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Counseling and Educational Leadership

Academic Programs: Advanced Counseling Certificate (Post-Master's in Counseling)

Chairperson
Dr. Catherine B. Roland

Graduate Program Coordinator
Dr. Catherine B. Roland
973 655-7216

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Advanced Counseling Certificate Program is designed to fulfill state-level and national standards for Licensed Professional Counselors. This program meets the highest professional standards according to CACREP, The National Board for Certified counselors (NBCC), and the NJ Board of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Requirements:

Minimum Requirements: This is a post-Master's program, requiring a Master's in counseling or counselor education from an accredited U.S. college or university. This certificate is designed to supplement a Master's in Counseling degree with the credit hours necessary in attaining the 60 semester hour minimum required by the Professional Counselor Committee of the NJ Board of Marriage and Family Therapists. Included in the Master's degree must be a two-semester Counseling Internship experience of 600 total hours (300 each semester) in a non-school setting.

The States of New Jersey, New York, and 47 other states, require status as a Licensed Professional Counselor in order to work as a counselor in those states, in all settings that are non-school based. This certificate will provide the additional courses that are required, with the number and type of required credits being totally dependent upon the number of appropriate credits gained for the initial Master's degree.

Each matriculated certificate student will be advised on an individual basis in choosing the most appropriate courses for her/him. Students may be required to take additional credits to reflect current State of NJ and national requirements for the LPC. Course substitutions may be approved depending on transcript review of the Master's degree, by the LPC Program Advisor and The Graduate School.

Core Courses
Number Name Hours
COUN 604 Case Management and DSM Diagnosis in Counseling 3
COUN 579 Appraisal of the Individua 3
OR
COUN 532 Counseling Children and Adolescents 3

Either:
COUN 673 Gender Issues in Counseling 3
OR
COUN 568 Theories of Consultation 3

Specialization Courses
A minimum of 3 - 6 hours from this list of courses:
COUN 653 Special Topics in Counseling (as announced)
COUN 672 Counseling the Aging
COUN 531 Counseling Across the Lifespan
COUN 665 Ecotherapy: Applied Ecopsychology
COUN 584 Group Counseling: Theories and Practice
COUN 540 Introduction to Alcohol and Drug Counseling

TOTAL Semester Hours: 12 - 21
Note: All students seeking admittance into the Post Master's certificates in Advanced Counseling and School Counseling must formally apply to the certificate programs by completing the Graduate School's admission application. Pre-admit status or non-degree status is not available for either of the two Counseling Post-Masters Certificates.