Program Overview
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Site: Greeley
Mode: In-person
Start term: Fall
Chair: Heather Helm, Ph.D.
Location: McKee 248
Telephone: 970.351.2731
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/applied-psychology-counselor-education/
Applied Psychology and Counselor Education Faculty: Heather Helm, Ph.D.; Brian D. Johnson, Ph.D.; Danielle Kahlo, Ph.D.; Jennifer L. Murdock-Bishop, Ph.D.; Kristin Myers, Ph.D.; Kenneth Parnell, Ph.D.; Jeffrey A. Rings, Ph.D.; Lu Tian, Ph.D.; Matthew Tis, Ph.D.; Angela Vaughan, Ph.D.; Angela Weingartner, Ph.D.; Stephen L. Wright, Ph.D.
The Counseling Psychology program at UNC has been in existence since 1984. It became accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1995 as a PsyD program. The curriculum was modified to offer only the PhD in Counseling Psychology and has been accredited by APA since January 15, 2010. For more information about APA accreditation, contact the American Psychological Association's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, by phone at (202) 336-5979, or on the web at http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/.
In our doctoral program at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), we offer a Major Area of Study in Counseling Psychology with a minimum of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study in didactic course work and supervised clinical training in that Major Area of Study, which includes completing a dissertation that is consistent with the field of Counseling Psychology; students also complete 1 additional year of pre-doctoral internship. Students must complete at least 2 of the 3 academic training years as a full-time resident at UNC. Students that complete our program are appropriately trained in the area of health service psychology to be eligible for licensure as doctoral level psychologists. We offer students experience in being trained in treatment interventions from multiple modalities by completing: two individual practica courses, one couples and family practicum course, and a group practicum course. Live supervision is provided for these practica courses at our on-site training clinic that provides psychological services to community members and university students. Students are also exposed to psychological assessment by completing a cognitive assessment course and a personality assessment course, as well as the option of completing additional assessment courses. Furthermore, our students are trained to create, disseminate, and utilize scholarly research to engage in evidence-based practice. Our program places relatively greater concentration on training related to research. Students take six courses in the area of research and have the option of completing one additional research course in order to receive a doctoral minor in applied statistics and research methods.
Admission
General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements
Program Requirements:
Application materials must be completed and on file in the Graduate School by December 1st. The Graduate School Application includes: a completed application form, one official copy of academic transcripts, one official copy of GRE scores (and TOEFL scores if an International applicant), three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with an applicant’s academic and clinical skills (letter writers should also complete the Graduate School’s Letter of Recommendation form), and an application fee.
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All entering doctoral students will hold a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology/counseling or a related field; should have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and must submit official GRE scores meeting the minimum requirements of the Graduate School. International applicants must meet the English proficiency requirements established by the Graduate School and International Admissions.
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The Counseling Psychology program has a supplemental application form that should also be sent to the Graduate School by December 1st. The supplemental materials include: completion of the Supplementary Data Sheet (included in the Counseling Psychology Application Packet or on the Counseling Psychology program’s website), applicant’s current vita, and a written statement responding to questions related to an applicant’s mental health experiences, professional background/interests and aspirations.
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A further review process is conducted by the faculty. Finalists are invited to attend an admission screening workshop.
Admission decisions are based on the professional judgment of the Counseling Psychology faculty, considering the above data, including personal characteristics and interpersonal communication style as assessed in the pre-admission workshop. Applications are evaluated on a competitive basis; positions are limited.
