Frequently Asked QuestionsAre students accepted all year round?The admissions committee evaluates applications three times per year. What does the admissions process entail?Degree candidates must submit the application form, two sets of transcripts from each college/university attended (excluding extension courses), results of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) OR Miller's Analogies Test (MAT), 3 letters of recommendation (on form provided in the application) from people who have been in either supervisory or collegial positions and are not friends or family, a statement of purpose, and the $50 application fee. You are welcome to apply by mail or online. What are the prerequisites for entrance into the masters program?You must have a bachelors degree from an accredited four year school (or equivalent) in ANY FIELD with a 3.0 or higher. There are no academic prerequisites in psychology. The basics of the field will be covered within the 51 and 78 unit programs. Prospective students should have at least a year of practical experience in a field related to applied areas of psychology. This prerequisite may be in the form of volunteer or paid work. What is the difference between a Masters in Counseling (51 units) and a Masters in Counseling Psychology (78 units)?The Masters in Counseling Psychology is considered the "journeyman's" degree for most students. In addition to being a more thorough study of the dynamics of counseling, the Masters in Counseling Psychology allows you a broader range of career options than the Masters in Counseling. It is important to note that should you ever choose to go into private practice as a therapist, the state of California requires you obtain the designated licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). The Masters in Counseling Psychology offers a track designed specifically for those who wish to obtain licensure. As an MFT, not only can you set up private practice, but you are able to work for a variety of clinics, hospitals, hospices, non-profit social service organizations, county facilities, schools, etc. A select few of the aforementioned institutions do hire non-licensed individuals. So, if you do not plan to become an MFT, it is recommended you contact the employer for whom you wish to work and ensure the Masters in Counseling is sufficient. The Masters in Counseling may be a good choice for those who are interested in bettering their relational skills in the environment in which they already work or intend to pursue a doctorate and have no previous academic experience in psychology. What is the Department of Counseling Psychology's student body size? Are students part of a cohort?There are approximately 300 students enrolled in the Counseling Psychology masters program (not including students of non-degree status). Although there is a generally preferred class sequence (see below), students do not funnel through the courses within a cohort. Individuals are encouraged to take as many classes as their schedules allow; some people are full-time students (3-4 classes), others attend school part-time (1-2 classes). What is the average class size?In the past three years, the average class size was approximately 18 students. Class size varies depending on whether it is a required (core) course, an elective, or specific to an emphasis. The largest classes have a cap of 30 students. Several other classes are capped at 24. A few specialty emphasis classes may be as small as six students. When do the majority of classes meet?Classes usually meet once a week for three hours. The majority of our classes are held in the evenings: 5-8, 5:30-8:30, 5;45-8:45 or 6-9. One or two classes per quarter meet during daytime hours, but it is not possible to complete the program in the daytime. Summer classes are on a different schedule. Most summer classes meet twice a week for three hours, but there are also opportunities to take weekend, morning, or Monday-Friday classes that meet for a two week period. How long will it take to get my masters degree? What about my licensure?Depending on the masters degree you intend to complete and whether you attend classes full or part-time, the program length varies. You are free to set the pace of your program, bearing in mind the recommended course sequences/prerequisites and five-year limit on program completion. If you choose to do the 51 unit masters (17 classes), plan for about 2 years. A reasonable time-line for completing the 78 unit program (26 classes) is 3 years. Licensure is granted by the State, not a University. The state of California gives the examination for MFT Licensure. To sit for the exam a candidate must complete the 78-unit Masters and 3000 hours of supervised training (up to 1200 of these hours may be obtained while in school). Do you have to have an emphasis and what are the options?You do not have to choose an emphasis. Emphases are essentially ways for students with certain interests to focus their elective courses into a planned sequence. Current emphases are Career Counseling, Health Psychology, Correctional Counseling and Latino Counseling. What is practicum and how do I find a placement?Practicum is the required supervised training that must be completed before graduation. For MFT candidates, practicum is a three-quarter commitment. Students in the 51-unit program dedicate two quarters