Courses offered specifically for Education students are listed in the Department of Education section of the bulletin; however, some Counseling Psychology courses are cross-referenced with Education.
The foundation course for all CPSY programs, this course provides a laboratory setting in which students master basic skill sets that are fundamental for effective communication, advanced counseling and therapy. Among the basic skills essential to counseling psychology are the cultivation of attention, learning to ask questions, paraphrasing and encouraging, reflecting feeling and meaning, confrontation and empathy. The course allows students the opportunity to create, discover and/or examine and expand their personal counseling style through deep investigation of both self and the professional literature. A primary focus is on being more conscious and intentional in interpersonal communication and subsequently in the counseling process. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
This course explores human sexuality through biological, psychological, and sociocultural lenses. Students examine how biological, developmental, behavioral, emotional, and cultural norms shape human sexuality.
The focus of this course is understanding how human beings develop as relational beings and the complexities of human relationships from a psychological perspective. Students explore the formation, maintenance, and challenges of interpersonal relationships across individual, familial, couple, and societal contexts. Study also includes traditional and nontraditional relationships.
This course provide counseling psychology students with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with issues like to be encountered when working with LGBT clients. Students will confront their own beliefs and feelings about same sex relationships and how these might affect their clinical work. Teaching methodology will include lecture, readings and discussions, case studies, experiential exercises, testimonies of LGBT persons, and films. Prerequisite: 200. (3 units)
This course focuses on research and clinical techniques related to evidence-based practice in psychotherapy. It includes instruction on methodology, analysis, and synthesis of research on the efficacy and outcomes of psychotherapy interventions, as well as training in evidence-based counseling techniques from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including cognitive, behavioral, person-centered, and psychodynamic. Students gain an understanding of how research can inform what techniques to practice in the therapy encounter and how those techniques should be implemented with a variety of disorders and psychosocial issues.
This course takes a developmental approach to the entire human life cycle from childhood through old age, emphasizing the intersection of biological maturation and psychosocial transitions. Students assess how environmental, social, and personal experiences shape coping and behavioral outcomes and impact human growth and development across diverse populations.
This class provides a comprehensive review of fundamental concepts in personality theories and their applications to counseling and psychopathology, with special focus on explicating the relationship between theory and practice. The course integrates diverse psychological models—psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, behavioral, systems, and multicultural—to address the complex interplay between individual development and social context. Students will begin to formulate an initial personal theory of counseling from which to build as they evolve through the program.
This course provides an introduction to small-group dynamics through the integration of social, psychological, and multicultural perspectives. Students explore group development, behavior, and leadership within a framework informed by psychological and behavioral sciences. Emphasis is placed on experiential learning and the application of techniques for effective small-group leadership. Key topics include the phases of natural group development, ethical and professional responsibilities, and process-oriented approaches, with particular focus on closed-ended groups.
This lab is an experiential application of the theories and principles learned in 219. Must be taken prior to or concurrently with 219; Prerequisites: 200 and 218; 220 strongly recommended. (0 units)
This course covers the fundamentals of research design and statistics tailored to behavioral sciences and psychology and psychotherapy specifically. Students learn to ethically investigate questions in psychology focusing on variables that influence human behavior and therapeutic outcomes.
This lab is an experiential application of the theories and principles learned in 219. This lab is taken prior to or concurrently with 219. Prerequisites: 200 and 218; 220 strongly recommended. Note: 78 Unit LPCC and LPCC/MFT combined track students. (1.5 units)
Intensive focus on the development of individual counseling skills through readings, discussion, experiential exercises, and feedback on skill development. Reviews of videotaped interviews enhance self-observation skills and understanding of therapeutic process. Prerequisites: 200 and 218. (3 units)
An intensive skill-building class presenting an integrative model of individual therapy. Theory and interventions are based on process experiential (Emotion-Focused Therapy) and interpersonal (Time-Limited Dynamic, Control Mastery) approaches. The class offers students opportunities to (a) learn and practice strategies and techniques for working with process dimensions of therapy, (b) learn a wide range of therapy markers and the specific interventions recommended for each of them, (c) gain experience as counselors in supervised therapy mini-sessions, (d) practice advanced therapy skills during class, and (e) receive extensive feedback on their counseling skills. The class is particularly useful for students just before or during their practicum experience. Prerequisites: 200, 218 and 227. (3 units)
The focus of this course is the development of clinical skills and interventions to work with issues presented by lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Therapeutic concerns of individuals, couples and families will be explored through readings, discussions, experiential exercises, and feedback on skill development. Prerequisite: 213. (3 units)
This class focuses on understanding culture, acculturation processes, and identity development and how they are related to psychological interventions of human behaviors. The course integrates social science and psychological perspectives to address the impact of cultural diversity on behavior, research, and therapeutic practice. Students actively engage in review and evaluation of contemporary examples of multicultural research.
