Counselor Education

CNS ED 2000 Introduction to the Helping Professions: 3 semester hours

This course provides an overview of common mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety, crisis, trauma, suicide, and substance use and abuse. The roles of various mental health professionals, such as school counselors, school social workers, clinical mental health counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists will be examined to develop familiarity with the variety of professionals available to help meet student and consumer needs. Finally, students will explore their own career interests, values, aptitudes, and beliefs.

CNS ED 2030 Cultural Diversity and Social Advocacy: 3 semester hours

This course focuses on building student cultural competence by deepening their awareness of, exposure to, and appreciation of diverse populations. The course also covers understanding individual and community needs in order to engage with social advocacy in a responsible way. Students will be exposed to a variety of approaches to social advocacy.

CNS ED 3200 Interpersonal Skills in Helping Relationships: 3 semester hours

This course will enhance the student's ability to communicate clearly, build healthy relationships with others, resolve conflicts, advocate appropriately, and promote a positive and inclusive learning environment among individuals and groups and to be prepared to work well with diverse populations.

CNS ED 3220 Counseling Individuals with Special Needs: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: TCH ED 3313 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. A course emphasizing counseling skills for individuals who plan to work with people with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on using counseling strategies with school-age children with disabilities.

CNS ED 6010 Theories of Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Admission to the MEd program in counseling, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course explores the philosophical foundations of counseling theory. The major constructs of contemporary counseling approaches are included and the practical applications of these theories are analyzed.

CNS ED 6020 Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Admission to the MEd program in Counseling, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course explores ethical, legal, and professional issues related to counseling. Ethical dilemmas in the provision of counseling services to individuals, couples, families, and groups are defined. Specific ethical codes of professional organizations are examined.

CNS ED 6030 Foundations for Multicultural Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010 and CNS ED 6020, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course focuses on (1) reviewing knowledge and research in the area of multicultural counseling, (2) developing and/or enhancing skills useful in counseling with individuals from minority populations, and (3) developing levels of personal awareness about stereotypes, and learning how feelings and attitudes about these may impact counseling with individuals from minority populations.

CNS ED 6040 Group Procedures in Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010 and CNS ED 6020, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course examines the process dynamics of groups, including group development, leadership, norms and therapeutic factors. Group counseling theories and approaches used for other group work including skills, personal growth, support, vocational, and developmental guidance groups are explored. Knowledge and skills of how to facilitate therapeutic groups are included. Students are required to be participant-observers or facilitators of a group outside of class time.

CNS ED 6050 Individual Inventory: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This course develops counselors' abilities in assisting clients toward self-awareness through the use of test and non-test data and educational and psychological appraisal techniques. Ethical practices in the use of tests and the maintenance of personnel records are stressed.

CNS ED 6060 Helping-Relationship Skills: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010 and CNS ED 6020, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course includes the knowledge and application of counseling techniques and helping skills with an emphasis on experiential learning. Attention is focused on the development of the helping relationship, including helping processes and rapport building, skills used in the counseling process, and increased awareness of how students' values, beliefs, and behaviors are related to counselor effectiveness.

CNS ED 6070 Psychopathology and Diagnosis: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This course examines the etiology, assessment, and diagnosis of mental disorders using contemporary diagnostic systems. Course topics and assignments address the dynamics of adjustment and treatment implications for counselors, school psychologists, and other professionals.

CNS ED 6200 Foundations of School Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Admission to the MEd program in counseling, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course gives students a foundation for understanding the history, philosophy, and development of school counseling programs. The course examines the role functions of the school counselor within a developmental, comprehensive program, along with communication skills necessary for consultation with students, parents, school support staff, and resource people in the community.

CNS ED 6220 Counseling Individuals with Disabilities: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: Graduate standing. This course provides instruction and practice in the basic communication, de-escalation, and evidence-based counseling skills and techniques used to support children, adolescents, and young adults with disabilities. The social-emotional needs of this population and impact on the family system will be discussed.

