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Graduate Programs
Master of Arts in Counseling
About the Program
Contacts for
more information
Admissions Counselors
Rosalie Barnes
Admissions and Internship Administrator
913-971-3449
Kristin Daniels
Administrative Assistant
913-971-3730
COURSES
Core Courses
This course summarizes the profession of counseling and its unique identity and contribution within the overall helping profession. Included in this review will be its history, standards, professional organizations, accreditation, credentialing, certification, and licensure. Students will also be introduced to the 8 CACREP core areas that form professional counselors in training. Ethics of the profession, including issues, legal aspects and decision-making processes will also be thoroughly covered. Special consideration will be given to ethical issues in working with diverse populations.
This course is an examination of theoretical constructs related to the development process and developmentally based behavior patterns across the entire lifespan. The course will also examine accepted theories and current research in learning theory and behavior.
This course is a critical analysis of selected classical and contemporary theories in counseling, with examination of each theory’s history, philosophy, forms of interventions and desired outcomes. Special attention will be given to unique cultural considerations as each theory is analyzed.
This course is an examination of philosophical assumptions of multiculturalism; ethical considerations related to multiculturalism; individual, family, and group strategies with diverse populations; multicultural and pluralistic trends; identity development models; and indigenous counseling approaches.
This course is an introduction to the history and application of family systems counseling and the broad range of family theories that have been used within the tradition of family counseling. The students will be able to identify and understand assessment techniques, intervention strategies, and resources needed to support families. Unique family characteristics, such as ethnic and cultural considerations will also be reviewed to highlight the diversity that exists within families.
This course introduces students to group dynamics, group leadership, and group techniques as they pertain to different group therapy contexts. Dual emphasis is placed on dynamics of group behavior and practical application of group counseling.
This course is an introduction to clinical diagnostic criteria and related clinical treatment planning strategies utilizing the diagnostic criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for the assessment of mental and emotional disorders.
This course introduces students to the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively with children and adolescents. Emphasis will be place on the role of play, art, and other creative forms of therapy to therapeutically enhance and match the needs of this distinct population.
This course introduces students to the development of essential listening skills for counseling effectiveness, including an in depth look at principles and procedures of individual counseling and process models. This course includes the use of required videotaped counseling interviews and role plays.
This course covers all forms of addiction, with special attention to drug and alcohol addictions. Students will understand the basics of addictions by understanding its impact on individuals, families, and society as a whole. Common treatment philosophies and interventions for working with addicts will also be included.
This course is an introduction to research and its role in the field of counseling. Included in this course is a review of research literature and design considerations including sampling, surveys and statistical tests. Students must prepare an action research proposal as part of the course requirements.
This course reveals the basic principles, theories, and practices of career counseling with an emphasis on career choices over a life span. Students will gain exposure to the methods used to deliver career counseling services to individual, school, and organizational populations.
This course encompasses the types, uses, and basic psychometrics involved in individual and family testing and assessment. Validity, reliability, and program evaluation concepts are covered, and students are introduced to elementary statistical concepts important to test interpretation and understanding test reviews.
This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of what defines an experience as traumatic and the effects of trauma on the brain, the body, and the emotions. An understanding of neurobiology to inform trauma assessment, diagnosis, and treatment will be utilized.
Students will choose ONE of the following advanced theories courses:
This is an advanced theory course that offers the student an opportunity to further explore the theoretical framework and application of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Students who attend this course will leave with a greater understanding of how to integrate psychodynamic therapy into their work with clients throughout their internship experience.
Add course description: This is an advanced theory course that offers the student an opportunity to further explore the theoretical framework and application of Experiential/Attachment based theory. Students who attend this course will leave with a greater understanding of how to integrate Experiential/ Attachment based therapies into their work with clients throughout their internship experience.
This is an advanced theory course that offers the student an opportunity to further explore the theoretical framework and application of cognitive behavioral therapy. Students who attend this course will leave with a greater understanding of how to integrate cognitive behavioral therapy into their work with clients throughout their internship experience.
This is an advanced theory course that offers the student an opportunity to further explore the theoretical framework and application of post modern brief therapies. Students who attend this course will leave with a greater understanding of how to integrate post modern brief therapies into their work with clients throughout their internship experience.
