Education & Human Development

Graduate Programs

Counselor Education
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The Counseling Education Program - An Overview
The Counselor Education Program provides two-concentration Masters level degree programs, a Certificate of Advanced Studies, and a Doctorate in Counselor Education. The School Counseling M.Ed. is designed to prepare students for certification as school counselors. The Mental Health Counseling M.Ed. is designed to prepare students for licensure as clinical counselors. The Certificate of Advanced Studies is designed to help students further their education or to allow students to change their focus in the counseling discipline. Our Doctoral Program is specifically designed to train those who desire careers as Counselor Educators, and prepares students to work in research-intensive universities as well as teaching oriented human services programs in Community or small Liberal Arts Colleges.

In accordance with the American Counseling Association (ACA) guidelines, our courses are infused, at every level, with ACA recommended core curriculum guidelines for an inclusive, socio-cultural, historical, multi/cross-culturally cognizant curriculum at every level. The Counselor Education program prepares its students to become "system consultants" with extensive knowledge of diversity and sociology of education issues. They are capable of engaging collaboratively with families, community professionals and educators. Small class size allows students to work closely with nationally and internationally recognized faculty who are also well versed in diversity, counseling-psychology, sociology, philosophy, critical theory and alternative forms of intervention. The program's semester-long practicum and two-semester internship enable research and discovery in the field and ensure a strong foundation in advocating for students and clients as well as helping to define the future role for counselors within the school and mental health context. To assist those who are working or have family responsibilities, we offer evening, weekend, early afternoon, distance education, and many summer courses.

DEGREE CONCENTRATIONS

• School Counseling Concentration
This is a 48 credit hour Masters degree. The school context plays an important role in the developmental life-course of young people. The school is closely involved with families, political, cultural and economic structures that shape a community. These macro-level forces play a powerful role in the development and success of children and young adults. Effective school counselors are crucial in the educational system: they identify students who may be "at-risk", promote fair access and interventions for individual growth, learning and development. School counselors are trained to detect obstacles to success, are skilled in prevention as well as remediation, and are trained to acknowledge and recognize issues of diversity that may be misinterpreted by others as indicators of pathologies rather than strengths.

School Counseling Program Requirements: Core Courses (42 credits)
CEC 551  Introduction to School Counseling
CEC 553  The Profession of Counseling
CEC 520  Multicultural & Social Foundations of Counseling
CEC 523  Use of Standardized Tests and Inventories
CEC 549  Developmental Theories for Counselors
CEC 552  Effective Group Work in the Helping Professions
CEC 556  Established Theories of Counseling
CEC 557  Play Theories and Techniques for Children and Adolescents
CEC 559  Counseling for Career Development
CEC 560  Pre-Practicum
CEC 655  Individual Counseling Practicum
CEC 661  Research Seminar in Counselor Education
CEC 690  Counselor Education Internship (6 credits-600 hours)

Electives (6 credits)
Examples of electives: Adapting Instruction for Students w/Disabilities, Students At-Risk, School Law, College Admission Counseling, Ethics, Substance Abuse, Crisis Intervention, Human Sexuality, Marriage & Family, Consultation, DSM IV Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, Advanced Internship, CEC 580 Institutes.

• Mental Health Concentration
This is a 60 credit hour Masters degree which prepares students for work in private practice, mental health agencies, and schools. Students graduating from this concentration will be eligible to sit for the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and to apply for licensure as a clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Maine. Students are required to complete a 900-hour clinical internship, while under supervision of a licensed mental health professional. All courses required by the Licensure Board are offered, including those areas where students have choices among a group of acknowledged licensure acceptable courses.

Mental Health Counseling Program Requirements: Core Courses (45 credits)
CEC 553  The Profession of Counseling
CEC 520  Multicultural & Social Foundations of Counseling
CEC 523  Use of Standardized Tests and Inventories
CEC 525 DSM IV-Diagnosis & Treatment Planning
CEC 549  Developmental Theories for Counselors
CEC 552  Effective Group Work in the Helping Professions
CEC 556  Established Theories of Counseling
CEC 557  Play Theories and Techniques for Children and Adolescents
CEC 559  Counseling for Career Development
CEC 560  Pre-Practicum
CEC 655  Individual Counseling Practicum
CEC 661  Research Seminar in Counselor Education
CEC 690  Counselor Education Internship (9credits-900 hours)

Electives (15 credits)
Examples of electives: Substance Abuse, Crisis Intervention, Human Sexuality, Marriage & Family, Consultation, Supervision, Treatment Modality.  Students may also consider a School Counseling Internship and Introduction to School Counseling, as well as Adapting Instruction for Students w/Disabilities, Students At-Risk, School Law, College Admission Counseling, Ethics, CEC 580 Institutes.

• Certificate of Advanced Studies
For students already possessing the M.Ed. in Counseling, the Certificate of Advanced Studies (C.A.S.) allows concentration in an individually designed program for a degree with 30 extra credit hours beyond the masters degree level. This is helpful for students who wish to focus on a specific area of practice, or who wish to move into advanced levels of expertise in their area of interest and have found professors who are willing to work and mentor their progress.

• Doctoral Program
The University of Maine has the only doctoral program in Northern New England specifically designed for those who wish to obtain professional and research careers in counseling and counselor education. The doctoral program includes coursework in foundational and advanced quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Students have access to our Center for Research and Evaluation when in need of assistance to access important data that may be relevant to their research. Students begin with a study of recent developments in counseling theory and a seminar in doctoral research to assist them in identifying theoretical traditions and gain expertise in library research while also helping them narrow and refine the scope of their research interests. We believe this helps students to utilize all other course work in helping them with needed knowledge and skills for the actual dissertation process. Our doctoral students are required to take courses in traditional and critical philosophies of education. The program includes a strong theoretical core in human development. Those who aspire to research/educational/and scholar-practitioners roles in higher educational positions receive high level, CACREP aligned coursework from nationally and internationally recognized faculty from diverse fields. Our program is closely allied with Human Development faculty who are integral in providing strong theoretical and scholarly foundations as well as mentorship and advisement for advanced students in their dissertation studies. Students receive close mentorship during their Advanced Counselor Educator internship which includes teaching master's level courses, developing and participating in conference presentations, working with faculty on publications and grants, and developing new courses informed by students areas of expertise. Counselor Education and Human Development/Family Studies faculty are committed to an intensive, interactive learning environment.

FACULTY
Dorothy Breen holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. She specializes in Play Therapy and rural school and mental health counseling. She is a licensed psychologist in Maine and a member of the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, American School Counselor Association, and the American Educational Research Association as well as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Rural Education. Dr. Breen has made many presentations at national and state professional conferences and has published in books and professional journals such as Journal of Research in Rural Education, Journal of Counseling and Development, The School Counselor, The International Play Therapy Journal, and Journal of Early Adolescence.