Canisius College

Counseling and Human Services

Faculty:
David L. Farrugia, Chair; Ann Marie C. Lenhardt, E. Christine Moll, Michael Rutter, Holly Tanigoshi. The Department of Counseling and Human Services offers a program that is designed to prepare counselors who are both humanistic and competent. The program of studies allows candidates the option of preparing to be school, community-agency counselors, or mental health counselors. The school and general community agency counseling program consists of three developmental and sequential phases which may be summarized as follows:

Phase I (9 credit hours) includes a basic common core of experiences needed to begin graduate studies in counseling. Courses taken to fulfill Phase I requirements are not applicable toward the master’s degree, but are credited toward certification. Since these competencies are frequently acquired before entry into the program, each candidate’s background is assessed by the counseling and human services faculty to determine fulfillment of these requirements.

Phase II (39 credit hours) ompletes the requirements for the master’s degree and provisional certification. Candidates who entered the program with all of Phase I finished will have acquired 39 graduate credit hours to complete the M.S. degree. Candidates lacking all of the Phase I requirements will have acquired 48 credit hours in order to qualify for the M.S. degree. Students who make application for provisional certification as a school counselor will be given an institutional recommendation at this point. Students who qualify and make application as alcohol and substance abuse counselors will receive an institutional recommendation at this point, provided the 2,000-hour work experience requirement is also fulfilled.

Phase III (12 credit hours) leads to permanent certification and a Certificate of Advanced Study. School counselors must complete permanent certification requirements within five years after receiving provisional certification. In addition to receiving the master’s degree in counseling, candidates must also have worked in pupil personnel services for two years in a school district. Community agency counselors, including alcohol and substance abuse counselors, may desire the Certificate of Advanced Study for its supervisory orientation. Candidates who entered the program with all of Phase I finished will have acquired 51 graduate credit hours by the end of Phase III. Students lacking all of the Phase I requirements will have acquired 60 graduate credit hours in order to qualify for this certificate.

Admission
Student candidates must fulfill the following requirements prior to matriculation into the Counseling and Human Services program:

1. The general requirements for admission to Canisius for graduate study in education must be met. 
2. The Counseling and Human Services (Program IV) screening tests must be taken. They include a psychological inventory, a written autobiography and an empathy test. These tests are scheduled quarterly. 
3. An individual interview must be completed with a member of the counseling faculty. Only matriculated counselor education students are permitted to enroll in the following Phase II courses: EDU 571-578 

School and Community Agency curriculum:
The counseling curriculum is projected upon a 60-hour program of studies. Depending upon the candidate’s undergraduate preparation, it is possible for certain courses to be waived at the Phase I level of preparation for the school and community agency track. Such a waiver will be carried through to the permanent level of certification/ Certificate of Advanced Study, under advisement, for matriculated students only.

Phase I: Foundations (9 credit hours maximum)
Phase I requires preparation in the following areas, as assessed by the counseling faculty: psychology (including human growth and development}, abnormal psychology (or equivalent) and statistics. Coursework, whether graduate or undergraduate, taken to complete Phase I cannot be applied toward the master’s degree but does count toward certification.

Phase II: M.S. Degree/Provisional Certification

1. All candidates must take Practicum I in a school setting and Practicum III in a community-agency setting. Practicum II must be conducted in a school setting for students desiring later permanent certification as a school counselor. Practicum II should be conducted in an agency setting for students desiring a career as an agency counselor. Students desiring to be Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselors (C.A.S.A.C.) should make sure that their Practicum II and III are taken in a certified N.Y.S.O.A.S.A.S. treatment agency. Practicum hours do not fulfill work experience requirements for C.A.S.A.C.
2. Elective courses may be freely chosen from any graduate courses offered by the School of Education and Human Services. Electives selected from outside the School of Education require the prior approval of the student’s adviser and the chair of the department offering the elective. Students preparing for the C.A.S.A.C. must take EDC 585 (3 credits) and EDC 586 (3 credits) as electives. 
3. Matriculated students who complete Phases I, II and III may receive an institutional endorsement for the blue school counselor certificates, the preferred certificates in New York State: provisional certificate after completion of Phase II and permanent after completion of Phase III.

