in clinical mental health counseling. It examines the profession’s history, professional counseling identity, roles and functions of clinical mental health counselors, ethical and legal considerations of the profession, multicultural competencies, and modern trends impacting the field and practice of mental health counseling.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

Prerequisite: None

This course explores a discussion of legal and ethical issues in professional practice. This in-depth study of legal and ethical topics is guided by state and federal laws and the code of ethics of national counseling organizations, such as the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA). Current legal and professional thought is explored by drawing on court cases and clinical dilemmas.

Offered fall semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course focuses on the theories and methods used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Emphasis will be placed on core beliefs, automatic thoughts, the structure of therapeutic sessions, and techniques and strategies related to counseling skills. Through case studies and skills practice, students will become proficient in implementing practical counseling skills related to the Cognitive Behavioral approach.

Offered spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course emphasizes the formal diagnosis of mental disorders using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This course will use case studies to explore the identification of symptoms and symptom clusters, with examination of etiology, co-morbidity, and treatment options for different disorders, as well as understanding the usefulness and limits of formal diagnosis. Other topics will include intake information gathering, mental status evaluation, and assessment of specific clinical challenges. The course will also review possible treatment modalities and ethical and multicultural issues.

Offered spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course examines tests and assessments’ theory, administration, interpretation, and reporting. Students will become familiar with the administration of various assessments for diagnostic purposes and career counseling. Students will review information on the intake process, appropriate assessment selection with considerations towards cultural sensitivity, behavioral observation techniques, and the integration of test data for report writing.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course is an investigation of descriptive, relational, and experimental approaches to research, with a focus on statistics and design issues, including control strategies and procedures for establishing validity. Particular emphasis will be placed on designing and conducting a research project, including collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Students will read, interpret, and critically evaluate qualitative and quantitative studies within the counseling literature.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course presents as an introduction to family counseling and therapy. Class sessions will address both conceptual and practical skills in working with families, specifically families with children and/or adolescents. The course is designed to provide a foundation for conceptualizing the dynamics of familial relationships. Couples counseling and marital therapy will be reviewed.

Offered spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course examines the classification of drugs as well as the physiological and psychological effects of drug use and drug abuse. Personal, social, and biological frames of reference will be used to understand the causes of addiction and its impact on the individual, family, and society. Prevention and intervention counseling models and strategies will be reviewed, as well as standard methods of assessing substance use disorders.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course reviews counseling theory and approach as it pertains to the treatment and intervention of various multicultural populations, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, age, disability, and gender. Reading and discussion with emphasis on current research concerning learning personality, attitudes, perceptions, abilities, and adjustment of multicultural populations in various counseling contexts. Examination of self and other awareness will be highlighted.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course examines theories of career choice and cultural and social influences on the world of work across the lifespan. Students will review career decision-making, problem-solving strategies, gender stereotyping, occupational information resources, academic preparation, and lifework planning. Vocation counseling sessions will be practiced for study and analysis during class.

Offered fall semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course is an advanced theoretical examination of physical, cognitive, social, moral, and personal development during infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The process and stages of development throughout the lifespan form the context for studying human behavior. Theories and models of human development will be reviewed from a historical and modern-day perspective.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

_____

*Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

¹Students must complete all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1 for the eight main CACREP content areas prior to requesting to take the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).

Prerequisite: None

This course is an in-depth examination of current theory and research on developing, assessing, and treating psychological trauma. Attention will be given to the identification of risk and protective factors in the development of trauma responses for individuals with various mental health needs across the lifespan. Evidence-based assessment and treatment techniques are reviewed, Including utilization of 09/1 criteria and early warning signs and symptoms.

Offered spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

In this course, students will learn the basic principles of play therapy, the most developmentally appropriate intervention for young children. The major theories of play therapy and using play to facilitate the child’s self-exploration, self-expression, self-understanding, and personal growth will be explored.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course reviews evidenced-based practices in mindfulness and meditation. Students will learn how effective mindfulness and meditation practices can support healthy functioning in specific demographics for counseling prevention, intervention, and postvention. Mindfulness and meditation practices will be highlighted with counselor self care and professional counselor identity development.

