Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of generic principles that guide and undergird the profession and also articulate a defensible integrated approach to counseling based on critical reflection and analysis of competing theories. The discipline of counseling involves exhibiting personal characteristics that are congruent with the philosophical underpinnings of the profession. Students must master professional and ethical standards of the counseling profession, including competencies in the areas of human growth, career development, multicultural issues, assessment techniques, and individual and group counseling techniques.
Counseling is a dynamic profession that requires knowledge of research issues and procedures.
Professional counselors are expected to understand new research findings and disseminate them for the use of other helping professionals through consulting and referral activities. Students advance through a comprehensive and developmental curriculum designed to address these areas. A counseling skills laboratory and a supervised internship are required of all students. A supervised internship in an appropriate field-based setting is also required. This practicum may not be used to fulfill degree requirements.