to practicum. Placements are coordinated by Dr. Moretti. Students often explore a host of potential placements at the "Practicum Fair" which is hosted at SCU each spring. Representatives from organizations (social service programs, schools, YMCA/YWCA, counseling centers, clinics, community colleges, etc.) that are looking for students in training come to SCU for the fair to recruit trainees for the coming year. The sites featured at the fair have been pre-approved by Dr. Moretti as providing adequate amounts of training and high-quality supervision. We also have a binder with the approved sites that can be viewed at the Administrative Assistant's (Susan Babbel's) desk. However, if you already know where you would like to do your practicum and it is not yet recognized by our department, you have the option of requesting that site be inspected. If the placement is acceptable, you will be able to work there for the duration of practicum. If I decide to become an MFT, am I limited to working with married couples and families?No. MFTs are trained to work with individuals (children, adolescents, and adults), couples, and groups (including families). Doing therapy with these parties for the purpose of examining interpersonal relationships is within the scope of practice. However, therapists are limited by their scope of competence and are ethically and legally obligated to stay within their bounds. For example, practicing hypnotherapy without adequate knowledge of or training in hypnosis is not acceptable. What is it like to be a counseling student at SCU?There is a cooperative atmosphere at SCU. The learning is both challenging and supportive. Santa Clara University abides by a Jesuit-inspired philosophy centered around developing the whole person, justice and service to people in need. The life of SCU is founded on challenging individuals to make a commitment towards personal growth in competence, conscience, and compassion. The counseling department is a leader in pursuit of this tradition. In addition to developing professional competence students are encouraged to students take a sincere look at themselves in many different capacities. How is the counseling program at SCU different from other programs?Counseling Psychology is an extremely diverse field comprised of many different facets and understandings, all of which have a degree of relevance and merit. The faculty of SCU's counseling program feel it is in the best interest of the students as well as the field at large to offer a poly theoretical-integrative perspective of the therapeutic arts. Students study numerous types of therapy and are directly and indirectly asked to take a personal and often very soulful and emotional inventory of the different ways of working with clients. The ultimate goal is for students to discover the therapy that resonates best with their personal values will be the most effective and honest approach when dealing with others. Programs at other schools have their own philosophies - some adhere to one particular therapeutic theory and teach only from that standpoint, others have a more transpersonal orientation and tend to focus on the spiritual, still others may have a style comparable to SCU. It is important that you research and become familiar with the programs of greatest personal interest and choose to apply to those that seem the best fit for your personality. How is the SCU Faculty different from other programs?At SCU, there is a full time faculty of eight professors and two lecturers. Each faculty member is an experienced clinician and an active researcher. In addition, over twenty adjunct lecturers with specific expertise in certain clinical areas regularly teach their specialty classes in our program. What is the purpose of non-degree status?Non-degree status offers an alternative to degree status for those who are either not seeking a masters or are not prepared to apply for the degree program but are interested in taking classes. The non-degree application process is less involved than the regular process. It includes the cover sheet, transcripts, a resume, a short statement of purpose (to be written on the form), a meeting with the Director of Admissions, and the $50 application fee. As a non-degree student, you may take up to three classes. During this time, you are welcome to apply for degree status. If accepted, up to nine credits taken as a non-degree student will automatically be counted towards your degree. There are two types of non-degree students: 1) Students who wish to try out the program or who apply past the application deadline, or 2) Students for whom non-degree status is determined by the Admissions Committee. This is typically because a student's background, GPA or test scores are such that the faculty requires a "trial period" before full degree acceptance. Students in this status must take CPSY 200, CPSY 216 and CPSY 212 in their three non-degree classes. How should I sequence my classes?The core classes need to be completed within the first one- third to one- half of your program. A good sequence would be: 200, 218, 220, 216, 212, 219, and 227. The other core courses can be worked in with these seven courses as they fit into your schedule. The average student in our programs is a working professional and usually takes two courses per term. If you are enrolled in an emphasis program (e.g., Health, Career Counseling), it is wise to take the emphasis courses as early in your program as possible because emphasis courses are offered less frequently (at the most one time each year). Should I take 318 and 319 from the same instructor?Yes, it is expected that 318 and 319 be taken from the same instructor in adjacent terms, so plan accordingly. The reason for this is that although the courses cover very much the same content, different instructors use sufficiently different training materials to make switching at "midstream" very difficult for students and for instructors. These two courses are designed as a sequence by each professor, and taking 319 from a different instructor is problematic, except in extraordinary circumstances. Arrange your schedule to ensure that you can take both courses from the same instructor. What is "Lab Group" and when can I take it?Lab Group is the laboratory portion of CPSY 219 (Psychology of Group Counseling). It is a group experience in which you are a member of a group and keep a journal of your experience. It is recommended that you do the lab group while you are taking the 219 class. However, you may take it before you take CPSY 219 after you have completed CPSY 200. CPSY 200 is a pre-requisite for Lab Group. The Lab Group is a non-graded lab. Contents of the group meetings, which are led by licensed professionals who are not on the faculty, are confidential within the limits set by state law and University policy. Lab Groups are limited to 8 individuals and are offered during each term except summer. Lab Group may not be taken after the CPSY 219 class. I am new to the program and am working toward my MFT license. What do I need to know about experience hours at this point?The University is now responsible for monitoring all experience hours for the MFT licensing requirements. Dr. Pat Moretti is in charge of overseeing those hours and will work with you to make certain that your experience will meet BBSE (licensing board) requirements. The new regulations require that a person has matriculated status and has earned 18 units of credit before beginning to accumulate hours. The only exception to this requirement is that you may start counting your personal therapy hours as soon as you become a trainee (registered in a program which prepares you for licensing, e.g., our 78-unit program). Can I learn more about licensing BEFORE practicum class? It seems very confusing and I want some specific answers about the procedure before I am told to get a packet from the BBS.Yes, you can learn more about the MFT licensing laws in the following ways: (a) Thanks to the GSA, the department now has a comprehensive two-hour videotape on the laws. You can schedule an appointment to see the video by calling the SCU Media Lab at 554-4091. (b) The Board of Behavioral Science has an excellent Web site at http://www.bbs.ca.gov/. What are some examples of practicum sites that I could get if I am still working and it's not possible for me to simply 'quit' my job and if my hours are not very flexible (I have to work to afford the program)?The program is meant for part-time working adults with the majority of courses conveniently scheduled after 5:00 p.m. However, mental health sites in the community are not always as flexible when it comes to scheduling of client and meeting hours. Here are some sites that might be worth investigating for the student working full-time: Bill Wilson Center, Teen Counseling Center, Catholic Charities, Eastfield/Ming Quong, and Alum Rock Counseling Center. Review the sites in the practicum binder carefully and make an appointment to see Dr. Moretti to discuss these and other options that are available. If the catalog changes, do I have to meet the new requirements?No. The requirements that apply to you are those listed in the catalog for the year in which you were admitted to your degree program. If you transfer from one SCU CP program to another, the catalog for the year in which you transfer applies to you and supplants the earlier catalog. To prevent confusion, don't even look at the requirements in subsequent catalogs. Infrequently, the Board of Behavioral Science has instituted new requirements for licensure and students seeking the MFT license have been forced to add a new course before graduation (e.g., psychopharmacology). Should this occur while you are in the program, you will be well advised in a timely manner. To avoid problems and confusion, carefully review the requirements in the catalog that apply to you and stick with them. The single partial exception to this rule applies if you switch programs (e.g., go from a 51-unit to a 78-unit program), the catalog in effect at the time you switch is the one that applies to you. Is there a Division policy on the requirements for independent study projects in terms of number of meetings with professors and the kinds of products the student must produce?Independent study projects are highly individualized, though it is important that the student produce an independent academic product and that the professor provide educational input that directly provides or guides the learning of the student. As stated in our current division catalog, independent study is supervised research initiated by the student. A proposal must be submitted and approved by a faculty advisor prior to registration. Full-time