Concepts and characteristics of child and adolescent delinquency, including the effects of trauma, violence and abuse; gangs; substance abuse;teenage parenthood; and dropout, anti-social, and nonconventional behavior. Introduction to the treatment of these issues, including correctional education, special education, juvenile justice, and social welfare systems as well as effective practices for counselors, including crisis, safety, and weapons management among others. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
Principles and procedures of correctional psychology and correctional education, including current research on best practices. Discussion of pro-social development and skills, functional assessment and curriculum, correctional psychology, criminal justice, vocational programs, aggression reduction, prejudice reduction, life skills training, comprehensive systems, and treatment planning. Examination of therapeutic approaches and model programs. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
Program planning, treatment planning, effective transitions, and vocational planning for delinquent, at-risk, and nonconventional youth. Coordinating planning, existing processes (IEP, IFSP, ILP, ITP), and promoting future success. Functional assessment and intervention, program identification, placement, and support. Vocational education programs, training options, assessment, and instruments. Job development, recruiting, placement, and support. Impact of disability, criminality, lifestyle, and cognitive distortion. Thinking processes, distortions, and retraining. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
An introduction to the central ideas and processes involved in the object-relations approach to psychotherapy. Critical concepts such as projective identification, transference/countertransference, the holding environment, internal objects, transitional phenomena, the therapeutic matrix, etc. are explored and practiced. Readings from the British school (Klein, Winnicott) and American (Ogden) are blended with clinical practice and discussion. Prerequisites: 200, 212, 216 and 218. (3 units)
This course provides a "hands-on" approach to understanding the basic tenets of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Beginning with a comprehensive review of the fundamental concepts and research supporting CBT, students will learn about and practice cognitive behavioral therapy through didactic lectures, experiential learning, readings, group discussion, videos, and role plays. A primary focus in this class is practical applications of CBT, including relaxation training, activity scheduling, and development of treatment plans for diverse populations. Prerequisites: 200, 218; 214 recommended. (3 units)
This course examines professional, legal, and ethical considerations that arise in the practice and science of clinical work. Students explore critical frameworks for ethical decision-making through an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating concepts from social sciences, psychology, and biomedical ethics. Emphasis is placed on analyzing human behavior and social growth, particularly regarding confidentiality, clients’ rights, mediation, and the prevention and intervention of abuse (child, spousal/partner, and elder). Students develop skills to apply ethical principles to complex, real-world scenarios encountered in clinical practice. Prerequisites: 200 and 218. (3 units)
Study of licensing law and process, regulatory laws that delineate the profession's scope of practice, strategies for collaboration, and advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients. Prerequisites: 200, 218, 275. (1.5 units).
