Online Master's in School Counseling

Orientation to the counseling profession through an examination of the history and philosophy of the counseling profession; professional roles of counselors; professional counseling organizations; and legal, ethical, and professional issues in professional counseling. Introduction to stages and strategies in the counseling process. Development of attending skills, basic and advanced counseling skills, as well as an introduction to case conceptualization skills. Includes an intensive laboratory focused on developing interviewing skills and mastering counseling procedures.

Introduction to School Counseling is a foundational course designed to introduce students to the school counseling profession. This course explores the history of the school counseling profession; the roles, functions, and professional identity of the school counselor; and the current models of school counseling programs such as the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model. Students will develop knowledge of the current issues and directions for the profession, and the requirements and challenges of being a professional school counselor.

Students will develop an understanding of counseling clients/students during crisis, disaster, and other trauma/grief causing events. This course will examine theories, models, assessment techniques, and intervention strategies. The counselor’s collaborative role in crisis preparedness and response is examined, including self-care strategies. The differences in responses to trauma/grief will be explored, along with counseling strategies to facilitate a healthy recovery. Counseling approaches for clients/students and families experiencing the trauma/loss such as suicide, death of a child/sibling, homicide, and unexpected death will be included.

The course covers the clinical management of common problems with children/adolescents. The importance of family and parent training is emphasized, as well as the critical need to intervene with children using play as the language of the child, Issues such as academic achievement, mood and anxiety, behavioral management, oppositional and defiant behavior, sexuality, substance use and abuse, self-harm and suicide are explored from a developmental perspective. Assessment, service planning and building a community-based system of care will be described based on current research literature. Creative interventions, including symbolic and art techniques, will also be explored. This course will be delivered in a hybrid format.

This course is designed to provide an overview of current issues in school counseling, such as achievement gap, academic success, preventing school dropout, at-risk youth, exceptional abilities, homelessness, etc. This course emphasizes developmentally appropriate prevention, intervention, and responsive counseling services for working with the diverse populations within the school setting. Included topics are program planning, implementation and evaluation, use of date and accountability, advocacy, and ethical and legal practices in the context of the school environment.