faculty are preferred advisors. Approval forms are available in the main division office, Bannan 226. I need to get some assistance with writing papers. How should I proceed?We recommend getting editorial assistance from a professional writer/tutor who does not write the paper for you but instead teaches you principles of good writing. The Division intermittently offers writing workshops which are open to all students for a fee (approximately $50). There are also writing classes available at community colleges at nominal fees. If I get an Incomplete in a class, can I enroll in the following quarter?You can enroll in the next quarter. However, your Incomplete needs to be completed within four weeks of the beginning of that quarter. Students with unresolved Incompletes at the end of the quarter following the assignment of an Incomplete will not be allowed to register for further classes until all Incompletes have been removed. According to University regulations, an incomplete not made up in a timely manner becomes a F. What is the Comprehensive Examination and when should I take it?The Comprehensive Examination is a take-home essay exam devised to help you synthesize your learning into a powerful personal and professional statement. The exam is given once during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters, and you have two weeks to complete it after it is mailed to you. You take this exam near the end of your studies, typically the quarter before the last quarter in which you are enrolled in the program. Practicum experience gained by that time can help you in the exam because one of the questions requires the description of a case study. When should I begin studying for the Comprehensive Examination?The comprehensive exam is meant to encourage an integration of all the learning that occurs for you in the program, so in essence, you are preparing for it each step of the way through the program. However, a better question is "When should I begin writing the exam?" The best strategy for writing the exam is to begin at least one quarter before you are going to take the examination. The questions change little if it all from quarter to quarter and it does not behoove you to wait until the exam is released and then frantically complete the exam by the final deadline. It is perfectly acceptable (and wise) to begin drafting your answers well in advance of the formal exam, and to spend the actual exam period polishing and refining your answers. The exam questions from the previous quarter are available from the CP&E office. It is not acceptable (i.e., it is prohibited) to form study groups to work on the comprehensive exam. The exam is meant to be an individualized experience and it is of no benefit to you to give someone else's answers to the questions. Who reads the comps?The answer is that all core faculty are involved in reading them. Only one faculty person will read any given comprehensive if it receives a "Pass." If the reader thinks it is not up to passing standards, a second person will read it. If both agree that it is not up to standards, it will receive a "no pass." If the two readers disagree, a third reader will break the tie. Students who do not pass the comprehensive examination are allowed to retake the examination in a fashion to be determined by the faculty member coordinating the comprehensive examination for the quarter in which the student took the exam. If I decide to do a thesis, how do I do it?Only a very few students choose to go the thesis route, and these are typically students who feel a need to produce a written product that would enhance their chances to be admitted to a more research-oriented Ph.D. program. If you are interested in exploring this option, go to Bannan 226 and ask for the document Guidelines for Developing and Submitting a Master's Thesis, and schedule an appointment with your faculty advisor. What about Ph.D. and PsyD programs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?If you wish to explore the doctoral studies option, you should make an individual appointment with a faculty member. The Masters degree in counseling psychology is a practitioner's degree. Generally, if you want to engage in agency or private practice counseling in California, this degree is sufficient. Most therapists throughout their career are at times in individual or group therapy and are in continuing education to learn specialty skills. The Ph.D. is primarily a research degree. In addition, some clinical and counseling psychologists practice counseling and psychotherapy. Normally speaking the only clinical knowledge advantage that Ph.D.'s have is in psychological testing and interpretation. The PsyD is also a research degree, but the research options are less limited than in Ph.D. programs. At the current time, PsyD programs are better known in the Eastern U.S. States. The Ph.D. also allows a person to teach in a University setting (M.A.'s are acceptable for Community College) and usually to be the Principal Investigator in research projects. There is also some higher status accorded to Ph.D.'s The Doctoral programs are normally 4 years of full time class work and a 1 year internship. People with Masters degrees often can waive many of the clinical courses in a doctoral program; usually up to 1 year of credit depending on the program, although some programs accept no