School Counseling Specialty Courses
This course is an introduction to the profession of school counseling from K-12. The course will cover the history, philosophy and trends in school counseling. Basic understanding of the role and functions of a school counselor as a collaborator and leader will be covered. Importance will be placed on the school counselor as they interact within the school, family, and community context.
This course covers basic issues that effect student personal, social, and academic functioning within a multicultural society. Students will learn school counseling guidance skills needed for prevention and ongoing intervention in response to student issues. Special attention will be given to how school counselors collaborate with school, family, and community resources.
This course combines supervision, class work, and the practical utilization and critique of individual and group counseling techniques learned in Helping Skills in Counseling. These will be demonstrated through fieldwork, case conferences, and student video recordings. This course is taught using a group supervision model with no more than 12 students.
This course is a distinctly defined, post practicum, supervised curricular experience intended to enable students to refine and enhance basic counseling skills, develop more advanced counseling interventions, and integrate professional knowledge and skills appropriate to initial professional placement as a school counselor.
This course continues the curricular experience intended to enable students to refine and enhance more advanced counseling skills, counseling interventions, and integrate professional knowledge and skills appropriate to professional placement as a school counselor.
This course will be the concluding piece of supervised curricular experience, integrating professional knowledge, advanced clinical skill development, and interventions for school counseling.
This course introduces students to current state and national school counseling program models, development, implementation, measurement and evaluation. Attention will also be placed on programming interventions and how these are coordinated within the school system. Students will be given the opportunity in this course to be a part of designing a school counseling program.
This course focuses on the role of the school counselor and how to design a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses the needs of all students from a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support lens. This course integrates knowledge from Foundations, Trauma Counseling, Child and Adolescent Counseling, and Practicum. This course helps students understand how the knowledge from previous courses can be directly applied to their role as school counselors in order to respond to student behaviors.
Note: As stated above the Kansas Department of Education requires students who do not have a Kansas professional teaching license to take two additional field experience classes. Course descriptions are listed below:
ELEMENTARY FIELD EXPERIENCE (1 Credit Hour)
The purpose of this 35-clock hour field experience is to explore the roles of school counselors, classroom teachers, and the systems and services available in elementary school. The field experience provides an opportunity for students to perform a variety of professional activities that regularly employed staff members in public school settings are expected to know and perform. Graduate students are placed in schools in which site supervisors (classroom teachers) are interested in, and committed to, providing a quality training experience. This experience is a requirement for students in the graduate school counseling program who are not licensed teachers in Kansas and is in addition to the 62 hours.
SECONDARY FIELD EXPERIENCE
The purpose of this 35-clock hour field experience is to explore the roles of school counselors, classroom teachers, and the systems and services available in secondary school. The field experience provides an opportunity for students to perform a variety of professional activities that regularly employed staff members in public school settings are expected to know and perform. Graduate students are placed in schools in which site supervisors (classroom teachers) are interested in, and committed to, providing a quality training experience. This experience is a requirement for students in the graduate school counseling program who are not licensed teachers in Kansas and is in addition to the 62 hours
The purpose of this 35-clock hour field experience is to explore the roles of school counselors, classroom teachers, and the systems and services available in elementary school. The field experience provides an opportunity for students to perform a variety of professional activities that regularly employed staff members in public school settings are expected to know and perform. Graduate students are placed in schools in which site supervisors (classroom teachers) are interested in, and committed to, providing a quality training experience. This experience is a requirement for students in the graduate school counseling program who are not licensed teachers in Kansas and is in addition to the 62 hours.
The purpose of this 35-clock hour field experience is to explore the roles of school counselors, classroom teachers, and the systems and services available in secondary school. The field experience provides an opportunity for students to perform a variety of professional activities that regularly employed staff members in public school settings are expected to know and perform. Graduate students are placed in schools in which site supervisors (classroom teachers) are interested in, and committed to, providing a quality training experience. This experience is a requirement for students in the graduate school counseling program who are not licensed teachers in Kansas and is in addition to the 62 hours
Marriage, Couple, & Family Counseling Specialty Courses
This course is an advanced study of systems theory and research as it applies to the family. Issues that affect the family, such as substance abuse, physical/emotional abuse, divorce and remarriage, discrimination and bias, grief and loss, and societal trends will be explored as they relate to family adjustments across the life cycle stages. Students will acquire the knowledge to assess individuals and family problems as they exist within the context of their system and be able to identify core issues and treatment strategies that are consistent with this view.
