About the Counseling Program
The graduate program in Counseling prepares highly qualified mental health clinicians for positions in community mental health centers, hospitals, private practices, other health agencies, and schools. Courses provide the history, theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy, and students are given ample opportunity to integrate coursework with firsthand experience by learning and practicing skills needed to be highly effective, culturally competent and ethical providers of mental healthcare to diverse populations. Graduates use their ever-growing base of knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based therapy to achieve positive clinical outcomes.
Arcadia offers the following eight concentrations:
Applied Behavior Analysis (View Concentration Requirements)
This concentration responds to the increased need for trained professionals to work with children with autism and their families. Living with autism generates many challenges and families often report high levels of stress as they learn to cope with a variety of issues, from personal relationships to supporting siblings and finding appropriate services throughout the person’s lifetime. Even though no single treatment has been identified to cure autism or other severe disability, a good therapeutic and educational program can effectively teach skills that will improve the person’s independence, as well as reduce the occurrence of challenging behaviors that frequently hinder the person’s participation in typical community activities.
Autism (View Concentration Requirements)
This concentration responds to the increased need for trained professionals to work with children with autism and their families. Living with autism generates many challenges and families often report high levels of stress as they learn to cope with a variety of issues, from personal relationships to supporting siblings and finding appropriate services throughout the person’s lifetime. Even though no single treatment has been identified to cure autism or other severe disability, a good therapeutic and educational program can effectively teach skills that will improve the person’s independence, as well as reduce the occurrence of challenging behaviors that frequently hinder the person’s participation in typical community activities.
Child and Family Therapy (View Concentration Requirements)
Many families today have a family member—child or adult—with mental health needs. Studies estimate that about 20 percent of children today have some type of mental health need. Arcadia’s specialty in the area of Child and Family Therapy recognizes the simultaneous mental health needs of parents, families and children, and the impact of child on family or family on child.
Counselors are needed who are trained specifically to treat children, adolescents, and their families. Courses focus on child and family mental health, including psychopathology and treatment strategies, as well as adolescent, couples, and family therapy.
Community Public Health (View Concentration Requirements)
Counselors are often asked to educate the public on mental health issues and implement wellness/recovery programs; however, counseling curricula usually offer minimal training in these areas. Public Health principles support both the prevention and advocacy missions of counselors as well as the Counseling program’s emphasis on evidence-based practice and assessment. Through this concentration, students will be able to learn about the systemic forces impacting mental as well as physical health, and how to intervene not simply with individuals, but also within communities to create health-promoting environments and practices.
Foundations in BCBA ® (View Concentration Requirements)
The Foundations in BCBA® concentration builds upon the Applied Behavior Analysis concentration and will provide students with specialized knowledge of the application of behavioral principles. The concentration is meant to complement the training received through the core curriculum leading to a Masters of Arts in Counseling. BCBAs® who also have an LPC would have the greatest earning potential and most independence in the realm of professional practice. Some states allow BCBAs® to practice independently, but others will not provide reimbursement unless you have a mental health license as well; this concentration will provide students will the opportunity to purse both credentials at once.
Mediation and Conflict Transformation (View Concentration Requirements)
As the field of counseling moves towards including prevention and advocacy, mediation training complements the clinical training offered by our counseling program. Mediation and conflict transformation are particularly useful tools not simply in international contexts, but also locally, to address family or community based conflict. Mediation is used in couples counseling and separation/divorce proceedings, in assisting communities affected by violence, and fostering communication and collaboration to create safe environments (locally and internationally). Students will be able to integrate these knowledge and skills into their counseling, advocacy, or conflict transformation work, thus adding to their marketability.
Mental Health Counseling (View Concentration Requirements)
Arcadia’s Mental Health Counseling program provides a solid core in counseling plus opportunities for electives in specialty areas of interest. Electives include, but are not limited to, addictive behaviors, trauma, child/family therapy, applied behavior analysis, autism, mediation, and program planning and evaluation.
Trauma: Clinical Bases of Treatment and Recovery (View Concentration Requirements)
The past decade has produced a clear rise in trauma-related events—”terrifying experiences that rupture people’s sense of predictability and invulnerability”—confronting the general population on many levels, from individual to international. Arcadia’s specialization in trauma responds to the growing need for counselors to assist clients who have been impacted by traumatic experiences, such as natural disasters, sexual or physical abuse, war, or other devastating events.
Advanced counselor training in trauma includes both short-term interventions and long-term care. Specialty courses focus on evidence based treatments of trauma, strategies for treating grief and bereavement, as well as advocacy and social justice.
All the above concentrations are designed for students seeking national certification and/or state licensure as master’s-level mental health practitioners. These concentrations are designed to enable a graduate to apply for licensure in Pennsylvania (or other states with equivalent requirements) once that individual has passed the National Counselor’s Exam (NCE) and has accumulated 3,000 hours of supervised work experience. The program is accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) and offers students the opportunity to take a free preparatory workshop for the NCE on campus.
Students can complete multiple concentrations. All master’s students in all concentrations take common core courses but choose areas in which to specialize. Each concentration is offered as a full specialty master’s program. The Child and Family Therapy and Trauma concentrations also are offered as free-standing programs for practitioners who already hold a master’s degree in a relevant area. The Child/Family Therapy and Trauma post-master’s programs lead to an Arcadia University Graduate Certificate. Finally, students with a 48-credit (or less if they graduated prior to June 30, 2009) master’s degree in counseling are able to apply for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Counseling and complete the state requirements for licensure as a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania (or other states with equivalent requirements). The Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism concentrations are also offered as post-baccalaureate certificates by the School of Education. (See separate listings.)
The Profession
Master’s-level counseling professionals are part of the mental health care field. They are practitioners skilled in the art of behavior assessment and change. These skills are utilized in a variety of professions, including mental health, medicine, allied human services, social services, and education. Mental health delivery is a thriving field and offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth in a variety of settings. The demands of today’s society make this field one of continued growth.
Arcadia’s graduates are prepared to meet the current and future needs of the profession. The program is structured to develop professional level competence in the following:
- therapeutic techniques
- interpersonal and cultural sensitivity
- use of diagnostic nomenclature
- psychological assessment
- consultation and educational strategies
- knowledge of and adherence to professional ethical standards
General Admission
General Admission to the Counseling Master’s Program
Program-Specific Admission Requirements:
The following requirements must be met:
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A graduate application, including personal statements, to be completed online at www.arcadia.edu/gradapp.
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a recommended GPA of 3.0 or better.
- One official transcript from each college, university or professional school attended. Transfer credits included on a transcript must include grades earned; if not, an official transcript from the original school must be submitted. Transcripts must be sent from the issuing school in a sealed envelope and contain the appropriate signatures and seals to be considered official.
- Completion of at least three Psychology courses, to include Introductory Psychology, with grades of “B” or better in each.
- Three letters of recommendation. The letters must be of a professional not personal nature. If the student has been out of school five years or less, at least one letter must come from a professor.
- Test scores are not required of applicants with an earned master’s degree or who have a GPA greater than a 3.0. Test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), taken within the past five years are required for all other applicants
- An in-person interview with administrators and faculty in the program by invitation only.
- International applicants should visit www.arcadia.edu/international for detailed information on admission requirements and application procedures. Official results from the TOEFL or IELTS are required for all students for whom English is a second language except for non-native speakers of English who hold degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand). A course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by an independent evaluation service based in the United States also is required.
Application Deadline
Regular Decision: Applicants seeking regular admission for the fall semester should complete their applications by January 15. Applicants seeking regular admission for the spring semester should complete their applications by November 1. If seats are still available in courses, the Counseling program will accept applications at additional points throughout the academic year. Announcements of additional application deadlines will be posted to the Counseling program’s webpage.
Early Decision: Early Decision is designed for applicants who hope to secure a seat in the Counseling program for the fall semester in advance of the regular decision admission process. Applicants seeking early admission for the fall semester should complete applications by November 1.
Expedited Admission for Arcadia Undergraduate Psychology Students to the Counseling Master’s Program
Program-Specific Admission Requirements:
The following requirements must be met:
- A graduate application, including personal statements, to be completed online at www.arcadia.edu/gradapp.
- A bachelor’s degree from Arcadia University with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better and a 3.0 or better in the Psychology major.
- One official transcript from Arcadia University. Transfer credits included on this transcript must include grades earned; if not, an official transcript from the original school must be submitted. Transcripts from other universities must be sent in a sealed envelope and contain the appropriate signatures and seals to be considered official.
- Two letters of recommendation. One letter must be from a Psychology faculty member and one should be from students’ senior internship supervisor (or from another Arcadia faculty member).
- Test scores are not required since students have GPAs (overall and Psychology major) greater than a 3.0.
- An in-person interview with administrators and faculty in the program is guaranteed.
Arcadia University Psychology students who do not meet the above criteria can apply to Arcadia University’s Counseling Master’s Program through the General Admission process.
Expenses
2019-20 Tuition: $775 per credit
Fees:
- Registration: $50 per semester
- Technology: $100 per semester
- Parking: $55 per semester or $100 per year (Fall and Spring) before 4 p.m. No charge after 4 p.m.
Financial Aid: Graduate students who have been accepted into a degree program and are enrolled for at least 6 credits per semester are eligible to apply for financial aid. Please visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid for information regarding available aid options and visit www.arcadia.edu/gradfinaidapply to complete required forms online.
Graduate Assistantships/Graduate Student Employment may be available to all students registered for at least 9 credits per semester. Students may apply for assistantships/graduate student employment upon acceptance and registration. Questions regarding graduate assistantships should be directed to the Office of Graduate & Undergraduate Studies at 215-572-2925.
Federal Loans: Graduate students are eligible to borrow through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan and Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan programs provided they are taking at least 6 credits per semester (in the summer, 6 credits over all summer sessions combined satisfies this requirement). For more information, visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid.
Leave of Absence and Deferred Admission Policy
Students Who Have Been Admitted but Have Not Started: After students are admitted, they are expected to enroll for the semester indicated on the acceptance letter. If they do not enroll for classes at the expected time and has not notified the Counseling Program, the Office of Enrollment Management, or the Office of Graduate Studies by the end of the semester indicated in the acceptance letter, admitted students will be placed automatically on inactive status. To become reactivated and able to take classes, students placed on inactive status must meet with the Director of Counseling. The Director will meet with the Counseling Graduate Program Committee to establish the criteria for students to return to active status, which could range from no requirements at all to full reapplication, depending on the case.
Students Who Started but Are Not Currently Enrolled: Students must file a Temporary Leave from a Graduate Program Form anytime they take a break in continuous enrollment (not including summer). Students who do not file a Temporary Leave from a Graduate Program form or an extension of leave, if needed, will be placed on inactive status. To be reactivated and able to take classes, students who have been placed on inactive status must meet with the Director of Counseling. The Director will then meet with the Counseling Graduate Program Committee to establish the criteria for students to return to active status, which could range from no requirements at all to full reapplication, depending on the case.
Academic Policies and Procedures
A grade point average of “B” is required for admission to degree candidacy, internship and for graduation. A grade of “B” or above is required for the culminating activity for any graduate degree; the culminating activity for the Counseling program is the Internship. A grade below “C” may not be applied toward a degree, and only 6 credits of “C” or “C+” will count toward a degree. If a failing grade is received (“C–“or below), the course may be repeated one time only with the director’s permission. No more than two core courses may be repeated.
A student may be dismissed for failing grades or if it is determined by the Department that the student’s conduct is unprofessional or is not consistent with the counseling profession’s code of ethics and conduct. See the general section of the catalog for more information concerning dismissal policies.
