Counseling, Department of

Introduction
Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Programs and Courses Offered

Department Chair

Leah Brew

Department Office/Website

Education Classroom 405
657-278-8444
hhd.fullerton.edu/counsel

Faculty

Leah Brew, Joseph M. Cervantes, Sapna Batra Chopra, Matt Englar-Carlson, Jeffrey Kottler, Olga L. Mejía, Mary Read, David S. Shepard, and Rebekah Smart

Introduction

The Department of Counseling offers a Master of Science in Counseling, with a
specialty in marriage and family therapy.

Our program meets the educational requirements established by the California State Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to pursue licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT, Business and Professions Code Section 4980.36 and 4980.37) and as a Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC, Business and Professions Code Section 4999.32 or 4999.33, which took effect Aug. 1, 2012),

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), has granted accreditation until March 31, 2015, to the following program in the Department of Counseling at California State University, Fullerton: Community Counseling (M.S.).

We emphasize training clinicians who can serve the needs of individuals, couples, families and groups in their communities. We train students to provide counseling to adults, children, adolescents, couples and families. Our students learn to diagnose and design treatment plans, provide short-term and long-term counseling, conduct group therapy, work with addictions, provide crisis intervention, provide career counseling and maintain a professional identity as a counselor and marriage and family therapist in the community. The program strongly emphasizes a multicultural perspective. We are a culturally diverse faculty that specializes in working with students from different backgrounds. We prepare culturally competent counselors who will be sensitive to the diverse cultural heritages, lifestyles and special needs of individuals and families living in our community.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

The following learning goals and learning outcomes have been established for students pursuing a degree in Counseling:

Clinical Skills

Demonstrate effective individual (adults and children), couples, families, and group counseling skills which facilitate client growth
Demonstrate the ability to evaluate progress toward treatment goals during practicum experiences
Develop an awareness of and appreciation for social and cultural influences on human behavior and to recognize the impact of individual differences on the counseling process
Recognize client issues in the context of lifespan development
Recognize counter-transference that may be interfering with the client’s process, minimize counter-transference through personal work, and understand how counter-transference can be used in therapy
Identify ethical and legal issues, and apply them appropriately using the decision model

Conceptualization and Treatment Planning Skills

Gain significant knowledge of major counseling theories in the context of individual, couple, family and group counseling, and apply this knowledge to the actual counseling process
Understanding and application of the DSM-IV-R, psychopharmacology and various psychological assessment instruments
Recognition and treatment of clients with addictive behaviors

Professional Identity

Demonstrate an understanding of the counseling profession, develop an identity as a counselor and demonstrate a willingness to provide counseling and consultation services with the ethical guidelines of the counseling profession
Use physical, cognitive, social and emotional counseling strategies, which include principles of wellness, human development, and prevention in addressing clinical issues
View clients from a systemic (micro system) perspective

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Become critical consumers of professional research and literature
Formulate sound conceptualizations, recognizing bias and misattribution, and reflecting on ways in which therapeutic or research conversations are influenced through language
Collect and organize random or incomplete information for clinical hypoltheses, and systematically inquire about the multiple and varied perspectives of a client
Integrate prior learning, create a formal system of inquiry, and apply it in a “practicum of research,” which connects the work of researchers and clinicians
Draw from theoretical and empirical literature, field interviews, and personal experience to develop a knowledge base about unique issues relevant to Californians served by marriage and family therapists and counselors

Write Effectively

Write about various kinds of texts so as to articulate the dimensions of the work
Demonstrate an awareness of audience, purpose and various rhetorical forms as well as a high level writing within APA format

Programs and Courses Offered

Programs

Master of Science

Counseling, M.S.

Courses

Counseling

Courses are designated as COUN in the class schedule.