Counselor Education (M.S.Ed.)

Master of Science in Counselor Education (M.S.Ed.)

School of Education

Neff Hall 250 ~ 260-481-6861

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this degree, students will:

Demonstrate mastery of core counseling knowledge including theoretical, conceptual, and practical foundations of counseling, therapeutic relationship and change factors, case conceptualization skills, and treatment planning abilities.
Demonstrate a professional counseling identity in terms of leadership and advocacy through an understanding of, and effectiveness in, working with a) diversity issues (e.g., moral, social, cultural, racial, sexual, political, and economic) in school-related or clinical mental health counseling-related contexts; and b) an awareness of foundational ethical, legal, and licensing standards.
Demonstrate effective skills as scholar-practitioners such as selecting, administering, and interpreting psychological assessments; understanding, critiquing, and applying counseling research; and assessing the effectiveness of a) school counseling programs and their work with students and school communities as school counselors, or b) their work with clients and agencies as clinical mental health counselors.
Demonstrate mastery of applied clinical counseling competencies through supervised university and field-based professional counseling experiences.

Completion of the school counseling option is designed to lead to a School Counselor K-12 educator license for the state of Indiana. Completion of the clinical mental health counseling option is designed to lead to subsequent licensure as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Indiana. Indiana holds reciprocal licensing agreements with other states.

The Degree:

To earn the master’s degree with a major in counseling, you must satisfactorily complete either the Clinical Mental Health Counseling option or the School Counseling option curricula. You also must satisfactorily complete supervised off-campus internships and two (School Counseling) or three (Clinical Mental Health Counseling) on-campus practica. You must satisfy the requirements of Purdue University Fort Wayne (Regulations ) and the School of Education.

Subject to approval by the Director of Counselor Education, you may substitute up to 6 credits of graduate-level counseling courses you have successfully completed at Purdue Fort Wayne, or earned at another comparably accredited institution.

Accreditation:

Both the School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling tracks are nationally accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The School Counseling program is also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and is recognized as a high-quality program through the Indiana Department of Education.

Acceptance to the Counselor Education Program:

Acceptance to the program is available only for the Summer II Semester. Preference is given to applications received on or before February 15th. Candidates with diverse backgrounds and those from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply! To be considered, you must provide the following materials with your application for admission to graduate study in education:

A completed Counselor Education program application form, official transcripts from all colleges you have attended, two professional recommendation letters, and copies of all applicable licenses
A current résumé or curriculum vitae
A statement, approximately two pages in length, that summarizes your
- Professional goals, including preferred professional setting(s), examples of typical employment activities, and any specialized interests
- Past experiences contributing to the development of your cited professional goals
- Unique skills and characteristics aiding your pursuit of your cited goals

After the Director of Counselor Education has determined that you qualify for admission to graduate study in education, your application to the Counselor Education program and the additional material you have provided will be referred to the Dean of the School of Education. The Dean and appropriate faculty will evaluate your demonstrated academic ability and evidence of your aptitude for working with people. You will also be required to participate in an interview process. Applicants are accepted to the program with the stipulation they adhere to the curriculum of their elected option.

Program Requirements

You are required to follow the curriculum plan for your elected counseling track. Any variation from specified elements of these curricula can be granted only by written permission of the director of counselor education and may delay your anticipated graduation date.

Supervised Experience

The Counselor Education program requires the following supervised counseling experience with clients:

On-Campus Practica

You must enroll in and satisfactorily complete two practica for School Counseling and three practica for Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the PFW Community Counseling Center. Your work in these courses will be closely supervised by selected faculty.

Counseling Internship

For the school counseling option, all students must complete a 600-hour counseling internship in an accredited K - 12 school. Students pursuing the clinical mental health counseling option must complete 1000 combined on-site hours for practicum and internship (900 hours must occur after the practicum), with 240 of those hours being in direct service to clients. Before you are permitted to work with clients in internship, you must:

Earn a minimum grade of B- in each practicum course; and

Comply with the Ethical Standards of the American Counseling Association and/or the American School Counseling Association.

Your specific responsibilities in the client/counselor relationship are detailed in the following school publications: Graduate Student Orientation Handbook and The Counselor Education Program Handbook. You are expected to conduct yourself professionally, uphold confidentiality, avoid dual relationships with clients, and refrain from any unsupervised counseling activities. Your failure to meet these expectations will result in your censure or dismissal from the program.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Courses (60 credits)

EDU 50200 - Professional Orientation And Ethics Cr. 3.
EDU 50601 - Essential Counseling Skills Cr. 3.
EDU 51400 - Life Span Development: Birth To Death Cr. 3.
EDU 50300 - Counseling Theories And Techniques I: Humanistic And Existential Cr. 3.
EDU 50400 - Counseling Theories And Techniques II: Behavior And Family Systems Cr. 3.
EDU 56300 - Foundations Of Mental Health Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 56400 - Child & Adolescent Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 50500 - Individual Appraisal: Principles And Procedures Cr. 3.
EDU 52400 - Practicum In Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 56700 - Introduction To Marriage And Family Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 52501 - Advanced Counseling Practicum Cr. 3.
EDU 59001 - Research In Counseling And Guidance Cr. 1-3.
EDU 57500 - Multicultural Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 55000 - Internship In Counseling And Guidance Cr. 3-5.
EDU 58000 - Topical Seminar In Counseling And Guidance Cr. 1-3. Trauma and Addictions Counseling
EDU 53200 - Introduction To Group Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 55100 - Advanced Internship In Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 52700 - Diagnosis And Treatment Planning In Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 55200 - Career Counseling: Theory And Practice Cr. 3.
EDU 55100 - Advanced Internship in Counseling Cr. 3.

School Counseling (60 credits)

EDU 50200 - Professional Orientation And Ethics Cr. 3.
EDU 50601 - Essential Counseling Skills Cr. 3.
EDU 51400 - Life Span Development: Birth To Death Cr. 3.
EDU 50300 - Counseling Theories And Techniques I: Humanistic And Existential Cr. 3.
EDU 50400 - Counseling Theories And Techniques II: Behavior And Family Systems Cr. 3.
EDU 54200 - Organization And Development Of Counseling Programs Cr. 3.
EDU 56400 - Child & Adolescent Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 50500 - Individual Appraisal: Principles And Procedures Cr. 3.
EDU 52400 - Practicum In Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 56200 - School Counseling: Intervention Consultation And Program Development Cr. 3.
EDU 52501 - Advanced Counseling Practicum Cr. 3.
EDU 59001 - Research In Counseling And Guidance Cr. 1-3.
EDU 57500 - Multicultural Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 53200 - Introduction To Group Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 55000 - Internship In Counseling And Guidance Cr. 3-5.
EDU 55100 - Advanced Internship In Counseling Cr. 3.
EDU 55200 - Career Counseling: Theory And Practice Cr. 3.
EDU 50501 - Introduction To Special Education For Graduate Students Cr. 3.
Education Elective Cr. 3.
Education Elective Cr. 3.

Student Responsibility

Student Responsibility

You are responsible for satisfying the graduation requirements specified for your selected program. Thus, it is essential that you develop a thorough understanding of the required courses, academic policies and procedures governing your academic career. If you cannot complete all program requirements by your stated graduation date but fail to remove those from your plan of study, the Registrar’s Office in consultation with your academic advisor will remove unmet pursuits from your plan of study. All requests for exceptions to specific requirements must be made in writing and may be granted only by written approval from the Graduate Director.