North Carolina A&T School of Education

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The Community Counseling Program

You can access the TEXT ONLY version of the Community Counseling program.

The Community Counseling program is a 60 credit hour Master of Science generalist program that is nationally accredited by the Council on the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This designation indicates curricular experiences encompassing each of the eight core areas of professional counseling including Professional Identity, Social and Cultural Diversity, Human Growth and Development, Career Development, Helping Relationships, Group Work, Assessment, and Research and Program Evaluation. Other required coursework includes clinical assessment and substance abuse. Students in the Community Counseling program also have the opportunity to take electives relative to their area of professional interest. These electives are chosen under the direction of an academic advisor. More information about matriculation can be found by visiting the Counseling Handbook.

This degree prepares graduates to work in a variety of capacities such as marriage and family counseling, substance abuse counseling, mental health counseling, college counseling, non-profit work, business settings, and many other areas. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that counseling is growing faster than average with some areas of community counseling seeing growth rates up to 34% by 2016.

Why Community Counseling?

Many students in the community program enter with a strong desire to help others. Some individuals voice a desire to work with a specific population – children, adolescents, couples, families, or older adults. Other students indicate wanting a specific work setting such as a mental health organization, inpatient or outpatient hospital, group home, private practice, college campus, non-profit agency, or a corporate environment. Our graduates work in each of these domains and frequently return to offer their expertise to students.

Why North Carolina A & T University?

The Community counseling program at NC A & T is a flexible and high quality evening program which offers students the opportunity to create an individualized rate of matriculation through either part-time or full-time enrollment. Full-time students typically enroll for three courses a semester and at least one summer session. At this rate, the degree can be completed in 2 ½ to 3 years. Other students elect for a slower matriculation rate and opt to take 1 or 2 courses per semester. Summer school attendance is not required but degree work must be completed within 6 consecutive years.

Many current Community Counseling students continue their full-time employment while matriculating through the program. Others choose to work part-time or to work in a campus assistantship. Course times are typically at 6:00 p.m., with some course offerings at 3:00 p.m. and other offerings online. Our class rooms are learner centered with an average class size of 15.

Students have access to faculty through classrooms, advising, and mentoring relationships. The faculty includes past and current presidents of state and national counseling organizations who participate actively in research, publishing, and grant writing. The North Carolina Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (NCAMFC) is now housed at North Carolina A&T State University.

The 2010-2011 President of NCAMFC is Dr. Patricia Whitfield and Dr. Caroline Booth is secretary. Dr. Booth and Dr. Whitfield are both faculty in the Department of Human Development and Services and Dr. Booth currently serves as the Interim Coordinator of the Community Counseling program.

Finally and most importantly, the Community Counseling program is fully accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP). This is the singular accrediting body for educational programs in mental health counseling and this distinction guarantees that program curricular experiences meet or surpass national training standards. In fact, NCAT was the first HBCU to receive this distinction.

Interested Applicants

Individuals interested in applying to the Community Counseling program, should visit the NCAT Graduate School for admission requirements and deadlines. Currently, students are admitted twice annually with application deadlines of October 1 and March 1. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials early and follow-up with the NCAT Graduate School to ensure receipt of all required components. Admission to the program is competitive.

Community Counseling Program Objectives

To create an understanding of the foundations of community counseling including trends; roles, functions, and standards of practice and credentialing of community counselors; policies and laws, ethical and legal considerations (e.g. the ACA Code of Ethics); and diversity issues.

To establish the contextual dimensions of community counseling relative to roles in various practice settings and relative other professionals in those settings; organizational dimensions of community organizations; needs assessment; and community intervention, consultation, education and outreach.

To develop the knowledge and skills necessary for community counselors relative to assessment, case conceptualization, theories of human development, psychopathology, diagnosis using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and counseling plans; models, methods, and principles of program development and service delivery for a clientele; the empowerment of consumers to understand and access community resources; advocacy; and initialing, maintaining, and terminating counseling.

