Course Descriptions

You will take all of the following courses whether you are in the Bridge or Standard Program.

This course provides an understanding of types of research methods, basic statistics, and ethical considerations in research; principles, practices, and applications of needs assessment and program evaluations.

This course covers psychodynamic theories of personality and social systems; application to analysis of interpersonal and helping relationships; personality development and dynamics; and psychopathology, assessment, and intervention in relation to individuals and organizations.

This course provides an understanding of group dynamics and intergroup relations, including purpose, development, dynamics, theories, methods, and skills, in a multicultural context. The course explores application to decision-making groups, educational groups, therapy groups, and human-service delivery groups and systems. This course includes participation in a weekend group relations conference.

This course covers development of diagnosis skills using the DSM-5; application of diagnostic information to current events; clinical, developmental, and family systems research; and the onset and dynamics of common psychiatric disorders.

This course is an-depth examination of the basic theoretical frameworks that inform the practice of counseling and psychotherapy.

This course covers theoretical foundations of family, marital, and couples therapy as well as a systematic examination of major models, theories, skills, and practices.

This course provides an understanding of individual approaches to assessment in a multicultural society across the life span and review of commonly used assessments in counseling, including rationale, characteristics, administration, and interpretation. This course has an additional specific focus on adult development.

This course covers theories of career choice, career commitment, and life-course development applied to research and practice in career counseling.

This course is an introduction to substance abuse and addiction; effects of addictions on relationships, jobs, and community; current treatment options; and the counselor’s role in recovery.

This course focuses on the development of skills, concepts, and core competencies related to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy. The course includes evaluation of practice sessions with actual clients and must be taken in conjunction with 481-6, 481-7, and 481-8 Supervised Practicum in Counseling.

This course familiarizes students with advanced methods and concepts related to case conceptualization, treatment planning, and interventions. The course includes evaluation of practice sessions with actual clients and must be taken in conjunction with 481-6, 481-7, and 481-8 Supervised Practicum in Counseling.

This course familiarizes students with advanced strategies and concepts related to mental health agency service delivery methods.

This course prepares counseling students for supervised clinical practice by introducing foundational skills, professional expectations, and ethical responsibilities. Students develop self-awareness and establish a foundation for reflective practice while learning program requirements for Practicum and Internship. The course also covers legal and ethical standards, supports professional identity development, and provides an overview of post-graduation licensure processes.

481-6, 481-6 Supervised Practice is Clinical Mental Health Counseling

This is the first fieldwork experience, in which students offer clinical mental health counseling services to clients in a Practicum setting.

482-6, 482-7, 482-8 Supervised Internship in Counseling

This is the advanced fieldwork experience, in which students engage in a comprehensive clinical training experience where they enact all aspects of the role of a clinical mental health counselor.

This course provides an understanding of the ACA ethical standards and their application to treatment as well as a review of ethical decision-making models and major ethical and legal issues in the practice of professional counseling.

This course will introduce students to the process of providing counseling from a multi-cultural perspective in a diverse society. Students will gain an understanding of how social and cultural identity issues and tensions surface in counseling, how power and privilege may affect therapy alliance and outcomes, and the nature of microaggressions. Focus will be on understanding self and clients in cultural context. The counseling profession’s value of social justice advocacy for clients is also examined.

Back to top

You will choose one of the following two development courses:

This course provides an understanding of the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels in a multicultural context, as well as implications for assessment and preventive and/or supportive intervention strategies. The course has an additional specific focus on child and adolescent development.

This course provides an understanding of the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels in a multicultural context, as well as implications for assessment and preventive and/or supportive intervention strategies. The course has an additional specific focus on adult development.

Back to top

Generalists may select two electives from the list below.

This course covers the application of the cognitive behavioral approach with a broad range of populations. An integrated approach is emphasized.

This course offers a multidimensional, biophysical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of sexual difficulty in individuals and couples. Including disorders of desire, aversion, arousal, orgasm, and pain.

This course offers an examination of central issues in child and adolescent counseling and psychotherapy, including psychoanalytic, play, cognitive-behavioral, and behavioral treatment approaches.

This course provides students with the philosophical basis for play therapy, including a review of the history of play therapy, how to develop a relationship with a child through a theoretical framework, and an introduction to various theoretical applications and play therapy best practices.

This course is a review of the nature of posttraumatic conditions; the psychobiology underlying stress, trauma, and dissociation; and the treatment of posttraumatic conditions.

This course examines the effects of traumatic events (including adverse childhood experiences (ACES) as experienced by children ages 0 to 18.

This course explores the role of psychopharmacological medication in mental health treatment. Students learn approved indications and contraindications of psychopharmacological medications for mental health and substance use conditions in adults and children, and practice how to consult with clients and medical professionals about medication-related issues.

Back to top

You will take the following courses only if you enroll in the Bridge to Counseling Program.

This course is designed exclusively for students entering the program with nontraditional backgrounds and making a career transition into the field of counseling. The primary objectives of the course are to help students acquire an orientation to the counseling profession, explore a range of basic issues relevant to the field, and learn about the role of a mental health counselor.

This course allows students to better understand components of the helping field—what skills are required, types of professional helpers, the relationship between counseling and allied helping professions, the range of counseling careers, and how training shapes clinical practice. We will familiarize students to the pervasiveness of mental health, multiculturalism, and community engagement highlighting the importance of cultural sensitivity and humility.

This course enhances the development of clinical skills through understanding of both the pragmatics and the complexities of reflective practice. It will invite students to explore their own identity as an emerging counselor in training.

Back to top