An overview of the research on adult development, with an emphasis on large-sample longitudinal studies. Concepts and definitions of adulthood are explored. Primary emphasis is on the clinical utility and integration of stages of adulthood and both their empirical parameters and those presented in the world's great mythologies and contemplative traditions. Focus on identification and assistance with the transitional challenges of middle and late adulthood. Finally, theories of aging and issues that concern the elderly; dynamics and complexity of intergenerational families; social responses to aging and concerns of the extended family are integrated into practical counseling models for individual, family, and group therapy. Prerequisite: 200 and 216. (3 units)
Among the major theories of psychotherapy, Existential Psychotherapy holds a place that both blends with other approaches and stands distinctly apart. Focused on the personal experience of meaning, this form of psychotherapy explores the inner world as the client creates it. Beginning with the thinking of Viktor Frankl, the course focuses primarily on the American approaches to existential therapy. Constructs employed include the centrality of choice, the tension between the fear of the unknown (freedom) and the stagnation of the status quo (security), the salience of the here-and-now experience of self and the therapist use of self. Although a theory class, significant portions of the class are clinical and pragmatic; exploring existential psychotherapy in film, demonstration and experimentation. Prerequisites: 15 units including CPSY 227. (3 units)
This class examines the psychological, social, and healthcare-related dimensions of supporting individuals and communities through grief, loss, trauma, and life-threatening illness. This course integrates psychological theories of resilience and coping with social science perspectives on cultural, spiritual, and familial dynamics. Students explore evidence-based assessment and intervention strategies tailored to diverse populations, emphasizing the interplay between individual psychological processes and broader societal contexts (e.g., cultural attitudes toward death, systemic inequities in healthcare access). The evolving role of hospice and palliative care within healthcare systems and therapist self-care and stress management are also addressed.
A comparative study of various Eastern and Western themes and schools of spirituality. In-depth exploration of the implications and relationship of these views to counseling psychology. The nature of the human person and criteria for assessing a person's spiritual-psychological health and growth; stages of development; teachings on how to guide or work with another; and views on such themes as authentic love, humility, guilt, and discernment. Prerequisite: 200. (3 units)
Overview of the career development field, focusing on current career development and decision theory. Applications of theory across various settings (industry, clinics, schools, rehabilitation, etc.). Exploration of changing concepts of work and career. Examination of the meaning and spirituality of work, and of "calling," conscious life planning and lifestyle choices. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
Familiarity with, and use of, current career assessment instrumentation. Evaluation of leading instruments; selection criteria governing use of instruments according to client needs. Interpretation of individual and group assessment data. Practice in completing the career counseling interview, including appropriate assessment and interpretation. Course includes an approved, individualized, formal career assessment to be completed either prior to or concurrent with 302. Prerequisite: 300. Recommended: 318. (3 units)
Note: Required for 90 unit LPCC or LPCC/MFT Track only.
This course examines special issues in career counseling with special attention on working with multicultural populations, disabled populations, and the Americans with Disability Act. Requirements: 78 Unit LPCC Track students only; Prerequisites: 300. (1.5 units) This course will be discontinued after Spring of 2014.
Supervised course of study initiated by the student. A written proposal and course syllabus must be submitted to the Graduate Services Office by the end of the first week of the term in which the course will be conducted. The proposal must be approved with signatures from the faculty member of record and the Department Chair.
NOTE: Only Full-time faculty members may direct an independent study. (1-6 units)
This course explores relational development, the nature of couple dynamics, and counseling approaches for a range of relationship challenges. Students explore the social, psychological, and cultural factors that shape partnership, marriage, and dyadic relationships within diverse communities.
Introduction to systems theory (e.g., Structural, Bowenian, Strategic) and procedures appropriate to working with families. Opportunity to practice counseling with simulated families. Prerequisites: 200, 212, 218 and 227. (3 units)
A broad range of therapeutic interventions with children and families are presented, with a particular focus on play therapy. Case conceptualization, diagnostic formulation, and issues related to treatment planning are addressed. The influence of class, culture and ethnicity on the assessment/treatment process is explored. Prerequisite: 200, 216 and 218. (3 units)
This course introduces diagnostic frameworks for identifying mental health disorders, highlighting how social and psychological factors contribute to abnormal behavior. It employs a multifaceted perspective to inform the therapeutic decision-making process, considering both clinical and contextual elements of mental health. Traditional DSM diagnostic categories are studied, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, affective disorders, psychophysiological disorders, and other abnormal lifestyle patterns.
This course builds on previous assessment coursework, refining diagnostic acumen with systematic use of assessment tools. The class covers the use of individual, couple, and family assessment techniques, projective tests, personality inventories, and other instruments in a professional setting. Students will be challenged to consider the complexities of clinical judgment, including such issues as type of impairment, degree of impairment, predictability, and treatment plan, as well as sources of error judgment and how these errors are minimized. The course underscores how social and psychological dimensions factor into accurately identifying and planning treatment for various mental health issues.
This class focuses on understanding substance use disorders from a variety of approaches including, biological, psychological, behavioral, and sociocultural frameworks. This course provides an overview of evidence-based practices in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions. Students are encouraged to challenge common conceptualizations of substance use.
