Graduate Programs - Counselor Education
“My original motivation for attending UMaine was to achieve a Master’s degree, but I had no idea what I was really going to gain from the experience. The motivation, support and dedication that has been provided to me by faculty, staff and peers has allowed me to surpass any expectations I had upon entering my program. Thanks to my experince at UMaine, I am now preparing for a career in education that is not only exciting and challenging, but a direct result of the time and effort that has been provided for me by the University as a whole.”
Lee Nate Gardner
Ed.D Student in Counselor Education
The Counselor 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 professional counselors (LCPC). 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. The Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education 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 school and clinical practice 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, distance education, and many summer courses.
** Please Note: Although currently not accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), our programs’ requirements are closely aligned with CACREP standards.
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.
School Counseling Program Requirements: Core Courses (42 credits)
CEC 551 Introduction to School Counseling
CEC 553 The Profession of Counseling
CEC 556 Established Theories of Counseling
CEC 549 Developmental Theories for Counselors
CEC 552 Effective Group Work in the Helping Professions
CEC 559 Counseling for Career Development
CEC 523 Use of Standardized Tests and Inventories
CEC 520 Multicultural & Social Foundations of Counseling
CEC 557 Play Therapy
CEC 661 Research Seminar in Counselor Education
CEC 560 Pre-Practicum
CEC 655 Individual Counseling Practicum
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.
**Students in the School Counseling Program are required to take an elective course in adapting instruction for students with disabilities.
Students must pass the Praxis II exam before beginning the second semester of internship (CEC 690). Students enrolled in internship (CEC 690) have the option of applying for NBCC certification (www.nbcc.org) and taking the National Counselor Exam (NCE) before graduation.
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 (51 credits)
CEC 553 The Profession of Counseling
CEC 548 Introduction to Mental Health Counseling
CEC 556 Established Theories of Counseling
CEC 549 Developmental Theories for Counselors
CEC 552 Effective Group Work in the Helping Professions
CEC 523 Use of Standardized Tests and Inventories
CEC 525 DSM IV-Diagnosis & Treatment Planning
CEC 559 Counseling for Career Development
CEC 520 Multicultural & Social Foundations of Counseling
CEC 557 Play Therapy
CEC 585 Substance Abuse
CEC 661 Research Seminar in Counselor Education
CEC 560 Pre-Practicum
CEC 655 Individual Counseling Practicum
CEC 690 Counselor Education Internship (9 credits-900 hours)
Electives (9 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.
Students enrolled in internship (CEC 690) have the option of applying for NBCC certification (www.nbcc.org) and taking the National Counselor Exam (NCE) before graduation. This is also the exam required by the State of Maine Board of Counseling Licensure (www.maineprofessionalreg.org) for conditional licensure as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).
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. Students wishing to pursue the CAS must possess a master’s degree in counseling as it requires a minimum of 30 additional credit hours beyond the master’s. Students in the CAS program work with a faculty advisor to develop an individualized program of study in order to meet their specific educational and career needs. This is helpful for students who wish to focus on a specific area of practice, re-specialize (e.g., from school counseling to mental health counseling), or who wish to move into advanced levels of expertise in their area of interest.
Doctoral Program
(At this time, the College of Education and Human Development is not admitting new students to the doctoral program in Counselor Education as it is at full capacity.)
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. Students wishing to pursue doctoral studies in Counselor Education at UMaine must possess a master’s degree in counseling for admission. The program requires a minimum of 96 credit hours, 45 of which may be brought in from previous graduate study.
The doctoral program includes coursework in foundational and advanced quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. 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 also 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 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.
In consultation with their academic advisor, doctoral candidates select an advisory committee made up of a minimum of three graduate faculty, with at least one member from Counselor Education and another from Human Development and Family Studies. This committee is responsible for overseeing the candidate’s program of study, which must be prepared during the first semester of study.
Ph.D. in Counselor Education Required Coursework (96 credits, up to 45 may be brought in from previous Master’s degree):
CEC558 Recent Developments in Counseling Theory
CEC658 Doctoral Individual practicum
CEC659 Counseling Supervision
CEC662 Doctoral Seminar in Counselor Education
CEC694 Advanced Counselor Education Internship (3 credits-300 hours)
EDS521 Introduction to Statistics
EDS571 Qualitative Methods
EDS697 Advanced Statistics
EDG595 Educational Research
EPT522 Advanced Educational Psychology
EDH662 Philosophy of Education
EDS699 Graduate Thesis (3-6 credits)
EDH500 Social Context
Written comprehensive examinations in the foundational areas are also required following the completion of coursework and prior to initiating a dissertation. Doctoral students must advance to candidacy within four years of initial registration. After advancement to candidacy, doctoral students propose a dissertation study, which must be completed with seven-and-a-half years after initial registration. Dissertations are supervised by a faculty advisor and a committee of five members. Candidates must defend their dissertation in a public meeting as the final requirement of the program.
Faculty
Dorothy Breen, Associate Professor
Yung-Wei (Dennis) Lin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Annette Nelligan, Lecturer
Applying to the Counselor Education Program
Those interested in applying to either the master’s, Certificate of Advanced Study, or doctoral programs should contact the University of Maine’s Graduate School. The program accepts applications on a rolling basis, typically for either Fall or Spring admission. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to have their applications submitted as soon as possible before the semester of desired admission to allow adequate time for review.
Applicants to the Master’s Programs in School or Mental Health Counseling are required to submit academic transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement describing your interest in pursuing graduate study in counseling and professional goals, and either GRE or MAT scores with their applications.
Applicants to the Doctoral Program in Counselor Education are required to submit required to submit academic transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement describing your interest in pursuing a doctorate in counselor education, and GRE scores. Applicants to the Doctoral program must also possess a master’s degree in counseling (master’s degrees in other fields – e.g., social work – are not acceptable).
