Counseling MEd, School Counseling Emphasis
Mission
The School Counseling Program of the Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs prepares professional school counselors to serve the academic, career, and personal/social needs of culturally diverse students in the elementary, middle, and secondary schools. The Counseling Program strives to develop a culturally diverse student population and to draw students from local, regional, national, and international locations.
Purpose
The M.Ed. in School Counseling degree prepares students to work as school counselors in public or private elementary, middle, or high school settings. Preparation is designed to enable students to deliver counseling services to schools and their extended communities. Students are trained to apply principles of learning, human development, counseling, research, and measurement within the schools. The program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students wishing to receive Missouri certification in K-12 Counseling must complete all required courses. Students not possessing a teaching certificate must complete specific electives to complete their certification requirements
Admission
In addition to meeting the general admission requirements of the Graduate School, applicants to the M.Ed. must complete the program supplemental application, have two completed references on file, have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0, and upon admission will take CNS ED 6010, Theories of Counseling, in their first semester. Admissions will be conducted twice a year. The deadlines for application are March 1 for the fall semester and October 1 for the spring semester.
| Course Number | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Theories of Counseling | ||
| Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling | ||
| Helping-Relationship Skills | ||
| School Counseling Practicum | ||
| School Counseling Internship | ||
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum I | ||
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship |
Students admitted to the M.Ed. degree programs in counseling as “restricted graduate students” (see the “graduate study” rules in this Bulletin) must attain a 3.0 GPA in the 12 hours of course work at UMSL. Restricted students must include the following courses in the first 12 hours of coursework: CNS ED 6010: Theories of Counseling and CNS ED 6020: Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling. A student on restricted status earning any grade less than a B- in either of these courses but still maintaining a 3.0 GPA, will be allowed to repeat the course one time and must earn a grade of B- or better to be fully admitted.
Requirements for the School Counseling Emphasis
The courses listed below meet the course work requirements for the M.Ed. degree, state certification, and licensing as a professional counselor:
| Course Number | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Counselor Education | ||
| CNS ED 6010 | Theories of Counseling | 3 |
| CNS ED 6020 | Ethical and Professional Issues in Counseling | 3 |
| CNS ED 6030 | Foundations for Multicultural Counseling | 3 |
| CNS ED 6040 | Group Procedures in Counseling | 3 |
| CNS ED 6050 | Assessment in Counseling | 3 |
| CNS ED 6060 | Helping-Relationship Skills | 3 |
| CNS ED 6200 | Foundations of School Counseling | 3 |
| CNS ED 6270 | School Counseling Practicum | 3 |
| CNS ED 6280 | School Counseling Internship | 6 |
| CNS ED 6400 | Career Counseling and Development | 3 |
| CNS ED 6600 | Counseling Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| or CNS ED 6610 | Introduction to Play Therapy | |
| CNS ED 6630 | Career Development in K-12 Schools | 3 |
| CNS ED 6730 | Counseling for Loss, Crisis, and Trauma | 3 |
| Psychological Foundations and Human Development | ||
| ED PSY 6210 | Life-Span: Individual and Family Development | 3 |
| ED PSY 6532 | Psychoeducational Differences | 3 |
| Educational Research and Evaluation Methods | ||
| ED REM 6710 | Educational Research Methods and Design | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Nine credit hours from CNS ED or related courses such as: | 9 | |
| Counseling Individuals with Disabilities | ||
| Advanced Career and Leadership Development | ||
| Advanced Play Therapy | ||
| School Counseling in the Classroom | ||
| Introduction to Addiction Counseling | ||
| Counseling Black Clients | ||
| Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Counseling | ||
| Social Class and Poverty in Counseling | ||
| Counseling and Cultural Competence in a Global Society | ||
| Comprehensive Examination (Capstone Experience) 1 | ||
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
Please consult with the Department office for requirements and dates of this examination.
Learning Outcomes
The Master of Education in Counseling programs prepare professionals to work in educational settings - elementary, middle, or high schools - as school counselors or in clinical settings - clinics, community mental health centers, or private practice - as clinical mental health counselors. Counselors have professional preparation in the theory and practice of counseling, treatment planning, and career development.
The candidate learning outcomes of the school and clinical mental health counseling programs are to:
- Demonstrate awareness and behavior consistent with an understanding and appreciation of diversity issues.
- Apply helping relationship skills to establish therapeutic alliances and to achieve counseling goals with clients in diverse counseling settings.
- Utilize counseling ethical standards to guide professional practice and ethical decision-making.
- Assess client status and goals within relevant treatment contexts (e.g., school, clinic, community) and identify interventions based on research and best practice.
- Identify and apply appropriate theories to conceptualize client cases and inform counseling practice to achieve therapeutic goals.
- Articulate the ways in which mental health and career needs intersect for clients across the lifespan.
- Use developmentally appropriate trauma-informed approaches to address the needs of clients and systems.