Department of Counseling

Catherine Jenni, Chair

The Counselor Education program educates students for employment in school (K-12 and higher education) and community mental health and human service settings. Counselors are systems, family and individual consultants, practitioners and coordinators who assist in problem solving, decision-making skills, personal growth and development, and individual, family school, and/or career issues. Counselors receive training in the eight core areas identified by the American Counseling Association Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs: human growth and development, social and cultural foundations, the helping relationship, group theories and methods, career and lifestyle development, client assessment and evaluation, research and program evaluation, and professional orientation. Student  may focus on School Counseling (M.A.) or Agency (Mental Health) Counseling (M.A.). Each option requires additional specialty courses and comprehensive written and oral examinations focused on the student's career track. The more advanced graduate degrees (Ed.S. and Ed.D.) develop depth, supervisory, and leadership skills in these areas.

Graduate Programs: The M.A., Ed.S., and Ed.D. are offered in Counselor Education.  Information regarding specific requirements and program options is available from the School of Education. For more information, please refer to The University of Montana Graduate Programs and Admissions Catalog.  Graduate programs are accredited by NCATE and CACREP..

Admission to Counseling: Applicants for this program should contact the Department for more specific admissions information. Requirements include GRE verbal and quantitative less than 5 years old; official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended; three current letters of recommendation; and a letter of application stating academic and professional background, purpose in obtaining the degree, and thoughts about eventual employment and career direction. Deadline is February 15. Admission is competitive. Meeting graduate school minimum grade average and GRE requirements will not necessarily insure acceptance.

Certification Requirements: The Counselor Education, M.A., School Counseling option, leads to licensure at the Class IV level.

Courses

U =  for undergraduate credit only, UG =  for undergraduate or graduate credit, G =  for graduate credit. R after the credit indicates the course may be repeated for credit to the maximum indicated after the R.  Credits beyond this maximum do not count toward a degree.

Counselor Education (COUN)

UG 475 Forgiveness and Reconciliation 3 cr. Offered spring.  Survey of the theory and practice of healing fractured relationships at the individual and community levels, treating historical and personal issues from philosophical, psychological and religious perspectives drawn from several diverse cultures.

U 485 Counseling Theories in Context 3 cr.  Offered fall.  Prereq., PSYC 100S.  Same as PSYC 485 and SW 485. Introduction to the primary theories that constitute the intellectual foundation for common counseling and psychotherapy techniques, with a special focus on gender, interpersonal influence strategies, and diversity issues.

UG 495 Special Topics 1-9 cr.  (R-9) Offered intermittently.  Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

G 511 Theories and Techniques of Counseling 3 cr. Offered autumn. Examination of historic and current theories of counseling.  Overview of techniques associated with each theory.  Basic introduction to ethical concerns with each theory.

G 512 Counseling Fundamentals 3 cr. Offered spring.  Prereq., COUN 511. Overview of approaches to counseling, including common factors.  Includes meta-theoretical considerations and guided dyadic practice.

G 520 Group Counseling and Guidance 3 cr. Offered autumn.  Prereq., COUN 511. Theories, approaches, and methods for group counseling and guidance.

G 530 Applied Counseling Skills 2 cr. Offered autumn and spring.  Prereq., COUN 511, 512 and consent of instr. Review and application of counseling theories and techniques to client issues.  Intensive supervision including ethics, professional practice and diagnostic considerations.  Lecture and class presentation with a focus on professional counseling development.

G 540 Individual Appraisal 3 cr. Offered spring.  Prereq., C&I 517 or consent of instr. Overview of appraisal techniques utilized in counseling, including interviewing, observation, and psychological/educational testing. The processes of selection, administration, scoring, interpretation, and reporting information from appraisal techniques are examined in relation to practical, legal, and ethical considerations.

G 550 Introduction to Family Counseling 3 cr. Offered spring.  Prereq., admission to Counselor Education program or consent of instr.  An introduction to the major theories, techniques, and diagnostic tools of family counseling. Course includes a family systems emphasis.

G 560 Lifespan Developmental Counseling 3 cr. Offered spring.  Overview of counseling from the framework of lifespan developmental theory. Normal and abnormal development in the environmental context of family, school, society and culture emphasized.

