School Counseling

DEGREE: MASTER OF ARTS 48 hours

Track One: for individuals already possessing a valid Illinois Teaching Certificate.

Track Two: for individuals without a valid Illinois Teaching Certificate.

Program Objectives:

The School Counseling Program is designed to prepare graduates who are competent to work as school counselors in elementary, middle school, and high school settings. The program of studies meets certification requirements of the State of Illinois as well as accreditation standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible to apply for certification (Type 73) as a school counselor in Illinois and to sit for the licensing examination as a Licensed Professional Counselor. The program is designed to enable students to

• serve as competent elementary, middle school, and high school counselors in both the public and parochial school settings
• understand the school environment and be able to structure programs to meet the needs of students, the school, and community
• appreciate the role of research and theory in the practice of school counseling and in the establishment of comprehensive school counseling programs
• develop a multicultural perspective and be able to demonstrate appropriate counseling and consulting skill when working with diverse groups of people
• clarify the role of the school counselor and counseling programs in relation to other roles and services of the educational setting
• establish a professional identity and become actively involved in the counseling and school counseling profession
• appropriately incorporate Christian beliefs and values into the practice of school counseling.

Track One

Degree Requirements

• Must hold or be qualified for a standard teaching certificate
• 48 hours of course work including the Capstone Experience
• Evidence that the Illinois Test of Basic Skills has recently been passed

Areas of Study

• Human Growth and Development (3 hours)
• PSY-6000 Counseling and Human Development
• Social and Cultural Foundations (3 hours)
• PSY-6005 Multi-Cultural Counseling
• Helping Relationships (6 hours)
• PSY-4201 Counseling Skills
• PSY-6010 Counseling Theory and Practice
• Group Work (3 hours)
• PSY-6015 Group Counseling
• Career and Lifestyle Development (3 hours)
• PSY-6020 Career Counseling
• Appraisal (3 hours)
• PSY-6025 Assessment Techniques
• Research and Program Evaluation – choose one (3 hours)
• EDL-6100 Research in Education
• PSY-6030 Research in Psychology
• SOC-6100 Methods of Evaluation Research
• Professional Orientation (3 hours)
• PSY-6035 Introduction to the Counseling Profession
• Elective (3 hours)
• Students may select any graduate level course from any department of the university. It is expected that students will consult with their advisor regarding the course elected.
• Clinical Experiences - 9 hours
• PSY-6982 Practicum in School Counseling (100 clock hours/3 semester hours)
• PSY-6992 Internship in School Counseling (600 clock hours/6 semester hours)
• Professional Curricular Experience - 6 hours
• PSY-6210 School Counseling: Program Development and Organization
• PSY-6220 Counseling and Consulting in Schools
• Theology/Ethics – choose one (3 hours)
• THY-6400 The Christian in Society
• SOW-4100 Ethical Issues in the Helping Professions
• Capstone Experience
• Capstone option #7: Portfolio and Oral Defense

Track Two

Degree Requirements

• 48 hour of course work which includes the Capstone Experience (for B.A. applicants) or its equivalent (for those with a Master's in a counseling related field)
• Evidence that the Illinois Test of Basic Skills has recently been passed
• Completion of the following three courses with demonstrated competencies. These courses are required, cannot be used towards elective requirement in the 48 hour portion of the program, and must be completed before taking practicum and/or internship:
• PSY-4410 Psychology and Methods of Teaching the Exceptional Learner
• PSY-4430 Affective Education
• PSY-6505 Psychological Theories and Educational Processes

Note: While not a degree requirement, all candidates graduating from certification programs must show evidence of passing scores on all tests leading to Illinois Certification in order to be considered a program completer.

Areas of Study

• Human Growth and Development - 3 hours
• PSY-6000 Counseling and Human Development
• Social and Cultural Foundations - 3 hours
• PSY-6005 Multi-Cultural Counseling
• Helping Relationships - 6 hours
• PSY-4201 Counseling Skills
• PSY-6010 Counseling Theory and Practice
• Group Work - 3 hours
• PSY-6015 Group Counseling
• Career and Lifestyle Development - 3 hours
• PSY-6020 Career Counseling
• Appraisal - 3 hours
• PSY-6025 Assessment Techniques
• Research and Program Evaluation – choose one (3 hours)
• EDL-6100 Research in Education
• PSY-6030 Research in Psychology
• SOC-6100 Methods of Evaluation Research
• Professional Orientation - 3 hours
• PSY-6035 Introduction to the Counseling Profession
• Elective - 3 hours
• Students may select any graduate level course from any department of the university. It is expected that students will consult with their advisor regarding the course elected.
• Clinical Experiences - 9 hour
• PSY-6982 Practicum in School Counseling (100 clock hours/3 semester hours)
• PSY-6992 Internship in School Counseling (600 clock hours/ 6 semester hours). Internship may be completed in one semester (6 hours) or over two semesters (3 hours each semester).
• Professional Curricular Experience - 6 hours
• PSY-6210 School Counseling: Program Development and Organization
• PSY-6220 Counseling and Consulting in the Schools
• Theology/Ethics – choose one (3 hours)
• THY-6400 The Christian in Society
• SOW-4100 Ethical Issues in the Helping Professions
• Capstone Experience
• Capstone option #7: Portfolio and Oral Defense.