Counseling
Office: 1380 Lawrence Street Center, 701
Telephone: 303-315-6300
E-mail: academicservices@ucdenver.edu
Website: www.ucdenver.edu/education
Overview
The Master of Arts degree in Counseling program prepares professionals for community/mental health agencies, private practice, and public schools. Students accepted into the Counseling program follow one of two concentration areas. The clinical mental health counseling track follows state licensure requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); the school counseling track follows the requirements for both the LPC and Colorado Department of Education (CDE) licensure requirements for the Special Services Provider license in school counseling.
Both the clinical mental health and school counseling tracks consist of 63 semester hours. Core courses that are common to both licensure areas of study are followed by courses specific to concentration area. Both specializations require a practicum (150 clock hours) and an internship (600 clock hours). The master’s degree is a three to three and a half-year program with course work for two to two and a half years followed by a 12-16 months of practicum and internship.
The clinical mental health and school counseling tracks are nationally accredited by CACREP, the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. The school counseling track is a CDE-approved program.
Admission Requirements
Successful applicants to the Counseling program will have obtained a minimum 2.75 undergraduate GPA. Also, applicants will submit a current resume, a letter of intent, three letters of recommendation, and additional required materials. Applicants meeting these minimum standards may be invited to a half-day group interview that involves program orientation, small group interviews, a writing assignment, and a group exercise.
A prerequisite course in basic statistics (undergraduate or graduate level) is required prior to enrollment in the program or may be completed during the first year in the program.
Application materials are available at https://education.ucdenver.edu/academic-services/admissions. All materials must be submitted online by the appropriate deadline: September 15 for spring semester and January 15 for fall semester.
Faculty
Professor:
Carlos Hipolito PhD, University of Maryland College Park
Associate Professors:
Scott Schaefle PhD, NCC, LMHC, LMFT, University of Nevada, Reno
Clinical Associate Professor:
Edward Cannon PhD, LPC, College of William and Mary, Counseling Program Leader
Troyann Gentile PhD, LPC, University of Nevada, Reno
Assistant Professors:
Dèsa Karye Daniel, M.A., LMHC, NCC, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Clinical Assistant Professors:
Chaya Abrams PhD, LPC, LAC, Adams State University
Lisa Forbes PhD, LPC, University of Northern Colorado
Counseling (COUN) Courses
COUN 5010 - Counseling Theories (3 Credits)
Focuses on counseling theories: Psychodynamic, Adlerian, Person-Centered, Existential, Behavioral, including DBT, Cognitive Behavioral, Gestalt, & Reality Therapy. Also includes an overview of the history of the counseling profession and the role and function of counselors in various settings. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5100 - Techniques of Counseling (3 Credits)
Students practice basic counseling skills, develop therapeutic intervention strategies, and improve the effectiveness of their communication by practicing listening and responding. Videotaped role-plays are utilized. Prereq: COUN 5010 and 5810 and COUN-MA or CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5110 - Group Counseling (3 Credits)
Learn group theory and dynamics. Practice facilitating a group. Learn about screening, group membership and styles, roles and behavior, termination of groups. Extensive practice in laboratory setting. Prereq: COUN 5010, COUN 5100 and 5810. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5120 - Counseling Grief and Loss (3 Credits)
This elective course is an introduction and study of the field of bereavement in counseling. Studies focus on relating to client's experience with grief, loss and/or trauma through lectures, speakers, videos, readings, experiential in-class simulations, self-discovery and introspection. Prereq: COUN 5010, 5810 and 5820. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5200 - Strategies of Agency Counseling (3 Credits)
Students learn the role and function of the counselor in community agency settings. Intervention strategies, consultation, administration of community mental health agencies. Prereq: COUN 5010 and 5810. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5280 - Addictions Counseling (3 Credits)
Includes treatment strategies for clinicians in addressing varieties of addictive behaviors including substance, abuse, eating disorders, gambling and sexual addiction. Cultural dimensions of addictions are also considered. Restricted to Graduate level students in the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restricted to Graduate level students in the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5330 - Counseling Issues and Ethics (3 Credits)
An in-depth examination of ethical and legal issues in the field. Topics include working with individuals and family systems, licensure, professional associations, record keeping and statutory requirements. Prereq: COUN 5010 and 5810. Restriction: Restricted to COUN majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5400 - Career Development (3 Credits)
Development of competencies in career development counseling. Theories of work systems, psychological dynamics, information systems, and decision making models are covered. Interacting with work or family systems and other subsystems is emphasized. Restricted to Graduate level students in the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restricted to Graduate level students in the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5425 - Developing & Implementing a School Counseling Program: ASCA (3 Credits)
The course is specifically designed to provide training for school counselors and related professionals to develop and implement a comprehensive counseling and guidance program, which incorporates the ASCA National Model.Prereq: COUN 5110, 5400, and 5815, LDFS 6200, RSEM 5110 and 5120. Restriction: Restricted to COUN majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5810 - Multicultural Counseling Issues for Individuals and Families (3 Credits)
Offers introduction to competent multicultural and social justice counseling. Students develop the awareness, knowledge, skills and action competences necessary for culturally responsive interventions with diverse communities. The course explores issues of ethnicity, culture, age, disability, and sexual orientation and learn about multicultural and social justice interventions for addressing these issues in counseling. Restricted to Graduate level students in the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restricted to Graduate level students in the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5815 - Introduction to School Counseling (3 Credits)
This course emphasizes the unique and varied role of the school counselor and school counseling programs in diverse public schools. The course focus will be on learning the various skills necessary to meet the needs of school age students and others in the school community. In addition, the course will cover The ASCA model of comprehensive developmental school counseling activities, and focus on practical resources for counseling students in diverse school settings. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5825 - The Business Of Private Practice (3 Credits)