masters level work from other universities. There are three major types of Doctoral programs: (a) University-based programs (the most common program, usually financially supports all graduate students with fellowships, teaching assistantships, etc., e.g., U. C. Santa Barbara), (b) Free-standing, accredited schools, non-university affiliated, doctoral-only institutions. These usually do not provide substantial financial aid. In the Bay Area, these programs are the only ones that take reasonable numbers of students (e.g., Alliant University in San Francisco), and (c) unaccredited doctoral programs which may not allow you to sit for a licensing exam. As you begin to explore doctoral programs the issue of whether the program or school is accredited should be considered. The two primary types of accreditation are 1) institutional accreditation (this is accreditation of the University or college/institution itself by regional accreditation bodies that determine what the minimum standards are for post-secondary education (e.g., WASC approval), and 2) program accreditation. Beware of any institution that is not accredited by its regional accreditation body because this institution will probably not be recognized by licensing boards or insurance companies. Advanced program accreditation is performed by the American Psychological Association. APA only approves programs in accredited institutions and it is generally considered very important to attend an APA-accredited program because the quality of the program is assured and your internship and job opportunities are much better. See Sayette, Mayne, and Norcross' Insider's guide to graduate programs in clinical and counseling psychology (Guilford Press) for more information on these issues. The best reasons to go through the fairly grueling process of a doctorate are 1) you love research and look to doing research for a career, 2) you want to be a university professor, and/or 3) your heart's desire is to have a doctorate. What are the "S" Courses?As most of you have noticed, there is a new academic species amongst us, namely, the "S Courses"–single-unit and skills-oriented versions of three courses in our curriculum. Our goal for these courses is to give you an opportunity to take some 1-unit classes that are more skills oriented that you might be able to fit into your already tight schedules. There are several important things to remember concerning these courses: 1) These courses are electives and do not count toward any requirements within the program except the total unit requirement of either 51 or 78 units; 2) Usually "s" classes do not fulfill completely MFT (state) requirements; 3) The S- courses are not workshops; they are academic courses with required readings and papers, etc. We will make every effort to have syllabi for S courses available for your perusal well before they are offered so you can evaluate the amount of work the course will entail. Sometimes it is important to read texts before the course begins, and we will advise you if that is the case. Whose Idea Is It?: Guidelines for Preventing PlagiarismMany students have asked what the guidelines are for giving credit to other authors when you incorporate their ideas into your papers. What follows is a superficial introduction to this issue. Plagiarism is a serious transgression in academics, one that in most graduate programs can lead to dismissal of a student or, minimally, a failing grade for the paper in question. Given the gravity of this issue, it is important to have a clear sense of what does and does not constitute plagiarism. First, what guidelines exist in the field? The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th Edition) states on page 292 that plagiarism is present when the exact words of another are not placed in quotation marks. This means that you can never have a sentence in your paper that is taken verbatim from another author without indicating authorship by using quotation marks and giving the appropriate reference. Students sometimes believe that they can take a sentence or a string of sentences from a text and put them in their paper, with an in-text citation being given at the end of the paragraph in which these "borrowed" sentences are presented. Such practices are clear instances of plagiarism. However, paraphrasing another's work while giving appropriate credit is an acceptable and commendable practice. The Manual has this to say about paraphrasing: "Summarizing a passage or rearranging the order of a sentence and changing some of the words is paraphrasing. Each time a source is paraphrased, a credit for the source needs to be included in the text" (p. 294). It is not sufficient to do extensive paraphrasing and then at the very end of a paragraph cite a single reference. Here's the take-home message: If you ever find yourself copying a sentence from any source into a paper you are writing, it must be in quotation marks. If you paraphrase someone else's writing you must cite the source close to the paraphrased text in your paper. Plagiarism is unacceptable in any academic setting and we must all carefully avoid intentionally or unintentionally producing plagiarized academic products. If you still have questions, read the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th Edition) for more details. |
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