Overview

The counselor education program offers three areas of concentration leading to the degree of education specialist: school counseling, marriage and family counseling, and clinical mental health counseling. The Ed.S. degree requires 66 hours. The school counseling and the marriage and family counseling concentrations are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The Clinical Mental Health concentration is a newly added area and the program will apply for CACREP accreditation for this concentration at the earliest opportunity.  

School Counseling

The Ed.S. in Counselor Education with a concentration in school counseling fulfills the certification requirements for endorsement as a K-12 school counselor in South Carolina. Students are advised to speak to the appropriate staff in the Office of Student Affairs (Wardlaw 113) for information about the certification requirements of other states. Completion of this specialization will also satisfy South Carolina’s academic requirements for application for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC-Intern). After the completion of the required post-degree clinical hours and supervision of these hours, licensure as an LPC is possible. Students are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board for more details. Be advised that completion of this specific course of study does not prepare the graduate for licensure as a mental health counselor or for a marriage and family counselor license.

Certification

In the school counseling certification degree program, the degree requirements and certification requirements are linked. Inasmuch as the certification requirements are the responsibility of the S.C. State Board of Education, if state regulations change, degree requirements are also subject to change. All students seeking school counseling certification must:

• successfully complete the requirements of the degree program
• achieve test scores at or above those established by the state on the program-appropriate exams (Praxis II Series); scores earned on the Praxis must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs, College of Education, Wardlaw 113, USC, and to the South Carolina Department of Education
• submit to an FBI check for prior felony convictions (for initial S.C. certification applicants only)
• pay all certification fees as required.

Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling

The Ed.S. in Counselor Education with a concentration in marriage, couples, and family counseling will satisfy South Carolina’s academic requirements for application for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC-Intern). Completion of this specialization may also fulfill the academic licensure requirements of states that specify the completion of a two-year program of graduate study as a marriage and family counselor/therapist. Be advised that completion of this specific course of study does not prepare the graduate for endorsement by the University as a school counselor or for licensure as a mental health counselor. The student must also be aware that state licensing boards may have additional academic and/or supervised clinical requirements beyond the qualifying degree in order to obtain a license to practice. Students are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board for application materials and to discuss these requirements with their advisors.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Ed.S. in Counselor Education with a concentration in clinical mental health counseling will satisfy South Carolina’s academic requirements for application for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC-Intern). After the completion of the required post-degree clinical hours and supervision of these hours, licensure as an LPC is possible. Students are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board for more details. Be advised that completion of this specific course of study does not prepare the graduate for endorsement by the University as a school counselor or for a marriage and family counselor license. The student must also be aware that state licensing boards may have additional academic and/or supervised clinical requirements beyond the qualifying degree in order to obtain a license to practice. Students are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board for application materials and to deiscuss these requirements with their advisors.  

Learning Outcomes

School Counseling

FOUNDATIONS

1. Knowledge
   1. Knows history, philosophy, and trends in school counseling and educational systems.
   2. Understands ethical and legal considerations specifically related to the practice of school counseling.
   3. Knows roles, functions, settings, and professional identity of the school counselor in relation to the roles of other professional and support personnel in the school.
   4. Knows professional organizations, preparation standards, and credentials that are relevant to the practice of school counseling.
   5. Understands current models of school counseling programs (e.g., American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model) and their integral relationship to the total educational program.
   6. Understands the effects of (a) atypical growth and development, (b) health and wellness, (c) language, (d) ability level, (e) multicultural issues, and (f) factors of resiliency on student learning and development.
   7. Understands the operation of the school emergency management plan and the roles and responsibilities of the school counselor during crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events.
2. Skills and Practices
   1. Demonstrates the ability to apply and adhere to ethical and legal standards in school counseling.
   2. Demonstrates the ability to articulate, model, and advocate for an appropriate school counselor identity and program

COUNSELING, PREVENTION, AND INTERVENTION

3. Knowledge
   1. Knows the theories and processes of effective counseling and wellness programs for individual students and groups of students.
   2. Knows how to design, implement, manage, and evaluate programs to enhance the academic, career, and personal/social development of students.
   3. Knows strategies for helping students identify strengths and cope with environmental and developmental problems.
   4. Knows how to design, implement, manage, and evaluate transition programs, including school-to-work, postsecondary planning, and college admissions counseling.
   5. Understands group dynamics-including counseling, psycho-educational, task, and peer helping groups-and the facilitation of teams to enable students to overcome barriers and impediments to learning.
   6. Understands the potential impact of crises, emergencies, and disasters on students, educators, and schools, and knows the skills needed for crisis intervention.
4. Skills and Practices
   1. Demonstrates self-awareness, sensitivity to others, and the skills needed to relate to diverse individuals, groups, and classrooms.
   2. Provides individual and group counseling and classroom guidance to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of students.
   3. Designs and implements prevention and intervention plans related to the effects of (a) atypical growth and development, (b) health and wellness, (c) language, (d) ability level, (e) multicultural issues, (f) factors of resiliency on student learning and development.
   4. Demonstrates the ability to use procedures for assessing and managing suicide risk.
   5. Demonstrates the ability to recognize his or her limitations as a school counselor and to seek supervision or refer clients when appropriate.

