Counseling and Educational Psychology, M.A.

I. Contact Information

Dr. Jill Packman, Ph.D., M.F.T.,  RPT-S, Associate Professor, Counseling and Educational Psychology
College of Education
jillp@unr.edu
(775) 682-5502

II. Brief Introduction

The Counseling and Educational Psychology Program offers a Master of Arts degree with the following specializations:

• Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling
• School Counseling
• Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Counseling and Educational Psychology Program prepares counseling professionals to become licensed in the areas of Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling (MFC), School Counseling (SC), or Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC). Students take common required courses for the core of their program and take specialty coursework to complete their programs. Both Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates are eligible to apply to the Nevada Board of MFT/CPC Examiners and sit for the respective internships. School Counselors are eligible to apply to the Nevada State Department of Education for their license in School Counseling. The Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling and School Counseling specialties are accredited by the Council for Accrediting Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and the program is submitting an application for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program to CACREP for accreditation to be accredited in 2016.

MFT students receive in-depth training in conceptualization skills as well as in the theoretical and practical application of systems theory. Aside from formal clinical coursework, graduate students have the opportunity to intern in the Downing Counseling Clinic, located within the College of Education. This clinic serves numerous university students as well as individuals and families from the surrounding community. School Counseling students receive training in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) model, are taught the knowledge and skills to effectively deliver a comprehensive counseling and guidance program in a school setting, and intern in local school districts. CMHC students learn how to build the capacity to partner with other professionals in behavioral health systems, learn how to implement evidenced-based practices, program evaluation, and learn how to evaluate programs.

III. Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will consistently reflect good character and dispositions befitting a professional counselor, including consistency in conscientiousness and other behaviors associated with success in the helping professions.
• Counselor Characteristics. Student demonstrates the dispositions of emotionally and spiritually healthy humans and the characteristics of effective helpers, including empathy, multicultural sensitivity, self-control, integrity, responsibility, self-regulation, self -awareness, conscientiousness, and confidence.
• Burnout, impairment, self-care, and personal/professional limitations. Student engages in behavior consistent with ethical and legal standards within the profession of counseling including: a) adhering to the ACA Code of Ethics and licensure laws, b) maintaining a professional demeanor, c) identifying and responding appropriately to professional power structures, d) being mindful of limitations of competence, e) recognizing personal or professional impairment, f) preventing, noticing, and remediating burnout, and g) seeking personal counseling when needed.
• Interpersonal Relationships. Student forms mature, professional, effective interpersonal relationships with peers, program faculty, field site supervisors, clients, and other professionals. Student proactively an non-defensively seeks supervision and routinely integrates supervision feedback into personal, academic, and professional arenas.
• Throughout the program students will demonstrate behaviors associated with academic excellence, including excellence in writing skills, critical thinking capacity, appreciation of learning, conscientiousness, and academic integrity.
• Academic Commitment. The student is strongly invested in their academic growth and development, exhibiting a strong appreciation of learning, demonstrating the capacity for excellence in critical thinking, and exhibiting high character and academic integrity.
• Writing. Student writes at the graduate level or above, submitting work which has been edited numerous times, and/or showing evidence of help-seeking behavior from various sources to improve wiring.
• Oral Presentations. student demonstrates the capacity to present with ease, evidencing the depth of content and delivery and excellence in preparation for presentations.

IV. Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Counseling and Educational Psychology Program must meet the Graduate School requirements as well as the program requirements:

1. Fill out the Graduate School application.
2. Take the GRE and report scores to the Graduate School.
3. Submit official transcripts of all post-secondary education to the Graduate School.
4. Submit 3 Letters of Recommendation.
5. Submit a resume.
6. Submit a Personal Essay

V. Program Requirements

In the M.A. graduate program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, students take 33 units of required core courses that are common to all counseling students. The students also take 30 units of specialized studies in clinical mental health counseling that includes 12 units of internship in agencies.

VI. Total Units

The total number of units depends on which specialty students take. All specialities require 12 hours of internship and 1-3 units of Comprehensive Examination.

MFT: 66 - 69 units

School Counseling: 54-57 units

Clinical Mental Health Counseling 61-64 units.