Psychology (PSY) Graduate Courses for the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

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PSY 500 Master's Plan Studies (1) Used for continuous enrollment purposes. Does not count toward fulfillment of degree requirements. Pre: Master's or Doctoral candidacy and instructor's consent.

PSY 601 Applied Multivariate Statistic (4) (other) Advanced statistical techniques used in psychological research and assessment. Strategies of multivariate data screening, transformation, analysis, and interpretation. Computerized statistical packages designed for multivariate analyses.

PSY 602 Research Meth & Prgm Evaluatn (4) (lecture/lab) Basic research methodology including quantitative, qualitative, action research, and context-based research. Theoretical knowledge and practical experience in program design and evaluation. Strong emphasis will be given to the importance of research and program evaluation and the opportunities and difficulties encountered when conducting these in the counseling profession. Pre: PSY 601.

PSY 603 Psychological Assessment (4) Principles of psychological assessment. Historical perspective on psychological assessment. Assessment methods. Scales used in psychological assessment: assessment of personality, abilities, achievement, interests, and values. Assessment of environment. Quality of assessment. Assessment design and implementation. Interpretation of the assessment results. Cross-cultural aspects of assessment. Legal and ethical issues. Hands-on training to effectively utilize various assessment tools and write comprehensive assessment reports. Pre: PSY 601.

PSY 604 Profssnl Identity, Ethics (3) Ethical issues in counseling and psychological research. Ethical decision making, confidentiality, and ethical obligations. Research ethics and psychologists in the legal system. Ethical standards and guidelines.

PSY 605 Intro to the Master's Thesis (1) This course is intended to introduce students in the MA in Counseling Psychology program to the Master's Thesis. Students will learn the steps of the thesis process, and determine if the thesis is an appropriate fit for their own career and learning goals.

PSY 611 Lifespan Human Development (3) Psychological, social, and physical development over the life span. Interaction among genetic make-up, human activity, and context in the process of development. Stages and mechanisms of development. Normative development and deviations from the norm. Theories of development. Research on developmental processes in various domains. Cross-cultural perspectives on human development. Current research issues.

PSY 612 Career Development (3) Work and work-related behavior over the life span. Relationships between life style and career development. Theories of vocational development. Career development of women and minorities. Occupational information and decision making. Impact of changing technology and job market. Application to career counseling with diverse populations.

PSY 613 Psychopathology over Lifespan (3) Abnormal development across the lifespan. DSM classification of disorders and methods of appraisal. Etiology, diagnosis and treatment of child, adult, and geriatric disorders.

PSY 620 Counseling Theories (3) A pre-practicum course designed to help students gain an in-depth understanding of various counseling theories. Through readings, discussions, in-class exercises and homework assignments, students will learn the theories.

PSY 622 Group Work & Counseling (3) Group purpose, type, development, dynamics; leadership and diversity; group work and counseling theories, methods and skills; evaluation of group work and counseling; application of group work and counseling in a family, school and workplace settings. Students participate in an experiential learning group over the course of the semester.

PSY 623 Social & Cultural Foundations (3) Interaction between society and the individual. Socio-economic status, ethnicity and culture as determinants of behavior. Characteristics of multicultural and diverse societies and their effects on individual and group behavior.

PSY 624 Counseling Skills (3) A pre-practicum course designed to help students develop effective counseling skills. Through readings, discussions, in-class exercises and homework assignments, students will learn therapeutic skills.

PSY 640 Practicum Supervision (3) (other) Supervision course for a mental health counseling practicum experience in a clinical setting, including 100 hours of supervised client contact. To be taken concurrently with PSY 640F. Repeatable if different field placement. Pre: PSY 602, 603 and consent of instructor.

PSY 640F Practicum Fieldwork (3) (other) Fieldwork course for a mental health counseling practicum experience in a clinical setting, including a minimum of 100 supervised client contact hours and 100 indirect hours. To be taken concurrently with PSY 640. Pre: PSY 602, 603 and consent of instructor. Must be taken Credit/No-Credit.

PSY 651 Family Therapy (3) Introduction to theoretical approaches used by family therapists to improve family functioning and communication. Students will learn about family structure and process, and will develop skills to engage, assess, and intervene with families and couples in multicultural contexts.

PSY 656 Child Maltreatment (3) An overview of child maltreatment, including abuse and neglect. Topics include the incidence and prevalence of child maltreatment; scientific theories and findings about the causes and consequences of maltreatment; forensic and clinical assessment; mandated reporting requirements; other legal issues; and psychosocial interventions for maltreated children and their families. This course is dual listed with PSY 471.

PSY 657 Psychopharmacology (3) This course will offer a discussion of psychopathology from a biological perspective including the neurochemical, neuroanatomical, and genetic causes of psychological disease. Emphasis will be placed on the pharmacotherapeutic treatment of psychopathology. Indications, contraindications, effects, and side effects of commonly prescribed psychopharmacological medications will be discussed.

PSY 659 Internship Supervision (3) (other) Supervision course for a mental health counseling internship experience in a clinical setting, including 200 hours of supervised client contact. To be taken concurrently with PSY 659F. Repeatable if different field placement. Pre: PSY 640, PSY 640F, and instructor's consent. (Attributes: ALEX)

PSY 659F Internship Fieldwork (6) (other) Fieldwork course for a mental health counseling internship experience in a clinical setting including a minimum of 200 supervised client contact hours and 200 indirect hours. To be taken concurrently with PSY 659. Pre: PSY 640, PSY 640F, and consent of instructor. To be taken as Credit/No Credit.

PSY 661 Substance Use Disorders (3) The course will cover the epidemiology and etiology for substance use disorders.

PSY 662 Substance Abuse Treatment (3) This course provides theoretical and experiential training in prevention, intervention, treatment, and aftercare approaches applicable to a diverse substance use disorder population.

PSY 693 Cog Behavior Therapy Adult (3) No prerequisites, corerequisites, crosslisting, special grading options. Not repeatable for credit. History, theory, research, and practice of Cognitive Behavior Therapy applied to adults mental disorders and symptoms. Theory and Treatment applications of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for anxiety and mood disorders, stress disorders, couples issues, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Discussions and Practice of the third wave behavior therapy including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

PSY 695 Youth Evidence-Based Practices (3) Advanced skills course on evidence-based practices (EBPs) for children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Covers empirical foundation for EBPs, measurement of treatment outcomes, clinical decision-making models, and application of specific EBPs. Pre-requisite: PSY 624 or instructor permission.

PSY 700 Thesis Research (1–6) Supervised research, data analyses, literature review, and writing up of an original empirical study designed to develop and demonstrate the ability to do research and competence in scholarly exposition. Students are expected to work on their thesis under the supervision of their faculty and have their work reviewed by their thesis committee.


PSY x94 Special Topics in Subject Matter (Arr.) Special topics chosen by the instructor. Course content will vary. May be repeated for credit, provided that a different topic is studied. Additional requirements may apply depending on subject and topic.

PSY x99 Directed Studies (Arr.) Statement of planned reading or research required. Pre: instructor’s consent.

Additional Courses

Also see the PSY undergraduate-level courses.