Counseling Services (School Counseling Concentration) Program Requirements
(60 credits)
Refer to Counseling Services Handbook for course sequence and prerequisites.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses Required Before Practicum | ||
| CNPY 502 | Theories of Counseling and Helping Professions | 3 |
| COUN 503 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| CNPY 514 | Psychopathology | 3 |
| CNPY 518 | Counseling Children, Adolescents and Families | 3 |
| or COUN 555 | Introduction to Play Therapy | |
| COUN 500 | Introduction to Counseling and Helping Professions | 3 |
| COUN 530 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling and Psychotherapy | 3 |
| COUN 550 | Counseling and Helping Techniques Laboratory | 3 |
| EDSO 501 | Foundations of Counseling in Edu Settings: Referral Sources for Stdnts and Stdnts With Special Needs | 3 |
| EDSO 502 | Applied Counseling & Consultation Models in Educational Settings | 3 |
| Courses Required Prior to or Concurrent with Practicum | ||
| COUN 504 | Vocational/Career Development in Educational Settings | 3 |
| EDPS 520 | Measurement,Tests and Assessments in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 520 | Multicultural Counseling and Relationship Development | 3 |
| Practicum | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Elementary School Counseling Practicum and Student Assistance Coordinator Practicum | ||
| Secondary School Counseling Practicum and Student Assistance Coordinator Practicum | ||
| Elementary School Counseling Practicum | ||
| Secondary School Counseling Practicum | ||
| Courses Required at the End of the Program | ||
| COUN 590/CNSC 590 | Internship in Counseling I | 3 |
| COUN 591/CNSC 591 | Internship in Counseling II | 3 |
| Courses that May Be Taken at Any Time | ||
| EDPS 503 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
| EDUC 500 | Introduction To Research | 3 |
| Elective Credits 1 | 9 | |
Select courses from the following list to complete nine credit hours; students should reference the Counseling Program Handbook and consult with their faculty advisor about elective choices. | ||
| Advanced Psychopathology | ||
| Prevention and Intervention for Body Image and Disordered Eating | ||
| Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling | ||
| Approaches to Family Counseling | ||
| Disaster Response, Trauma, Crisis, and Grief Counseling | ||
| Substance Abuse Counseling 2 | ||
| Strategies in Addiction Counseling 2 | ||
| Cultivation and Implementation of Trauma-Informed Counseling in Community & Educational Settings | ||
| Gender Issues in Counseling | ||
| Introduction to Creative Arts and Specializations in Counseling | ||
| Holistic Wellness Counseling | ||
| Parent-Child Play Therapy | ||
| Independent Study and Research in Counseling Services | ||
| Counseling Supervision: Issues, Concepts and Methods | ||
| Internship in Counseling Speciality I | ||
| Total Credits | 60 | |
Accelerated BA / MA
(15 credits)
Highly qualified undergraduate psychology majors are eligible to apply in their junior year for the accelerated BA-MA program. This program enables students to take graduate courses during their senior year that count toward both the bachelor's and master's degrees.
Applicants for this accelerated program must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and must meet the same admission requirements as all other applicants. Students must apply by February 1 of their junior year. Those admitted must maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout the bachelor’s part of the program. In addition, performance in graduate-level courses is subject to all academic policies and requirements of the Department of Graduate Education, Leadership, & Counseling.
Students accepted into the School Counseling accelerated program who would like to complete the BA/MA will take the following 15 credits* of graduate courses** during their senior year, in addition to the necessary undergraduate courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COUN 500 | Introduction to Counseling and Helping Professions | 3 |
| CNPY 502 | Theories of Counseling and Helping Professions | 3 |
| COUN 503 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 550 | Counseling and Helping Techniques Laboratory | 3 |
| EDSO 501 | Foundations of Counseling in Edu Settings: Referral Sources for Stdnts and Stdnts With Special Needs | 3 |
* Undergraduate students who would like to take fewer than 15 graduate credits during their senior year are also eligible to apply for the accelerated program. Taking fewer than 15 courses as an undergraduate student may mean that it will take longer to complete the BA/MA.
