Courses

Suicidal Behavior and Counseling — This is an introduction to the roles that death, loss and meaning-seeking play in counseling. Counseling issues can be addressed on at least three levels: the presenting behaviors, the social and personal meanings that are attached to such behaviors, and the existential issues that underlie virtually all human behaviors and concerns. The course is organized around the four main themes of existential counseling and psychotherapy. These are: death, freedom, isolation, and meaning.

Helping Relationships: Counseling Theories and Techniques I — Gained foundational experience in core counseling theories and essential helping skills through hands-on practice, including audio and video recording exercises. This course emphasized the importance of ethical practice, self-awareness, and the development of a strong client-counselor relationship, while also introducing key elements of the consultation process.

Helping Relationships: Counseling Theories and Techniques II — Explored major counseling approaches and developed introductory proficiency in applying them within both counseling and consultation settings. Gained a foundational understanding of ethical principles, confidentiality, and legal considerations, including professional liability, essential to responsible and effective clinical practice.

Orientation to Addiction: Etiology, Screening, Treatment — Examined diverse models of addiction to better understand the underlying causes of alcoholism and substance use, along with their implications for treatment planning. Gained familiarity with a range of evidence-based approaches, including 12-step and other self-help programs, relapse prevention strategies, and the role of psychopharmacology in recovery support.

Human Growth and Development — Gained a comprehensive overview of developmental psychology with direct application to clinical practice. Explored foundational philosophical and theoretical perspectives on human development, including learning and cognition, personality development, and key issues that arise across the lifespan. Emphasis was placed on understanding how developmental factors shape clients’ experiences and how they may emerge in therapeutic settings.

Expressive Therapies — This is an introduction to the dynamics of the healing process as it is facilitated through creative art (CA) therapies such as music for Alzheimer’s patients or the use of humor with clinically depressed individuals. Learning experiences include in vivo opportunities in the CA disciplines. Learning opportunities also include: CA practitioner speakers, video demonstrations, films and involvement in local clinical settings. Current research in expressive therapies will be reviewed and studied.

Group Dynamics — Developed both practical and theoretical understanding of group counseling through experiential learning, discussion of group models, and review of relevant research. Gained hands-on experience in group leadership, observation, and participation, while exploring group dynamics in a range of contexts—from general mental health to substance use treatment. Special emphasis was placed on understanding group stages, therapeutic factors, and adapting facilitation strategies to meet diverse group needs.

Psychopathology and Personality Disorders — Built proficiency in psychiatric terminology and diagnostic formulation using DSM criteria, with an emphasis on hypothesis development and clinical reasoning. Gained foundational knowledge of both pharmacological and psychological treatment approaches for a range of mental health disorders, supporting more informed and collaborative care planning as a future clinician.

Integrating Seminar: Professional Orientation and Ethics — This is, in most cases, one of the final courses in your master’s degree program of study. In it, we will bring together key topics you have learned as well as selected special topics for review and examination, the specific objectives of the course are: (1) to reflect on and examine your own views on personality, psychopathology, and counseling & psychotherapy, as these are informed by different theories and techniques; (2) to identify your vales as these might affect your work as a counselor; and (3) to understand professional and ethical issues in counseling by reviewing relevant ethical codes and legal requirements. Students must have taken 42 credits before registering.

Field Experience: Internship I — This is a 600-hour internship in Mental Health Counseling (e.g. Substance abuse counseling, grief counseling, or other approved counseling) setting under the clinical supervision of a site supervisor. The seminar students meet weekly with faculty.

Field Experience: Internship II — A 600-hour internship in a substance abuse counseling, grief counseling, or other approved setting under the clinical supervision of a site supervisor. The seminar students meet weekly with faculty.

Foundations of Mental Health Counseling and Consultation — Explored the mental health counseling profession's historical, philosophical, and sociocultural foundations. Gained insight into mental health practitioners' roles, responsibilities, and evolving identity within diverse communities. Examined principles of community intervention, human services systems, and the impact of public policy, administrative practices, and governmental relations on mental health care delivery.

Research and Program Evaluation — Introduced to research methods and basic statistical analysis with direct application to counseling practice. Explored the role of research in improving clinical effectiveness, including needs assessment, program evaluation, and the ethical use of data. Gained experience interpreting descriptive statistics, reviewing research designs, and utilizing technology to support evidence-based practice in mental health settings.

Career and Lifestyle Development — Gained foundational knowledge in career development theories and decision-making models, with emphasis on the intersection of work, education, family, and life roles. Explored career counseling strategies, assessment tools, and labor market resources to support clients in navigating career and life planning. Addressed ethical and legal considerations in career counseling and developed skills in career development program planning and implementation.

Marriage and Family Systems and Counseling: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Maltreatment — Introduced to core concepts and major models of family therapy, with attention to the historical and philosophical foundations of systemic work. Explored a range of contemporary approaches to family counseling and gained insight into relational dynamics, intergenerational patterns, and therapeutic interventions with families. Completed New York State–mandated training in the recognition and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment as part of the course.

Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling — Developed a comprehensive understanding of multicultural counseling by exploring the cultural, social, and systemic factors that shape individual and collective identities. Examined how race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, socioeconomic status, and other intersecting identities influence mental health and therapeutic relationships. Gained practical strategies for culturally responsive counseling, including social justice advocacy, conflict resolution, and ethical considerations when working with diverse populations.

Appraisal and Assessment of Individuals, Couples, Families, and Groups — Gained experience with individual and group assessment techniques, including interviewing, diagnostic formulation, and test interpretation. Developed an understanding of case conceptualization, statistical concepts like reliability and validity, and ethical and legal considerations in assessment. Explored the historical foundations of appraisal and applied various assessment tools to support clinical decision-making with diverse populations.

Sex Education and Counseling: Intimacy and Sexuality  — This course examines the dimensions of human sexuality and intimacy that bear on the role and function of today’s counselor. Topics include: human sexual development, defining healthy expressions of intimacy and relatedness, an overview of effects of abuse and violence in relationships including sexual abuse, incest and pornography. Also trends in behaviors related to the transmissions of AIDS and STD’s, sexual dysfunctions, treatment modalities and sexual ethics for professional counselors.

Practicum in Mental Health Counseling — This counseling practicum is an introductory supervised clinical experience intended to enable the student to develop basic counseling skills in one-to-one and group sessions. One of the primary goals is to integrate academic training with professional experience. This course requires that students have been approved to register by the graduate coordinator and has secured an approved practicum in a mental health counseling facility in consultation with the internship coordinator and professor of the practicum course. Students will complete at least 100 hours of the 700 hours (consisting of PSY 694: Practicum in Mental Health Counseling, PSY 675: Field Experience in Counseling I & PSY 676: Field Experience in Counseling II) of supervised experience for the 60 credit degree program in Mental Health Counseling.