CNS ED 6270 School Counseling Practicum: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6200, CNS ED 6020, and either CNS ED 6000 or CNS ED 6060. This course requires 100 clock hours of supervised practice in counseling. It provides opportunity for students to pragmatically integrate and process materials, theories, techniques, and methodologies as they are applied in the counseling profession with emphasis on school counseling.

CNS ED 6280 School Counseling Field Experience: 1-6 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6040 and CNS ED 6270, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course requires 100 clock hours of field experience for each semester credit hour of enrollment. Students are closely supervised under the direction of a graduate faculty member. Students must demonstrate counseling competencies and skillful ethical practice. Students receive a minimum of 1.5 contact hours of group supervision weekly by a graduate faculty member and 1 contact hour of individual supervision weekly by a field experience site supervisor during terms of enrollment. Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 semester credit hours.

CNS ED 6300 Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6070. This course provides a survey of counseling in a variety of mental health settings and introduces the basic philosophical, historical, and psychological foundations of clinical mental health counseling. Students explore the foundations and roles of the professional counselor in various community and agency settings.

CNS ED 6370 Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum I: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6060 with a grade of B- or better, CNS ED 6030, CNS ED 6040, CNS ED 6300. This course is 100 clock-hours of supervised practice in counseling to provide the opportunity for students to pragmatically integrate and process materials, theories, techniques, and methodologies as they are applied in the counseling profession, focusing on clinical mental health counseling. This course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

CNS ED 6380 Clinical Mental Health Counseling Field Experience: 1-6 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6370 with a grade of S, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course is one hundred clock-hours of field experience for each semester-credit-hour of enrollment. Students will be closely supervised under the direction of a graduate faculty member. Students must demonstrate counseling competencies and skillful ethical practice. Students will receive 1.5 contact hours of group supervision weekly by a graduate faculty member and 1 contact hour of individual supervision weekly by a field experience site supervisor during terms of enrollment. This course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

CNS ED 6400 Career Information and Development: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Admission to the Counseling program, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course emphasizes the nature of the changing labor market and the impact on personal, social, economic, career, and educational aspects of individuals and society. The use of occupational and educational information systems and resources to assist with career decisions are examined. Techniques and methods of career counseling and the needs of culturally diverse populations are discussed. Various theories of career development and career choice are examined.

CNS ED 6410 Advanced Career and Leadership Development: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6400 or consent of instructor. This course emphasizes current theories of career and leadership development, career counseling, advocacy, and leadership methods and skills. The focus is on issues of career development for culturally diverse populations and leadership in the counseling profession. Students explore and discuss the role of career theory in the planning, development, and delivery of a career development program.

CNS ED 6420 Rehabilitation Counseling and Career Assessment: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6050 and CNS ED 6400 or consent of instructor. This course provides an overview of the vocational rehabilitation process, addressing counseling and assessment issues specific to clients with disabilities. The course will review medical aspects of disabilities and provides a summary of state and federal vocational rehabilitation programs. It describes vocational and psychological assessment techniques used in rehabilitation counseling, especially the assessment of career interests, work values, work environment, work skills, work capacity, and career development stages.

CNS ED 6497 Problems: 1-10 semester hours

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CNS ED 6500 Introduction to Systems Theory for Couples and Family Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: CNS ED 6010 or consent of instructor. This course is an introduction to relationship theory as applied to couples and family counseling. General systems theory, and social constructivism theory are reviewed. Students learn relationship interventions and beginning couple and family counseling techniques. Ethical, professional, and legal issues related to couples and family counseling are addressed.

CNS ED 6510 Marriage Counseling and Enrichment: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: CNS ED 6500 or consent of instructor. This course focuses on the theory and techniques of marital or couples counseling and enrichment. Models and methods for prevention and treatment of relationship dysfunction are explored. Relationship developmental issues are addressed. Students are challenged to develop the critical skills necessary to be effective marriage counselors and marital-life educators.

