MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COUNSELOR EDUCATION
Master of Science in Counselor Education
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Phone: (203) 837-8512 | |
| lomasg@wcsu.edu | ||
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Phone: (203) 837-8513 | |
| deronckn@wcsu.edu | ||
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Phone: (203) 837-8513 | |
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Phone: (203) 837-8510 | |
| cagialosia@wcsu.edu | ||
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| Website | MS Counselor Education |
| Faculty | A. Brewer, J. Burke, T. Canada, J. Caruso, M. Daria, M. Delcourt, N. DeRonck, S. Kuhn, G. Lomas, D. Mariotti, C. O’Callaghan, J. Piro, K. Roe, T. Stewart. |
Program Overview
The counselor education program includes a 48-credit school counseling option and a 60-credit clinical mental health counseling program option, each leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree.
Students develop a “Plan of Study” with their coordinator and usually complete their program in three years.
The counselor education program has been nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs since 1996. The school counseling option prepares candidates to work as school counselors in grades K-12. The clinical mental health counseling option prepares students to work as counselors in a variety of community, agency, and clinical mental- health settings. Students are National-Certified Counselor-eligible after passing the National Counselor Exam, administered at Western each fall and spring. In addition, graduates are eligible to become licensed professional counselors upon completing additional requirements set forth by the State of Connecticut.
In view of the responsibilities of the role of counselor in both school and community settings, students whose work is of marginal quality in pertinent courses or who demonstrate personal qualities that are not conducive to the role of counselor will not be recommended either for matriculation or for continuation in the program.
MS in Community Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling Program Goals and Learning Objectives
| Program Goals | Program Learning Objectives | CACREP Core Standards | Key Assessments | Courses |
| 1. The Counselor Education Program provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful professional counselors. | 1. A. Students will demonstrate knowledge of all 8 CACREP Common Core Standards. | 1-8 | CPCE |
ED 572
ED 585-587
EPY 600-606
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| 1. B. Students will demonstrate counseling skills necessary to develop, maintain and manage a helping relationship. | 5 | Individual Counseling Project |
EPY 602
EPY 604
EPY 605
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| 1. C. Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and successfully practice as professional counselors. | 1 | Site Supervisor Assessments for Practicum & Internship
Employer Survey Alumni Survey |
EPY 610-614 | |
| 1. D. Students will demonstrate their ability to research evidence based practices and create interventions for counseling issues. | 5, 8 | Group Counseling Project | EPY 603 | |
| 2. The Counselor Education Program prepares students to consider each client as unique, multi-dimensional individuals, throughout the counseling relationship. | 2. A. Students will be able to apply multicultural competencies in both the individual and group counseling settings. | 2 | Site Supervisor Assessment for Practicum & Internship, Group Counseling Project, Individual Counseling Project, Assessment Project |
ED 587
EPY 603-605
EPY 610-614
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| 2. B. Students will demonstrate the ability to select, conduct and interpret assessments, and to use the data to formulate culturally and developmentally appropriate goals and interventions. | 3, 7 | Assessment Project |
EPY 600
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| 3. The Counselor Education program assures students have developed dispositions aligned with the legal, ethical and humanistic parameters of the American Counseling Association and/or the American School Counseling Association. | 3. A. Students will demonstrate disposition in line with the humanistic, legal, and ethical parameters of the counseling professions. | 1 | Fitness to Practice |
N/A
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Admission Requirements
Application Deadline: Applications and all supporting documents are due no later than March 1st. Online Graduate Application
a. Achieve a minimum of 3.0 GPA for all undergraduate courses.
b. If an applicant’s cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) is below 3.0, the applicant must present a score rated at the 35th percentile or higher on the Miller Analogies Test, as indicated below:
3.0 or higher- MAT not required
2.57 to 2.99-35th percentile
2.47 to 2.56-45th percentile
2.37 to 2.45-50th percentile
Below 2.37-60th percentile
c. Complete an undergraduate program that includes a general-education distribution of courses in English, mathematics, science, social and behavioral sciences, foreign language, and fine arts.
d. Submit an essay demonstrating proficiency in English, stating the reasons for wanting to enroll in a counselor-education program, and emphasizing experiences relevant to the field. Online Essay Form
e. Submit three letters of recommendation from individuals able to testify to the student’s suitability as a prospective counselor. Recommendation Form
f. Be interviewed by the program’s faculty admissions committee, which will assess the student’s academic background and personal attributes that might affect the student’s performance as a counselor.