G 565 School Counseling, Program Development and Supervision  3 cr. Offered spring.  Prereq., graduate standing or consent of instr.  Examination of counseling techniques and approaches relevant to prevention and remediation of behavioral, social, emotional and academic problems for students P-12. Overview of school counseling program development and administration.

G 566 Counseling Children and Adolescents  3 cr.  Offered every spring..  Prereq., COUN 511, 512, 565 or consent of instr.  Review and application of counseling concerns and approaches with children and adolescents in school and related educational settings, including classroom and psychoeducational strategies.

G 570 Career Counseling Theory and Techniques 3 cr. Offered spring.  Examination of theories of career choice and development; information sources for career counseling; techniques and approaches of career counseling with clients at different stages of career and life development and from diverse populations.

G 575 Multicultural Counseling 3 cr. Offered autumn.  Prereq., graduate standing or consent of instr. An introduction to the field of multicultural counseling.  Issues and practical considerations in counseling five population groups; definition of terms and concepts.

G 580 Chemical Dependency Counseling 2 cr. Offered autumn.  Prereq., admission to Counselor Education program or consent of instr. Understanding chemical dependency and its treatment. Development of school/community programs for prevention and remediation. Counseling techniques and methods. Understanding the addictive process.

G 585 Counseling Methods: School and Agency 2-9 cr. Offered every term.  Prereq., COUN 511, 512.  Supervised counseling methods and theories as applied in mental health agencies and schools.  Review of the principles of counseling as these apply to various settings and client issues.

G 589 Comprehensive Project  2 cr.  Offered autumn and spring.  Integration of professional experience and academic research in a comprehensive paper or applied project.  Students may elect to have an oral examination covering the eight CACREP core areas of counseling.

G 594 Seminar Variable cr. (R-9) Offered intermittently.  Prereq., consent of instr. Group analysis of problems in specific areas of professional counseling.

G 595 Special Topics Variable cr.  (R-9) Offered intermittently.  Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

G 596 Independent Study Variable cr.  (R-6) Offered intermittently.  Prereq., consent of instr.

G 597 Research Variable cr. (R-9) Offered autumn and spring.  Prereq., consent of instr.

G 610 Professional Ethics and Orientation 3 cr. Offered autumn.  Prereq., COUN 530 or consent of instr. The public and institutional roles and responsibilities of counseling professionals including ethical and legal responsibilities.

G 615 Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Counseling 3 cr. Offered autumn.  Prereq., COUN 512. Overview of diagnosis, treatment planning and case documentation in counseling.

G 625 Introduction to Mental Health Systems 2 cr.  Prereq., acceptance into Counselor Education program mental health track.  Essential knowledge for professional identity, understanding of public policy, and community assessment procedures.  Includes brief lectures, guest speakers, discussion, and student presentations.

G 633 Supervision and Consultation in Counseling: Advanced Practicum 2-4 cr. (R-4) Offered spring.  Prereq., COUN 530. Approaches and techniques for supervision and consultation in counseling. Supervised experience with first year counselor education graduate students.

G 685 Advanced Counseling Methods: School and Agency  2-9 cr.  (R-9) Offered every term.  Prereq., COUN 585.  Supervised advanced counseling methods and approaches as applied to mental health agencies and schools.

G 699 Thesis/Professional Paper 2-10 cr. (R-10) Offered intermittently.  Prereq., EDLD 620 or 625.

Faculty

Professors

  • Roberta D. Evans, Ed.D., The University of Nevada, Reno, 1988
  • Catherine Jenni, Ph.D., Saybrook Institute, 1990 (Chair)
  • John C. Lundt, Ed.D., The University of Montana, 1988
  • Donald L. Robson, Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1976
  • Conrad Wesley Snyder, Jr., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1970
  • Rita Sommers-Flanagan, Ph.D., The University of Montana, 1989
  • L. Dean Sorenson, Ph.D., Washington State University, 1984

Associate Professors

  • William P. McCaw, Ed.D., The University of Montana, 1999
  • John Sommers-Flanagan, Ph.D., The University of Montana, 1986

Assistant Professors

  • Merle Farrier, Ed.D., The University of Montana, 1998 (Program Director, Educational Leadership)
  • Aida Hutz, Ed.D., Northern Arizona University, 2003