COUNSELING, MA
Counseling
Master of Arts in Counseling with a Concentration in Clinical Mental Health
The Master of Arts in Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health counseling is designed to prepare students to demonstrate knowledge and skills with several counseling modalities appropriate for a broad range of clients in a multicultural society; interact effectively with other helping professionals and referral resources; make appropriate counselor-client related decisions in the context of professional, ethical, and legal guidelines; and fill effectively entry-level positions of professional responsibility within the specialization of agency counseling. The coursework is approved by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling, which allows graduates of the program to pursue licensure as professional counselors in the state of Alabama. This program takes no less than 3 years to complete. For most students, it takes approximately 3 years or 9 terms (including summers) to complete the program.
| Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Area I | ||
| EPR 590 | Research & Prgm Eval in Coun | 4 |
| ECG 612 | Professional Orientation | 3 |
| ECG 621 | Theories of Individual Counseling | 3 |
| ECG 624 | Assessment | 3 |
| ECG 626 | Group Counseling: Process and Procedures | 3 |
| ECG 628 | Social and Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| ECG 630 | Career Development: Vocational and Life Planning | 3 |
| ECG 638 | Practicum I: Clinical Skills and Techniques | 3 |
| EPR 614 | Lifespan Human Development | 3 |
| Comprehensive Exam 1 | ||
| Area II | ||
| ECG 600 | Intro to Integrated Care Counseling | 3 |
| ECG 613 | Foundations of Substance Abuse | 3 |
| ECG 631 | Suicide Prevention | 3 |
| ECG 650 | Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychological Disorders | 3 |
| ECG 652 | Advanced Counseling Techniques | 3 |
| ECG 653 | Counseling Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| ECG 660 | Relationships and Human Sexuality | 3 |
| ECG 691 | Introduction to Couples and Family Counseling | 3 |
| Area III: Clinical Requirements | ||
| ECG 695 | Practicum II: Supervised Field Experience | 3 |
| Counseling Internship | ||
| ECG 696 | Counseling Internship A | 3 |
| ECG 697 | Counseling Internship B | 3 |
| Total Hours | 61 | |
| 1 |
The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam will be given the semester of successful completion or upon successful completion of Area I. This is a “high stakes” assessment. Students who do not successfully pass this examination will be given the opportunity to re-take the exam a maximum of two times. There are no exceptions. Students unsuccessful in passing the comprehensive exam after 3 attempts will be dismissed from the program. |
Master of Arts in Counseling with a Concentration in Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling
The Master of Arts in Counseling with a concentration in Marriage, Couples, and Family counseling is designed to prepare students to work with individuals, couples, or groups where interpersonal relationships are examined for the purpose of achieving more adequate, satisfying, and productive marriage and family adjustments; make appropriate ethical decisions as counseling professionals; comprehend systems theory and use it to conceptualize problems and solutions for couples and families; and fill effectively, entry-level positions of professional responsibility within the specialization of marriage and family counseling. The coursework allows graduates of the program to pursue licensure as marriage and family therapists in the state of Alabama. This program takes about 3 years to complete.
| Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Area I | ||
| EPR 590 | Research & Prgm Eval in Coun | 4 |
| ECG 612 | Professional Orientation | 3 |
| ECG 621 | Theories of Individual Counseling | 3 |
| ECG 624 | Assessment | 3 |
| ECG 626 | Group Counseling: Process and Procedures | 3 |
| ECG 628 | Social and Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| ECG 630 | Career Development: Vocational and Life Planning | 3 |
| ECG 638 | Practicum I: Clinical Skills and Techniques | 3 |
| EPR 614 | Lifespan Human Development | 3 |
| ECG 691 | Introduction to Couples and Family Counseling | 3 |
| Comprehensive Exam 1 | ||
| Area II | ||
| ECG 613 | Foundations of Substance Abuse | 3 |
| ECG 650 | Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychological Disorders | 3 |
| ECG 653 | Counseling Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| ECG 660 | Relationships and Human Sexuality | 3 |
| ECG 680 | The Intersections of Family and Community Systems | 3 |
| ECG 685 | Marriage and Couples Counseling | 3 |
| ECG 689 | Advanced Family Counseling Techniques | 3 |
| Area III: Clinical Requirements | ||
| ECG 695 | Practicum II: Supervised Field Experience | 3 |
| Counseling Internship | ||
| ECG 696 | Counseling Internship A | 3 |
| ECG 697 | Counseling Internship B | 3 |
| Total Hours | 61 | |
| 1 |
The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam will be given the semester of successful completion or upon successful completion of Area I. This is a “high stakes” assessment. Students who do not successfully pass this examination will be given the opportunity to re-take the exam a maximum of two times. There are no exceptions. Students unsuccessful in passing the comprehensive exam after 3 attempts will be dismissed from the program. |
Master of Arts in Counseling with a Concentration in School Counseling
According to the American School Counseling Association, "the purpose of a counseling program in a school setting is to promote and enhance the learning process." The goal is to enable all students to achieve success in school and to develop into contributing member of our society.
The concentration in School counseling is designed to prepare individuals as counselors in grades K-12. The program leading to the Master of Arts in Counseling degree requires a minimum of 61 semester hours of prescribed coursework to meet the academic and field experience requirements for the SDE Class A Professional Certificate in school counseling.
Certification Requirements: In order to receive certification as a school counselor, school counseling students who do not hold a teacher certificate in Alabama must satisfactorily obtain a passing score on the following assessments: the Praxis II Test in School Counseling and the National Counselor Exam. School counseling students who already hold teaching certificates in Alabama must obtain a passing score on the Praxis II Test in School Counseling to receive certification.
The school counseling concentration meets the course work and field experiences required by the Alabama State Department of Education for certification. The concentrations meet the academic and field experience requirements for licensure as professional counselors in Alabama.
| Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Area I | ||
| EPR 590 | Research & Prgm Eval in Coun | 4 |
| ECG 612 | Professional Orientation | 3 |
| ECG 621 | Theories of Individual Counseling | 3 |
| ECG 624 | Assessment | 3 |
| ECG 626 | Group Counseling: Process and Procedures | 3 |
| ECG 628 | Social and Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| ECG 630 | Career Development: Vocational and Life Planning | 3 |
| ECG 638 | Practicum I: Clinical Skills and Techniques | 3 |
| EPR 614 | Lifespan Human Development | 3 |
| Comprehensive Exam 1 | ||
| Area II | ||
| ECG 619 | Special Issues for School Counselors | 3 |
| ECG 620 | Foundations of School Counseling | 3 |
| ECG 623 | Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance: M/H School | 3 |
| ECG 627 | Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance: Elementary School | 3 |
| ECG 653 | Counseling Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| ECG 661 | Play Therapy I | 3 |
| ECG 680 | The Intersections of Family and Community Systems | 3 |
| ECY 600 (If not completed previously) | 0-3 | |
| ECY 600 | Introduction to Exceptional Learner 2 | 3 |
| EEC 515 | Learning Environments through Positive Behavior Support | 3 |
| Area III: Clinical Requirements | ||
| ECG 695 | Practicum II: Supervised Field Experience | 3 |
| Counseling Internship | ||
| ECG 696 | Counseling Internship A | 3 |
| ECG 697 | Counseling Internship B | 3 |
| Total Hours | 64-67 | |
| 1 |
A National Comprehensive Examination will be given the semester of successful completion or upon successful completion of Area I. This is a “high stakes” assessment. Students who do not successfully pass this examination will be given the opportunity to re-take the exam a maximum of two times. There are no exceptions. Students unsuccessful in passing the comprehensive exam after 3 attempts will be dismissed from the program. |
| 2 |
Must be taken if not taken as part of previous studies. This usually applies to students who did not go through teacher certification programs previously. |
