Counseling@Northwestern Master of Arts in Counseling

The Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies at Northwestern University offers an online Master of Arts in Counseling with an optional emphasis in Child and Adolescent Counseling. The degree is offered as a Standard Program for those with a bachelor’s degree in counseling and previous counseling experience, or a Bridge to Counseling Program for those with a bachelor’s degree in another field and no prior counseling experience. The degree offers a combination of synchronous online weekly class sessions, online roundtable discussions, online face-to-face study sessions, immersions, practicums, and internships, which all contribute to a hands-on, personal learning experience.

A main focus of Counseling@Northwestern is developing each student’s counseling identity. This emphasis helps students fully understand themselves and how their experiences and issues can affect the counseling relationship. Two specific experiences for self-reflection are included in the program. During the practicum year students participate in Reflective Practitioner Supervision in which they meet weekly with two to four peers and a supervisor to reflect upon their own experiences, personality, and biases. During the internship year students participate in Psychodynamic Case Conference Experience in which they meet with a supervisor to study challenging cases, the psychodynamic perspective, and address areas of concern as a future counselor.

The Counseling@Northwestern Standard Program consists of 24 courses which each equal 1 credit. The Bridge to Counseling Program adds three courses onto the program for a total of 27 credits. Cohorts begin in January, April, June and September. There are three study paths available to students: accelerated full-time, traditional, and part-time. For the Standard Program, completion times are as follows: six quarters for accelerated full-time; nine quarters for traditional; 12 quarters for part-time students. The Bridge to Counseling Program adds one quarter, no matter the study path.

Counseling@Northwestern is mostly online with two in-person immersions in Chicago, three practicums, and three internships. Courses are delivered synchronously with weekly online class sessions, roundtable discussions, and study sessions. Courses may also contain asynchronous components. The program is highly interactive and hands-on. During the in-person immersions, students further develop their counselor identity, and interact with peers and faculty. The first immersion is Group Dynamics and the second is a Capstone Immersion Experience.

Required courses include Counseling Methods: Skills for Counseling and Psychotherapy; Theories of Counseling & Psychotherapy; Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling; Assessment of Counseling (Adult/Child); Counseling Methods: Outreach, Prevention & Advocacy; Counseling Methods: Strategies for Counseling and Psychotherapy; Theories and Techniques of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy; Psychopathology in Counseling; Cultural Diversity in Counseling; and Individual Systems: Psychodynamic Viewpoints. In addition students complete three practicums and three internships totaling 800 hours.

Students who wish to pursue the Child and Adolescent Emphasis take Human Growth and Development (Child and Adolescent Focus) and Child and Adolescent Counseling and Psychotherapy. These two courses do not add to the overall credit load, but rather one serves to meet the human development course requirement, and the other counts as an elective.

Students who enter the Bridge to Counseling program must also take the following courses: Introduction to Clinical Practice; Introduction to Clinical Interviewing; and Current Topics in Counseling. Note that residents of California may only enroll in the traditional or part-time paths due to state practicum requirements.

Northwestern University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Counseling@Northwestern is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).