Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision

• CACREP-Accredited

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  The program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education. CACREP requires that all Counselor Education and Supervision students obtain course work and clinical experiences that are equivalent to a CACREP-approved master’s program in addition to the course work required for the doctoral Counselor Education and Supervision program.

  Learn more about CACREP

• Degree Plan

  The program takes a minimum of three years to complete and includes two years of full-time study and one year of research, which culminates with the dissertation defense. Students are allowed to move through the program at a slower pace to accommodate work and life obligations.

  Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision

  Students are required to pass a comprehensive examination and complete a dissertation as part of this degree program.

  Students may focus on the concentration below:

  Play Therapy

• Courses

  Integrated course work and clinical experiences help students formulate their personal approaches to counselor education and supervision. In addition, the program places emphasis on the student’s abilities to demonstrate personal growth and development. Courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening to accommodate working students.

  Highlighted courses include:

  Advanced Theories of Counseling
  Process of Supervision in Counselor Education
  Theory and Practice of University Teaching
  Leadership, Advocacy, and Service
  course catalog

Program Objectives

• Counseling

  Clinical expertise through the advanced mastery of their theoretical approach to counseling and engaging with others who have diverse theoretical approaches through:

  Completion of Advanced Counseling Theories
  Advanced Multicultural Assessment
  Advanced Clinical Practicum and Supervision Internship
  Collaborative exchanges with peers, supervisees and faculty members

  

• Leadership and Advocacy

  A culturally competent, growth-fostering working knowledge base of leadership and advocacy skills that is applicable to their respective professional counseling affiliations, client base, local community, and the broader sociopolitical context, which, for international students, are applicable to their home country.

  We encourage our students to join national and state professional counseling associations, such as the American Counseling Association, the Texas Counseling Association and divisions of these organizations.

  Students are also encouraged to take initial steps toward providing professional service in such a way that will allow them opportunities to advocate for counseling and the clients they serve.

  

• Professional Identity

  Successive steps toward the development of a well-rounded professional identity. These activities are assessed and measured by their engagement through any and/or all of the following:

  Professional memberships
  Presentations and publications
  Leadership roles
  Service, advocacy, counseling, supervision and teaching
  Other professionally related counseling activities

  

• Research and Scholarship

  Knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative research design along with the ability of when to and how to implement the appropriate designs, statistical analyses and interpretation through the following:

  Development of research projects
  Successful submission of IRB proposals
  Completion of data collection and analyses and a final manuscript written in APA style

  All students are encouraged to submit their research results for publication and presentation upon the completion of their research sequence.

  

• Supervision

  Knowledge of counselor and counselor trainee supervision that involves a working knowledge of legal, ethical and multicultural skills that foster the development of a personal style of supervision.

  This supervision style will be measured by the creation of a supervision agreement to include style of supervision, the development of a philosophical supervision paper, the supervision of a minimum of one entry-level master’s student and evaluations through video recording, supervisee’s experience and faculty review.

  

• Teaching

  Knowledge and skills of Counselor Education, instruction and the understanding of challenges in higher education through the development of the students teaching portfolio, which contains the following:

  Personal philosophy of teaching
  Philosophy of assessing students
  Teaching evaluations from both faculty and students
  Student-developed instructional materials

  

Outside the Classroom

Students can provide counseling, supervision, teaching, leadership and advocacy and/or supervision services for their internship courses. Supervisors must hold a doctoral degree (or course work beyond a master’s degree) in a mental health field to provide the required on-site supervision for doctoral-level students. Each intern is supervised by a full-time faculty member of the department.

Students consult with their academic advisers and the Program Director to determine sites that would provide experiences fitting their academic, clinical and research interests. The faculty supervisor facilitates discussions in group supervision sessions and monitors each student’s progress, assisting whenever possible to maximize the educational experience.

Students are encouraged to join national and state professional counseling associations, such as the American Counseling Association, the Texas Counseling Association and divisions of these organizations.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for enrollment in the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program, applicants must submit the following:

Statement of purpose
Research interests
Professional interests
Intercultural and social justice competence
Professional experiences (how you identify as a professional counselor)
CV/résumé
Three (3) letters of recommendation

GRE scores are not required for admission.

Apply via the St. Mary’s University application. The deadline to apply to the Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral program is Feb. 1.

• Contact Us

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  To learn more about the Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision at St. Mary’s University, contact the Office of Graduate Admission at graduate@stmarytx.edu or 210-436-3126.

  Graduate Admission

Faculty

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