The Master of Arts Program in Counseling and Psychological Services prepares graduates for professional work in counseling, psychotherapy, and other psychological services. It is designed to enhance the student's understanding of the complex nature of human behavior and social interaction, and to develop tools for assessing human problems and assisting individuals in developing greater understanding and acceptance of themselves and their relationships with others.  Graduates work in a wide variety of settings applying their education.

The program is designed to help students meet the educational requirements for Minnesota licensure for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC).   In addition coursework is offered for the educational requirements for Minnesota Licensure for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC).  Students planning to seek licensure with the Minnesota Board of Psychology after earning a doctorate can work toward some of their educational requirements in the Master's program.

Core Courses	18 credits
Assessment Courses	7 credits
Counseling Courses	8 credits
Additional Required Courses	9 credits
Required Practicum Experience	4 credits
Integration Paper and Oral Examination	0 credits
General Electives	2 credits
Total:	48 credits

 

Core Courses:	18 cr.
PY605 Developmental Psychology	3 cr.
PY607 Theories of Personality	3 cr.
PY608 Psychopathology	3 cr.
PY613 Counseling Theory and Technique	3 cr.
PY620 Statistical Techniques and Research Methods	3 cr.
MFT611 Foundations of Family Therapy	3 cr.
Assessment Courses	7 cr.
PY621 Psychological Assessment	3 cr.
PY631 Personality Assessment: Adolescent and Adult	2 cr.
PY632 Child Assessment or	2 cr.
PY633 Personnel and Vocational Assessment	2 cr.
Counseling Courses	8 cr.
PY604 Career Counseling	2 cr.
PY642 Group Therapy	2 cr.
PY648 Multicultural Counseling	2 cr.
PY665 Counseling Skills	2 cr.
Additional Required Courses	9 cr.
PY575 Orientation to the Profession	1 cr.
PY576 Social Psychology	2 cr.
PY606 Psychophysiology	3 cr.
PY625 Ethics and Professional Issues	3 cr.
General Electives	minimum 2 cr.
A student may elect up to 4 credits from other Saint Mary's University graduate programs, with prior approval of the Program Director. Students may wish to return after graduation to take electives to fulfill course requirements for licensure renewal.
PY600 General Psychology (does not count toward the 48 credits required)	3 cr.
PY590 Claiming Our Spirituality	2 cr.
PY602 Religious and Spiritual Development through the Lifespan	2 cr.
PY630 Advanced Research Methods	2 cr.
PY643 Humanistic/Existential Counseling Approaches	2 cr.
PY644 Cognitive/Behavioral Counseling Approaches	2 cr.
PY645 Psychodynamic Counseling Approaches	2 cr.
PY652 Women's Self-Esteem and Spirituality	2 cr.
PY654 Chemical Dependency	2 cr.
PY656 Psychopharmacology	2 cr.
PY657 Aging: A Behavioral Sciences Perspective	2 cr.
PY658 Human Sexuality	2 cr.
PY659 Brief Therapy	2 cr.
PY660 An Introduction to Play Therapy	2 cr.
PY663 Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome in Children	2 cr.
PY667 Developmental Disabilities I	2 cr.
PY540 Developmental Disabilities II	2 cr.
PY669 Advanced Psychopathology	2 cr.
PY684 Exploring Spiritual Life through Literature	2 cr.
PY688 Many Faces of Art: A Psychological Perspective	2 cr.
PY701 Supervising Counselors and Psychotherapists: Theories of Supervision	1 cr.
PY702 Supervising Counselors and Psychotherapists: Clinical Skills and Practice in Supervision	1 cr.
PY703 Issues, Ethics, and Research in Supervision	1 cr.
PY704 Clinical Treatment Planning	2 cr.
PY705 Evaluation Methodologies	2 cr.
PY706 Writing for Professional Practice	1 cr.
PY707 Advanced Multicultural Counseling	1 cr.
The following titles are representative of short (1 credit) general elective courses available. See the semester course schedule for current offerings.
PY585 Meditation	1 cr.
PY589 Creativity and Self-Renewal	1 cr.
PY599 Professional Psychological Writing	1 cr.
PY603 Therapeutic Use of Imagery for Psychological and Spiritual Growth	1 cr.
PY649R Psychology and the Law (Rochester only)	1 cr.
PY668R Introduction to Correctional Psychology (most often offered in Rochester)	1 cr.
PY671 Child Sexual Abuse	1 cr.
PY672 Employee Assistance Counseling	1 cr.
PY673 Clinical Use of Hypnosis	1 cr.
PY674 Living With Experiences of Trauma	1 cr.
PY675 Clinical Issues: Bereavement	1 cr.
PY677 Psychological Transformation and the Spiritual Journey	1 cr.
PY678 Children of Addiction	1 cr.
PY679 Psychology of HIV/AIDS	1 cr.
PY680 Stress Management	1 cr.
PY683 Theory and Applications of Sport Psychology	1 cr.
Required Practicum Experience	4 cr.
The student will complete a supervised practicum experience in a counseling or mental health setting under direct supervision.  This experience consists of a minimum of 700 hours, usually two semesters of 350 hours each.  A practicum supervision seminar class must be taken concurrently.
PY695 Practicum I	2 cr.
PY696 Practicum II	2 cr.
Total credits:	48 minimum
Integration and Oral Examination The final requirements of the program include: A paper in which the students integrates his or her course, practicum, and other professional experience with a review of current professional research literature. A final one-hour oral examination based upon the integration paper.