Advanced Counseling Post Master's Certificate Program - Graduate - 2015 University Catalog

Coordinator: Dr. Edina Renfro-Michel
Office: University Hall, Room 3215
Phone: (973) 655-5381
Email: renfromichee@mail.montclair.edu

The Counseling programs at Montclair State University prepare students to become multiculturally competent counselors in a variety of work settings. Students are prepared to work with diverse populations in elementary and secondary schools, community agencies, student affairs positions in colleges and universities, and substance abuse treatment facilities. The academic preparation follows guidelines established by state licensure and certification boards.

The graduate programs in Counseling offer several advantages:

  • Opportunities for alternative scheduling in the form of face-to-face, hybrid, or Saturday classes to meet the needs of the working student
  • The opportunity to master counseling skills in a technologically state-of-the-art counseling laboratory, which allows students to record, archive, and review their own counseling practice sessions, which enhances their ability to serve future clients
  • A diverse group of faculty members actively engaged in scholarly research who hold national leadership positions in professional associations, including the American Counseling Association (ACA)
  • A theory-to-practice model of instruction that allows students to gain practical experience in schools, community agencies, and colleges and universities
  • An emphasis on the infusion of multicultural counseling and social justice practice in all courses
  • A vibrant and diverse student body that has the opportunity to engage with faculty members on research and present at professional conferences

The Advanced Counseling Certificate program is designed to fulfill state-level and national standards for Licensed Professional Counselors. This program meets the highest professional standards according to CACREP, The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), and the NJ Board of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Course Descriptions:

COUN540: Introduction to Substance Abuse Counseling (3 hours lecture)

Students learn about substance abuse counseling and related issue. Students gain an understanding of the historical context, etiological theories, and psychoactive impact of substances on the brain. Students learn about evidence-based assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse/dependence with emphasis on theory and research driven clinical counseling practice. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: matriculation in Counseling w/concentration: Addictions Counseling (CNAC), Clinical Mental Health (CNCC), Counseling w/Conc:StudentAffairs/Couns in HigherEd (CNSA), Counseling w/Conc:SchoolCounseling (CNSC), or Advanced Counseling (ACOU), Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADCO), Substance Awareness Coordinator (SAC), Counseling w/Conc:ClinicalMental Hlth Counseling (CNCM); or departmental approval.

COUN564: Counseling Children and Adolescents (3 hours lecture)

This course will provide an overview of theories and techniques of counseling children and adolescents in school and clinical settings. The course is designed to help counseling graduate students develop a knowledge base of skills, theories, and research into critical issues needed for contemporary counseling with children and adolescents. Emphasis will be placed upon a thorough understanding of developmental processes as well as the counselor's role as a facilitator of those processes which enhance resiliency and build cognitive, social and academic success. 3 sh.

COUN569: Treatment in the Context of the Family (3 hours lecture)

In this course, students engage in an advanced study of characteristics and treatment interventions in family and couples therapy. Regarding the family as social system, students examine advanced interactional processes, role structure and conflicts, and situational variables (culture, gender, SES, etc.), utilizing case studies, diagnosis and treatment techniques within the framework of the traditional and nontraditional family configurations in our world. 3 sh.

COUN570: Counseling Adults (3 hours lecture)

Based on current developmental models, this course provides theoretical frameworks from which to understand the needs of adults who seek counseling. Effective approaches and practical applications for various adult populations will be addressed, with special attention to matters of diversity. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Graduate students with majors in the Counseling and Educational Leadership department (CNEL) department only, COUN 577.

COUN579: Appraisal of the Individual (3 hours lecture)

Examines the use, selection, administration scoring and interpretation of standardized inventories/tests related to the field of counseling. This psychological testing course is designed to provide students with experience using a variety of assessment tools related to treatment planning in counseling in schools, agencies and other settings. Practical experience in test administration and interpretation required. Testing fee. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552 and COUN 577 and EDFD 503.

COUN584: Group Counseling: Theory and Practice (3 hours lecture)

This course is designed to familiarize counselors with the use of group counseling methods for the facilitation of personal growth, the treatment of social and emotional disorders and the socioemotional education and enrichment of the individual. Students examine the historical and cultural context for group methods. Emphasis is placed on group membership, group process, relevant social, psychological and educational theories in group behavior, treatment and strategies. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577, COUN 588 and Matriculation in Graduate Counseling Program, minimum grade of "B" or better in COUN 588.

COUN590: Clinical Applications in Addictions Counseling (3 hours lecture)

Students gain an understanding of clinical assessment, case conceptualization and case management in addictions, process compulsions (ex. gambling, shopping, overeating), and crisis management throughout the lifespan. Students explore and demonstrate knowledge of evidence based methods of addiction treatment in a range of settings. Ethical implications, environmental context, and sociocultural aspects of clinical assessment, treatment, and consultation serve as the foundation for student learning. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577, COUN 588 and matriculation in Counseling w/concentration: Addictions Counseling (CNAC), Clinical Mental Health (CNCC) or Advanced Counseling (ACOU), Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADCO), Substance Awareness Coordinator (SAC), Counseling w/Conc:ClinicalMental Hlth Counseling (CNCM); or departmental approval.