To provide clinical instruction including the Practicum (100 clock hours) and the 600 clock hour internship in a community setting under the supervision of a qualified site supervisor during which the intern will complete a minimum of 240 direct service clock hours.

Fall Family Counseling Conference

Required Curriculum

Course		Credit Hours
HDSV 602	Human Development	3
HDSV 611	Community Agency Counseling	3
HDSV 630	Statistics and Research Methodology	3
HDSV 640	Professional Orientation & Ethics in Counseling	3
HDSV 650	Theories of Counseling	3
HDSV 735	Counseling Methods	3
HDSV 736	Multicultural Counseling	3
HDSV 740	Appraisal	3
HDSV 750	Group Counseling	3
HDSV 758	Clinical Assessment: The DSM	3
HDSV 759	Substance Abuse Counseling	3
HDSV 760	Career Counseling	3
HDSV 763	Family Counseling	3
HDSV 765	Practicum (100 hours)	3
HDSV 770	Applied Research in Counseling	3
HDSV 780	Internship I (300 hours)	3
HDSV 790	Internship II (300 hours)	3
Or HDSV 799	Internship I and II (600 hours - special permission needed)	6
	3 Selected Electives	9
Total Hours		60

Required Curriculum (for students admitted prior to Fall 2009)

Course		Credit Hours
HDSV 602	Human Development	3
HDSV 610	Counseling Services	3
HDSV 640	Professional Orientation and Ethics in Counseling	3
HDSV 650	Theories of Counseling	3
HDSV 735	Counseling Methods	3
HDSV 736	Multicultural Counseling	3
HDSV 739	Community Agency Counseling	3
HDSV 740	Appraisal	3
HDSV 750	Group Counseling	3
HDSV 760	Career Counseling	3
HDSV 763	Family Counseling	3
HDSV 765	Practicum (100 hours)	3
HDSV 770	Applied Research in Counseling	3
HDSV 780	Internship I (300 hours)	3
HDSV 790	Internship II (300 hours)	3
Or HDSV 799	Internship I & II (600 hours - special permission needed)	6
	5 Selected Electives	15
Total Hours		60

Suggested Electives in Community Counseling

Students are encouraged to take their elective coursework within the Department of Human Development and Services when possible. Courses in rehabilitation counseling, school counseling, adult education, and school administration are readily available to community counseling students. In addition, graduate level classes in other academic units are also available. All electives are selected in consultation with a student’s assigned faculty advisor. A sample selection of available electives is shown below. Adherence to course prerequisites is necessary. For a complete listing of all courses with descriptions, please visit the NCAT Graduate Catalog.