COUN 5830 - Special Topics (1-6 Credits)
Specific topics vary from semester to semester. Intervention strategies with children, issues in abuse, violence, incest, legal issues, adult counseling, grief, death and dying, private practice. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5835 - Gender And Sexual Orientation (3 Credits)
Investigates constructions of gender and sexuality in the systemic context of individuals, relationships, families, and culture. Emphasis will be placed on developing critical thinking and clinical skills that engage diverse clients in a respectful, ethical, and effective manner in therapy. Prereq: COUN 5010, 5810 and 5820. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 5840 - Independent Study: COUN (1-4 Credits)
Individually directed research activity on special topics not covered by course offerings. Degree students only, with advance approval by major, professor and department chair. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 5910 - Practicum and Individual Supervision (3 Credits)
Supervised counseling practice in the counseling lab and appropriate settings with individual supervision experience (towards 150 clock hours required for graduation). Emphasis on individual and couple and family counseling techniques and therapeutic intervention strategies. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Must be taken concurrently with COUN or CMFT 5911. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade with IP
COUN 5911 - Practicum and Group Supervision (3 Credits)
Supervised counseling practice in the counseling lab and appropriate settings with group supervision experience (towards 150 clock hours required for graduation ). Emphasis on individual and couple and family counseling techniques and therapeutic intervention strategies. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Must be taken concurrently with COUN or CMFT 5910. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade with IP
Coreq: COUN 5910 or CMFT 5910. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
COUN 5915 - Practicum in School Counseling (3 Credits)
This class will provide school track students with 3 credits of fieldwork at a developmental level of their choice. The course will require students to work with a school counselor activities that the counselor is assigned under supervision. Students will develop skills in needs assessment, developing classroom guidance activities and running the activities; they will sit in on IEP conferences, help conduct college fairs, administer career assessment inventories and standardized assessments, learn to place students in appropriate classes, and provide responsive counseling services on an as needed basis. Prereq: COUN 5010, COUN 5110, COUN 5400, COUN 5425, COUN 5810, COUN 5815, COUN 6230. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade with IP
COUN 5930 - Internship in Counseling (3-6 Credits)
Supervised internship of 600 clock hours. Intern performs activities of a regularly employed professional in an approved community site. Prereq: CMFT or COUN 5910 and 5911. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade with IP
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Prereq: CMFT or COUN 5910 and 5911. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
COUN 6100 - Spiritual Dimensions of Counseling (3 Credits)
A didactic and experiential course involving the following content areas: theories of spiritual development, a survey of religious traditions, assessment, ethical issues, self-of-the-therapist issues, and treatment interventions and strategies in working with clients' values. Prereq: COUN 5010, 5810 and 5820. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 6140 - Counseling with Children, Adolescents, and their Parents (3 Credits)
This is a didactic and experiential course dealing with therapeutic techniques applied to the improvement of child functioning, and parent-child relationships. Emphasis is placed on play therapy, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of childhood and adolescent disorders, parent education, crisis intervention. Prereq: COUN 5010, COUN 5100, COUN 5810, and LDFS 6200. Restriction: Restricted to COUN majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 6200 - Trauma Informed Care for Diverse Populations and Co-occurring Disorders (3 Credits)
This course will prepare students to become more trauma informed and understanding of cooccurring disorders within the realm of substance use and mental health treatment in their future careers of certified addictions counselors and other mental health positions in community and private sectors. The course will also demonstrate inclusivity in TIC. Prereq: COUN 5010, 5810 and 5820. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 6230 - Developmental Counseling in Schools: Prevention & Intervention (3 Credits)
This course offers the tools to provide developmental counseling services in the schools, including prevention through classroom counseling activities linked with the curriculum, and responsive services. Prereq: COUN 5110, 5400, 5810, LDFS 6200, RSEM 5110 and 5120. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 6250 - Mental Health Diagnosis (3 Credits)
This course addresses individual diagnosis from a variety of perspectives: Biological, developmental, medical, neurological, psychosocial, cultural and interpersonal. It will provide students with a broad theoretical base for understanding psychopathology, from not only an individual, descriptive, symptom-based perspective as presented in the DSM-5, but also from a contextual systemic perspective including developmental hallmarks, familial patterns and socio-cultural contributors. Prereq: COUN 5010 and 5810 or CMFT 5150 and CMFT 6180. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 6300 - Field Traumatology and Compassion Fatigue Education and Practice (3 Credits)
This course provides learners with a deeper understanding of field traumatology and compassion fatigue from standpoints of both practitioner and educator. The topics covered in this course include field traumatology, disaster mental health, Psychological First Aid (PFA), CF educator role, CF practitioner role and additional topics related to trauma. Prereq: COUN 5010, 5810 and 5820. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
COUN 6529 - Introduction to Play Therapy (3 Credits)
This course includes didactic and experiential learning to understand play as a therapeutic modality for children. This course introduces the history of play therapy as well as core skills, theories, and techniques that are unique to play therapy. Students who take this course will be better prepared to work therapeutically with children. Prereq: COUN 5010, COUN 5100, COUN 5330, COUN 5810, and LDFS 6200. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall.
COUN 6840 - Independent Study (1-4 Credits)
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development
COUN 6950 - Master's Thesis (4 Credits)
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade with IP
Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development
Additional Information: Report as Full Time.
COUN 7100 - Advanced Theories and Techniques in Psychotherapy (3 Credits)
Learn and practice advanced techniques for addressing adult and adolescent clinical problems. Examine efficacy research on specific counseling techniques as associated with particular approaches in counseling. Prereq: COUN 5010, 5100 and 5820. Restriction: Restricted to COUN and CAFT majors within the School of Education and Human Development. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade