About the Program
Coordinators
- Lauren Reid, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Counseling
- Warren Haffar, Ph.D., Professor and Director of International Peace and Conflict Resolution
Program Overview
Trauma affects millions of people worldwide each year. Individuals affected by natural disasters, war, ethnic conflict, and gender-based violence can suffer long-lasting psychological symptoms that cause significant personal distress and interfere with optimal functioning. Despite this, trauma survivors’ psychological needs frequently go untreated.
The combination of two master’s programs at Arcadia, Counseling with the Trauma Concentration and International Peace and Conflict Resolution, gives students a unique multidisciplinary program not found elsewhere. Students with training in both trauma-specific counseling and international peace and conflict resolution will be well-positioned to plan and implement programs that facilitate psychological recovery from violence and natural disasters, both domestically and abroad.
This program is for students with specific interests in trauma recovery at an international scale, as well as for students interested in serving the increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers within the United States. In order to do relief work abroad, agencies increasingly require professional credentials, and this program fulfills the requirements to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania.
Full-time or part-time
If completed on a full-time basis, the dual program will take three years or longer depending on individual students’ needs and preferences. Since both programs have part-time options, personalizing students’ schedules is easier than fitting additional courses into a full-time program block schedule.
Counseling Goals and Objectives
The Master of Arts program in Counseling (MAC) educates and socializes students to become practitioners skilled in the art of behavior assessment and change. Coursework integrates theory and practice both within and outside of the classroom.
The Counseling program is structured to develop professional-level competence in:
- Applying an evidence-based model of counseling
- Integrating multicultural practice in counseling
- Developing the professional skills to pursue specific careers in counseling
- Incorporating self-care into their counseling careers
Moreover, students in this dual degree complete a specialty counseling concentration in trauma with courses that focus on short-term interventions and long-term care with emphasis on evidence-based treatments of trauma, strategies for treating grief and bereavement, as well as advocacy and social justice.
The Counseling program is a primarily in-person program. That is, a majority of courses and other educational and training experiences are offered in-person on campus. However, several courses, including all summer courses, are offered virtually. Of note, the format of students’ off-campus fieldwork (Practicum and Internship) depends on the specific site where students are training. Some sites are fully in-person, whereas others are primarily remote, and some operate in a hybrid form. The Counseling program cannot guarantee that students will be accepted to train at a site with their preferred format.
The GPC is accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC). This dual degree satisfies current Pennsylvania course and credit requirements to sit for the NCE and to apply for licensure in Pennsylvania, after passing the NCE and after accumulating 3,000 hours of supervised work experience.
International Peace and Conflict Resolution Goals and Objectives
The IPCR program’s innovative curriculum allows students to develop an area of concentration within the discipline of international peace and conflict resolution, build an international network of contacts among the international conflict resolution community, and gain practical experience in the field. The IPCR program is structured to develop competencies in:
- Theories and dynamics of conflict and resolution
- Tools and techniques of conflict management, conflict resolution and conflict transformation
- Knowledge of the methods used to diffuse conflict on a variety of levels—interpersonal, groups and institutions
- An appreciation for the contributions of other disciplines to the field of peace and conflict resolution
Students can complete specialized courses in areas of a student’s choosing, including international law, sustainable development mediation, health, and human rights.
Benefits of the Dual Degree Program
Arcadia students have opportunities to integrate counseling and conflict resolution principles to service individuals affected by traumatic circumstances. These opportunities may include community projects and internships that will enhance their clinical and community-based skills, both within the United States and internationally, if desired. Of note, Counseling internships must be completed in the United States.
Dual degree students gain a greater understanding of the scope of both counseling and international peace and conflict resolution issues surrounding communities and individuals living in post-conflict societies.
The dual degree combines the advocacy agendas proposed by both international peace and conflict resolution and counseling/trauma psychology field to most effectively address communities’ and individuals’ problems in post-conflict societies.
Internship Possibilities
In this dual degree program, students complete separate internships in the Counseling program and in the IPCR program. Though these are separate internship experiences, there are opportunities for students to work in placements that allow them to combine their Counseling clinical training with their IPCR training. Such internships can prepare students to serve populations who have experienced traumas both at home and abroad, as well as address both individual and systemic causes of distress. As the fields of counseling and IPCR both have a strong advocacy component, it is invaluable for students to pursue internships that integrate both perspectives. These internships will be arranged on an individual basis with the Counseling and the IPCR program directors. Students also have separate faculty advisers in both academic programs.
Accreditation & Licensure
The Counseling program (MAC) is accredited by the Masters in Psychology Accreditation Council (MPCAC) and prepares graduates to become licensed professional counselors (LPCs) in Pennsylvania.
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