This class covers the complexities and interactions of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, emphasizing comprehensive diagnostic and treatment approaches. Students explore comorbidity from biological and psychological lenses and the implications for treatment and intervention.
This course provides a firm basis in practical neurophysiology and psychopharmacology. Course foci include the structure and functions of the nervous system, interactions of other organ systems, principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Students explore the neurophysiological mechanisms of psychotropic medications and their interactions with behavior.
This course investigates the biological basis for neonatal to early childhood development and behavior. Emphasis is placed on an understanding the positive and negative effects of environment on early brain development and their sequalae in later life, including development and behavior in adolescence, adulthood and old age.
This class focuses on unique aspects of child psychopathology and diagnosis within developmental and familial contexts. Students will explore how psychological, social, and biological factors interact to influence children’s mental health and developmental pathways.
Supervised counseling experiences in community services such as juvenile probation, mental health, community colleges, etc. To be taken in the second half of the counseling program, after completion of the counseling core. Weekly seminars for consultation and discussion with a supervisor on such topics as case management and evaluation, referral procedures, ethical practices, professional and client interaction, confidential communication, and inter-professional ethical considerations. By permission only; must begin in fall quarter. Arrangements with site must be made before the beginning of fall quarter. Enrollment of 331A is typically very small. Meetings with professor are individual and ongoing. Prerequisites: Nine core classes; 311, 315, 317, and 318. (3 units per term; 6 units required)
To culminate their emphasis program, students spend 15 hours per week engaged in supervised career development-related fieldwork at a practicum site. By permission only; must begin in fall quarter. Arrangements with site must be made before the beginning of fall quarter. Enrollment of 331C is typically very small. Meetings with professor are individual and ongoing. Prerequisites: Nine core classes; 300, 301, 302, 303, and 304. (3 units) NOTE: This practicum will be discontinued after Spring 2013.
Counseling experience in health psychology. At a practicum site, students engage in health psychology-related work (e.g., research, counseling, health promotion). By permission; fall quarter only. Arrangements with site must be made before the beginning of fall quarter. Enrollment of 331H is typically very small. Meetings with professor are individual and ongoing. Prerequisites: Nine core classes and permission of instructor. (3 units)
At a practicum site, students engage in Latino/ counseling-related work. By permission; fall quarter only. Arrangements with site must be made before the beginning of fall quarter. Enrollment of 331L is typically very small. Meetings with professor are individual and ongoing. Prerequisites: Nine core classes and permission of instructor. (3 units)
In this course, students will develop clinical skills to work effectively with Transgender/Gender Nonconforming, Intersex, Genderqueer clients, and with others exploring alternative expressions of gender and sexuality. Readings, discussions, experiential exercises, case studies, and feedback on skill development will be components of this class. Prerequisite: 213. (3 units)
Supervised counseling experience designed specifically to meet California MFT and LPCC licensing requirements. Weekly seminars for consultation and discussion with a licensed supervisor on such topics as case management and evaluation, systems of care, community resources, advocacy issues, referral procedures, ethical practices, professional and client interaction, confidential communication, and documentation, among other issues. Prerequisites: Nine core classes; 311, 315, 317, 318, 319, and permission of instructor. Must begin in fall quarter. (3 units per term; 9 units required)
Designed to enhance the knowledge and skill components of their multicultural training (CSPY 231), with a specific focus on Latino/a cultures. An overview is offered of the Latinx experience within a socio-political and psycho-social context, and implications for therapeutic interventions are explored. Topics covered include: culture and personality, acculturation and ethnic self-identification, gender role socialization, influence of family and other systems, educational achievement, religion and spirituality, traditional healing practices, immigration and diversity within the Latinx population. Prerequisite: 231. (3 units)
This course examines the special topic in multicultural counseling.