** Graduate program directors may suggest different graduate courses than the 5 listed above for accelerated students. Students should also consult with their undergraduate advisor on the choice of graduate courses.
Following successful completion of the undergraduate program, students will automatically be matriculated into the MA Counseling Services degree program, where they will complete the remaining MA-level coursework.
Courses and Descriptions
CNPY 502 Theories of Counseling and Helping Professions 3 Credits
Introduces the theoretical constructs of the primary theories being used in counseling and other helping professions, such as coaching. The theoretical constructs will be explored for use in self-reflection and self-development and to serve as the basis for development of psychological maps for understanding purposes of clients’ behaviors.
Prerequisite(s): COUN 500 with a minimum grade of D or concurrent enrollment.
CNPY 514 Psychopathology 3 Credits
A survey of the study of abnormal psychology. Includes classification, assessment, and treatment and prevention of psychopathology. Characteristics of healthy psychological functioning are examined. Biological, psychological, and sociocultural bases of well-adjusted and maladjusted behavior patterns are considered. Stress, anxiety, and milder forms of psychopathology are considered, as are more severe psychopathological conditions.
CNPY 518 Counseling Children, Adolescents and Families 3 Credits
This course will emphasize counselor and consultant behaviors that facilitate the helping process with children, adolescents, and their families. Information and activities will be provided that address age, ethnic, and developmental considerations in counseling children and adolescents. Issues and practices related to crisis intervention will be explored.
CNSC 580 Elementary School Counseling Practicum and Student Assistance Coordinator Practicum 3 Credits
This course provides students with a 100-hour supervised experience in counseling, collaboration, and consultation in an elementary school setting. Students will obtain a minimum of forty (40) contact hours with clients. The course will also provide an historical overview of the school counseling function. Current practices for assessing, organizing, implementing and evaluating school counseling services will be reviewed. The relationship of the school counseling program to academic objectives will be reviewed. Students will develop knowledge and skills in developmental, preventive, and crisis interventions designed to promote the academic and social development of students of elementary school age. Role, function, and professional identity of the school counselor in relation to the roles of other professional and support personnel will be discussed in the class and experienced at the site. Students apply knowledge and skills developed in pre-practicum experiences in addressing the needs of elementary students. Students must be supervised by a Student Assistance Coordinator (SAC).
CNSC 581 Secondary School Counseling Practicum and Student Assistance Coordinator Practicum 3 Credits
This course provides students with a 100-hour supervised experience in counseling, collaboration, and consultation in a secondary school setting. Students will obtain a minimum of forty (40) contact hours with clients. The course will also provide an historical overview of the school counseling function. Current practices for assessing, organizing, implementing and evaluating school counseling services will be reviewed. The relationship of the school counseling program to academic objectives will be reviewed. Students will develop knowledge and skills in developmental, preventive, and crisis interventions designed to promote the academic and social development of students of secondary school age. Role, function, and professional identity of the school counselor in relation to the roles of other professional and support personnel will be discussed in the class and experienced at the site. Students apply knowledge and skills developed in pre-practicum experiences in addressing the needs of secondary students. Students must be supervised by a Student Assistance Coordinator (SAC).
CNSC 590 Counseling Internship I 3 Credits
An internship that provides 300 hours of on-the-job experience, including all activities that a regularly employed staff member would be expected to perform. The internship placement is selected on the basis of the student’s career goals. School counselors, student assistance coordinators (SACs) and agency counselors who supervise interns determine the structure and the content of the internship in cooperation with the Rider supervisor. The approval and cooperation of the student’s superintendent, principal, or other appropriate administrative personnel must be obtained the semester before the counselor candidate’s internship is scheduled. Students must be supervised by an SAC.
Prerequisite(s): COUN 585 OR COUN 580 OR COUN 581 OR CNSC 580 OR CNSC 581. All other required course work must be completed or in progress and permission of the Rider supervisor must be obtained; any exceptions must be approved by the instructor.