DIVERSITY AND ADVOCACY

5. Knowledge
   1. Understands the cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and political issue surrounding diversity, equity, and excellence in terms of student learning.
   2. Identifies community, environmental, and institutional opportunities that enhance-as well as barriers that impede-the academic, career, and personal/social development of students.
   3. Understands the ways in which educational policies, programs, and practices can be developed, adapted, and modified to be culturally congruent with the needs of students and their families.
   4. Understands multicultural counseling issues, as well as the impact of ability levels, stereotyping, family, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual identity, and their effects on student achievement.
6. Skills and Practices
   1. Demonstrates multicultural competencies in relation to diversity, equity, and opportunity in student learning and development.
   2. Advocates for the learning and academic experiences necessary to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of students.
   3. Advocates for school policies, programs, and services that enhance a positive school climate and are equitable and responsive to multicultural student populations.
   4. Engages parents, guardians, and families to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of students.

ASSESSMENT

7. Knowledge
   1. Understands the influence of multiple factors (e.g., abuse, violence, eating disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, childhood depression) that may affect the personal, social and academic functioning of students.
   2. Knows the signs and symptoms of substance abuse in children and adolescents, as well as the signs and symptoms of living in a home where substance abuse occurs.
   3. Identifies various forms of needs assessments for academic, career, and personal/social development.
8. Skills and Practices
   1. Assesses and interprets students’ strengths and needs, recognizing uniqueness in cultures, languages, values, backgrounds, and abilities.
   2. Selects appropriate assessment strategies that can be used to evaluate a student’s academic, career, and personal/social development.
   3. Analyzes assessment information in a manner that produces valid inferences when evaluating the needs of individual students and assessing the effectiveness of educational programs.
   4. Makes appropriate referrals to school/and or community resources.
   5. Assesses barriers that impede students’ academic, career, and personal/social development.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

9. Knowledge
   1. Understands how to critically evaluate research relevant to the practice of school counseling.
   2. Knows models of program evaluation for school counseling programs.
   3. Knows basic strategies for evaluating counseling outcomes in school counseling (e.g., behavioral observation, program evaluation).
   4. Knows current methods of using data to inform decision making and accountability (e.g., school improvement plan, school report card).
   5. Understands the outcome research data and best practices identified in the school counseling research literature.
10. Skills and Practices
    1. Applies relevant research findings to inform the practice of school counseling.
    2. Develops measurable outcomes for school counseling programs, activities, interventions, and experiences.
    3. Analyzes and uses data to enhance school counseling programs.

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

11. Knowledge
    1. Understands the relationship of the school counseling program to the academic mission of the school.
    2. Understands the concepts, principles, strategies, programs, and practices designed to close the achievement gap, promote student academic success, and prevent students from dropping out of school.
    3. Understands curriculum design, lesson plan development, classroom management strategies, and differentiated instructional strategies for teaching counseling-and guidance-related material.
12. Skills and Practices
    1. Conducts programs designed to enhance student academic development.
    2. Implements strategies and activities to prepare students for a full range of postsecondary options and opportunities.
    3. Implements differentiated instructional strategies that draw on subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge and skills to promote student achievement.

COLLABORATION AND CONSULTATION

13. Knowledge
    1. Understands the ways in which student development, well-being, and learning are enhanced by family-school-community collaboration.
    2. Knows strategies to promote, develop, and enhance effective teamwork within the school and larger community.
    3. Knows how to build effective working teams of school staff, parents, and community members to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of students.
    4. Understands systems theories, models, and processes of consultation I school system settings.
    5. Knows strategies and methods for working with parents, guardians, families, and communities to empower them to act on behalf of their children.
    6. Understands the various peer programming interventions (e.g., peer mediation, peer mentoring, peer tutoring) and how to coordinate them.
    7. Knows school and community collaboration models for crisis/disaster preparedness and response.
14. Skills and Practices
    1. Works with parents, guardians, and families to act on behalf of their children to address problems that affect student success in school.
    2. Locates resources in the community that can be used in the school to improve student achievement and success.
    3. Consults with teachers, staff, and community-based organizations to promote student academic, career, and personal/social development.
    4. Uses peer helping strategies in the school counseling program.
    5. Uses referral procedures with helping agents in the community (e.g., mental health centers, businesses, service groups) to secure assistance for students and their families.

LEADERSHIP

15. Knowledge
    1. Knows the qualities, principles, skills, and styles of effective leadership.
    2. Knows strategies of leadership designed to enhance the learning environment of schools.
    3. Knows how to design, implement, manage, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program.
    4. Understands the important role of the school counselor as a system change agent.
    5. Understands the school counselor’s role in student assistance programs, school leadership, curriculum, and advisory meetings.
16. Skills and Practices
    1. Participates in the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of a comprehensive developmental school counseling program.
    2. Plans and presents school-counseling-related educational programs for use with parents and teachers (e.g., parent education programs, materials used in classroom guidance and advisor/advisee programs for teachers).

Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling

FOUNDATIONS

1. Knowledge
   1. Knows the history, philosophy, and trends in marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   2. Understands the ethical and legal considerations specifically related to the practice of marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   3. Knows the roles and functions of marriage, couple, and family counselors in a variety of practice settings and in relation to other helping professionals.
   4. Knows the professional organizations, preparation standards, and credentials relevant to the practice of marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   5. Understands a variety of models and theories of marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   6. Understands family development and the life cycle, sociology of the family, family phenomenology, contemporary families, family wellness, families and culture, aging and family issues, family violence, and related family concerns.
   7. Understands the impact of crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on marriages, couples, families, and households.
2. Skills and Practices
   1. Demonstrates the ability to apply and adhere to ethical and legal standards in marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   2. Demonstrates the ability to select models or techniques appropriate to couples’ or families’ presenting problems.

COUNSELING, PREVENTION, AND INTERVENTION

3. Knowledge
   1. Understands issues of marriage, couple, and family life-cycle dynamics; healthy family functioning; family structures; and family of origin and intergenerational influences in a multicultural society.
   2. Recognizes specific problems (e.g., addictive behaviors, domestic violence, suicide risk, immigration) and interventions that can enhance family functioning.
   3. Understands human sexuality (e.g., gender, sexual functioning, sexual orientation) and its impact on family and couple functioning.
   4. Understands professional issues relevant to the practice of marriage, couple, and family counseling, including recognition, reimbursement, and right to practice.
4. Skills/Practices
   1. Uses preventive, developmental, and wellness approaches in working with individuals, couples, families, and other systems such as premarital counseling, parenting skills training, and relationship enhancement.
   2. Uses systems theory to conceptualize issues in marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   3. Uses systems theories to implement treatment, planning, and intervention strategies.
   4. Demonstrates the ability to use procedures for assessing and managing suicide risk.
   5. Adheres to confidentiality responsibilities, the legal responsibilities and liabilities of clinical practice and research, family law, record keeping, reimbursement, and the business aspects of practice.
   6. Demonstrates the ability to recognize his or her own limitations as a marriage, couple, and family counselor and to seek supervision or refer clients when appropriate.

DIVERSITY AND ADVOCACY

5. Knowledge
   1. Understands how living in a multicultural society affects couples and families.
   2. Recognizes societal trends and treatment issues related to working with multicultural and diverse family systems (e.g., families in transition, dual-career couples, blended families, same-sex couples).
   3. Understands current literature that outlines theories, approaches, strategies, and techniques shown to be effective in working with diverse family systems.
   4. Understands the effects of racism, discrimination, sexism, power, privilege, and oppression on one’s own life and that of the client(s).
   5. Understands the effect of local, state, and national policies, programs, and services on diverse family systems.
6. Skills and Practices
   1. Demonstrates the ability to provide effective services to clients in a multicultural society.
   2. Maintains information regarding community resources to make appropriate referrals.
   3. Advocates for policies, programs, and services that are equitable and responsive to the needs of couples and families.
   4. Demonstrates the ability to modify counseling systems, theories, techniques, and interventions to make them culturally appropriate for diverse couples and families.

ASSESSMENT

7. Knowledge
   1. Knows principles and models of assessment and case conceptualization from a systems perspective, including diagnostic interviews, mental diagnostic status examinations, symptom inventories, and pscyoeducational and personality assessments.
   2. Understands marriage, couple, and family assessment tools and techniques appropriate to clients’ needs in a multicultural society.
   3. Understands the impact of addiction, trauma, psychopharmacology, physical and mental health, wellness, and illness on marriage, couple, and family functioning.
8. Skills and Practices
   1. Applies skills in interviewing, assessment, and case management for working with individuals, couples, and families from a system’s perspective.
   2. Uses systems assessment models and procedures to evaluate family functioning.
   3. Determines which members of a family system should be involved in treatment.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

9. Knowledge
   1. Understands how to critically evaluate research relevant to the practice of marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   2. Knows models of program evaluation relevant for the practice of marriage, couple, and family counseling.
   3. Knows evidence-based treatments and basic strategies for evaluating counseling outcomes in marriage, couple, and family counseling.
10. Skills and Practices
    1. Applies relevant research findings to inform the practice of marriage, couple, and family counseling.
    2. Develops measurable outcomes for marriage, couple, and family counseling programs, interventions, and treatments.
    3. Analyzes and uses data to increase the effectiveness of marriage, couple, and family counseling interventions and programs.

Admission

The Counselor Education Program recommends students for admission once a year.  Applicants should complete the following:

1. Apply the the Graduate School (www.gradschool.sc.edu)
2. Provide evidence of the admissions criteria listed below:
   1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
   2. Official transcripts of all completed college level work
   3. Two letters of recommendation as follows:
      1. one from a former university instructor, when possible
      2. one from a former or present employer
   4. Examination scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Verbal and Quantitative sections or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
   5. Letter of Intent stating the student’s desire to enter the degree program and outlining his/her long-term professional goals and estimated length of time to complete a program of study
   6. Current resume
   7. Contact Counselor Education, jcattell@mailbox.sc.edu, after you have applied.

Degree Requirements (66 Hours)