Offered fall semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

The course prepares students to effectively provide academic, behavioral, and emotional guidance to exceptional learners in individual and group counseling settings. A historical overview of special education, including legislation and litigation issues, will be explored, as well as an examination of current practices in the field of special education. Students will review evidence-based strategies for exceptional learners and competencies to be culturally sensitive to the identified populations.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course is designed to provide an understanding of the specific academic, behavioral, and emotional challenges a student may experience in acquiring English as another language. Areas of emphasis will focus on counseling strategies, interventions, and techniques most appropriate for guiding and supporting the ESOL population. Academic readiness, closing the achievement gap, and culturally sensitive and diverse strategies are covered.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course introduces students to central questions and research in the field of victimology. Emphasis is placed on the role of victims in the criminal process, problems of adjustment to victimization, offender relationships, victim compensation, restorative justice, and victim’s rights. Several victim typologies will also be addressed. Students will be given the tools necessary for critical evaluation and understanding of the often-neglected role of the victim before, during, and after the criminal event.

Offered spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course focuses on the different types, stages, and symptoms of grief, bereavement, and loss. Students will review high-risk behaviors for prolonged grief/bereavement, learn coping strategies, and understand best practices in counseling. Pathology in relation to grief, bereavement, and loss will be explored, as well as grief and loss through the lens of divorce, disability, and infertility. Community resources and support systems for grief and loss will be emphasized from a cultural perspective, and students will assess their own self-awareness towards their experience of grief and loss.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of counseling techniques and our society’s relationships with adult offenders. Major topics to be covered include mental health issues common with adult offenders, assessment and diagnosis of adult offenders, the role of counselors working with adult offenders, and current treatment approaches. The role of political ideology and social context in generating and supporting different correctional strategies will be reviewed.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

This course functions to support the development and application of knowledge and skills for clinical mental health counselors through practical experience at hospitals, private practices, community mental health facilities, and other clinical settings. The course requires the accrual of 50 direct service hours and 50 indirect service hours (100 total hours) in addition to the review of recorded counseling sessions to assess skills and techniques.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

This course functions to support the development and application of knowledge and skills for clinical mental health counselors through practical experience at hospitals, private practices, community mental health facilities, and other clinical settings. The course requires the accrual of 120 direct service hours, 120 indirect service hours, and 60 instructional hours (300 total hours) in addition to the review of recorded counseling sessions to assess skills and techniques.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: Students must complete all 10 courses marked with an asterisk prior enrolling in a Clinical Mental Health Practicum.

This course functions to support the development and application of knowledge and skills for clinical mental health counselors through practical experience at hospitals, private practices, community mental health facilities, and other clinical settings. The course requires the accrual of 120 direct service hours, 120 indirect service hours, and 60 instructional hours (300 total hours) in addition to the review of recorded counseling sessions to assess skills and techniques.

Offered fall/spring semester. (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: Completion of all 9 courses marked with a superscript footnote number 1, a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above, and enrollment in either a Practicum or Internship Seminar.

The Graduate Counseling Department offers students a FREE Comprehensive Exam as a way to practice for the National Counselor Exam (NCE). The Comprehensive Exam is called the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE) and contains 120 multiple choice questions. Like the NCE, the CECE questions cover the eight main CACREP contents areas including Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice, Social and Cultural Diversity, Human Growth and Development, Career Development, Counseling and Helping Relationships, Group Counseling and Group Work, Assessment and Testing, and Research and Program Evaluation.

All students will be required to take the CECE prior to or during their final semester once they are eligible. Students will be given three and a half hours to complete the CECE and may take this exam a maximum of two times.

Offered fall/spring semester. (0 Credits)