The Master of Science in Professional Counseling is designed for individuals interested in becoming professional counselors, helping individuals with a variety of psychological, social and emotional disabilities. Individuals graduating with a professional counseling degree may be prepared for a career as a counselor, mental health counselor, marriage and family counselor, substance abuse and behavior disorder counselor, or school psychologist. As a professional counselor, you will be providing emotional support to help individuals develop trust and confidence.
The master's in counseling focuses on a variety of topics, including counseling orientation and ethics; counseling theories; addictions and substance use disorders; group counseling theory and practice; social and cultural diversity issues in counseling; psychopharmacology and addictions; human sexuality, aging, and long-term care; counseling skills in the helping relationships; human growth and development; marriage and family therapy; spousal and child abuse, crisis, and trauma counseling; tests and appraisal in counseling; career development and counseling; research methods; diagnostics, assessment, and treatment; and psychopathology and counseling.
The program‛s courses were selected to meet the academic requirements established by the National Board for Certified Counselors for the National Certified Counselor credential (NCC) and by Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. A master's degree in counseling is a required step in 48 states including Arizona for individuals seeking to become licensed as counselors.
Graduates from this master's in counseling program are prepared to meet the academic requirements for licensure in Arizona as a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Associate Substance Abuse Counselor (LASAC) or a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC.) Additionally, graduates from most other states will be academically prepared to begin the process of seeking certification andor licensure in their home state. Licensing andor certification requirements may vary from state to state. It is the students' responsibility to check the licensing certification requirements in their respective states.
| Course # | Course Title | Course Description | Credits |
| UNV-502 | Introduction to Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences | This course is designed to prepare students for the graduate learning experience at Grand Canyon University. Students have opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills necessary to succeed as graduate students studying the health sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences . Emphasis is placed on utilizing the tools for graduate success. | 2 |
| PCN-505 | Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethics | This course provides a broad understanding of professional counseling ethics, legal standards, and responsibilities. An important goal of this course is to help students develop a high standard of ethical performance in their careers as professional counselors. | 3 |
| PCN-500 | Counseling Theories | This course provides a comprehensive survey of the major counseling theories and principles. Coursework includes the following theories: psychoanalytic, Adlerian, existential psychotherapy, behavioral, cognitive behavioral, person-centered, reality therapy/choice theory, and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT). | 3 |
| PCN-501 | Introduction to Addictions and Substance Use Disorders | This course provides a broad understanding of the stages, processes, and effects of addiction and substance abuse, social and psychological dynamics of addiction and substance abuse, and the professional‛s role in prevention, intervention, and aftercare. This course also explores theories of addiction, drug classification, assessment, and treatment. It also continues building foundational knowledge, utilization of professional resources, and exploration of standards to help students prepare for licensure/certification within the counseling industry. | 3 |
| PCN-520 | Group Counseling Theory and Practice | This course provides a broad understanding of group development, group dynamics, group counseling theories, and ethical standards. The course also addresses group process components, appropriate selection criteria, developmental stage theories, group members‛ roles and behaviors, and group leadership styles and approaches. Prerequisites: PCN- 501, PCN-505 and PCN-500. | 3 |
| PCN-509 | Social and Cultural Diversity Issues in Counseling | This course provides a broad understanding of issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society. Studies in this area include the following: attitudes and behaviors based on such factors as age, race, religious preference, physical disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity and culture, family patterns, gender, socioeconomic status and intellectual ability; individual, family, group, and community strategies for working with diverse populations; theories of multicultural counseling and identity development; and multicultural competencies. Students examine a variety of cultural populations in multiple regions of the United States, exploring issues and trends that are associated with each population. Cultural considerations for immigrants, refugees, and undocumented citizens are also addressed. | 3 |
| PCN-527 | Psychopharmacology and Addictions | This course provides a broad understanding of psychopharmacology theories of drug abuse, addiction, and treatment. The student is introduced to the basic principles of pharmacology, anatomy, and physiology as applied to the major classes of psychoactive drugs of abuse/addiction. It also examines the effects of various drugs on human behavior. The course introduces drugs that are being developed to support drug treatment such as methadone, suboxone and neloxone. Emphasis is placed on basic principles of drug ingestion, distribution, elimination, dose response relationships, neurotransmitter chemicals, and synaptic activity. | 3 |
| PCN-530 | Human Sexuality, Aging, and Long-Term Care | This course is divided into two distinct and separate sections. The first part of the course examines human sexuality and systems of sexual therapy. Psychological, biological, social, and moral perspectives on sexual development and functioning are also examined. The last part of the course provides an understanding of the nature of aging and the elderly. Theories and strategies for facilitating optimum care of the elderly are addressed. Elder abuse, dependent adult abuse, and neglect of the aging and elderly are explored. Sexuality, mental health, physical health, the role of drug/alcohol addiction, and family issues are also addressed. | 3 |
| PCN-515 | Counseling Skills in the Helping Relationships | This course provides a broad understanding of counseling processes, including characteristics and behaviors that influence the helping processes. Included are age, gender, ethnic differences, verbal and nonverbal behaviors, personal characteristics, and orientations. The development of counseling techniques is emphasized, including establishing and maintaining the counseling relationship; diagnosing and identifying the problem; formulating a preventative, treatment, or rehabilitative plan; facilitating appropriate interventions; and successfully terminating the counseling relationship. | 3 |
