Counseling Psychology Master of Arts
The Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology has four concentrations. They are School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, General Counseling, and a Research concentration requiring a thesis. In the Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration, students have the opportunity to choose a program that best fits their needs for interest and licensure. In all four concentrations, students develop basic individual, group, and career counseling skills. They also receive extensive consultation in basic counseling courses and supervision in on-site practicum settings. The Counseling Psychology MA Handbook has details regarding the required courses in the concentrations on pages 10-21. While the program focuses primarily on adolescent and adult counseling, some students may pursue interests in child counseling through their practicum placements, or in marital and family counseling through course work.
School Counseling
The 72 quarter hour Master's degree in school counseling allows students to apply for licensure in Colorado through the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) as a school counselor for children birth to age 21. Students are required to complete basic counseling courses, a supervised practicum, a supervised internship in a school setting, and other courses related to a school-based environment.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The 72 or 81 quarter hour clinical mental health counseling concentration prepares students to apply for state licensure as professional counselors (LPC). The program takes two years to complete and requires both a practicum and an internship. Students wanting to pursue the LPC in another state must research the academic requirements of that state and take the appropriate classes. The Morgridge College of Education does not guarantee licensure requirements in other states.
Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (CACII)
Counseling Psychology students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration may also complete the courses required for certification as a Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (CACII). Graduates from the Counseling Psychology MA program are already eligible for licensure as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) and with the addition of the CACII coursework, are much more versatile and desirable to employers in the mental health field. Addictive behaviors often co-occur with many emotional and behavioral disorders dealt with in schools and community mental health centers, and the addition of the CACII license prepares you to counsel these individuals. See the CP MA handbook, page 20, for a listing of required course for this added certification.
General Counseling
A 55-quarter-hour (four or five quarters) master's degree option in general counseling is also available. However, students are not eligible to take the LPC examination.
Research with Thesis
The research track is a 72-quarter-hour master's degree that prepares students for research-based careers in counseling as well as doctoral work. In addition to core counseling-skills courses, it requires advanced course work in research design and statistics, as well as a thesis.
Clinic
A community clinic, operated jointly by the Counseling Psychology and the Child, Family, and School Psychology programs, offers students supervised experience working directly with clients. All students enroll in two one-credit clinic courses which require them to work one evening a week for two quarters.
To speak to someone about the Counseling Psychology Program MA, please call or email our Admissions Office at 303-871-2509 or 1-800-835-1607, edinfo@du.edu.
