Master's in Counseling Program

Our Master’s program in Counseling includes a variety of courses, practicum and other training experiences which offer comprehensive preparation for professional practice as a counselor or therapist. Training in counseling skills begins right in the first semester, and formalized practicum usually begins in the second year. Full-time students complete the program in two years. We offer the following specializations:

Our master’s in counseling program prepares students to work as counselors and therapists in hospitals, schools, clinics, private group practices, and other settings in the community. It includes 48 credits of coursework including two semesters (600) hours of practicum completed in various settings throughout the Milwaukee area. Graduating from the program provides one of the qualifications needed to become licensed as a professional or school counselor in Wisconsin and other states in the country (see the link for Licensure Requirements for specific information for all 50 states).

The following sequence of courses is recommended for full-time students in the Master’s in Community Counseling program. If students take nine credit hours each semester and six credits during the summers, they can complete the program in two years. Each course is scheduled to be offered on an annual basis so part-time students will also be able to count on taking needed courses according to this sequence. Students in the other specializations within the Counseling Program will have a slightly different sequence of courses

 

Master in Counseling Recommended Course Sequence

Below is the recommended sequence of courses for full-time students in the Master’s in Community Counseling, General Program.

Fall Semester, Year I	Spring Semester, Year I	Summer, Year I
COUN 216* Introduction to Counseling	COUN 217* Individual Counseling	COPS 283* Professional Ethics & Legal Issues
EDPS 261 Introduction to Research Methods	COUN 222* Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy	COUN 235 Etiology and Treatment of Substance Abuse
EDPS 266* Life-Span Human Development	COUN 230* Psychopathology and Counseling Processes

* These courses are prerequisites for COUN 269, Counseling Practicum.

Fall Semester, Year II	Spring Semester, Year II	Summer, Year II
COUN 269 Counseling Practicum	COUN 269 Counseling Practicum	COPS 219 Career Development
EDPS 220 Assessment in Counseling	COPS 268 Multicultural Counseling	Elective
EDPS 218 Group Counseling	Elective	Master's Comprehen- sive Examination

Students in the specialization tracks do not have elective coursework. Instead, they complete coursework which prepares them for their particular specializations of interest.

Students in Community Counseling, Child and Adolescent Emphasis complete the following courses:

Students in the Community Counseling, Substance Abuse Emphasis program completing our accredited Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Program take the following as their “electives”:

Students in Community Counseling, Substance Abuse Emphasis complete our accredited Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Program by taking the following courses:

Students in School Counseling program take COPS 273, Behavior Disorders in Disorders in Children and Youth, instead of COUN 230, Psychopathology. They also complete the following two courses:

Program Philosophy

There are two tracks in our Master's in Counseling Program: Community Counseling and School Counseling. The required coursework is similar for the two tracks, but the Community Counseling track primarily prepares professional counselors to work in a variety of behavioral health and related settings and is designed to lead to licensure as a professional counselor. The School Counseling program prepares students to be school counselors in guidance departments and be eligible for licensure as a school counselor. Both programs are relatively clinically oriented in that both are designed to develop strong counseling and therapy skills in our graduates. Compared with many Master's in Counseling Programs, our program emphasizes the development of strong assessment, case conceptualization, and intervention skills in addition to solid preparation in the other research and professional skills that are needed to become effective counselors.

Though the emphases of the school and community counseling programs diverge at times, both use a developmental perspective which emphasizes growth and development, improving individuals' quality of life, and focusing on strengths and resources in addition to psychological deficits and problems. The ability to diagnose and treat psychopathology is an essential skill in our graduates, but our program also emphasizes the assessment of strengths and resources, as well as the development of resource-focused interventions designed to maximize the healthy and optimal functioning of individuals and communities. In fact, we consider it an ethical obligation to focus on strengths and resources in addition to deficits and problems when conducting assessments and designing prevention programs and treatment plans for clients and students. Minimizing either one can result in an incomplete conceptualization that is likely to result in less effective interventions and potentially deleterious effects. Another implication of a developmental emphasis involves prevention and the need for proactive systems interventions. For example, fighting poverty, racism, and other destructive societal and community influences are more important in certain contexts than applying individualized counseling interventions.

We believe that sensitivity to biological, psychological, social, cultural and developmental influences on behavior increases students' effectiveness as practitioners as well as the additional roles in which they are likely to engage (e.g., instructor, supervisor, consultant). This approach also helps students develop an appreciation for the importance of prevention with regard to behavioral as well as medical and social problems. Indeed, we view competence in working with all of these factors as necessary for the successful practice of counseling.

Our departmental policies also clarify our commitments with regard to diversity in our programs. Our policy on diversity reads as follows:

The Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, as well as Marquette University as a whole, are committed to social justice. These commitments are reflected in the Marquette University Statement on Human Dignity and Diversity, which reads, "As a Catholic, Jesuit university, Marquette recognizes and cherishes the dignity of each individual regardless of age, culture, faith, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, language, disability or social class." Our Department emphasizes the importance of diversity and multicultural influences on development in all of our programs, including our coursework and research, as well as throughout our practicum and internship training. The Department expects that all faculty and students will engage in respectful explorations of issues regarding diversity and multiculturalism as we develop more fully our commitment to social justice. In addition, faculty and students are all expected to explore their own attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors with regard to various forms of discrimination so that the quality of our research, teaching, and practice improves.

Finally, our counseling program at Marquette also exists within the context of the Jesuit educational tradition. This includes assisting students to develop a care and respect for self and others consistent with the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis , or care for the person, and service to others. This 450-year-old tradition emphasizes a care for the whole person and the greater community, a tradition which is also very consistent with the history and emphases of counseling psychology. This orientation is also consistent with the mission and vision of the School of Education at Marquette University, the graduates of which "will be 'men and women for others' who have a commitment to transforming social inequities in their schools, institutions, and communities and who exhibit Marquette's hallmarks of excellence, faith, leadership, and service."