11824_JFKU_Catalog Front Cover.indd - John F. Kennedy University

College of Graduate and Professional StudiesCollege of Graduate andProfessional Studiesrequired under Business and Professions Code section4999.20(a)(3)(A). Our program offers this additional course workin the MFT specialization. e LPCC license also permitsassessments for the purpose of establishing counseling goals andobjectives to empower individuals to deal adequately with lifesituations, reduce stress, experience growth, change behavior, andmake well-informed rational decisions.California Educational Licensing Requirementse Marriage and Family erapy (MFT) specialization in the MAin Counseling Psychology program meets the educationalrequirements for the California MFT license. Licensing statutes andregulations are subject to future legislative or administrativerevisions. Students will be kept informed about the MFT licensingrequirements and any changes that occur. A description of therequirements of the law (Business and Professional Code Sections4980.37 and 4980.38) and how the program meets theserequirements is available from the College of Graduate andProfessional Studies office.e Professional Clinical Counseling specialization in the MA inCounseling Psychology program meets the educationalrequirements for the California LPCC license. Licensing statutesand regulations are subject to future legislative or administrativerevisions. Students will be kept informed about LPCC licensingrequirements and any changes that occur. A description of therequirements of the law (Business and Professions Code Section4999.10) and how the program meets these requirements isavailable at the College of Graduate and Professional Studies office.Master of arts in Counseling PsychologyCurriculume Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology course of study isdesigned to provide the prospective student with an opportunity toselect a specialization in either Marriage and Family erapy (MFT)or Professional Clinical Counseling (PCC). Coursework for theelected specialization will meet the educational requirements as setforth by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) for theLicensed Marriage and Family erapist license (LMFT) or theLicensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Students mayalso elect to complete additional coursework designed to meet theeducational requirements for both the LMFT and LPCC, therebyacquiring both specializations while in the Master of Arts (MA) inCounseling Psychology program.achieving proficiency in these areas prepares future clinicians toprovide effective culturally-sensitive services for a wide range ofclinical situations, from those that may be brief to those most severe,co-occurring and persistent. e program reflects contemporaryissues in the field and essential skills of effective practitioners.e faculty members are respected practitioner-scholars who bringthe most current knowledge and practical experience from theirfields into the classroom. ey will challenge students to discoverand realize their unique talents in research, scholarship, clinicalservice, consultation and social advocacy in order to become leadersin the profession.At the Pleasant Hill and San Jose Campuses the MA in CounselingPsychology Program offers students a choice of full or part-timeprograms which are comprised mostly of the traditional lateafternoon/evening classes and some weekend coursework required.ese campuses also offer a morning track option beginning in eachyear in the Fall which meets on Monday, Wednesday and Fridaymornings with some weekend coursework required. Phase Istudents choosing the morning track must continue through thesummer quarter in order to complete the required coursework inpreparation for Phase II and start their practicum/internshipwithout incurring a delay.At the Berkeley campus, an accelerated full-time cohort program isavailable. Cohort size is limited to 20 students and classes meet onursday evenings and all day Saturdays. Additional workshop andelective coursework may be required on weekends and may at times,be held at the Pleasant Hill campus. At all campuses the studentbody is highly motivated and diverse.Alumni of this program enjoy a high pass rate on the state’s MFTexaminations. ey are considered some of the best, mostcomprehensively trained providers of counseling psychology andpsycho-therapeutic counseling services in the San Francisco andgreater Bay Area, and are highly sought after by agencies and otheremployers upon graduation and licensure.Program Phasesis innovative applied 90 unit program is composed of threephases: Phase I - coursework; Phase II - practicum, coursework, andwritten comprehensive examination and; Phase III - practicum,coursework, and oral comprehensive examination. Successfulcompletion of each phase is required in order to advance to the nextphase.e MA in Counseling Psychology program curriculum covers adepth of core knowledge and breadth of skills in the field through avariety of theoretical orientations to therapy. e program isdesigned to teach and train future clinicians through a combinationof didactic and experiential classroom learning modalities andsupervised intensive practicums. Essential themes are interwoventhroughout the sequential coursework including wellness,resiliency, and recovery; cultural diversity; systemic thinking;collaborative treatment; community mental health practice; and theimpact of continued social stressors.e program is committed to promoting the development of theSelf of the erapist by increasing the student’s self-knowledgethrough an ongoing examination of the student’s own values, beliefs,cultural background and contexts, abilities and growth areas. eguiding philosophy of the program resides on the perspective thatPhase I: Foundation courses of Phase I combine current andtraditional theory applied within the context of the class room usingdidactic and experiential methods. Coursework includes the corecompetencies of the program: theory, diagnosis and assessment,clinical skills, legal and ethical issues, treatment approaches andmodalities, and evaluation of treatment.Phase II: e focus shifts to clinical training as students beginfieldwork practicums while simultaneously completing additionalcoursework. Most students have their first direct clinical experienceat a JFK University Community Center or at a clinical placement ina the School Based Counseling Program or the Family ResiliencyProject. e JFK University Community Centers provide an in-vivo,dynamic, and immensely rewarding experience for the trainingstudent-psychotherapists in practicum and their clients. Studentswho decide to do an external practicum may choose from a wide86 College of Graduate and Professional Studies JOHN F. KENNEDy UNIvERSITy