The following M.S.Ed. program leads to New York state provisional certification as a school counselor.

Counseling Practicum and Counseling Internship

All students receiving an M.S. in education with a concentration in counseling are required to complete EDU 676 School Counseling Practicum, EDU 677 School Counseling Internship and EDU 678 School Counseling Advanced Internship.

The practicum provides students with experience in the planning and development of school counseling programs, counseling students, appraising student’s needs, networking with people within the school, and consulting with parents and staff.

The internship requires students to demonstrate skills in individual and group counseling.

Students must participate in a practicum (EDU 676 School Counseling Practicum) at three schools for a total of 100 hours. Students must participate in counseling internship I (EDU 677 School Counseling Internship) and counseling internship II (EDU 678 School Counseling Advanced Internship) in a school setting at least two days a week throughout the academic year. In addition, the students must meet in a weekly seminar on campus. All students will be supervised every week by the site supervisor and by the university supervisor during the weekly seminar session.

Comprehensive Evaluation in the School Counseling Area of Studies

The comprehensive evaluation is designed to assess the student’s ability to integrate theoretical knowledge into an effective counseling style. The program is based upon an eclectic counseling perspective which encourages students to learn various techniques from different theoretical counseling models.

Comprehensive Student Evaluation

1. During the semester when enrolled in EDU 677 School Counseling Internship, the student will:
   1. Prepare a counseling tape demonstrating competencies in the use of micro-skills within the counseling session.
   2. Prepare a typescript of the tape.
   3. Write a critique of the tape which:
      • Discusses the issues with the client.
      • Identifies strengths and limitations of the counselor in exploring issues with the client.
      • Explains which theoretical techniques were used and why.
   4. Submit the above to the university supervisor of EDU 677 School Counseling Internship.
2. During the first month of the semester in which the student is enrolled in the counseling internship II (EDU 678 School Counseling Advanced Internship), the university supervisor will:
   1. Discuss with the student any limitations noted.
   2. Prescribe activities to overcome any limitations noted.

Note

Successful completion of the master’s degree in school counseling reflects the following:

1. Completion of 48 graduate hours in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above).
2. Satisfactory, regular class attendance.
3. Demonstration of professional ethical standards as established by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) and affiliated organizations.
4. Satisfactory performance (S for pass) in counseling practicum (EDU 676 School Counseling Practicum) and (minimum C) internships (EDU 677 School Counseling Internship and EDU 678 School Counseling Advanced Internship).
   • Successful results on the mid-program and comprehensive exams.
   • Successful defense of the counseling portfolio.
5. The university supervisor will conduct a final evaluation of the student by:
   1. Consulting the counseling internship supervisors in the school/agencies.
   2. Observing students in the counseling internship seminars.