School Counseling, M.A.

All school counseling students must complete a 100-hour practicum and a 700-hour internship as part of the Master’s Degree in School Counseling. The internship is a part-time experience (three days a week) covering the 10-months of the academic year in a public school.

Students who hold a Connecticut teaching certificate and have a minimum of 30 months classroom teaching experience have the option to complete the 700-hour internship in a single semester.

School counselors in the state of Connecticut are certified by the State Department of Education. Students are approved for certification upon completion of their master’s program in school counseling.

School counseling students can also qualify for licensure as a professional counselor by completing the two-semester clinical mental health internship.

For further details contact the School Counseling Program Director, Dr. Marte de Wilde at (860.231.5324).

The master’s degree in School Counseling requires that a student complete 60 graduate credits (as outlined below) and pass a comprehensive exam administered during the final phase of the program.

Fall Year 1

COUN 515: Ethics and an Orientation to the Counseling Profession

COUN 541: Skills and Techniques in Counseling

COUN 543: Counseling Theories

Spring Year 1

COUN 514: Multicultural Counseling

COUN 529: Crisis and Trauma Counseling

COUN 585: Advanced Counseling Skills

Summer Year 1

COUN 506: Counseling Children and Adolescents

COUN 552: Developmental Theories and Applications

Fall Year 2

COUN 531: Group Process and Dynamics

COUN 544: Mental Health Diagnosis

COUN 560: School Counseling Program Development and Implementation

Spring Year 2

COUN 516: Psychology of Exceptional Children

COUN 550: Appraisal and its Application in Counseling

COUN 566: Practicum in School Counseling

Summer Year 2

COUN 565: Counseling for Postsecondary Planning

COUN 597: Applied Research Methods for Counselors

Fall Year 3

COUN 533: Career Development and Counseling

COUN 570: Internship I

Spring Year 3

COUN 547: Substance Use and Treatment

COUN 571: Internship II (CMHC)

Documents Required for Admission to the School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs

The Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) has two primary tasks. The first is to assist students through the application process and the second is to collect all the admissions requirements submitted by each student. Once this application documentation is collected, the OGA forwards the information to the faculty in the Department of Counseling and Applied Behavioral Studies for review.

Each graduate program at the University of Saint Joseph has specific admissions requirements. Below, is a specific list of admissions requirements used by our graduate programs in counseling.

Praxis Core Exam Score (School Counseling Only)

The PRAXIS Core Examination is a standardized test for mathematics, reading, and writing. It is used to assess a student’s readiness to enter the profession of school counseling. It is not an admission requirement. A student may submit PRAXIS Core scores prior to admission or during their first semester in the school counseling program. At the University of Saint Joseph, only the School Counseling program requires PRAXIS Core scores. Those applying for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling do not need to take the PRAXIS Core.

Resume

Provide a resume that documents your education and work experience.

Program Essay

The program essay is a document used in the admissions process to determine the student’s ability to discuss their past experiences in this area or how the student’s program of interest will affect both the student’s professional and personal life. The essay for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling programs have specific elements that the applicant must address. Follow the instructions provided in the online application materials

Program of Study (POS)

The planned program of study is a document completed during the student’s meeting with an advisor from the program of interest. The planned program of study provides information about when the student plans to take the courses that make up their program of interest. The planned program of study may also be used by departments to determine upcoming course schedules and it is also used in the degree audit process. The POS will be provided to the applicant during the on-campus information/interview session. Call Dr. Rick Halstead (860.231.5213) to schedule a meeting.

Additional Application and Enrollment Requirement information can be found in our Program Curriculum.

• Case conceptualization: Counseling students employ a holistic wellness framework and a multicultural, developmental, and ecological lens to understand diverse individuals in the context of their families and communities.

• Counseling skills: Counseling students develop empathic and collaborative working alliances with students and clients and employ theory-based, evidence-informed, and culturally responsive assessment tools and counseling techniques to support their growth.

• Social justice: Counseling students apply a social justice mindset and serve as an advocate and champion for clients and students in historically marginalized populations while promoting inclusivity- and equity-driven individual, group, and systems interventions.

• Professional skills and dispositions: Counseling students demonstrate responsible and professional behavior, application of ethical standards as delineated in the professional codes, compliance with state and federal laws, and appropriate consultation and collaboration skills with other professionals.

• Research: Students use current knowledge to inform their practice or contribute to the knowledge base of the counseling professions through innovation and research.

• Self of the counselor: Students practice self-reflection, self-care, and cultural humility to support healthy and effective professional counseling relationships.

• Data-driven practice: Students empower P-12 students and their families for academic, social, emotional, college and career success through the design, implementation, and evaluation of data-driven comprehensive counseling services in elementary, middle, and high schools

• Focuses on the wide range of issues that confront students, teachers, and parents across the full span of the school years (K-12)
• Prepares to assist all students with the types of challenges they face as they grow and develop
• Facilitates self-understanding and development through individual and small group activities across a variety of educational domains that pertain to counseling practice

• Holism and wellness: Development of the whole person is important not only for graduate students as learners but also for professional counselors. A counselor’s primary therapeutic tool is the self in relationship, and counselors support the holistic wellness of their students and clients.
• Relationship and community: Strong interpersonal relationships and community are a foundation to graduate students’ learning and to professional counseling. Respect, integrity, empathy, and unconditional positive regard are essential in interpersonal and community relationships and collaboration.
• Diversity and cultural humility: Cultural humility and responsiveness support diversity in the counseling profession and are essential to equity and inclusion for all graduate students and their future clients and students.
• Compassionate service and social justice: Counselors embody genuine and altruistic care for students and clients with diverse backgrounds and needs. Compassion is foundational to their ability to meet those needs with equity and to work toward dismantling interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism and other social inequities.
• Counselor competence and ethical practice: Counselors must demonstrate professional dispositions, adhere to the ethical codes of their professions, and practice within the bounds of their competence. Counselors embrace ongoing learning and development throughout their careers.
• Academic excellence: The academic development of counselors is an essential foundation for the knowledge, critical thinking, awareness, and skills that support effective and ethical service in their professions.