The Department of Counseling faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as stated in the departmental mission statement is committed to providing a two-track graduate program dedicated to the preparation of school and community counselors.
This preparation includes a core of courses and experiences that prepare counselors to meet the unique needs and demands of clientele in school and community work settings. The Department of Counseling approaches counseling from an educational and developmental perspective, emphasizing health and wellness through crisis intervention, remediation, prevention and growth enhancement counseling.
Upon completion of their program requirements, graduates will:
1. Professional and Personal Identity
a. Demonstrate commitment to the welfare of others.
b Strive for optimal personal wellness and awareness of one’s own developmental needs.
c. Conceptualize human behavior and the process of change from a developmental perspective.
d. Facilitate personal development in clients.
e. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
f. Maintain a professional identity as a counselor.
g. Demonstrate personal and professional integrity, including adherence to professional ethical codes and relevant legal standards and expectations.
h. Understand importance and process of state and national credentialing.
2. Community Counseling
a. Understand structures and operations of professional organizations, credentialing mechanisms, training standards, and ethical and legal codes affecting community counselors.
b. Explain principles and demonstrate practices of research and evaluation as they relate to community counseling.
c. Explain general principles and theories of community intervention, including inpatient, outpatient, partial treatment, aftercare programs, and facilities, family/school-based programs and the human services network available in the community.
d. Apply theories and techniques of community needs assessment to design, implement, and evaluate community counseling programs and systems.
e. Develop and implement appropriate case conceptualization and diagnostic-based and\or developmentally appropriate treatment programs.
f. Encourage appropriate use of counseling (psychotherapy) that is designed to meet the unique needs of clients.
3. School Counseling
a. Design and implement a collaborative, comprehensive, developmental school counseling program based on ASCA current standards (responsive service, delivery systems, program management, and individual appraisal and program accountability).
b. Lead and manage an effective school counseling program.
c. Facilitate the academic, personal/social, and career development of all students.
d. Help select and interpret student assessment data.
4. Child Counseling- for those students who wish to specialize in working with children:
a. Demonstrate conceptual understanding of children’s growth and development and apply to the counseling process.
b. Demonstrate conceptual understanding of major theoretical models that incorporate the use of play modalities (e.g. activity or expressive art procedures and techniques) in work with children to meet their unique needs.
c. Demonstrate conceptual understanding of strategies and various methods for involving primary caregivers in their child’s counseling.
d. Demonstrate an awareness of professional and personal issues unique to counseling with children including collaboration/consultation with schools, medical personnel and the juvenile justice system.
e. Demonstrate therapeutic skills consistent with counselor’s guiding theoretical orientation.
5. Adolescent and Adult Counseling- for those students seeking to work with
adolescents and adults:
a. Demonstrate conceptual understanding of adolescent/adult growth and development and apply to the counseling process.
b. Demonstrate conceptual understanding of major theoretical models that incorporate the use of age appropriate procedures and techniques in with with adolescents/adults to meet their unique needs.
c. Demonstrate an awareness of professional and personal issues unique to counseling with adolescents and adults including collaboration/consultation with schools/employers, medical personnel, and the justice system.
d. Demonstrate therapeutic skills consistent with counselor’s guiding theoretical orientation.
6. Counseling and Helping Relationships
a. Demonstrate a conceptual and applied understanding of human growth and development, and decision making in the counseling process.
b. Demonstrate awareness of and respect for individual and cultural similarities and differences.
c. Explain the major counseling therapies and their associated theories, process, strategies and interventions.
d. Develop, apply, and demonstrate a personal therapeutic approach to counseling that is ethical and internally consistent with the counselor’s values and beliefs.
e. Establish and facilitate constructive, safe, and ethical relationships with clients.
f. Conduct client intake and student assessment interviews.
g. Recognize and respond appropriately to professional responsibilities and limitations.
7. Group Counseling
a. Understand and apply the basic principles of group dynamics and group therapeutic conditions appropriate to client age level.
b. Demonstrate therapeutic skills consistent with counselor’s guiding group theory.
c. Demonstrate a familiarity with the typical stages of group development and the appropriate intervention strategies and leader behaviors associated with each stage.
d. Demonstrate an ability to use some of the core facilitation skills.
e. Indicate an awareness of group member roles along with relevant intervention strategies.
8. Multicultural and Specific Populations Counseling
a. Demonstrate increased self-awareness of one’s own cultures and the values inherent in those cultures.
b. Appreciate a multicultural and specific population’s perspective counseling and other services.
c. Understand potential barriers to counseling and other services with multicultural and specific populations.
d. Acquire knowledge and demonstrate skills and strategies to counsel and provide assistance to multicultural and specific populations.
e. Develop a respect for the constructs of individualism, collectivism and universality.
f. Understand the effects of prejudice and discrimination and their impact on the client’s world view.
9. Career Development and Career Counseling
a. Understand personal, social, economic, and other factors related to the world of work for students/clients throughout the lifespan.
b. Understand and apply theories of career development and theories of career choice.
c. Plan, design, and implement life-long career development programs.
d. Locate, identify, evaluate, and disseminate career and educational information.
e. Evaluate the career development program and use the results to effect program enhancement by recommending institutional or agency improvements.
f. Demonstrate therapeutic skills consistent with counselor’s guiding career development theory.
10. Assessment
a. Demonstrate competencies in selection, administration, scoring, evaluation, and interpretation of assessment devices.
b. Understand basic psychometric and educational measurement and evaluation concepts essential to appropriately using instruments.
c. Determine the appropriateness and strength of assessment instruments.
Adapted from: Engels, D.W. & Associates. (2004). The Professional Counselor: Portfolio, Competencies, Performance Guidelines and Assessment (3rd Ed). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
