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2012-2013 Academic Catalog and Handbook

Masters (MA) in School Counseling

Masters in School Counseling (MA degree)

Approved by Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) and accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

Purpose

The MA in School Counseling program is designed for men and women who desire graduate study and preparation for the school counseling profession.

Program Objectives

Educational Objectives

To enable students to:

  • Gain the knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive developmental school counseling program that aligns with the American School Counseling Association’s National Model and advances the mission of the school
  • Develop skills as educational leaders who can effectively advocate for all students’ holistic well-being at individual and systemic levels
  • Gain the personal awareness, theoretical knowledge, and clinical skills needed to engage in multiculturally competent individual and group counseling
  • Learn to individually and in collaboration with teachers develop and teach engaging guidance-related curriculum that facilitates students’ personal/social, academic, and career development
  • Develop skills to effectively consult and collaborate with parents and guardians, teachers, administrators, and other school and community members
  • Engage in reflective and ethical decision making grounded in the knowledge of relevant legal and ethical codes as well as in an examination of personal values
  • Develop skills in effectively working with data and technology to advocate for all students, to evaluate and improve program effectiveness, and to advocate for the school counseling profession
Professional Objectives

To enable students to:

  • Develop an identity as professional school counselors that blends the roles of mental health professional and educator
  • Articulate how personal faith informs one’s identity and practice as a professional school counselor
  • Learn the importance of ongoing professional engagement and development
  • Meet requirements for the Initial School Counseling License as defined by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the MA in School Counseling program must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Graduate Department of Counseling application form and application fee
  • One official transcript from all colleges or universities attended
  • Two references (forms provided in the application materials)
  • Complete the Miller Analogies Test
  • Spring 2013 applicants must also submit official passing scores for one of the following basic skills exams: NES Essential Academic Skills Test (EAST), Praxis I or California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)

Applicants who do not hold a teaching license or cannot verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time licensed teaching experience will be required to complete an additional 6 hours of coursework, which includes a 200-hour teaching practicum (see Track II requirements below).

Transfer Credit

Transfer of up to 19 hours credit is allowed toward the MA in School Counseling program from accredited graduate schools. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the MA in School Counseling program will be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

Of the 57 hours required for the MA in School Counseling program (63 for Track II students), a minimum of 38 hours (44 for Track II students) must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the degree must be completed within 7 years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the Graduate Department of Counseling (GDC) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the program. A leave of absence is valid for up to one year after which the student must re-apply to the program.

Course Requirements

The MA in School Counseling program is generally 2-4 years in length with 57 semester hours of course work (63 for Track II students) required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 3 are in spiritual integration coursework, 28 in core counseling courses, 20 in prescribed school counseling core courses (26 for Track II students), and 6 clinical internship credits.

Each student must complete the program requirements based on the following verification of teaching license and prerequisite licensed teaching experience:

  • Track I is for those students who hold a teaching license and can verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time licensed teaching experience.
  • Track II is for those students who do not hold a teaching license or cannot verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time licensed teaching experience.

Other Degree Requirements

Each student must complete a minimum of 20 hours of personal counseling/therapy as part of the MA in School Counseling program. Additionally, an ongoing review process serves as a way to assess the student's fit for the program; fit for the profession; emotional, psychological, and intellectual ability; as well as maturity level for functioning safely as a mental health professional. GDC faculty will review students each fall and spring semester. Each student must successfully pass the PRAXIS I or CBEST exam during their first term in the program. Students must also pass the ORELA Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination. During the first semester of internship students must pass the PRAXIS II School Guidance and Counseling exam. For more specific information please refer to the student handbook. For more specific information, please refer to the student handbook.

Graduation Requirements

In order to complete the MA in School Counseling program students must:

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 57 semester hours (63 for Track II students) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a required course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).
  • Complete a minimum of 20 one-hour sessions of personal therapy—individual, couples, and/or group (no more than 10 sessions may be in group therapy)—with a licensed therapist.
  • (Track II only) Complete a minimum of 200 supervised hours in a teaching practicum, including a minimum of 75 clock hours of full responsibility for teaching and classroom management.
  • Complete a minimum of 600 supervised internship hours, of which at least 240 hours must be direct client contact hours.
  • Successfully complete the Clinical Portfolio (reading fees are assessed during the final semester of clinical internship), in which the student articulates his/her current understanding of school counseling and applies the same through an analysis of his/her counseling practice, an evaluation of his/her strengths, and a three-year professional development plan.

Curriculum Plan

Spiritual Integration (3 hours)
GCEP 561 Spirituality and Clinical Praxis 3
Counseling Core (28 hours)
GCEP 500 Introduction to Couple and Family Therapy
 3
GCEP 501 Principles and Techniques of Counseling 3
GCEP 502 Clinical Practicum 3
GCEP 510 Human Growth and Development 3
GCEP 520 Personality and Counseling Theory 3
GCEP 550 Group Theory and Therapy 3
GCEP 554 Addictions 2
GCEP 566 Research Methods and Statistics 2
GCEP 567 Cultural Foundations and Social Justice 3
GCEP 571 Tests and Assessments 2
GCEP 587 Interpersonal Neurobiology and Pharmacology 1
School Counseling Core (20 hours/26 for Track II students)
GCEP 503 Risk and Resilience in Youth 3
GCEP 504 Child and Adolescent Disorders 3
GCEP 505 Strategies in School Counseling 3
GCEP 508 Action Research Designs 2
GCEP 509 Lifestyle and Career Development 3
GCEP 511 Ethical and Legal Issues 3
GCEP 515 Treatment Planning I 1
GCEP 518 Treatment Planning II 1
GCEP 519 School Counseling Portfolio 1

Track II (6 hours)
GCEP 506 Classroom Teaching and Learning 3
GCEP 507 Teaching Practicum 3
Clinical Internship (6 hours)
Students must choose one of the following sequences:
GCEP 512 Internship A: Early Childhood and Elementary Counseling I and
 3
GCEP 513 Internship A: Early Childhood and Elementary Counseling II
 3
GCEP 516 Internship B: Middle Level and High School Counseling I and
 3
GCEP 517 Internship B: Middle Level and High School Counseling II
 3

Notes:

  • The internship can be at either or both of the paired levels: Level 1: Early Childhood and Elementary Counseling, and Level 2: Middle Level and High School. Internship requires a minimum of 600 clock hours of supervised school counseling experience in a public or approved private school per TSPC guidelines.
  • The teaching practicum for school counseling must be supervised and consist of a minimum of 200 clock hours in a regular classroom in a public or approved private school per TSPC guidelines. It must include a minimum of 75 clock hours of full responsibility for teaching and classroom management.
  • In addition to fulfilling the above course requirements, school counseling students in the master's program who seek the Initial School Counseling License will be asked to submit passing scores on the following assessments:
    1. ORELA Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
    2. Praxis II Specialty Area Test in School Counseling
    3. Fall 2012 applicants must submit official passing scores for one of the following basic skills tests: Praxis I Test or California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)
Counseling Course Descriptions
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