This course focuses on couple issues and their impact on families and society as a whole, as well as multiple theories, strategies, and preventative approaches used in couple’s counseling. Special emphasis will be placed on issues of couple functioning as they relate to sexuality, life-cycle dynamics, a family of origin and intergenerational influences, culture, socioeconomic status, and belief systems.
This course combines supervision, class work, and the practical utilization and critique of individual and group counseling techniques learned in Helping Skills in Counseling. These will be demonstrated through fieldwork, case conferences, and student video recordings. This course is taught using a group supervision model with no more than 12 students.
Counseling internship is designed to facilitate refinement of counseling and interviewing skills and the development of new skills. Through closely supervised one-to-one and group counseling experiences, the student can expand counseling techniques, intervention and interpersonal relationship skills with opportunities to experience direct and specific feedback from the supervisors through video and/or audio recording and direct supervision. The focus of the field component of the course is to provide students with the opportunity to practice counseling skills in a supervised setting.
Counseling internship is designed to facilitate refinement of counseling and interviewing skills and the development of new skills. Through closely supervised one-to-one and group counseling experiences, the student can expand counseling techniques, intervention and interpersonal relationship skills with opportunities to experience direct and specific feedback from the supervisors through video and/or audio recording and direct supervision. The focus of the field component of the course is to provide students with the opportunity to practice counseling skills in a supervised setting.
This course will be the concluding piece of supervised curricular experience integrating professional knowledge, advanced clinical skill development, and interventions, of marital, couple and family counseling
This course is designed to expose students to a variety of family education materials that will assist the student in supporting families throughout their life-cycle stages. Emphasis will be given to different types of parent education along with opportunities to participate in delivering family education material. Emphasis will also be given to preventative approaches to family dysfunction and other family-related barriers. Supervision and support will be provided as a part of this experience.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialty Courses
This course is designed to be an introduction to the field of Clinical Mental Health counseling, helping students develop a general understanding of the roles and identity of a counselor and ethical, legal, and administrative issues that counselors may encounter. In addition, students will explore historical, sociological, and philosophical trends in mental health counseling.
This course is designed to educate students in mental health prevention and intervention in a multicultural society with special emphasis on emergency management and crises response.
This course combines supervision, class work, and the practical utilization and critique of individual and group counseling techniques learned in Helping Skills in Counseling. These will be demonstrated through fieldwork, case conferences, and student video recordings. This course is taught using a group supervision model with no more than 12 students.
Counseling internship is designed to facilitate refinement of counseling and interviewing skills and the development of new skills. Through closely supervised one-to-one and group counseling experiences, the student can expand counseling techniques, intervention, and interpersonal relationship skills with opportunities to experience direct and specific feedback from the supervisors through video and/or audio recording and direct supervision. The focus of the field component of the course is to provide students with the opportunity to practice counseling skills in a supervised setting.
Counseling internship is designed to facilitate refinement of counseling and interviewing skills and the development of new skills. Through closely supervised one-to-one and group counseling experiences, the student can expand counseling techniques, intervention and interpersonal relationship skills with opportunities to experience direct and specific feedback from the supervisors through video and/or audio recording and direct supervision. The focus of the field component of the course is to provide students with the opportunity to practice counseling skills in a supervised setting.
This course will be the concluding piece of supervised curricular experience, integrating professional knowledge, advanced clinical skill development, and interventions for mental health.
This course is designed to further enhance students’ learning about specific issues and advocacy in mental health. Issues such as racism, discrimination, and poverty experienced by various multicultural groups will be addressed. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in advocacy projections at the local and/or national level.
Counseling Emphasis Courses: Spiritual Formation Counseling
This course provides the student with an introduction to the theoretical, conceptual and practical issues involved in the integration of faith and counseling. Students will be exposed to different models of integration through a critical analysis of the philosophical and theological framework of understanding the intersection of counseling, psychopathology, and the process of change.
This course will cover theoretical modality, confession of faith/tradition and Christian integration as it relates to the counseling process. Students will apply theoretical modality to their own theory of persons and theory of change as a means of deepening their ability to effectively integrate faith into counseling.