Additional CPSY Bulletin Information

Community Counseling Graduate Program (CPSY)

Offered through the Department of Educational Leadership and Community Psychology
in the College of Education
B210 Education Building
Phone: 320.308.2160
Fax: 320.308.3216
Web site: www.stcloudstate.edu/elcp

Department Chairperson: Dr. Niloufer Merchant
Department Secretary: Ms. Sandra (Sandy) Radzak
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Leeann Jorgensen
Graduate Faculty: Daneshpour, Jorgensen, Mason, M. Mayhew, Merchant, Mills-Novoa, Rudrud, Schulze, Vesely

The Profession

The purpose of this program is to educate individuals to work in a human service agency as a mental health counselor/psychologist. This program permits students to complete a degree with an emphasis in community counseling.  Post degree training in marriage and family therapy or chemical dependency counseling is also available. Students may apply for licensure in marriage and family therapy, chemical dependency or psychological practitioner.

Employers

Graduates find employment as community mental health counselors/psychologists and work for a variety of federal, state and community agencies. Crisis counseling centers, correctional settings, public and private mental health facilities also employ graduates.

Admission Deadline Specific to the Program

• Fall semester, spring semester and summer sessions: March 1

Admission Requirements Specific to the Program

• To be considered for admission, the applicant must complete the admission procedures as outlined under "Admission to Master's Degree Programs".
• Complete a personal data form obtained from the department.
• Successfully complete a personal interview with representatives of the profession, advanced students in the program and the counseling faculty. Interviews are generally held in April.
• For the specific interview dates and an appointment, contact the department. If attendance at an interview is totally impractical, the program coordinator may, in special circumstances, designate an alternate method.
• Careful attention will be given to previous work experience, academic background, scholarship, emotional maturity, interpersonal skills and commitment to the counseling profession.
• Admission is competitive and selection is based on an evaluation of all factors.
• Admission decisions are not made throughout the year. Decisions are made only following the April interviews.

Part-Time Students – Program Requirements

It is department policy to assist part-time students to complete a counseling program while continuing concurrent employment. However, many courses require daytime attendance. Following admission to graduate study, all part-time students must complete a minimum of 12 graduate credits per year of course work, approved by their adviser, in order to maintain candidacy in the counseling program. Students must complete the pre-practicum core courses early in their program of studies.

Length of Program — Measured by Semesters

• Part-time student: 12 semesters taking six credits per semester.
• Full-time student: six semesters taking 12 credits per semester (including summers).
• The program is designed for both full- and part-time students with some classes available in the evenings and summer sessions.
• Students must expect to complete their course loads by enrolling mainly in daytime courses.

Graduate Assistantship Overview

• Generally 10 graduate assistantship positions are available both fall and spring semesters.
• Graduate assistants assist faculty members with teaching and research projects.
• Graduate assistantships require full-time student status.
• An application must be submitted to the department chairperson. It is recommended that applicants for department graduate assistantships meet the April 1 deadline.
• In addition, all applicants for department assistantships are required to contact the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid to determine eligibility and apply for a federal work-study assistantship.

Degrees and Plans Offered

• Master of Science in Counseling Psychology: Community Counseling: Plan A (Thesis) at 52 credits
• Master of Science in Counseling Psychology: Community Counseling: Plan B (Written Comprehensive Examination) at 52 credits

Required Orientation Program

All new students (both part-time and full-time) must attend the fall orientation meeting held in late August or early September. (See the department secretary for details.)

Advising

Each new student will be assigned an adviser shortly after the interview process. The student should make contact with the assigned adviser as soon as possible to plan a program of study. Not all advisers are immediately available for conferences, particularly during summer session.

The Pre-practicum Core Courses

The program includes a common core of course work that is a prerequisite to the supervised counseling practicum experience.

• CPSY 619. Professional Orientation and Ethics, 3 credits
• CPSY 651. Counseling Theories, 3 credits
• CPSY 665. Measurement Techniques, 3 credits
• CPSY 667. Career Development, 3 credits
• CPSY 668. Counseling Procedures, 3 credits

Part-time students must complete CPSY 619, 651, and 668 early in their course selection.

Supervised Counseling Practicum

This experience follows the pre-practicum core courses and provides for the application of theories and techniques to counseling experience. Each part-time student must apply in writing to the graduate coordinator for placement in a counseling practicum at least nine months before beginning the practicum. Late applications might not be admitted since full-time students are placed first and therefore space is limited. This may result in a delayed internship and graduation.

Candidacy

Admission to graduate study does not constitute candidacy for a counseling degree. Rather, a student who has been admitted to graduate study is advanced to degree candidacy upon the recommendation of the community psychology faculty. Advancement to degree candidacy requires that the candidate must have:

1. Completed between 12 and 24 semester credits of graduate study at St. Cloud State University with a minimum grade point average of 3.0;
2. Submitted to the coordinator of counseling programs a current transcript and a completed candidacy form signed by the student and the adviser;
3. Clearly demonstrated the aptitude and ability to pursue graduate work, exhibited a commitment to counseling as a profession; and
4. Demonstrated potential for a successful career in the field of study selected. Admission to degree candidacy is not an automatic process, but rather the advancement to candidacy is approved by the faculty only after careful evaluation of all pertinent factors. Candidate review occurs during March of each year.

Supervised Counseling Internship

This experience follows the counseling practicum and is a final capstone experience which will provide counseling experience in a work setting. Community counseling students must complete a minimum of a 600-hour internship. The candidate must apply in writing to the internship coordinator by completing an internship placement request form before February 15 (once per year) for all placements during the following summer or academic year. This means a minimum of seven months before beginning an internship. (See the department secretary for details.)

Final Comprehensive Evaluation (Plans A and B)

All students are required to complete a final written comprehensive examination. To be eligible for evaluation, the candidate must complete the procedures outlined earlier in this bulletin under "Graduate study-Final evaluation procedures" during their final semester of study.

The deadline for application to take the comprehensive examination for each semester is posted in the department office.

The Curriculum

The following programs reflect the curriculum available at the time the bulletin was printed but does not necessarily represent the requirements at the time an applicant applies for a program. It should be noted that some additions, deletions, or changes may have been approved through the curriculum process after the printing of this bulletin, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to check on changes which might affect his/her program. The number of credits outlined below represents minimum requirements. The counseling psychology faculty may require additional credits to overcome individual deficits.

Master of Science — Counseling Psychology: Community Counseling

Plan A 52 credits, Plan B 52 credits

Research courses
Plan A, 12 credit minimum

• CPSY 675. Research Methods, 3 credits
• CEEP 678. Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 credits
• CPSY 699. Thesis, 6 credits

Plan B, 6 credits minimum

• CEEP 678. Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 credits
• CPSY 675. Research Methods, 3 credits

Core courses
Plan A or B, 40 credit minimum

• CPSY 619. Professional Orientation and Ethics, 3 credits
• CPSY 651. Counseling Theories, 3 credits
• CPSY 658. Multicultural Counseling, 3 credits
• CPSY 665. Measurement Techniques, 3 credits
• CPSY 666. Group Process and Dynamics, 3 credits
• CPSY 667. Career Development, 3 credits
• CPSY 668. Counseling Procedures, 3 credits
• CPSY 669. Counseling Practicum, 4 credits
• CPSY 671. Theories of Marriage and Family Therapy, 3 credits
• CPSY 696. Supervised Internship in Counseling, Minimum 6 credits (600 Hrs.)
• CPSY 681. Practice in Small Group Process, 3 credits
• PSY 640. Advanced Developmental Psychology, 3 credits OR
• CFS 621. Advanced Development of Young Children, 3 credits OR
• CPSY 530. Seminar: Individual and Family Development, 3 credits
• (Other courses may be substituted with consent of the adviser.)

Elective courses
Plan A, 0 credit minimum; Plan B, 6 credit minimum

• Electives must be approved by the adviser.

Chemical Dependency Certificate Program (graduate-level)

This certificate program provides academic and experiential training intended to prepare persons in counseling for chemical dependency counselor licensure.

To be admitted to the graduate chemical dependency certificate program, the applicant must first be admitted to the community counseling program. In addition, the student must:

• Complete a personal data form with an accompanying letter of application.
• Provide three recommendation forms.
• Provide written verification of one year of abstinence from drugs if chemically dependent and in recovery.
• Successfully complete a personal interview with faculty from the chemical dependency training program and representatives of the chemical dependency profession. Interviews are conducted each semester.
• Careful attention will be given to previous work experience, academic background, scholarship, interpersonal skills, and commitment to the field of chemical dependency.

The Curriculum

The following program reflects the curriculum available at the time the bulletin was printed but does not necessarily represent the requirements at the time an applicant applies for a program. It should be noted that some additions, deletions, or changes may have been approved through the curriculum process after the printing of the bulletin and it is the responsibility of the applicant to check on changes which might affect her/his program.

Course work in the Chemical Dependency certificate program may be modified to meet shifting licensing and profession needs. It is vital that students stay in contact with the certificate coordinator, Dr. Barbara Vesely, for current program details.

Chemical Dependency Core
18 credits

• CPSY 502. Professional Issues in Chemical Dependency, 3 credits
• CPSY 537. Theories of Chemical Dependency, 3 credits
• CPSY 538. Chemical Dependency Counseling in Selected Populations, 3 credits
• CPSY 539. Diagnosis, Intervention and Treatment of Chemical Dependency, 3 credits
• CPSY 545. Chemical Dependency Internship, 3 credits (minimum)*
• CPSY 684. Psychopharmacology, 3 credits

NOTE: *Students will have completed six credits of internship as CPSY 696 or CPSY 545 as part of their master's degree program. Three additional credits beyond the master's degree are required to meet the internship requirements for chemical dependency licensure.

Chemical Dependency Internships

The internship experience involves 440 hours of supervised training in an inpatient chemical dependency treatment center in central Minnesota and surrounding communities.

• An additional 440 hours of supervised training in an outpatient treatment setting are required to complete the requirements. Sites include public and private treatment facilities for adolescents and adults, regional human service centers, and veterans' hospitals.
•  Acceptance for internship requires approval of the internship review committee following the completion of all course work.

Program Inquiries

Dr. Barbara Vesely, Coordinator
Chemical Dependency Graduate Certificate
St. Cloud State University
720 South Fourth Avenue
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498

Phone 320.308.4895
E-mail: bnvesely@stcloudstate.edu

For admission applications please contact the School of Graduate Studies.