COURSES 2004-2006

EDC 568 Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling (3 credits)
Introduction to historical and organizational perspectives on Mental Health Counseling services. Roles and functions of mental health counselors and current professional issues.

EDC 570 Foundations of Counseling and Development (3 credits)
Introduction to philosophy, issues, theories, processes and professional concerns facing counselors and educators in schools and community agencies.

EDC 571 Psychological Assessment in Counseling (3 credits)
Selection, use, interpretation and critical evaluation of standardized psychological tests of intelligence, achievement, interest and personality. Practical use in counseling. Prerequisites: EDC 570 and EDU 511 or equivalent.

EDC 572 Vocational Development and Adjustment (3 credits)
Current theories and processes pertinent to vocational development and decision-making. Application of theory and informational media to career counseling. Prerequisite: EDC 570.

EDC 573 Counseling Theory and Process (3 credits)
Historical and current theories of counseling and psychotherapy. Application of those theories to realistic case situations and development of the individual student’s approach to the helping relationship. Prerequisite: EDC 570

EDC 574 Group Dynamics (3 credits)
Theoretical and experiential basis for dealing with groups in both information-oriented and therapy-oriented situations. Values and limitations of group techniques. Prerequisite: EDC 570.

EDC 576 Practicum/Internship I (School) (3 credits)
School-centered placement of student counselors for experiential purposes. Directed activities to sensitize students to counseling processes. Additional requirements for students without teaching experience. School violence issues related to SAVE legislation. Prerequisites: EDC 570, 573.

EDC 577 Practicum/Internship II (3 credits)
Opportunity for student counselor to function in school or agency counseling situation under close supervision. Proficiency in group and individual counseling stressed. Prerequisites: For School Counseling Program EDC 576 none for Mental Health Counseling Program.

EDC 578 Practicum/Internship III (Agency) (3 credits)
Placement as counseling intern in community agency setting. Some mentor experience with beginning student interns in EDC 576 under supervision. Weekly peer meetings. Prerequisites: EDC 577.

EDC 579 Diversity and Counseling (3 credits)
A broad range of diversity issues in counseling including ethnic, racial, gender, disability, and sexual orientation are discussed. The focus is on developing sensitivity and counseling skills that are applicable to all clients.

EDC 580A Supervision Skills in Counseling (1 credit)
Theoretical and practical considerations specific to the supervisory responsibilities of counselors. Of particular interest to agency counselors. Meets for five weeks only.

EDC 580B Sexuality Issues in Counseling (1 credit)
Historical, ethical and social concerns surrounding human sexual behavior. Sex education and exchange of information. Meets for five weeks only.

EDC 580C Computers in Guidance (1 credit)
Recent developments in computer application programs specific to counseling. Meets for five weeks only. Prerequisite: Experience with computers or a foundations course in computers.

EDC 581 Grief Counseling (3 credits)
For counselors. The grief response in individuals and families when faced with disappointment and loss, especially when the loss entails death.

EDC 583 Principles of Rehabilitation (3 credits)
Specific ways to help the client suffering from a disabling condition. Procedures and theory used by rehabilitation counselors.

EDC 584 Elementary School Counseling (3 credits)
Counseling concepts and approaches which foster social, psychological and academic development of the child. Current innovative techniques.

EDC 585 Chemical Dependency and Rehabilitation (3 credits)
History of drug abuse; characteristics of drug dependence and chemical abuse treatment modalities, including strategies for prevention, intervention and rehabilitation.

EDC 586 Physiological and Psychological Aspects of Chemical Dependency (3 credits)
Etiology of chemical dependency. Diagnosis, screening, counseling issues and ethical issues in recovery and growth.