CNS ED 6520 Family Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6500. This course offers an in-depth analysis of strategic, structural, experiential, communications, behavioral, and psychodynamic approaches to systems change and family counseling. The range of techniques and applied practices evolving from each orientation are explored, as are normal and dysfunctional family processes. Various counseling modalities, such as individual, concurrent, collaborative, conjoint, group, intergenerational, and networking, are also considered.

CNS ED 6600 Theories and Techniques of Counseling Children and Adolescents: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course focuses on counseling theories and their applicability to the developmental special concerns of children and adolescents including child at-risk issues such as abuse, suicide, divorce, and death and dying. Individual, group, and family intervention techniques and consultation skills are emphasized, as well as ethical, legal and multicultural considerations for counselors. Strategies presented can be utilized in a variety of settings.

CNS ED 6610 Introduction to Play Therapy: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010 and ED PSY 6210. This course provides students with a foundation for understanding the history, theories, and application of play therapy. Discussion focuses on working with children in both agency and school settings, as well as how play therapy skills can be incorporated into the student's developing theoretical framework. This course can count toward the Registered Play Therapist credential.

CNS ED 6620 Advanced Play Therapy: 3-4 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6040 and CNS ED 6610. This course helps students further develop their play therapy skills, especially in the area of client-centered play therapy. The course examines the use of play therapy with traumatized children and aggressive children in both school and agency settings. Group play therapy and sand tray therapy as additional modalities are explored. Ethical and legal issues, as well as supervision in play therapy, are emphasized. This course can count towards the Registered Play Therapist credential.

CNS ED 6630 Career Development in K-12 Schools: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010, CNS ED 6020, CNS ED 6200 and CNS ED 6400. This course emphasizes knowledge and skills for addressing the career development needs and decision making of K-12 students. The course addresses the creation, implementation, and evaluation of sequential and developmentally appropriate career curricula and interventions, as well as contextual influences on career development. The course is intended for school counseling graduate students, and those interested in college and career preparation and advising.

CNS ED 6680 School Counseling in the Classroom: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6200 and SPEC ED 6412. This course covers curriculum design and delivery and classroom management for school counselors who are teaching classroom lessons focused on academic, career, and social/emotional content areas. The course emphasizes student-centered pedagogies, methods of conducting needs assessments and evaluations of student learning, and differentiation strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners.

CNS ED 6700 Introduction to Addictive Behaviors and Addiction Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6010 or consent of instructor. Exploration of the theoretical foundations of contemporary approaches to such addictive behaviors as alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, compulsive gambling, and sexual addiction. The nature, etiology, prevention, and treatment of addictions are discussed and analyzed from a variety of theoretical perspectives. The applications of these specific theoretical models to various treatment settings are examined. Multicultural considerations are also addressed.

CNS ED 6730 Counseling for Loss, Crisis, and Trauma: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030, CNS ED 6060, and (ED PSY 6210 or ED PSY 6222). This course introduces students to theory and practice in counseling response to loss, crisis, and trauma experiences. Topics include models of grief counseling, the impact of crises, disasters, other trauma-causing events, and counseling skills and therapeutic interventions appropriate for individuals, families, and groups experiencing loss, crisis, and trauma.

CNS ED 6810 Integrating Religion and Spirituality in Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030. This course examines the methods to integrate religion and spirituality in counseling. It also addresses counseling strategies for persons of various religious backgrounds, the link between health and religion, and ethics involved in the assessment and integration of religion and spirituality in practice.

CNS ED 6820 Counseling Women Toward Empowerment: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030. This course provides an introduction to women's issues in counseling. The course covers relational theory, healthy development, and an overview of clinical issues most common to women.

CNS ED 6830 Counseling African American Clients: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030. This course promotes an increased awareness and understanding of the psychological development and mental health needs of African American clients. This course examines research-based theoretical strategies for counseling this diverse population.

