Curriculum
A Rigorous, CACREP-Accredited Master’s Program
The online Master of Arts in Counseling Program requires you to meet high academic standards so you can become an effective practitioner who works successfully with diverse clients.
As a student, you will gradually build your knowledge as you explore topics such as ethics, multiculturalism, advocacy, outreach, life span development, and evidence-based practice. The curriculum introduces you to many counseling approaches but focuses on psychodynamic theory and application, which examines the conscious and unconscious forces that may affect your work with clients.
The Counseling@Northwestern curriculum is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), which evaluates counseling programs nationwide. Many states require you to earn a master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited program as part of the counselor licensure process.
Programs
Counseling@Northwestern offers two programs so you can earn your master’s degree no matter how much counseling experience you have. Both programs are offered on an accelerated, traditional, and part-time basis.
Standard Program
The Standard Program comprises 24 graduate-level courses, a Practicum, and an Internship. You may be eligible for the Standard Program if you have any of the following:
- An undergraduate degree in psychology or a related field
- Volunteer or internship experience in psychology or counseling
- Paid employment at a counseling center or related setting
See sample Standard Program course schedules.
In order to preserve the student experience and Counseling@Northwestern model, we will not be accepting any Accelerated students for the January 2021 cohort. To discuss other options, please reach out to admissions@counseling.northwestern.edu.
Bridge to Counseling Program
The Bridge Program enables you to earn your MA in Counseling even if you didn’t earn an undergraduate degree in psychology or you haven’t worked with clients in a counseling setting. As a Bridge student, you will take three introductory courses during your first quarter, designed to ease you into the graduate-level concepts and clinical training component of the Standard Program curriculum.
Child and Adolescent Emphasis
As a Bridge or Standard Program student, you may choose a Child and Adolescent emphasis, which prepares you to work effectively with young people facing mental illness. Emphasis courses are included in the total number of courses required to earn your Master of Arts in Counseling degree.
Learn more about the Child and Adolescent emphasis.
Self-Reflective Experiences
“The program is grounded in psychodynamic theory and helped deepen my understanding of how traumatic events can shape an individual’s life experiences. Counseling@Northwestern also helped me develop practical, hands-on expertise working with clients seeking to overcome trauma and to more effectively advocate for them in their journeys.”
—CHRISTI JOHNSON, ‘21
Before you can facilitate healing as a counselor, you need to fully understand yourself and how your background could affect the therapy you provide. Counseling@Northwestern offers two self-reflective experiences that help you understand what you bring to the counseling relationship to maximize your clinical efficacy with clients.
Reflective Practitioner Supervision:
During your Practicum year, you will meet weekly with two to four other students and a group supervisor to discuss how your experiences, biases, and personality dimensions can interfere with or contribute to the therapeutic process.
Psychodynamic Case Conference Experience:
During your Internship year, you will work with a supervisor to examine challenging client cases, provide a case consultation in the psychodynamic perspective, and articulate areas of concern that can increase your effectiveness as a counselor.
Hands-On Clinical Training
Clinical training is critical to your development as a counselor, and the Counseling@Northwestern curriculum gives you six full quarters of Practicum and Internship experience at suitable, faculty-approved sites. During each clinical experience, you will also complete relevant coursework and attend in-person immersions that support what you are learning at your field sites.
The 200-hour Practicum introduces you to the various responsibilities of a professional counselor. You will spend 50 hours working face to face with clients while supervised by a licensed counselor.
The 600-hour Internship enables you to assume all the functions and characteristics of a counselor as you continue to provide supervised, direct services to clients.
In-Person Immersions
While enrolled, you will make two brief trips to Chicago, where you will continue to develop your counselor identity while strengthening your relationships with peers and faculty. The Group Dynamics Immersion prepares you to effectively lead and participate in group counseling sessions, while the Capstone Immersion Experience enables you to share your competencies and your overall counselor growth with your colleagues and other faculty members.
*Please note: Our in-person learning and clinical field experiences are central to our highly collaborative program. Due to Covid-19, we are evaluating in-person experiences on an ongoing basis and communicating directly with affected faculty and current students.
Learn more about the immersion experiences.