COUN592: Theories of College Student Development (3 hours lecture)

This course is designed to introduce students to relevant models and theories of student and human development used in Student Affairs counseling and administration in higher education. Students will engage in a critical examination of the processes of student learning, growth and development during the college years and in theories that support and enhance student affairs administration. Special focus will be directed toward understanding the implications of these models for the policies and practices of education in general and student affairs administration in particular. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Matriculated in Counseling w/conc:StudentAffairs/Couns in HigherEd (CNSA) or departmental approval.

COUN604: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis (3 hours lecture)

Students learn about clinical assessment, case conceptualization, case management, and treatment planning in counseling with children, adolescents, and adults. Students gain a working knowledge of the DSM and its diagnostic and practical relationship to counseling. Students also learn other tools of and approaches toward ongoing clinical assessment (ex. ICD 10; behavioral, strengths-based). 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577, COUN 588, matriculation in Counseling w/concentration: Community Counseling (CNCC) or Advanced Counseling (ACOU) or departmental approval.

COUN605: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (3 hours lecture)

This course is designed to introduce students to the profession of clinical mental health counseling. This course will examine the historical, societal, cultural, and fiscal dimensions of clinical mental health counseling. Students will engage in a critical examination of the roles, functions, ethical responsibilities and settings of mental health counseling professionals. Roles of mental health counselors will be examined including the counseling process, assessment and diagnosis, treatment planning, crisis intervention, resource development, and advocacy. Programmatic functions of clinical mental health counselors will be discussed including an understanding of needs assessments, prevention education, program development, grant writing, fiscal management, and program evaluation. Ethical, legal, and professional issues related to mental health counseling will be presented, including issues related to clinical private practice settings. Students will study issues related to credentialing, licensure, and professional development. Students will also learn skills in technological competence and computer literacy necessary for effective professional mental health counseling practice. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577 and COUN 588.

COUN651: Strategies in Gerontological Counseling (3 hours lecture)

This course provides perspectives on gerontological counseling. Emphasis is on the physical, psychological and social factors as they influence treatment planning, strategies and techniques of counseling. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 588.

COUN652: Introduction to Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling (3 hours lecture)

This course includes an introduction to the major current theoretical approaches of family and couples counseling with emphasis on the counseling process from a family system's perspective in agency, school, or higher education settings within a diverse, multicultural society. Developmental family stages and practice counseling strategies are included. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577, COUN 588, COUN 595 and COUN 584.

COUN653: Selected Topics in Counseling (3 hours lecture)

This course provides counseling professionals in public, private and nonprofit settings with knowledge about current issues, developments and trends affecting their work and organizations. It will examine strategies to improve professional effectiveness and delivery of services in the face of significant changes impacting the practice of counseling. May be repeated twice for a maximum of 9.0 credits as long as the topic is different. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Graduate students with majors in the Counseling and Educational Leadership department only.

COUN665: Ecotherapy: Applied Ecopsychology (3 hours lecture)

This course examines a new approach to therapy and counseling. Ecopsychology is a part of an emergent paradigm that seeks to understand the relationship between the problems individuals bring to counseling and environmental degradation. Ecotherapy applies the insights of ecopsychology to counseling and therapy through a new approach that sees the healing of the human psyche and the nurturing of the earth as part of the same enterprise. Students will explore and evaluate the effects of human perceptions, attitudes, values, and behavior in relation to the natural world and learn approaches, skills and techniques that foster human well-being and the health of the natural world. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Graduate students with majors in the Counseling and Educational Leadership department.

COUN666: Advanced Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling (3 hours lecture)

This course builds on information learned in COUN 552 (Introduction to Professional and Ethical Issues in Counseling) and is to be taken concurrently or after completing COUN 624 (Practicum). The focus is on philosophical underpinnings of professional ethics, application of ethical decision-making theories and processes, and analysis of more complex ethical and legal cases and consideration of typical moral-ethical dilemmas faced by counselors than were addressed in COUN 552. Actual cases are used in focusing on ethical-legal responsibilities and decision-making. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577, COUN 584, COUN 588 and COUN 595; and COUN 624 may be taken as prerequisite or corequisite.

COUN667: Counseling the Adoption Triad (3 hours lecture)

This course explores the various issues related to counseling members of the adoption triad (i.e., adopted persons, adoptive parents, and birth parents). In-depth examinations of the factors that impact development and adjustment throughout the lifespan are discussed, and adoption sensitive and adoption competent counseling training is emphasized. Students will gain knowledge of the history of adoption, the research and findings regarding issues of relinquishment, search and reunion, identity, transracial adoption, and counseling skills with the adoption triad. 3 sh.

COUN672: Counseling Older Adults (3 hours lecture)

In this course students examine the major developmental issues experienced by older adults for which they might seek counseling. Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning for older adults are considered through a multicultural framework. Counseling interventions for typical problems experienced by older adults are reviewed from a biopsychosocial framework, including the role of advocacy and social justice in considering the politics of aging. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 588.

COUN673: Gender Issues in Counseling (3 hours lecture)

This course will examine the sociocultural context in which gender roles, expectations and behaviors develop. Students examine counseling approaches based on empowerment models, identify counselor dispositions, and practice the skills required for effective counseling within these models. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: COUN 552, COUN 577, COUN 588 or department approval.

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