NOTE: 78 Unit LPCC and MFT/LPCC combined track students and all 90 Unit students
Development of counseling skills within a cultural context. An examination is provided of how the counseling process is affected by cultural dynamics and counselor/client variables. Students will learn how to use cultural variables to help develop empathy and a strong working alliance with Latino/a clients. Discussion, demonstration and application of various therapeutic and treatment approaches. Feedback and supervision provided for specific skill development. Prerequisite: 200. Recommended: 231. (3 units)
Offers specific information on "therapy techniques" with Latino/a family members. The importance of setting for the "therapy" is examined. An enhanced understanding is proffered of common experiences Latino families have with various systems of care including schools, hospitals, community mental health agencies, and social service agencies. Within this framework, applied therapy techniques for children and families are examined. A strength-based, systems approach will be used to guide our discussions. Prerequisite: 200. Recommended: 231 and 360. (3 units)
Course conducted completely in Spanish. Emphasis will be placed on conducting client interviews, assessments, making recommendations, and providing instructions in Spanish. Use of advanced-level Spanish in job/field-related language contexts. Discussion of field-related articles and theories. Prerequisite: 200 and fluency in Spanish. (3 units)
Introduction to "Positive Psychology and Health," the empirical study of what leads humans to develop and flourish. Introduces theory, research and applications, exploring the implications of positive psychology for our understanding of health and illness. Topics include: What is health? Wholeness? Wellness? What makes people happy? How do you help people not merely survive, but thrive? How do we foster stress-related growth? What is the role of spirituality in health? What are positive psychological interventions? Students are encouraged to think critically about what it means to be healthy, and to reflect on personal experiences related to health and illness. Prerequisites: 200 and 218. (3 units)
Introduction to health psychology theory, research, and practice, with a special focus on health promotion and health behavior change. Topics include: models of health and illness; biopsychosocial factors in illness; personality, health, and coping; social support and health; health assessment; models and strategies for health behavior change, including Prochaska's stage model and motivational interviewing; issues and preventions with specific health behaviors; and health promotion in the workplace and other settings. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
Introduction to conceptual models of chronic stress in home, work, and community environments. Particular attention to methods and programs to assess, as well as alter, chronic stress. Emphasis is placed on the bio/psycho/ social factors in the etiology, maintenance, and modification of stress. Intervention methods are demonstrated and practiced. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
This course will focus on the construct of mindfulness and its applications to psychotherapy. An experiential and academic understanding of mindfulness will be emphasized. The experiential component will involve training in meditation and mindfulness practices. The academic component will involve rigorous examination of current research on the applications of mindfulness in health care, as well as exploration of current theories of mindfulness and its applications to clinical work. The intention of the course is to help students better understand the construct of mindfulness and how it can be applied in clinical practice as a technique for clients, a theoretical frame for therapists, and as a means of enhancing therapist skills, for example, empathy and attention. A final intention is for students to explore the potential benefits of mindfulness for their own self-care and self-inquiry. Prerequisite: None (3 units)
For students who have completed 219 and wish advanced training in group leadership procedures. This class focuses on practices of group therapy, and on the complexities of parallel process and the transference/ counter transference issues in groups. Both practical and academic approaches are taken; each student applies classroom learning to an ongoing group process situation. Extensive use of videotape, role-playing, and hands-on practice. The class includes a required one-day "marathon" group session. Recommended for students who expect to do group counseling and therapy in their post-master's employment. Prerequisites: 200, 218, 219, 221; P/NP. (3 units)
Introduction to hypnotherapeutic techniques in the therapy context. Students learn to induce trance states and the appropriate application of these for therapeutic purposes. Emphasizes ethical utilization in both traditional and indirect hypnosis. The use of hypnosis as a part of psychotherapy is explored in depth. A clinically oriented course; research and literature are used to support the clinical application of hypnosis for such issues as pain control, memory retrieval, anesthesia, habit control, and direct therapy. Prerequisites: 15 hours completed, must include 227. Usually taken on a pass/ fail basis. (3 units)
Optional course; usually selected by candidates preparing for doctoral studies. The thesis should concern a recognized problem in the student's field of specialization, should make a scholarly contribution to the extant body of knowledge in this area, and should review the principal sources of knowledge. Format should follow the guidelines established by the American Psychological Association. Supervision and review of the thesis provided by faculty member(s) designated by the chair of the Department of Counseling Psychology. Students may replace the Comprehensive Examination with completion of an approved thesis. Requirements for thesis submission are negotiated with the thesis faculty director. (1-6 units)