Department of Counseling, Special Education, and Rehabilitation
M.S. in Counseling
Options: Marriage and Family Therapy,
Counseling and Student ServicesDr. Charles Arokiasamy, Department Chair
Dr. Kyle Weir, Graduate Program Coordinator
- Making a Difference in a Diverse Society Through Counseling Program Excellence | Program Development | The Four Programmatic Dimensions | Faculty | Quick Facts
Making a Difference in a Diverse Society Through Counseling Program Excellence
Students in the graduate programs in the Kremen School of Education & Human Development at California State University, Fresno are preparing to effect change within a culturally diverse society. Societal changes influencing our communities and school make the call for educational reform reverberate even more intensely. The stressors on marriages, families, children as well as students and other educational professionals have created the context for developing a distinguished professional training program for educators and counselors. Its chief purpose is to cultivate the knowledge and skills necessary to become responsible leaders in the culturally diverse San Joaquin valley.
The Counselor Education programs are designed to provide a wide array of opportunities for the development of skills necessary for the delivery of professional counseling services in public and private schools, institutions of higher learning, and in health and mental health service facilities. Counselor education programs have been developed and structured in accordance with the most reliable traditions and latest innovations in the field of counselor education, with an appropriate balance of theoretical emphasis and practical application. The Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision awarded the Counselor Education Program the Exemplary Program Award for outstanding innovations in professional preparation for counselors. In 1995 the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and related Education Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA), conferred accreditation to the option in counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). The program is pursuing CACREP accreditation for both CSS specializations
The objectives of the counseling program are to prepare future counselors to be active and constructive facilitators of change and growth in the context of an ever-evolving society. One goal of the counseling program is to instill within counseling graduates a vision for optimizing the quality of life for all people, in meeting the needs and demands of a multicultural environment.
MFT option
MFT graduates are trained to become responsible service-oriented professionals serving the needs of families. Whether in the private sector or as employees of social service agencies, they are trained to help families and their children develop tools to deal more effectively with their environment. These tools ultimately help children adjust to and gain from the educational system.
CSS option
CSS graduates are trained to become responsible service-oriented professionals serving the needs of students and professionals in educational settings. Whether in public schools, higher education or other private and government organizations, CSS graduates are trained to help individuals in these settings learn skills to function more effectively in these settings and in life generally. An essential role of the CSS graduate is that of consultation. These graduates are trained to use their counseling skills to work collaboratively in their service to others. CSS graduates acquire their practical skills in varied educational and community settings.
Clinics and labs
At the counseling clinics and labs, students are first initiated into the profession of counseling. The counseling clinic is a series of laboratories with one-way mirrors where the counseling process may be observed and feedback given to the counseling student on techniques, process, and related therapeutic skills. Through dual-track video and audio taping, the counseling student is able to record counseling sessions in vivo while simultaneously receiving feedback on counseling technique and nonverbal behavior from clinical supervisors.
Fresno Family Counseling Center (FFCC)
The highly regarded Fresno Family Counseling Center is a cooperative project between the Fresno Unified School District and the Counselor Education Program. Through the center, advanced counseling students work with families in a professional environment while receiving close supervision from licensed faculty. This work, coupled with intensive professional service practice internships in varying rural and urban environs, has been cited as a major strength of the program.
Program Development
In the ethnically and culturally diversified San Joaquin Valley, it is deemed appropriate that the Kremen School of Education and Human Development has formulated a relevant model, "Making a Difference in a Diverse Society." In the counseling education program, all coursework is designed to help students develop the skills to address the needs of a heterogeneous populace.
Licensure
In order to ensure top-quality preparation, the field of Marriage and Family is embedded in a 60-unit Master of Science degree in Counseling. Completion of the requirements for this degree satisfies the degree title requirement for the Marriage and Family Therapy license in the State of California. Graduate students are advised to stay abreast of the changing requirements of the Board of Behavioral Sciences for eventual licensure. As graduates of a CACREP accredited program, students also qualify to take the National Board for Certified Counselors exam for certification as a National Board Certified Counselor.
The Four Programmatic Dimensions
The faculty in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development has developed and designated four dimensions around which all programs in Graduate Education revolve. The philosophical and ideological dimension forms the basic core knowledge essential to marriage and family therapy and counseling and student services.
The cognitive and reflective dimension encompasses thoughtful planning which involves decision making and problem analysis. Basic management and leadership functions are necessary when consulting with parents, teachers, and related specialists. Critical thinking is deployed through introspective case studies, simulation, reflective journals, and actual client counseling.
Students are expected to integrate and apply knowledge in each class, but is especially expected and evaluated in professional field experiences. The faculty closely evaluate the performance of each student through field placement supervisor feedback and weekly university supervision. Supervision is the hallmark of the Counseling Education Program both for the faculty and for the students.
Attention to cultural diversity is critical to the region and to the counselor education program. As equity representation is one of the goals of the department, it is important that the student body reflects this heterogeneity and that the professions of marriage and family therapy, school counseling and higher education meet the needs of all groups.
The Counselor Education program is contemporary not only in its goals and structure but also in its use of advanced technology. The completion of the Education Building in the spring of 1994 reflects our dedication to offering the best graduate and undergraduate degree programs. This 121,000-square foot building offers many special features which are organized into several major program centers, including the counselor education program facilities. Several technologically advanced innovative centers are available to graduate students in counseling: the Interdisciplinary Instructional Center, the Graduate Research Center, the Instructional Technology Center and the Education and Human Development Center, where the Clinical Center is located.
With this expansion and development, the School and the Counseling Education Program have assumed a regional leadership role in a university wholly dedicated to Making a Difference in a Diverse Society.
Making a Difference in a Diverse Society Through Counseling Program Excellence | Program Development | The Four Programmatic Dimensions | Faculty | Quick Facts