Program Snapshot

Accreditation

CACREP

Concentrations/Specializations Offered

The Ánimo: Latinx Counseling Emphasis

This is a new, and only, emphasis within the M.S. Department of Counseling designed to address the various professional, curricular/training, and community needs related to providing mental health services to Latinx and Spanish-speaking clients. The Ánimo: Latinx Counseling Emphasis will provide trainees course curriculum that: meets requirements to pursue licensure as Professional Clinical Counselors and Marriage and Family therapists in California; is grounded in nationally-approved competencies and; focuses on developing self-awareness as a bilingual and bicultural counselor, knowledge of Latinx-cultures and familiarity with interventions appropriate to Latinx and Spanish-speaking clients.

This concentration is not offered in the Evening Cohort program.

LMFT Track or Dual LMFT/LPCC Track

LMFT and LPCC

Length of Program

The Curriculum consists of 63 units. Traditional Program students go at their own pace and graduate from the program in three to five years. Typically, this includes 6 regular semesters and 1 summer semester. Evening Cohort students graduate in three years and one term.

Schedule/Format

There are two programs, the M.S. in Counseling Traditional Program and the M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort.

• All students in the M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort program progress through the curriculum at the same pace, two courses per semester. Students must take these classes spring, summer and fall semester for three years and one semester to complete the program. The traditional program offers more flexibility in scheduling courses; students can take two, three or four courses, depending on their life and work needs. The traditional program can be completed in three to five years.

• All courses in the M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort program meet as follows. In the fall and spring semesters, classes meet from 7:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. In summer, which runs from the beginning of June through mid-August, classes tend to meet from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., plus two additional meetings to be arranged. Students in the traditional program must be available to take 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. courses in the fall and spring semesters in order to complete the program.

• M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort students are guaranteed that they will be able to enroll each semester in the courses they need to take. Students in the traditional program do not have the same guarantee and may have to adjust their scheduling plans and graduation date when they are not able to get into courses that have reached their maximum enrollment.

• The M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort program, because it is not state-supported, has somewhat higher tuition. Both programs have the same courses, taught by the same instructors. Students in both programs receive the same degree from California State University, Fullerton. Graduates of both programs will have met the educational requirements required by the California Board of Behavioral Science for LMFT’s and LPCC’s. Students in both programs have the same library privileges, and M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort students are considered part of the CSUF community. They are welcome to use the library and other facilities and meet with faculty. Students in both programs will be advised by a full-time faculty member, who will help them with their study plans, and assist them with any other matter relevant to their graduate education with us.

Program Start

The Department of Counseling accepts students once-a year for its M.S. in Counseling Traditional Program (begins in the fall) and every three years for the evening cohort program (begins in the spring).

Estimated Total Program Tuition

Traditional Program: $25,116
Evening Program: $39,375

Religious Orientation

None

Entering Class Size and Classroom Sizes

Each year, we accept approximately 60 students to our M.S. in Counseling Traditional Program and every three years, we accept approximately 24 students to our M.S. in Counseling Evening Cohort.

Most classes range from 25-35 students. Classes which require counseling training skills have about 13 students, and the Practicum seminar will have 8-10 students. Class sizes are identical to those in the traditional program.

Fieldwork Hours Accrued During Program

In the midpoint of the program, all students are required to work in a community mental health agency for one to one and a half years. This fieldwork experience is called a “practicum” and is similar to the internship all students take after they graduate. In practicum, students will provide counseling to a variety of populations, including children, adults, couples, and families. The Department of Counseling has selected community agencies (“practicum sites”) that will fit with working students’ schedules. Practicum is a one to one and a half-year commitment, and is equivalent to a part-time job, requiring 15-20 hours per week at the agency. There is no salary or stipend, but it is an essential component of every counselor’s training. Students will also be taking two classes while participating in the practicum component; one of these classes will be a seminar in which students discuss their counseling experiences and show videotapes of their counseling sessions.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement During Program

None

Comprehensive Exam/Culminating Project/Thesis/Etc:

There is a capstone research project (one year long, qualitative) but no comps or thesis work.