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NOTICE:   Registration Process for all Extended Studies Courses has changed -View Changes 
 

Contact Information

Horton Hall 111
1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg, PA, 17257
(717) 477-1502
(717) 477-4050 fax
extended@ship.edu 

Inquiry Form 

 

Advanced Studies in Counseling Post-Master's Graduate Certificate focused on Marital, Couples, and Family Therapy

A 12-credit post-master's certificate offered by the Department of Counseling

Designed to meet the professional development needs of School & Mental Health Counselors

Meeting Your Needs

  • The Professional Counselor Licensure Bill requires counselors in the field to have 60 graduate credits. Most Counselor Education/Counseling graduate programs require only 48 credits
  • In addition, school counselors in the public schools in Pennsylvania must fulfill the ACT48 professional development requirements, which can be satisfied with the completion of six graduate credits every five years. 
  • Finally Licensed Professional Counselors and National Certified Counselors must complete professional development requirements every five years

Program Description 

  • The post-master’s graduate certificate, offered at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg, was developed by faculty in the Department of Counseling and College Student Personnel to meet the ongoing continuing education needs of community, mental health, and college and school counselors. 
  • The four courses in the program, which focus on marital, couples, and family therapy, were designed to be flexible in order to accommodate the demanding schedules as well as geographic locations of counselors and mental health practitioners. 
  • Enhancing the theory-based classroom discussions is a clinical component providing practice in couples/family therapy. These sessions will help serve clients in the SU community clinic, Growing Edges. Under direct faculty supervision, students will practice basic and advanced counseling skills, while crafting and delivering end of session messages. 
  • To earn a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Counseling, students must have a master’s degree in counseling or an allied mental health field and complete the following four courses with at least a 3.00 GPA. The successful completion of each course will be denoted on the student’s official Shippensburg University graduate transcript. 

 UPDATED:Course Descriptions and Schedule of Courses

  • CNS528 Assessment from a Family Systems Perspective (3 crs)
    Day/Dates:     April 26 - June 14, 2011 (Tuesdays,  5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)
    Location: Dixon University Center, Harrisburg, PA 
    Instructor: Tara Byers, M.S., NCC
    Description: This course is not intended to explore psychometric theory but rather to introduce students to contemporary models and strategies for integrating appropriate assessment measures into work with children, couples and families. Diagnostic, evaluative and treatment assessment paradigms will be explored as they pertain to family systems based counseling. Current controversies about assessment in family systems counseling will be discussed.
  • CNS527 Models &Techniques in Couples, Marital & Family Therapy (3 crs)
    Day/Dates:     Week of September 12 - November 14, 2011 (TBD, 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)
    Location: Dixon University Center, Harrisburg, PA 
    Instructor: Dr. Jake Thiessen
    Description: This course covers the major models used in couples, marital and family therapy. In conjunction with review of these theories will be a focus on effective use of the specific techniques that accompany each model. Particular attention will be given to the role of the family therapist in each model. Ethical and cultural implications will be reviewed.
  • CNS526 Brief Therapy for Marital, Family & Couples Counseling (3 crs)
    Day/Dates: Tuesdays, January 31 - April 1, 2012 (5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)
    Location: Dixon University Center, Harrisburg, PA 
    Instructor: Tara Byers, M.S., NCC
    Description: This course provides an overview of the knowledge needed to use brief therapy as a lens for systemic interventions. The primary focus is on the integration of the techniques and theoretical underpinnings necessary to effectively and efficiently create change in systems using a brief model. Particular attention is given to knowledge and awareness of the role of brief therapist.
  • CNS529 Systemic Counseling with Individuals, Couples & Families (3 crs)
    Day/Dates: Week of April 16 - June 14, 2012 (TBD, 6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)
    Location: Dixon University Center, Harrisburg, PA 
    Instructor: Marcy Douglass, PhD, NCC, LPC
    Description: This course is designed to aid students in gaining experience and competency in the use of therapeutic interventions with marital dyads, couples, and family systems. Emphasis is on the student's understanding of prominent theoretical modalities and applying the relevent techniques to classroom simulations and case studies. Students will acquire both understanding and experience in dealing therapeutically with typical marital, couple and family problematic concerns.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have earned a master’s degree in counseling or an allied mental health field to take certificate courses. Students who plan to complete the 12-credit certificate program are required to complete and submit an application and official graduate college transcripts documenting the earned degree in order to receive official certification. 

Application for Certificate Program 

Registration

Registration for each course will be available online six weeks before the start of the course. Registration and payment will be available online at http://www.ship.edu/extended. The application must be completed and submitted electronically along with an application fee of $30 (payable online via secure server at time of submission). The application fee is non-refundable. Community, Mental Health, School and College Counselors who meet the minimum educational requirements register online for the course(s) of their choosing. 

Please note that applications must be submitted no later than the completion of 6 credits of the above coursework in order to be eligible for the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Counseling. Each course is limited to 25 students. Students may register for any of the proposed courses without earning the certificate so long as the minimum admissions requirements are met. 

Cancellation Policy

Shippensburg University reserves the right to cancel any courses due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances.