Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Record 2006-2007 
    
Graduate Record 2006-2007 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Counselor Education


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Counseling is a unique helping profession based on social and behavioral sciences. Professional counselors help individuals grow and develop to their full potential by assisting clients in addressing developmental challenges of everyday life as well as assisting clients who may have a mental illness. The professional positions that students prepare for require individuals who can work well with others, communicate effectively, tolerate ambiguity and can handle themselves in unclear interpersonal situations that can be addressed in multiple ways. The degree programs in counselor education are the master’s (M.Ed.), education specialist (Ed.S.), and doctorate (Ed.D. and Ph.D.). Graduate study in counselor education provides opportunities to acquire a depth of knowledge in theories of counseling, group dynamics, interpersonal relations, human behavior dynamics, and research procedures. Most counselor education courses are available only to counselor education majors. Some courses such as EDHS 733, 824, 828, and 834 may be taken by other students with the instructor’s permission.

Counselor education programs are designed for students preparing to fulfill client services roles in a variety of work settings. The entry-level programs (master’s and educational specialists degrees) require a minimum of 49-60 credits (see the brief descriptions below).  The two year Entry-level programs in counselor Education (Mental health and School Counseling) are designed to prepare students with culturally relevant knowledge and skills to practice effectively and ethically as professional counselors in schools, human service agencies, and metal health facilities.  The Mental Health Counseling program is designed to meet the pre-degree academic and clinical requirements established by the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Professional Counselors for independent practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor as well as for practice in a variety of agency settings that provide mental health services.  Ths School Counseling program is designed to meet the pre-degree academic and internship requirements established by the Commonwealth of Virginia State Department of Education for licensure as preK-12 school counselors.   The combined M.Ed./Ed.S. degree in mental health counseling requires 60 credits, including 48 credits from the master’s program. The doctoral degree in counselor education requires a minimum of 60 credits (including doctoral internship and dissertation credits) above the master’s degree.

The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA), has conferred accreditation to the entry-level degree programs in mental health and school counseling and to the doctoral programs in counselor education at the University of Virginia.

Brief descriptions of the counselor education program options are below; additional information is available from the Counselor Education Program, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400269, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4269 or the department web site http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/

Counselor Education Program Options


Mental Health Counseling


The option prepares students to provide mental health counseling in a variety of settings. This program option offers a comprehensive array of studies, which integrates the historical, philosophical, societal, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of mental health counseling with the roles, functions, and professional identity of professional counselors. Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders are included in the coursework. Students will be awarded the M.Ed. and the Ed.S. degrees upon completion of the Mental Health Counseling program. The Mental Health Counseling program requires a minimum of 60 (core, specialty, elective) credits. Students must be enrolled on a full-time basis (including the following Summer Session between their first and second years) through the Spring Semester of the second year.

School Counseling


The program option is designed for the preparation of professional counselors to work in public schools grades pre-K through 12. It is broadly based and interdisciplinary in nature. This program option offers a comprehensive array of studies, which integrates the historical, philosophical, societal, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of school counseling with the roles, functions, and professional identity of professional counselors in school settings. Effectiveness in school settings requires skills in working with individuals and groups, functioning as a school team member, and consulting with teachers and parents. Students complete field experiences at two different school levels.

Counselor Education Doctoral Program


Counselor Education Doctoral Program  The doctoral program in Counselor Education is designed to prepare graduates to teach in institutions of higher education and to participate in leadership activities at local, state, regional, and national levels.  Graduates should have the knowledge and skills required for success in academia, in research and scholarship, and in the training, supervision and education of masters level counselors.  They should also possess advanced knowledge of counseling theory and practice.

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