CNSC 591 Counseling Internship II 3 Credits
The continuation of an internship that provides a 300-hour field experience including all activities that a regularly employed staff member would be expected to perform (n.b., a regularly employed staff member is defined as a person occupying the professional role to which the student is aspiring). The internship placement is selected on the basis of the intern’s career goals. School counselors, Student Assistance Coordinators (SACs), and agency counselors who supervise interns determine the structure and the content of the internship in cooperation with the faculty supervisor. Students must be supervised by a SAC. The approval and cooperation of the intern’s field supervisor must be obtained the semester prior to the actual placement.
Prerequisite(s): COUN 590 or CNSC 590 and all other required course work must be completed or in progress and permission of the faculty supervisor must be obtained; any exceptions must be approved by the faculty supervisor.
COUN 500 Introduction to Counseling and Helping Professions 3 Credits
Educational, social, and psychological foundations of counseling services. Basic theories, principles, and techniques of counseling and related helping professions, such as coaching, and their applications to professional services. Emphasizes self-awareness as related to becoming a facilitator of helping skills. The team approach to counseling services and the contribution of the various specialties within the total counseling services program are stressed.
COUN 503 Group Counseling 3 Credits
Analyze the historical development of group treatment methods, theories, practices, methods for appraising outcomes of treatment, and review research findings. Each class member will be a group member and a leader in an actual group counseling experience.
COUN 504 Vocational/Career Development in Educational Settings 3 Credits
This course provides a comprehensive and practical approach to career counseling, coaching, and curriculum design in Kindergarten through postsecondary settings. Theories of vocational development and decision making form the foundation for designing career counseling curriculum. The problems and techniques of using college and career information, assessment tools, educational and vocational goal setting, conflict management strategies, and individual and organizational change processes are stressed. Concepts of career/life planning and the interrelationships among life roles, family, ecosystemic influences, and work in a diverse and changing society are explored.
COUN 530 Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling and Psychotherapy 3 Credits
Examines and analyzes the legal, ethical, and professional parameters of counseling and psychotherapy. Discusses legal liabilities and malpractice cases arising from constitutional, tort, contract, family, privacy, and criminal laws. Examines client rights and counselor duties and responsibilities. Explores legal, ethical, and professional implications of third party payment, informed consent, medication, case documentation, client termination and abandonment. Advertisement of counseling services, crisis and case management, consultation and supervision, "duty-to-warn" and court appearances of an expert witness will be explored. Special attention will be given to child abuse reporting issues, dual relationships and to regional legal and ethical developments.
COUN 550 Counseling and Helping Techniques Laboratory 3 Credits
This is a laboratory course, which provides opportunities for both the observation and practice of counseling and professional helping skills. The purpose of this course is to provide students with their initial training in counseling and helping skills under closely supervised conditions. The focus of this course is the development of initial client interviewing and basic counseling and helping skills through an emphasis on techniques (basic and advanced listening and helping skills), strategy (the counseling and helping process), and self-development (the student as counselor and helper) grounded in theories of counseling and related helping professions.
COUN 580 Elementary School Counseling Practicum 3 Credits
This course provides students with a 100-hour supervised experience in counseling, collaboration, and consultation in an elementary school setting. Students will obtain a minimum of forty (40) contact hours with clients. The course will also provide an historical overview of the school counseling function. Current practices for assessing, organizing, implementing and evaluating school counseling services will be reviewed. The relationship of the school counseling program to academic objectives will be reviewed. Students will develop knowledge and skills in developmental, preventive, and crisis interventions designed to promote the academic and social development of students of elementary school age. Role, function, and professional identity of the school counselor in relation to the roles of other professional and support personnel will be discussed in the class and experienced at the site. Students apply knowledge and skills developed in pre-practicum experiences in addressing the needs of elementary students.
COUN 581 Secondary School Counseling Practicum 3 Credits
This course provides students with a 100-hour supervised experience in counseling, collaboration, and consultation in a secondary school setting. Students will obtain a minimum of forty (40) contact hours with clients. The course will also provide an historical overview of the school counseling function. Current practices for assessing, organizing, implementing and evaluating school counseling services will be reviewed. The relationship of the school counseling program to academic objectives will be reviewed. Students will develop knowledge and skills in developmental, preventive, and crisis interventions designed to promote the academic and social development of students of secondary school age. Role, function, and professional identity of the school counselor in relation to the roles of other professional and support personnel will be discussed in the class and experienced at the site. Students apply knowledge and skills developed in pre-practicum experiences in addressing the needs of secondary students.
COUN 590 Internship in Counseling I 3 Credits
An internship that provides 300 hours of on-the-job experience, including all activities that a regularly employed staff member would be expected to perform. The internship placement is selected on the basis of the student’s career goals. School and agency counselors who supervise interns determine the structure and the content of the internship in cooperation with the Rider supervisor. The approval and cooperation of the student’s superintendent, principal, or other appropriate administrative personnel must be obtained the semester before the counselor candidate’s internship is scheduled.
Prerequisite(s): COUN 580 or COUN 581 or COUN 585 or CNSC 580 or CNSC 581. All other required course work must be completed or in progress and permission of the Rider supervisor must be obtained; any exceptions must be approved by the instructor.
COUN 591 Internship in Counseling II 3 Credits
The continuation of an internship that provides a 300-hour field experience including all activities that a regularly employed staff member would be expected to perform (n.b., a regularly employed staff member is defined as a person occupying the professional role to which the student is aspiring). The internship placement is selected on the basis of the intern’s career goals. School and agency counselors who supervise interns determine the structure and the content of the internship in cooperation with the faculty supervisor. The approval and cooperation of the intern’s agency or school field supervisor must be obtained the semester prior to the actual placement.
Prerequisite(s): COUN 590 or CNSC 590 or concurrent enrollment. All other required course work must be completed or in progress and permission of the faculty supervisor must be obtained; any exceptions must be approved by the faculty supervisor.
EDPS 503 Human Growth and Development 3 Credits
Provides an overview and broad understanding of life span developmental theories and research applied to counseling services with special emphasis on developmental processes, individual differences and mental health. Includes strategies for working with developmental issues across the life span.
EDPS 520 Measurement,Tests and Assessments in Counseling 3 Credits
The primary goal of this course is to provide an understanding of the role of tests in a counseling relationship and of ways to select, administer, and interpret assessments for a wide variety of purposes. Students must first master some elementary statistical concepts due to their importance in understanding assessment. The basic measurement concepts of validity and reliability will be introduced and used to help students understand their role in selection of tests. Other selection criteria, administration, scoring methods, and test interpretation will enable students to evaluate, employ and interpret tests and other assessment procedures.
EDSO 501 Foundations of Counseling in Edu Settings: Referral Sources for Stdnts and Stdnts With Special Needs 3 Credits
The course provides an overview of the foundations of counseling in educational settings, including the historical roots; current and future trends, and functions in multicultural schools and higher education settings. Students examine the roles and responsibilities of professional school counselors to facilitate student success through the development of a comprehensive school counseling program as an integral component of the total education system. Basic principles and processes for building school-family-community partnerships are also explored through the investigation of community agencies, organizations and resources.
EDSO 510 Sociological and Cultural Foundations of Education 3 Credits
The American public school as a social organization which influences and is influenced by local, national and international cultural evolution. An exposition and analysis of the vibrant multicultural issues that sometimes determine the outcome of public education. An exploration of contemporary educational problems and challenges resulting from changing social and cultural conditions. A perceptive and reflective placement of these changes in a historical context to enable students put the future in perspective.
EDUC 500 Introduction To Research 3 Credits
This course will provide students with the tools to evaluate the claims and uses of research related to teaching, counseling, and psychology. Students will learn how to find and critique the literature, and will be able to conduct some of their own basic evaluative research to assess the efficacy of their practice and programs. At the conclusion of the course, students will have developed an understanding of rigorous research and evaluation design, and will have skills in data analysis and interpretation.