Professional School Counseling, Master of Arts
The M.A. in Counseling is for students who want to work as licensed counselor and/or certified school counselor in Washington State. The program trains well-rounded counselors for the realities of daily practice. It emphasizes an understanding of theory and its application to practice. Students are introduced to a broad range of professional counseling issues through a breadth of course work, delivered by core and practitioner faculty. Supported practica and internships focus on the delivery of counseling services, and assist students to develop a coherent and ethical framework for practice. The M.A. in Counseling program has specialization tracks in Addiction Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling, and Professional School Counseling.
The Master of Arts in Counseling will prepare students to:
- Recognize and apply professional ethical standards including clear and appropriate relationships with clients/students, colleagues, and the community.
- Collaborate with people of diverse ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, religious beliefs, and socio-economic status.
- Develop self-awareness into beliefs about what impacts personal development.
- Formulate a personal philosophy of counseling grounded in these beliefs.
- Appraise the impact of work-related issues on the mental health and wellness.
- Establish and maintain effective counseling relationships.
- Employ counseling techniques that are consistent with the selected theoretical approach.
- Recognize and positively influence intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics when leading and co-leading groups.
- Gather information to assess needs and next steps in the counseling process, including assessment for suicide/homicide risk and report requirements for abuse/neglect.
- Locate community resources and critically evaluate research related to core areas of counseling practice.
- Produce written communication that meets professional standards.
- Develop multicultural and social justice counseling competencies through gaining a systemic understanding for the influence of cultural background in presenting problems and the role of counselors in promoting social justice and the well-being of the greater community.
Total Required Credits (90 Credits)
Core CACREP Areas (45 Credits)
| COUN 501 | Introduction to Counseling Practice | 5 |
| COUN 502 | Systemic Theory: Multicultural Counseling | 5 |
| COUN 503 | Human Growth and Development | 5 |
| COUN 510 | Professional Ethics and Law | 5 |
| COUN 514 | Research Methods and Statistics | 5 |
| COUN 562 | System Theory: Trauma Counseling and Disaster Mental Health | 5 |
| COUN 525 | Testing and Assessment | 5 |
| COUN 526 | Counseling Theory | 5 |
| COUN 527 | Group Counseling | 5 |
Required Courses Outside of the Core (33 Credits)
| COUN 523 | ASCA Model | 4 |
| COUN 512 | Systemic Theory: Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling | 5 |
| COUN 560 | Introduction to School Counseling | 6 |
| COUN 564 | Career Counseling in School Settings | 5 |
| COUN 567 | Advanced Child Development and Play Theory | 5 |
| COUN 569 | Child and Adolescent Psychopathology and Psychopharmacology | 5 |
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| COUN 511 | Loss and Grief Counseling | 2 |
| (or) | |
| COUN 513 | Brief Therapy Models | 2 |
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| COUN 692 | Capstone Project and Comprehensive Examination | 3 |
Internships/Practica (12 Credits)
| COUN 570 | School Counseling Practicum I | 1 |
| COUN 572 | School Counseling Practicum II | 1 |
| COUN 574 | School Counseling Practicum III | 1 |
| COUN 660 | School Counseling Internship I | 3 |
| COUN 662 | School Counseling Internship II | 3 |
| COUN 664 | School Counseling Internship III | 3 |