Counselor Education Department

John Sommers-Flanagan and Kirsten Murray, Co-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 practitioners, consultants, 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. We offer a School Counseling M.A., a Mental Health Counseling M.A., and an Interdisciplinary 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.

The Department of Counselor Education is also the academic home for an interdisciplinary masters degree in Global Youth Development.  Students in this program are prepared for humanitarian and advocacy work, focusing specifically on youth and family development across cultures. Requirements include one year of campus-based course work and an approved internship of at least two semesters duration working with youth and family concerns. GYD is a Peace Corps Master’s International program, and the expectation therefore is that students will complete the Internship requirement by serving as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers abroad. For further information and course listings, see: http://coehs.umt.edu/departments/counsed/IYFD/default.php

Graduate Programs: The M.A., Ed.S., and Ed.D. are offered in Counselor Education. An interdisciplinary M.A. is offered in Global Youth Development.  Information regarding specific requirements and program options is available from the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences. 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 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. Applicants have the option to include GRE scores. Priority deadline is February 15th with complete applications reviewed after this date on a space available basis. Admission is competitive. 

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

Department Faculty

Professor

  • Catherine Jenni, Professor
  • John Sommers-Flanagan, Professor

Associate Professor

  • Kirsten Murray, Department Chair / Associate Professor

Assistant Professor

  • Veronica Johnson, Assistant Professor
  • Lindsey Nichols, Assistant Professor / GYD Director

Affiliates

  • Sara Polanchek, Clinical Director

Course Descriptions

Counselor Education

  • COUN 242S - Intimate Relationships

    Credits: 3. Offered autumn and spring semester. This course covers the fascinating, multi-faceted world of intimate relationships and explores the topic from empirical and theoretical perspectives. The examination of intimate relationships in this course will look at the subject through cultural, biological, social and developmental lenses and will explore specific topics such as attraction, communication, friendship, sexuality, love, conflict, power and violence, loss, social cognition, and repairing relationships.
    Course Attributes:
    • Social Sciences Course

  • COUN 395 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

  • COUN 475 - Forgiveness & Reconcilia

    Credits: 3. 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.

  • COUN 485 - Counseling Theories

    Credits: 3. Offered autumn.  Prereq., PSYX 100S.  Same as PSYX 442 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.

  • COUN 495 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Offered intermittently.  Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

  • COUN 510 - Intro to Counseling

    Credits: 1. Course is designed to prepare school and mental health counselors-in-training gain an understanding of the counseling field and begin developing professional identity.  Much of the material introduced in this course will be developed in greater detail in later courses. This course is an overview that prepares the student for his or her professional identity and activities. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 511 - Theories & Tech of Counseling

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 512 - Counseling Fundamentals

    Credits: 3. Offered autumn.  Prereq., COUN 511. Overview of approaches to counseling, including common factors.  Includes meta-theoretical considerations and guided dyadic practice. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 520 - Group Coun & Guidance

    Credits: 3. Offered spring.  Prereq., COUN 511. Theories, approaches, and methods for group counseling and guidance. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 530 - Applied Counseling Skills

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 540 - Individual Appraisal

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 550 - Intro Family Counseling

    Credits: 3. Offered summer only.  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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 560 - Lifespan Developmentl Coun

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 565 - Coun, Prog Dev, & Superv

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 566 - Coun Child & Adol

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 570 - Career Coun Theory & Tech

    Credits: 3. Offered summer only.  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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 575 - Multicultural Coun

    Credits: 3. Offered spring.  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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 580 - Addictions Counseling

    Credits: 3. Offered summer. Pre-req., admission to the Counselor Education program or consent of instr. Understanding of addictions with a focus on chemical dependency and its treatment including community and school-based prevention. Course includes Motivational Interviewing approach. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 585 - Coun Meth: School & Agency

    Credits: 1 TO 9. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 589 - Comprehensive Project

    Credits: 1. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 594 - Seminar

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Offered intermittently.  Prereq., consent of instr. Group analysis of problems in specific areas of professional counseling. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 595 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Offered intermittently.  Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 596 - Independent Study

    Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered intermittently.  Prereq., consent of instr. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 597 - Research

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Offered autumn and spring.  Prereq., consent of instr. Directed individual research and study appropriate to the back ground and objectives of the student. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 610 - Profess Ethics/Orient

    Credits: 3. Offered spring. Prereq., COUN 530 or consent of instr. The public and institutional roles and responsibilities of counseling professionals including ethical and legal responsibilities. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 615 - Diag/Treat Plan in Coun

    Credits: 3. Offered spring.  Prereq., COUN 512. Overview of diagnosis, treatment planning and case documentation in counseling. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 625 - Intro Mental Health Systems

    Credits: 3. 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. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 630 - Doctoral Clinical Practice

    Credits: 3. Doctoral level clinical experience of 100 supervised hours focusing on the counseling relationship, including case conceptualization and therapeutic skills from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Additional areas of focus are ethical considerations and the assessment of professional counseling outcomes. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 640 - Professional Leadership and Scholarly Development

    Credits: 3. Theories of academic leadership, within professional trends, political and social contexts. Includes developing awareness of scholarly opportunities, including preparation of a professional counseling organization conference proposal. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 650 - Pedagogy and the Professorate

    Credits: 3. Consideration of pedagogy including teaching, learning, governance, curriculum development, assessment and evaluation. Includes knowledge of accreditation processes, personal and professional challenges of faculty life and exploration of doctoral level career paths. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 670 - Doc Comprehensive Exam

    Credits: 2. Students will successfully complete four doctoral Comprehensive Examination Essays read by all members of the student's Doctoral Comps Committee. At least one of the essays is to be submitted for publication. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 685 - Methods in Counselor Education and Professional Counseling

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Supervised advanced counselor education methods and approaches that address the professional leadership roles of counselor education, including realms of teaching and advising, clinical supervision, scholarly work and professional counseling practice. Level: Graduate

  • COUN 699 - Thesis/Profess Paper

    Credits: 2 TO 10. (R-10) Offered intermittently.  Prereq., EDLD 620 or 625. Preparation of a thesis, professional paper, or manuscript based on research for presentation and/or publication. Level: Graduate