CNS ED 6840 Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030. This course focuses on affirmative perspectives regarding sexual orientation and gender diversity in counseling. Current information on LGBTQIA+ issues necessary for adequate practice or research in this area is covered.

CNS ED 6850 Social Class and Poverty Issues in Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030. This course focuses on social class and poverty in the United States by examining the circumstances of poverty, the consequences of living in poverty (on behaviors, aspirations, relationships, education, and health, including mental health), and the impact of poverty on a helping relationship. Students examine the personal, social, and cultural aspects of poverty in rural and urban settings. Students explore specific attitudes and techniques designed to maximize the quality of counselors' work with clients experiencing poverty.

CNS ED 6860 Human Sexuality in Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030. This course focuses on integrating issues of human sexuality into the counseling process. The psycho-sexual development of the individual from birth throughout the lifespan is discussed and compared to other developmental tasks at each age. Themes related to influences from family, culture, environment, socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious perceptions of sexuality are integrated. The physiology of human sexual function is addressed, including variations in sexual orientation and gender identity.

CNS ED 6870 Counseling and Cultural Competence in a Global Society: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030 or consent of instructor. Through a mixed methods approach of cultural immersion, readings, class activities, and forums with cultural and educational leaders, counselor candidates will acquire strategies to collaborate with culturally diverse families and develop systemic approaches to equalize the experiences for every child/adolescent/adult client. Counselor candidates will broaden their world view and global perspective, and identify and develop culturally sensitive interventions for a range of counseling issues and settings. Candidates will also examine the impact of contemporary socio-cultural viewpoints.

CNS ED 7000 Advanced Theories and Practice of Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Doctoral standing or instructor consent. An integrated seminar and practicum focused on traditional, contemporary, and emergent theories as applied to practice with diverse clients. May be repeated up to three times.

CNS ED 7010 Advanced Multicultural Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 6030 and doctoral standing or consent of instructor. This advanced course addresses theories and research in multicultural counseling.

CNS ED 7020 Seminar in Counseling Research: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ED REM 6710, doctoral standing or consent of instructor. The purpose of this course is to review and analyze current counseling research literature. Ethical issues will be addressed.

CNS ED 7025 Advanced Counseling Research: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 7020 or consent of instructor. Engages students in the conduct of an empirical research project. Building from the research proposal developed in CNS ED 7020, students will obtain IRB approval, collect data, analyze the data, and write a manuscript reporting the results in journal article format.

CNS ED 7030 Counselor Education and Supervision of Individuals and Groups: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 7000, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course examines theories, models, and research in supervision (individual and group). Students will supervise master's level students in practicum, group, and field experience courses in counseling.

CNS ED 7035 Counselor Education and Supervision Practicum: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 7030, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course offers advanced training in counseling supervision. Students will supervise master's level students in practicum and internship courses in counseling. Students will be expected to maintain an assigned caseload of supervisees and attend three hours of weekly doctoral-level supervision.

CNS ED 7075 Teaching, Learning, and Technology in Counselor Education: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 7000, or graduate standing and consent of instructor. This course examines the pedagogy and epistemology of counselor education. Philosophies of teaching, instructional design, instructional methods, assessment of learning, and the impact and use of technology in teaching will be explored within the framework of the eight core courses as defined by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Students will both learn and apply classroom teaching knowledge and skills.

CNS ED 7780 Doctoral Internship: 1-6 semester hours

Prerequisite: CNS ED 7000. This course is a one hundred clock-hour field experience for each semester-credit hour of enrollment under the direction of a graduate faculty member. Students provide counseling services to clients at field sites, teach and supervise beginning counseling trainees, conduct research projects, and engage in leadership and advocacy. this course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.

CNS ED 7806 Practicum in Group Counseling: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: CNS ED 7804 and doctoral standing or consent of instructor. Students will lead or co-lead a supervised counseling group in the community.