Marriage and Family Counseling

HDSV 712 Counseling School Age Children

HDSV 753 Counseling Children and Adolescents

HDSV 754 Advanced Theory in Family Counseling

HDSV 756 Counseling Couples

HDSV 757 Special Topics in Marriage and Family Counseling

HDSV 774 Counseling Poor and Ethnically Diverse Families

HDSV 769 Marriage and Family Counseling and Behavioral Addictions

PSYC 645 Behavioral Modification

ADED 711 Social Gerontology

FCS 640 Geriatric Nutrition

Career Development

TECH 671 Methods and Techniques for Workplace Training Development

HDSV 775 Job Development and Placement

TECH 600 Career Development and Work-Based Learning

TECH 661 Workforce Development Program Planning and Management

TECH 664 Occupational Exploration for Middle Grades

Substance Abuse

HDSV 665 Foundations and Theories of Addiction

HDSV 767 Psychopathology and Addictions

HDSV 769 Marriage and Family Counseling in Addictions

College Counseling

ADED 709 The Community College and Postsecondary Education

ADED 778 Student Personnel Services

HDSV 753 Counseling Children and Adolescents

HDSV 775 Job Development and Placement

Other General Electives

HDSV 612 Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling

HDSV 738 Psychosocial Aspects of Disability

HDSV 743 Medical Aspects of Disability

HDSV 764 Case Management

SOCI 674 Evaluation of Social Programs

SOCI 669 Small Groups

SOCI 701 Seminar in Cultural Factors in Communication

PSYC 645 Behavior Modification

SPED 661 Psychology of the Exceptional Child

SPED 667 Specific Learning Disabilities

SPED 748 Diagnostic assessment and IEP Development

Special Topics Electives

The department also periodically offers special topics courses (HDSV751) related to focused areas in counseling. A sampling of these courses can be found below. Students are permitted to take no more than two special topics courses as electives during their matriculation.

Counseling Women and Adolescent Females

Spirituality and Counseling

Counseling Wellness

Grief Counseling

Play Therapy

Sign Language

Clinical Experiences

The program offers multiple opportunities for clinical experiences. Students often participate in community service learning projects as well as work multiple hours in the state of the art Counseling Lab. This learning lab provides students the opportunity to work in a practice environment conducting both role-play and volunteer client sessions. Through taping and review, students can work to improve their clinical skills and competence under the direct supervision of a course instructor.

There are three sequential field experiences associated with the Community Counseling Program. The practicum field experience involves 100 hours of fieldwork done at a setting of the student’s choice. Similarly, Internships I and II involve supervised professional experiences in settings appropriate to the student’s vocational objectives. Each internship includes 300 hours of field experience consisting of 120 hours of direct service work with clients. This direct service is typically in the form of individual, group, or family counseling conducted at a community placement. During this experience, students receive weekly individual supervision from their site supervisors and group supervision from a university supervisor. More information about these clinical experiences can be found in the Community Counseling Practicum and Internship Manual. In certain special circumstances, students may be allowed to take a combined 600 internship. Students are responsible for locating their own placements but a password protected database of past sites is available for current students.

Licensure and Certification

Students are prepared to take the National Counseling Examination (NCE) offered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) in preparation for licensure and/or certification. This test is administered twice annually at NC A&T. Passing this test will allow students to apply for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor through the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors upon completion of the program. Students who pass can also be recognized as board eligible by NBCC and apply for National Certified Counselor status immediately following graduation. Students are also eligible to apply for counseling licensure in other states, although the specific requirements will vary by location.

Certificate Programs

The Community Counseling program is pleased to announce a Certificate in Marriage and Family Counseling. Community counseling students who choose the certificate may take their elective courses in the area of Marriage and Family Counseling. This certificate will further prepare students to work in settings that specialize in counseling couples, children, and families. The certificate is also open to current NCAT counseling students in rehabilitation and school counseling as well as to counseling graduates of North Carolina A & T State University.

Community counseling students also have the option to apply for a certificate programs in Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment or Rehabilitation Counseling. These certificates require additional coursework and are designed to give students more focused study in unique rehabilitation counseling areas of interest. More information about these certificates can be found by visiting the Certificate link.

Professional Development

Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of special events both on and off campus. The Counseling Faculty and other campus departments organize multiple professional development events throughout the year. These events provide our students with additional training and exposure to the profession outside of the classroom. Recent events include the Family Counseling Conference and the Counseling Symposium.

Students from the community counseling program also routinely participate in professional conferences at the local, state, and national levels. This participation may be in the form of volunteer service, exhibiting, poster presentations, or speaking sessions. Not only is this an excellent experience, but students have the opportunity to interact with other counseling professionals.

Current Students

The Community Counseling program is paperless so all relevant documents are available electronically. Students currently in the program are advised to read the Counseling Handbook as this serves as your program guide. For additional information on matriculation, including relevant deadlines and student responsibilities, please see the Community Counseling Matriculation Guide. This guide, the field experience database, and other important documents are found on the Forms Page of this website. If, after reading these materials, you have any questions, please contact your assigned advisor.