Transcripts and other supporting documents should be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Western Connecticut State University, 181 White Street, Danbury, CT 06810 or sent as an attachment to Graduate Admissions
Typhon License Requirement
All candidates who enter degree or certificate programs in Education and Educational Psychology at Western Connecticut State University are required to purchase a Typhon license before or during the first week of class. Typhon is a new platform that is being implemented and instructions are forthcoming. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Gabriel Lomas, lomasg@wcsu.edu
Option in School Counseling
The curriculum for the school counseling option includes the following graduate courses:
| Open to all Graduate Students (6 SH) | Course Sequence Rotation | ||
| ED 500 Contemporary Educational Issues | 3 SH | Summer 2019 | |
| ED 572 Career Education and Development | 3SH | Spring 2020 | |
| * | |||
| Open to Students Accepted to Program or by Permission of Chair (6 SH) | |||
| ED 585 Introduction to Community and School Counseling | 3 SH | Fall 2019 | |
| ED 586 Theories of Counseling | 3 SH | Fall 2019 | |
| * | |||
| Open to Students Accepted to Program Only (36 SH) | |||
| ED 587 Counseling Diverse Populations | 3 SH | Summer 2020 | |
| EPY 600 Assessment for Counselors | 3 SH | Spring 2020 | |
| EPY 601 Fundamentals of Statistics and Research Design | 3 SH | Summer 2021 | |
| EPY 602 Interviewing and Consultation Across the Life Span Principles and Techniques | 3 SH | Spring 2020 | |
| EPY 603 Group Work Foundation: Theory and Practice | 3 SH | Fall 2020 | |
| EPY 604 Individual Counseling in the Schools: Clinical Skills | 3 SH | Fall 2020 | |
| EPY 606 Advanced Group Work: Theory and Practice | 3 SH | Spring 2021 | |
| EPY 607 Pupil Personnel Services: Philosophy and Organization | 3 SH | Fall 2021 | |
| EPY 610 Practicum in School Counseling | 3 SH | Spring 2021 | |
| EPY 612/613 Internship in School Counseling | 6 SH | Fall 2021/Spring 2022 | |
| Elective | 3 SH | Student Discretion | |
| Total Semester Hours: 48 SH |
Option in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
This option leads to counselor licensure and national certification. Curriculum for the clinical mental health counseling option includes the following courses:
| Open to Students Accepted to Program or by Permission of Chair (9 SH) | Course Sequence Rotation | ||
| EPY 618 Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 SH | Fall Year 1 | |
| ED 586 Theories of Counseling | 3 SH | Fall Year 1 | |
| ED 572 Career Education and Development | 3 SH | Spring Year 3 | |
| * | |||
| Open to Students Accepted to Program Only (51 SH) | |||
| ED 587 Counseling Diverse Populations | 3 SH | Summer Year 1 | |
| EPY 600 Assessment for Counselors | 3 SH | Spring Year 1 | |
| EPY 601 Fundamentals of Statistics and Research Design | 3 SH | Summer Year 3 | |
| EPY 602 Interviewing & Consultation Across the Life-Span: Principles and Techniques | 3 SH | Spring Year 1 | |
| EPY 603 Group Work Foundation: Theory and Practice | 3 SH | Fall Year 2 | |
| EPY 605 Clinical Mental Health Counseling Skills | 3 SH | Fall Year 2 | |
| EPY 606 Advanced Group Work: Theory and Practice | 3 SH | Spring Year 2 | |
| EPY 608 Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Management, Delivery, and Consultation | 3 SH | Fall Year 3 | |
| EPY 611 Practicum in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 SH | Summer Year 3 | |
| EPY 614 Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 SH | Fall Year 3 | |
| EPY 615 Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 SH | Spring Year 3 | |
| EPY 619 Crisis Counseling in the Community and School | 3 SH | Summer Year 2 | |
| EPY 620 Marriage and Family Counseling | 3 SH | Summer Year 1 | |
| EPY 621 Drug and Alcohol Counseling | 3 SH | Summer Year 2 | |
| EPY 630 Introduction to Psychopathology | 3 SH | Spring Year 2 | |
| Two Faculty- Approved Electives | 6 SH | Student Discretion | |
| Total Semester Hours: 60 SH |