Bridge to Counseling Program

No matter how little academic or professional counseling experience you have, you can make a difference as a mental health counselor through our Bridge to Counseling Program (Bridge program). Unique to The Family Institute at Northwestern University, the Bridge Program gives you a strong foundation that eases you into our rigorous curriculum so you can fully grasp graduate-level concepts.

If your undergraduate degree is not in psychology or a related field, you lack clinical mental health counseling experience, or you are interested in a deeper orientation to the counseling field, you are encouraged to apply to the Bridge Program.

The Counseling@Northwestern admissions committee will make the final decision about which program you should enroll in, should you be admitted.

The Bridge Program features the same 24-course sequence as the Standard Program, with an additional introductory, three-course quarter that orients you to the key theories, concepts, and applied aspects of the field. The program can be completed on an accelerated full-time, traditional, or part-time basis.

California regulations require the equivalent of at least two quarters of coursework in order to begin your Practicum season. Therefore, California residents are only eligible for admission to the traditional and part-time tracks. 

Sample course schedules for each track can be found below:

Bridge Program: Accelerated Track
Bridge Program: Traditional Track
Bridge Program: Part-Time Track

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Bridge Program: Accelerated Track Sample Course Sequence (Seven-Quarter)

QuarterCourse Title
Bridge
479-6: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Bridge
479-7: Introduction to Clinical Interviewing
Bridge
479-8: Contemporary Topics in Counseling
1
480-6: Methods 1 Introductory Counseling Skills
1
416-6: Theories of Counseling & Psychotherapy
1
483-6: Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling
1
481-6: Supervised Practicum in Counseling 1
2
480-7: Methods 2: Advanced Counseling Skills
2
426-6: Assessment in Counseling
2
412-6: Group Counseling Theory and Practice (Group Dynamics Immersion)
2
481-7: Supervised Practicum in Counseling -2
3
480-8: Methods 3: Skills for Social Justice Advocacy, Outreach, and Prevention
3
414-6 Human Growth and Development
3
415-6: Psychopathology and Diagnosis in Counseling
3
481-8: Supervised Practicum in Counseling -3
4
483-7: Multicultural Counseling
4
411-6: Psychodynamic Counseling: Individuals and Systems
4
Elective 1
4
482-6: Supervised Internship in Counseling -1
5
422-6: Family, Marital and Couples Counseling
5
406-6: Research Methods in Counseling
5
452-6: Addictions Counseling
5
482-7: Supervised Internship in Counseling -2
6
427-6: Career and Lifestyle Planning
6
483-3: Professional Topics in Counseling
6
Elective -2
6
482-8: Supervised Internship in Counseling -3
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Bridge Program: Traditional Track Sample Course Sequence (10-Quarter)

QuarterCourse Title
Bridge
479-6: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Bridge
479-7: Introduction to Clinical Interviewing
Bridge
479-8: Contemporary Topics in Counseling
1
416-6: Theories of Counseling & Psychotherapy
1
483-6: Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling
2
426-6: Assessment in Counseling
2
414-6: Human Growth and Development
3
483-7: Multicultural Counseling
3
411-6: Psychodynamic Counseling: Individuals and Systems
4
480-6: Methods 1: Introductory Counseling Skills
4
415-6: Psychopathology and Diagnosis in Counseling
4
481-6: Supervised Practicum in Counseling
5
412-6: Group Counseling Theory and Practice (Group Dynamics Immersion)
5
481-7: Supervised Practicum in Counseling
5
480-7 Methods 2: Advanced Counseling Skills
6
452-6 Addictions Counseling
6
480-8: Methods 3: Skills for Social Justice Advocacy, Outreach, and Prevention
6
481-8: Supervised Practicum in Counseling -3
7
Elective 1
7
422-6: Family, Marital and Couple Counseling
7
482-6: Supervised Internship in Counseling -1
8
406-6: Research Methods in Counseling
8
Elective 2
8
482-7: Supervised Internship in Counseling -2
9
427-6: Career and Lifestyle Planning
9
483-8: Professional Topics in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
9
482-8: Supervised Internship in Counseling -3
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Bridge Program: Part-Time Track Sample Course Sequence (13-Quarter)

QuarterCourse Title
Bridge
479-6: Introduction to Mental Health Counseling
Bridge
479-7: Introduction to Clinical Interviewing
Bridge
479-8: Contemporary Topics in Counseling
1
416-6: Theories of Counseling & Psychotherapy
1
483-6: Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling
2
426-6: Assessment in Counseling
2
452-6: Addictions Counseling
3
411-6: Psychodynamic Counseling: Individuals and Systems
3
414-6: Human Growth & Development
4
415-6: Psychopathology and Diagnosis in Counseling
4
483-7: Multicultural Counseling
5
Elective 1
5
422-6: Family, Marital, and Couples Counseling
6
427-6: Career and Lifestyle Planning
6
Elective 2
7
480-6: Methods 1: Introductory Counseling Skills
7
481-6: Supervised Practicum in Counseling -1
8
480-7: Methods 2: Advanced Counseling Skills
8
481-7: Supervised Practicum in Counseling -2
9
480-8: Methods 3: Skills for Social Justice Advocacy, Outreach, and Prevention
9
481-8: Supervised Practicum in Counseling -3
10
412-6: Group Counseling Theory and Practice (Group Dynamics Immersion)
10
482-6: Supervised Internship in Counseling 1
11
482-7: Supervised Internship in Counseling -2
11
406-6: Research Methods in Counseling
12
483-8: Professional Topics in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
12
482-8: Supervised Internship in Counseling -3

See the full list of course descriptions.

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