Counseling Psychology (Ph.D.)

Thank you for your interest in the Ph.D. Counseling Psychology program.  To continue our commitments to student experience and close faculty-student interaction, the College has made the difficult decision to suspend admission to the program.

Program Director: Minsun Lee, Ph.D.

APA Accreditation

The overarching aim of the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program is to prepare counseling psychologists in the scientist-practitioner model to assume roles as responsible, competent members of the health service psychology community. Such members understand the value of science and research for the practice of psychology and the value of applied practice for the science of psychology, and they have developed skills, knowledge, and self-understanding that allow them to help persons take responsibility for and control of their lives within the context of their development as human beings and the various systems and environments that impact their lives.

Additionally, health service psychologists are expected to demonstrate competence within and across a number of different but interrelated dimensions. Programs that educate and train health service psychologists strive to protect the public and the profession. Therefore, faculty, training, staff, supervisors, and administrators in such programs have a duty and responsibility to evaluate the competence of students and trainees across multiple aspects of performance, development, and functioning. It is important for students and trainees to understand and appreciate that academic competence in health service psychology programs (e.g., doctoral, internship, post-doctoral) is defined and evaluated comprehensively. Specifically, in addition to performance in coursework, seminars, scholarship, comprehensive examinations, and related program requirements, other aspects of professional development and functioning (e.g., cognitive, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, technical, and ethical) will also be evaluated. As such, within a developmental framework, and with due regard for the inherent power difference between students and faculty, students and trainees should know that their faculty, training staff, and supervisors will evaluate their competence in areas other than, and in addition to, coursework, seminars, scholarship, comprehensive examinations, or related program requirements.

These evaluative areas include, but are not limited to, demonstration of sufficient

• interpersonal and professional competence (e.g., the ways in which student-trainees relate to clients, peers, faculty, allied professionals, the public, and individuals from diverse backgrounds or histories);
•  self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-evaluation (e.g., knowledge of the content and potential impact of one’s own beliefs and values on clients, peers, faculty, allied professionals, the public, and individuals from diverse backgrounds or histories);
• openness to processes of supervision (e.g., The ability and willingness to explore issues that either interfere with the appropriate provision of care or impede professional development or functioning); and
• resolution of issues or problems that interfere with professional development or functioning in a satisfactory manner (e.g., by responding constructively to feedback from supervisors or program faculty; by the successful completion of remediation plans; by participating in personal therapy in order to resolve issues or problems).

Because counseling psychologists are working in increasingly diverse settings, the Program provides an intensive grounding in psychological theory comparable to that provided to students in other specialties. However, the philosophy of training maintains a strong emphasis on the approach to practice that distinguishes counseling psychologists from other professionals, as defined by APA Division 17: "Counseling Psychology is a generalist health service (HSP) specialty in professional psychology that uses a broad range of culturally informed and culturally sensitive practices to help people improve their well-being, prevent and alleviate distress and maladjustment, resolve crises, and increase their ability to function better in their lives. It focuses specifically but not exclusively on prevention and education as well as amelioration, addressing individuals as well as the systems or contexts in which they function. It has particular expertise in work and career issues."

Rather than following specialized tracks within the program, students receive training in theory, research, and practice with a comprehensive generalist focus. Students may choose to further specialize through elective courses, internship and/or postdoctoral experiences that will expand on their training at Seton Hall. Past graduates have chosen careers in a variety of settings, including college and university counseling centers, health care and rehabilitation facilities, academic departments in universities, private practice and consultation, and business and organizational practice. 

Admission to the Program

Students are admitted to the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program if they have completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field, or with a master’s degree in psychology or counseling; transfer credits are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Admission to the program is competitive. Students are admitted once a year for the Fall semester, with an application deadline of December 1^st. The following must be submitted by interested applicants via the University's online application for graduate studies:

• official copies of all previous undergraduate and graduate transcripts;
• official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (optional); 
• completed graduate application form;
• three (3) letters of reference from former teachers, professional colleagues or supervisors at work;
• a personal statement of 2-3 pages addressing goals, clinical training, work, and research involvement and interests; and
• a sample of work that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform at the doctoral level (optional). This may be a research project, publication from a professional journal or a case report on a client. 

Individuals may be admitted to the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a B.A. in Psychology if they demonstrate strong academic promise (e.g., GPA, research experience, etc.), potential for personal growth (e.g., highly developed interpersonal skills, clinical experience, letters of recommendation, etc.), and a commitment to the profession of counseling psychology (personal statement). Students from historically under- represented groups are encouraged to apply.

Admissions decisions are based on all of the above, in addition to a personal interview for a small group of applicants. The program also focuses on students who have demonstrated interests in both research and practice. Further, because of the highly interactive nature of the classroom and practicum experiences, students in the program learn from one another, as well as from their professors and supervisors. Therefore, the program seeks to admit students who bring both well-developed interpersonal skills and a variety of personal backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences that may serve to enhance the professional and personal development of their peers.