EDC 587 Schools and Student Assistance Programs (3 credits)
For school counselors, teachers and administrators. Factors involved in at-risk youth. Developing skills to design, monitor and evaluate proactive S.A.P. programs to maximize learning in schools today. Includes both prevention programming and intervention models.

EDC 588 Disruptive Behavior Disorders (3 credits)
Childhood and adolescent disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are discussed in regard to assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

EDC 589 Family Counseling (3 credits)
Characteristics of normal and troubled families. Emphasis on theories and techniques of family counseling, including the works of Minuchin, Satir, Bowen and Haley; solution-focused approaches.

EDC 590 Managing School Counseling Programs (web only) (3 credits)
Administrative and leadership practices in school counseling. Issues, challenges and opportunity in leading school counseling programs. Meets the Administration requirement in Phase III. Prerequisite: EDC 577

EDC 592 Counseling and Guidance Strategies for Education (3 credits)
How teachers, administrators and other personnel, K-12, can minimize risks and maximize learning. Current issues, including child abuse and suicide; counseling services and programming; identifying and assisting students in accessing services and interfacing with parents; ethics considered. Meets for five weeks only.

EDC 593 Lifespan Development (3 credits)
Individual and family development through the lifespan. Theoretical perspectives for understanding child, adult and family development are discussed and applied to counseling.

EDC 594 Women's Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
Counseling strategies, goals and interventions regarding women’s issues of career, family, health and gender within the American culture. A developmental approach is taken to consider these issues over the lifespan.

EDU 596A Special Education and Counseling (1 credit)
Federal and local efforts to minimize handicapping conditions in educational agencies. Topics will include Public Law, committees on the handicapped, least restrictive environments. (5 weeks only)

EDU 596B Solution-Focused Therapy (1 credit)
In-depth study of brief solution-focused therapy. Theoretical background and practical skills. (5 weeks only)

EDU 596C Psychopharmocology (1 credit)
Major drugs used to treat mental illness. Provides an understanding for the counselor of how psychotropic drugs work, dosages and side effects. (5 weeks only)

EDU 597 Abnormal Psychology and the DSM IV (3 credits)
In-depth investigation of human abnormality. The DSM IV categories of disorders, depression and considerations for dealing with crisis situations.

EDC 599 Independent Study (1-3 credits)
Specialized reading, conferences with the instructor and detailed research. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

EDC 600 Mental Health Counseling Internship
Combines EDC 601 and EDC 602 into one full time internship. See advisor for details.

EDC 601 Mental Health Counseling Internship I (3 credits)
Placement as a mental health counseling intern in a mental health program. Opportunity to engage in diagnosis, treatment planning and intervention.

EDC 602 Mental Health Counseling Internship II (3 credits)
Continuation of in depth experience of the functions of a mental health counselor through placement in a mental health agency.

EDC 615 Research Techniques (3 credits)
Qualitative and quantitative aspects of carrying out research. Realistic experiences in carrying out research and evaluation experiments, including inferential statistical methods. Prerequisite: EDU 511 or equivalent.

EDC 674 Group Counseling Leadership (3 credits)
Knowledge and implementation of leadership styles with developmental/crises-oriented groups. Students must establish and conduct their own counseling group as a course requirement. Prerequisite: EDC 574.

EDC 675A Multicultural Counseling (1 credit)
Multicultural considerations in counseling. Awareness of subjective and social issues of disparity and intolerance. Information regarding major minority groups, handicapping conditions and development of transcultural counseling competency.

EDC 675B Consultation Skills for Counselors (1 credit)
This course explores various models of consultation and the skills associated with each. Prerequisite: EDC 576.

EDC 675C Abuse, Ethics, and Legal Aspects of Counseling (1 credit)
Develops counselor’s background with a wide range of ethical/legal dilemmas in the normal delivery of services including: being a mandated reporter of abuse; confidentiality issues; malpractice; committees on the handicapped; least restrictive environments. Meets for five weeks only. Prerequisite: EDC 576.