Undergraduate Counseling
Counseling Department’s “2 + 2” Program
I. Description
The “2 + 2” program describes the two final undergraduate years, coupled with two years of graduate study required to earn the Master’s degree in Counseling. The goal of this program is to recruit those students interested in becoming counselors and facilitate their entry into either the graduate program in Professional Counseling (MA) leading to Licensure as a Professional Counselor, or the graduate program in School Counseling (MS).
II. Recruiting
Working with TCC and other institutions, this program recruits Education majors to our BS Education programs, then on to our MS in School Counseling. Additionally, we will recruit from TCC and other institutions their majors in Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice, etc. to our Minor in Counseling (regardless of major), then on to our MA in Professional Counseling (LPC).
III. Admission to Graduate Counseling Programs
Students who fulfill the Minor in Counseling and who meet the GPA requirements
(3.0 overall, or 3.25 in the last 60 hours, or a GRE of 900) need only make application and successfully complete the Counseling Department’s interview prior to admission. Transfer students, regardless of undergraduate major, can earn both a Bachelor’s degree (any major) plus a Master’s degree in Counseling—including Certification as a School Counselor or Licensed Professional Counselor—at one location.
Programs Offered
Minor in Counseling
The purpose of the counseling minor is to provide students with an understanding of the substantive fields and issues of counseling as a profession. To that end, the counseling department provides students with an education within the liberal arts tradition. The department faculty endeavors to develop students who are well-versed in the crucial counseling skills required in the workplace or in graduate training. Counseling faculty members encourage and demonstrate independent thought and intellectual curiosity, both in the classroom and in individual scholarly activity.
MINOR
Counseling
MINOR REQUIREMENTS.........................................................................18
COU 3301 Substance Abuse in Family, Schools, and Community
COU 3302 Paradigms of Mental Health
COU 3303 Bereavement Counseling
COU 4301 Mental Health and Community Counseling
COU 4302 Disaster Mental Health: Crisis and Trauma
COU 4303 Counseling Children and Adolescents in Schools and Communities
ADMISSION TO GRADUATE COUNSELING PROGRAMS
Statistics (PSY, MTH, or BUS) Required………………3
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AVAILABLE TO ANY BACHELOR’S DEGREED STUDENT MEETING ADMISSION STANDARDS OF GPA, INTERVIEW, AND SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION MATERIALS.
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COMPLETING COUNSELING MINOR REQUIRED FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS SEEKING ADMISSION TO THE MASTER OF ARTS IN PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING PROGRAM; STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE SEEKING ADMISSION TO THE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM.
Course Schedule
Spring 2008
COU 3303 Wednesdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
COU 4302 Mondays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
COU 4303 Wednesdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Fall 2008
COU 3301 Tuesdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
COU 3302 Wednesdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
COU 4301 Mondays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Careers in Professional Counseling
Over 90% of all the mental health counseling in the US, regardless of the professional discipline or title in use by the practitioner, is conducted by Master's-level counselors, licensed to practice in their state. Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), in contrast to clergy or other "counselors," perform their duties while employed by various public agencies, businesses or industries, or in private practice. The LPC is the so-called "terminal degree" in the field, i.e., no higher level of education, or licensure, is required by the state to practice--and our LPC program is designed to train the best Master's-level therapists possible. Our faculty and clinical staff have designed the LPC program to teach therapists both the academic and scientific portion of their career preparation, but equally as important, the art of being a professional counselor.
Those seeking a doctorate usually do so in fields like Marriage & Family Therapy, or Counselor Education, from other institutions--we are proud to have served them so well in their basic clinical training--they may go on to fields in therapy or college teaching. But the vast majority of our LPC graduates will find themselves working with people who have problems: chemical dependency, mental illness, marital and family conflicts, career development, and others, with children, adolescents, and adults. While this artful profession is emotionally challenging, it is also wonderfully rewarding. If you take a class with me you will usually hear me remark, "We are privileged to work the clay of the human heart, there is no more demanding duty, nor higher reward."
The range of opportunity for LPCs is limited only by one's imagination! Come join us! -Dr. E.
Careers in School Counseling
A degree in school counseling offers the graduate opportunities to work with students in grades K-12. A certified school counselor in Texas is eligible to work in both private and public schools. In addition, many school counselors apply for positions as substance abuse interventionists, alternative school counselors and at-risk counselors, where they work with challenging at-risk students that need additional support. Every certified school counselor is just seven courses away from earning an LPC, which, in addition to school counseling, opens doors to private practice, agency practice and consulting with businesses.