Interested individuals are encouraged to review the Counseling Psychology Program doctoral student handbook.

Thank you for your interest in the Ph.D. Counseling Psychology program.  To continue our commitments to student experience and close faculty-student interaction, the College has made the difficult decision to suspend admission to the program.

Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Part 1: Discipline-Specific Knowledge
History and Systems of Psychology
CPSY 7100	History-Systems of Psyc	3
Basic Content Areas and Advanced Integrative Knowledge
CPSY 6104	Theories Learning Cogn Affect	3
CPSY 6105	Biological Bases-Behavior	3
CPSY 6102	Psychology-Human Devl	3
CPSY 7515	Social Psychology	3
CPSY 6601	Couple-Fam Dyn-Syst Perspect	3
Research Methods, Statistical Analysis
CPSY 7006	Stat Theory - Computer App II	3
CPSY 9001	Univariate Exp Design	3
CPSY 9002	Applied Multivariate Stats	3
CPSY 9004	Special Topic-Research-Evaluat	3
Subtotal		30
Part II: Profession-Wide Competencies
Research
CPSY 8001 & CPSY 8002	Supv Rsch/ Counseling Psych and Supv Research-Counsel Psyc	2
CPSY 9991 & CPSY 9992	Diss Advise I and Diss Advise II *	6
Ethical and Legal Standards
CPSY 8010	Eth and Lgl Iss in Couns Pych	3
Individual and Cultural Diversity
CPSY 8106	SP TP-Multicultural Competency (1 credit in each of 4 years) **	4
Assessment
CPSY 7203	Pract-Apt Int-Personality Test	3
CPSY 7502	Individual Cognitive Assess	3
CPSY 8203	Prac Apth Int-Personality Test	1
CPSY 8502	Indiv Cognitive Assess-Lab	1
CPSY 8520	Sem-Psychopathology	3
or CPSY 8519	Atyp Behavior Chld:Assess Intv
CPSY 8706	Sem-Clinical Assess Techniques	3
CPSY 9706	Lab-Sem-Clin-Assess-Technique	1
Intervention and Prevention, including Professional Values and Attitudes
CPSY 9774	Theory-Tech-Counsel-Psychother	3
CPSY 8701	Techniques Group Counseling	3
CPSY 8703	Seminar in Voc Psychology ***	3
CPSY 8705	Psychoed-Program-Consultation	3
CPSY 8563	Counseling Psyc Practicum I	3
CPSY 9563	Counsel Psyc Practicum-Lab	1
CPSY 8564 & CPSY 8565	Practicum-Counseling Psyc II and Practicum-Counseling III	6
Intervention and Supervision
CPSY 8566 & CPSY 8567	Practicum IV and Practicum-Counseling V	6
CPSY 9788 & CPSY 9789	Internship in Couns Psyc and Internship in Counsel Psyc ****	0
CPSY 8003	Independent Study (Optional 1 Additional Credit, if pursued) *****	1
Electives
Select six credits ******		6
Subtotal		65
Total Hours		95

*

The 6 credit hours for dissertation advisement are counted in the calculation of the 94 total credit hours in the curriculum for the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program. Dissertation advisement will begin in the Fall semester of the student’s second year and continue for a minimum of two semesters (CPSY 9991 Diss Advise I-CPSY 9992 Diss Advise II). Enrolling for additional dissertation advisement credits will be determined in consultation with the student’s mentor. In addition, in order to stay continuously enrolled in the University after all courses and the Internship are completed, students must enroll in Dissertation Advisement (CPSY 9993 Diss Advise III-CPSY 9994 Diss Advise IV) until the dissertation is completed.

Students who have competed all courses and the Internship may, at the discretion of their mentor, register for THCN 8999 Thesis Cont - Doctorate: Thesis Continuation for one semester. Only registration fees are assessed for THCN 8999 Thesis Cont - Doctorate. Students who have successfully defended their dissertation but are not eligible for their degree until the subsequent semester must register for RGCN 8000 Registration Continuation for that semester. Proposals for the dissertation must be defended by October 31 in the Fall of Year Four (4) to be eligible for Internship.

**

Note: CPSY 8106 SP TP-Multicultural Competency is offered at least once every year, usually in the summer. Students are required to attend and complete all assignments for this course whenever it is offered during their first 4 years in the Program. Because this course reflects current multicultural issues, no student will be excused, regardless of previous courses taken with similar content.

***

Also addresses vocational research.

****

No credit, but student fees are assessed.

*****

Only if placement starts in the summer.  Optional 1-credit addition, if pursued.

******

Elective courses provide an opportunity for students to choose an area of either practice or research specialization, beyond the required coursework for the program. Students may count prior coursework toward their elective requirement, within the transfer credit policy.