Courses

Framing the graduate experience for master’s students. Examining self and field of professional practice in the context of achieving equity.

This course emphasizes the role of the school counselor as a creator of opportunities for children, adolescents and young adults to grow. Students learn to effectively plan, manage and assess school counseling programs that are comprehensive and data driven. They will develop an understanding of the modern school counselor’s role as leader, advocate and collaborator, and the responsibilities and expectations that accompany this role. The course also provides an overview of the key factors affecting educational equity in K-12 schools and how school counselors can increase access to high quality education for all students.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the counseling process. In class, students will master basic counseling skills, such as active listening, reflected feelings, empathizing, summarizing and clarifying the issues and concerns of the individuals seeking assistance. Upon completion, students will be prepared to work with actual clients under close clinical supervision or to pursue further advanced clinical training to work with college students.

This course addresses the field of professional ethics and related professional conduct issues and explores legal issues in the fields of counseling and applied psychology. The combination of lectures, seminar discussion, and problem-solving exercises prepares students to develop and maintain a school counseling program by developing in them a professional identity and giving them an understanding of the scope of their responsibilities. School counselors have a responsibility to uphold the standards of their profession, including adherence to ethical standards and practices to protect their clients, and this course helps students fulfill that responsibility.

This course explores the nature of learning and motivation in schools. Students study the theoretical foundations of these concepts and learn to apply them to solve common challenges in high-need school settings. They participate in a three-part process to improve learning and motivational issues in schools: identifying and assessing problems, applying research-based interventions and evaluating their effectiveness. With these tools, students become more effective leaders and problem solvers in educational contexts.

This course immerses students in the major theories of counseling and introduces them to the client conceptualization and treatment techniques of each. Students compare and contrast these theories in terms of their founders and views of human nature and personality, psychopathology, goals, therapeutic strategies, effectiveness, criticisms, multicultural applications and future directions. The rhythm of class lectures, discussion, experiential activities, readings and demonstrations enables students to develop their own theoretical orientations, which will guide them throughout their careers.

This course presents a theoretical perspective of human development across the lifespan with an emphasis on the K-12 school years. Discussion of typical and atypical development from conception through final life stages focusing on cognitive, physical, social and emotional development is included. Special emphases are placed on theory and research that inform our understanding of human development among diverse populations and in high needs schools. During this course, students will also consider the professional capacity required to work effectively and to provide leadership in work with children and adolescents, as well as young, mid-life and older adults in educational, administrative, social and counseling settings. The course will include exercises in applying lifespan theory to diverse contexts and will include examination of the contextual, environmental and individual factors that influence human development.

The Counseling Practicum allows students to engage in supervised, individual counseling practice with children, adolescents and families. Students apply the knowledge and techniques honed in previous course work to resolve individual, group and systems level problems. This hands-on experience builds students’ confidence and experience as they prepare to become proficient school counselors. A minimum of 100 hours of fieldwork in an approved public school or agency setting is required for successful completion.

This course provides aspiring school counselors an overview of research design so that they can be responsible consumers of research. Students learn to critically analyze and identify credible research studies and practice using the results to enhance their counseling practice.

This course prepares students to implement comprehensive initiatives addressing school climate in a variety of educational environments. Students learn to manage classrooms, crises and schoolwide climate in ways that promote connectedness between schools and their pupils. Moving beyond a model of discipline and punishment, the course explores contextually relevant approaches to fostering learning-conducive environments. General topics covered include assessing school climate, applying research-based best practices and crisis planning and management.

The purpose of this course is for candidates to learn practical and theoretical concepts of group dynamics and group counseling. Participants also learn about systematic and interpersonal dynamics, personal communication styles, fundamental group counseling strategies, and group facilitation.

The purpose of this course is to examine the cultural, socioeconomic, and language factors that may affect culturally differentiated populations and alternative cross-cultural counseling approaches.

The purpose of this course is to understand the theoretical foundations of individual and systemic characteristics that impact college and career choices and preparing K-12 students in a variety of learning settings including high needs schools and non-traditional schools.

The purpose of this course is to understand educational and psychological instruments, psychometric concepts, and rationale for the use of instruments in the school counseling setting.

The purpose of the school counseling fieldwork internship is to help students integrate and apply the knowledge and skills gained from earlier didactic study through participation in a series of supervised field placement experiences. This course is designed to prepare students for the role of professional school counselor through the continued pursuit of course objectives in a group and individualized supervision process.

Candidates will learn about various family systems theories and use the theoretical frameworks to guide their work as school counselors. Understanding family history, family systems, and family dynamics is key to providing services and support to students in the K–12 environment.

The purpose of this course is to provide candidates the key concepts of substance abuse counseling to assist students in assessing the severity of addiction and the development of appropriate plans for diverse populations in different settings.

The purpose of the school counseling fieldwork internship is to help students integrate and apply the knowledge and skills gained from earlier didactic study through participation in a series of supervised field placement experiences. This course is designed to prepare students for the role of professional school counselor through the continued pursuit of course objectives in a group and individualized supervision process.