| PCN-518 | Human Growth and Development | This course provides an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels. Theories of individual and family development, transitions across the life span, theories of learning, theories of personality development, and strategies for facilitating optimum development over the life span are addressed. | 3 |
| PCN-521 | Marriage and Family Therapy | This course provides a broad understanding of the structure and dynamics of the family, which may include assessment and methods of marital and family intervention and counseling. | 3 |
| PCN-545 | Spousal and Child Abuse, Crisis, and Trauma Counseling | This eight module course is divided into three distinct and separate sections. The first three modules examine crisis intervention and trauma counseling; Theories and strategies of trauma counseling and facilitating crisis interventions are also addressed. The second three modules examine spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies. The legal and ethical issues, the role of drug and/or alcohol addiction and/or abuse, and children in families where domestic violence and abuse occur are also addressed. The last two modules examine child abuse assessment and reporting. Legal and ethical issues and specific California child abuse assessment and reporting codes are also examined. | 3 |
| PCN-523 | Tests and Appraisal in Counseling | This course provides an introduction to basic tests and appraisal in counseling. Individual and group approaches to testing, assessment, evaluation, behavioral observations, computer-managed and computer-assisted methods will be addressed. The following statistical concepts will also be addressed: scales of measurement, measures of central tendency, and indices of variability, shapes and types of distributions, correlations, reliability, and validity. | 3 |
| PCN-525 | Career Development and Counseling | This course provides a broad understanding of career development and related life factors including psychotherapy, career counseling techniques and processes, career development theories, decision-making models, issues of diversity, and interrelationships between work and family. This course also addresses studies that provide an understanding of the process of psychoeducational consultation with an emphasis on theory. | 3 |
| PCN-540 | Research Methods | This course introduces research methods and basic statistical analysis, including the following: the importance of research, opportunities, and difficulties in conducting research. Research methods such as qualitative, quantitative, single-case designs, action research, and outcome-based research will be addressed. | 3 |
| PCN-610 | Diagnostics, Assessment, and Treatment | This course provides a conceptual framework for the use of assessment and diagnostic tools for the development of appropriate treatment interventions for a variety of behavioral health disorders. Included is an introduction to the use of the diagnostic tools including the DSM-IV-TR, and the integration of diagnostic and assessment information, in the development of treatment plans. | 3 |
| PCN-605 | Psychopathology and Counseling | This course introduces the study of mental illnesses and the science of psychopathology. The goal is to provide counseling students a conceptual understanding of psychological and behavioral dysfunction that occur in mental illnesses. The course includes a survey of major psychiatric disorders and their causes. | 3 |
| PCN-622 | Pre-Practicum | This is a pre-practicum or supervised field work experience under the supervision of a faculty member, which includes 100 total hours of pre-practicum activities, of which a minimum of 40 hours are direct client contact hours. Prerequisites: Completion of all didactic coursework in the program; a GPA of 3.0 or better. | 2 |
| PCN-662A | Practicum/ Internship I | Students use this supervised practicum/internship experience to develop their counseling skills and to perform all the activities that a regularly employed professional counselor would be expected to perform in a supervised setting. The practicum/internship is performed under the supervision of a faculty member and an on-site supervisor approved by the college or university. Documentation of completed contact hours is submitted directly to the college's office of field experience for verification and tracking. This course provides an opportunity to accumulate contact hours of required practicum experience, not all of which may be accomplished in this course. If students do not satisfy this requirement through this course, they must take additional practicum courses until the requirement is met. Practicum hours: Addiction Counseling students, 150 total hours; Professional Counseling students, 600 total hours. Prerequisites: PCN-622; a GPA of 3.0 or better; and maintenance of student professional liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, $3 million. | 2 |
| PCN-662B | Practicum/Internship II | This is a continuation of the counseling Practicum/Internship. Prerequisites: PCN-662A; a GPA of 3.0 or better; and maintenance of student professional liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, $3 million. | 2 |
| PCN-662C | Practicum/Internship III | This is a continuation of the counseling Practicum/Internship. Prerequisites: PCN-662B; a GPA of 3.0 or better; and maintenance of student professional liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, $3 million. | 2 |
| PCN-662D | Practicum/Internship IV | This is a continuation of the counseling Practicum/Internship. Prerequisites: PCN-662C; a GPA of 3.0 or better; and maintenance of student professional liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, $3 million. | 2 |
| Required Course Total Credit: | 60 | ||
| Courses: | 60 credits |
This program is offered in the following formats or locations:
An online education allows you the flexibility to fulfill your educational goals without distracting you from your career. Full-time faculty members support our online students while our dynamic tools allow for engaging and challenging discussions with classmates. Classes start every month.
To meet the demands of today's working adults, this degree is offered through our convenient evening program. Classes meet one evening per week and allow you to interact directly with instructors and peers face-to-face. Locations vary - speak with an enrollment counselor to learn more.
Program Disclosure
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* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.
Grand Canyon University © 2012 - All Rights Reserved. GCU is an accredited university founded in 1949. We are a Christian university and offer online degree programs and campus based classes. As a private university in Arizona, GCU has six colleges offering business degree programs including an Executive MBA, health science degrees, liberal arts degrees, doctorate degrees, nursing programs, and teaching programs. Our Performing Arts College offers fine arts and production degree programs. GCU is a military friendly school and offers military tuition rates.