Degree Requirements — 123 Credits*
Introductory Core Required — 17 hours
| APCE 558 | Diagnosis and Treatment Planning | 3 |
| APCE 612 | Practicum in Individual Counseling | 5 |
| APCE 660 | Psychological Consultation: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| APCE 669 | Advanced Methods: Couples and Family Therapy | 3 |
| SRM 600 | Introduction to Graduate Research | 3 |
Counseling Psychology Core — 7 hours
| APCE 616 | Career Theory, Counseling and Assessment | 3 |
| APCE 701 | Professional Development Seminar in Counseling Psychology | 1 |
| PSY 530 | Life Span Developmental Psychology | 3 |
Research Core — 18 hours
| APCE 733 | Seminar in Research Methods in Counseling Psychology | 3 |
| SRM 602 | Statistical Methods I | 3 |
| SRM 603 | Statistical Methods II | 3 |
| SRM 610 | Statistical Methods III | 3 |
| SRM 680 | Introduction to Qualitative Research | 3 |
| SRM 700 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 |
Suggested Electives for Students Completing Quantitative Dissertations:
| SRM 607 | Non-Parametric Statistics | 3 |
| | or | |
| SRM 609 | Sampling Methods | 3 |
| | or | |
| SRM 625 | Applied Multiple Regression Analysis | 3 |
| | or | |
| SRM 627 | Survey Research Methods | 3 |
Suggested Electives for Students Completing Qualitative Dissertations:
| SRM 685 | Educational Ethnography | 3 |
| | or | |
| SRM 686 | Qualitative Case Study Research | 3 |
| | or | |
| SRM 687 | Narrative Inquiry | 3 |
| | or | |
| SRM 688 | Writing Qualitative Research | 3 |
Practica Required — 28 hours
| APCE 694 | Practicum in Couples and Family Therapy | 4 |
| APCE 702 | Practicum in Counseling | 4 |
| APCE 712 | Advanced Practicum in Individual Counseling | 4 |
| APCE 714 | Practicum in Supervision of Counseling | 3- 6 |
| APCE 715 | Seminar in Counselor Supervision and Theory | 2 |
| APCE 762 | Practicum in Group Facilitation | 4 |
| APCE 793 | Practicum in Clinic Administration and Service Delivery | 3 |
| APCE 794 | Advanced Practicum in Clinic Administration and Service Delivery | 1 |
| APCE 795 | External Practicum in Counseling Psychology | 3 |
Suggested Practica Electives:
| APCE 617 | Play Therapy: Theory and Practicum | 3 |
| APCE 713 | Practicum in Supervision of Play Therapy | 3 |
| APCE 774 | Practicum in Supervision of Family Therapy | 3 |
| APCE 785 | Advanced Practicum in Community Engagement: Campus Connections | 1 |
Assessment Core Required — 9 hours
| APCE 674 | Assessment for Intervention: Cognitive and Academic | 4 |
| APCE 677 | Psychometrics in Counseling Psychology | 1 |
| APCE 678 | Assessment for Intervention: Personality and Behavior | 4 |
Suggested Assessment Elective:
| APCE 782 | Introduction to Rorschach Administration and Scoring | 3 |
Licensing Core — 25 hours
| APCE 623 | Understanding and Counseling Diverse Populations | 3 |
| APCE 657 | Legal and Ethical Aspects of Counseling and Psychology | 3 |
| APCE 682 | Biological Aspects of Behavior | 3 |
| APCE 683 | Affective Aspects of Behavior | 1 |
| APCE 707 | Seminar in Personality and Counseling Theories | 3 |
| PSY 540 | Theories and Principles of Learning | 3 |
| PSY 587 | Social Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSY 590 | Seminar in History of Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 664 | Advanced Social Psychology | 3 |
Internship — 3 hours
| APCE 791 | Internship in Counseling Psychology | 1- 5 |
Research Proposal/Dissertation — 16 hours
Program Notes
*A student entering with previously completed graduate coursework equivalent to coursework required for the Ph.D. degree may have course(s) waived with advisor consent and may significantly reduce the total number of hours required to complete the program. A plan of study for the degree must contain a minimum of 72 hours of coursework in addition to doctoral research (16) and internship hours (3-18).
In addition to formal course requirements, students are required to successfully complete a doctoral comprehensive examination, a dissertation, and a one-year, 2,000-hour internship.