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Professional Clinical Counseling, M.A.

Program Description

Students earning a Master of Arts degree in Professional Clinical Counseling (PCC) will meet the education requirements for licensure as Professional Counselors. The PCC Master's Program is CACREP Accredited.

Diversity Statement

Diversity includes many areas, and addressing it involves understanding the importance of an appreciation for differing world views. Non-discrimination policy is stated in the opening section of this catalog.

The PCC program at La Salle University are committed to introducing faculty and students to diverse people, thoughts, and ideas. This is accomplished through courses and coursework, internship and clinical experiences, professional activities, and developmental opportunities.

Issues of diversity are addressed and integrated throughout the PCC curricula.

Statement on Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Discrimination

The Professional Clinical Counseling Program harassment, sexual misconduct, and discrimination policy is in accord with the La Salle university policy on harassment, sexual misconduct, and discrimination, aligned with the La Salle mission and the Student Guide to Resources, Rights, and Responsibilities to establish an environment where students, faculty and staff can function, work and learn, safely and with respect.

The PCC Program publishes a Diversity statement in its Student Handbook and a diversity statement is listed on all PCC Course syllabi. La Salle’s PCC Program is committed to understanding and appreciating diversity among all individuals, and to the principle that there shall be no discrimination in the treatment of any person.

Student’s Guide to Resources Rights and Responsibilities contains the university’s policy on Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Discrimination. This can be found online and in Appendix A: https://www.lasalle.edu/students/dean/divpub/manuals/studentguide/

Mission

In keeping with this Lasallian tradition, the Professional Clinical Counseling Program strives to prepare professionals with the abilities and competencies requisite for the practice of mental health counseling. The curriculum emphasizes a conceptualization of the role of the counselor and what is needed to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to practice effectively and ethically. Students are provided with coursework and clinical experiences, which encourages them to examine the complex interplay of all forces (scientific, interpersonal, emotional, mental and spiritual) that coexist within and exert influence on the individual. The goal is to prepare mental health counselors who will competently develop and implement comprehensive interventions, acquire a holistic perspective to health care, understand the complexity of addressing the overall, long-term well-being of individuals, evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders, address a wide array of mental health issues that will best meet the needs of clients, and value professional diligence and continued learning throughout their professional career.

Program Goals

Professional Clinical Counseling

  1. The program will create and structure learning opportunities so that students can demonstrate foundational knowledge in the field of counseling and be prepared to take the examination for licensure as a mental health counselor.
  2. The program will emphasize clinical skill training and experiential learning, enabling students to develop therapeutic relationships, demonstrate clinical competency in their counseling skills, and effectively deliver counseling interventions.
  3. The program will prepare students for employment in a culturally diverse and pluralistic environment by: striving to recruit, admit, and retain a diverse student body and faculty instructors; and facilitating self-reflective learning experiences for students to understand how their own sociocultural identities are essential to providing culturally sensitive counseling.
  4. While offering multidisciplinary learning opportunities to students, the program will maintain a counseling identity through students and faculty demonstrating their commitment to the counseling profession and one’s own professional development.
  5. The program will follow the Lasallian tradition of developing the whole person, encouraging students’ professional and personal growth, and maintaining a faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching and mentorship.

Program Specific Information

Supervised Practical Training: (Field Placement)
Includes Practicum, Internship, and Professional Seminar

All students are required to engage in supervised field training. The program has contracts with many mental health agencies and service providers; however it is up to the student to be accepted as an intern. The program prepares the student well to begin Practicum and Internship, and the student is responsible to demonstrate their preparedness when applying to sites in order to complete their Field Placement requirement. It is also up to the student to acquire a Practicum or Internship that is conducive to their academic and personal schedules.

Professional Clinical Counseling students preparing for licensing complete a one-semester practicum (PCC 660 Practicum) of at least 100 clock hours, 40 of which are direct client hours—the usual practicum placement requires eight to nine hours per week. While engaged in the practicum, students also attend the Professional/Case Practicum Seminar (PCC 661 Professional/Case Practicum Seminar). The internship (PCC 680 Internship/PCC 681 Internship/PCC 682 Internship) for Professional Clinical Counseling students preparing for licensure is a calendar year of at least 600 clock hours, 300 of which are direct client hours—the usual clinical internship placement involves 12 to 15 hours per week of on-site service. While engaged in the internship, students also attend Professional Seminar (PCC 690 Professional/Case Seminar/PCC 691 Professional/Case Seminar/PCC 692 Professional/Case Seminar).

Requirements

In addition to the curricular and field placement requirements, students are required to pass the Written Comprehensive Examination and Oral Comprehensive Examination for graduation.

Students must pass the Written Comprehensive Examination prior to applying for Practicum or Internship.

Both the Written Comprehensive Examination and the Oral Comprehensive Examination are specific to the student’s degree.

Preparation for Licensure

The Professional Clinical Counseling degree (60 credit hours) prepares students to become licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs).