Counseling Psychology

Home

The Ph.D. Program in Counseling Psychology reflects a scientist-practitioner training model whereby emphasis is placed on preparing professional psychologists who:

1. Are competent in addressing problems associated with the adaptive functioning of human beings, 
2. Can successfully apply relevant research literature to client concerns, and 
3. Can contribute to the research knowledge base.
   

Our philosophy is consistent with many of the historical traditions in the field of counseling psychology, including

1. The optimal development and functioning of individuals, groups, and other systems (e.g., institutions, communities);
   
2. An appreciation of the strengths and uniqueness of individuals;
   
3. A belief in the unbounded potential of human beings; and
4. A respect for the integrity of all people. Our training philosophy strongly encourages students to adopt approaches to client treatment that consider the various contexts in which clients develop and operate. The Program also stresses the critical roles of self-exploration and personal reflection as components of professional development.
   

Central to our training model is the belief that academic scholarship and research are inseparable from professional practice. Hence, the Counseling Psychology Program recognizes the importance of preparing graduates who manifest the highest standards of excellence in academic or service delivery settings. Throughout the Program, we emphasize the integration of scientific psychology and professional practice through attention to didactic and experiential learning, synthesizing skill acquisition with effective use of self, and clarifying personal and professional identities. This integrative perspective implies the following assumptions:

1. Learning is an ongoing process and, as a result, students are responsible for being cognizant of issues and trends within the profession;
2. Learning occurs in a context that requires active consideration of individual differences and systemic factors; and
3. Professional development is often inseparable from personal growth.
   

Thus, students are continuously exposed to opportunities to examine the connection between scientific knowledge and professional practice. To highlight the importance of this integration, education and training in theory, inquiry, and practice occur concurrently throughout the Program.

The academic curriculum of the Program provides students with numerous opportunities to develop professional and personal competencies associated with becoming counseling psychologists. In particular, extensive coursework, practical experiences, and other learning opportunities allow students to identify their strengths and assets with regard to their personal and professional development, and take risks to develop new competencies in various professional roles. The academic curriculum also reflects the importance of students (a) developing professional identities as a ethical counseling psychologists, (b) being socialized into the profession of counseling psychology, and (c) contributing to counseling psychology as a specialty discipline as well as to the broader field of applied psychology.

The Counseling Psychology Program is also firmly committed to issues pertaining to multicultural diversity, and seeks faculty members, staff, and students who reflect such diversity, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religious/spiritual orientation, disability status, and national origin. Moreover, issues of human diversity are largely integrated throughout the entire curriculum and, indeed, throughout the entire program in that students are actively exposed to numerous opportunities to develop competence in addressing issues pertaining to cultural and identity group membership with various populations. The Program also seeks to create a milieu of growth, collaboration, and collegiality among faculty, staff, and students with regard to respecting and affirming various dimensions of cultural diversity.

Thus the specific goals of the program and their associated competencies prepare students to work in a variety of settings with emphasis on education (e.g. colleges and universities), health (e.g., outpatient clinics, hospitals, nursing homes etc.) and related agencies. With the help of a Faculty Advisor, students register for required and elective courses, which in light of their previous preparation, special needs, and career objectives, will prepare them appropriately. Depending on their area of concentration and level of training, graduates have found employment in universities, colleges, medical schools, elementary and secondary schools, adult basic education centers, employment and training centers, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, mental health centers, industry, senior citizens centers, and community and government agencies.  

Regardless of the eventual work setting, students in the Program are expected by the end of their training to have achieved the following objectives:

1. Be capable of engaging in culturally-relevant and psychologically appropriate psychotherapeutic interventions that (a)emphasize normal personal and interpersonal functioning, (b) address dysfunction from a strengths-based perspective, (c) consider developmental issues across the lifespan, and (d) consider the role of environmental and contextual issues in individuals’ lives.
2. Be competent in conducting research and effectively applying research to their professional work.
3. Possess the requisite foundations in core areas of professional psychology.
4. Be ethical scientist-practitioners.
5. Be socialized into the profession and able to contribute to counseling psychology as a specialty discipline, as well as to the broader field of applied psychology, through research, scholarship, conference presentations, and service.
6. 6. Demonstrate an understanding of persons, groups, and organizations in their environmental contexts, including cultural, social, economic, educational, occupational, and institutional contexts.
7. Demonstrate multicultural competence in research and practice.
8. Be able to work in a variety of professional practice settings.