Dec 10, 2024  
2024-25 Western Washington University Catalog 
    
2024-25 Western Washington University Catalog

School Counselor, Thesis, MEd

Location(s): WWU - Bellingham


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Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Graduate Faculty

Ardiel, Evan L., PhD, behavioral neuroscience
Bell, Angela, PhD, intergroup dynamics and the experiences of being a member of a stigmatized group
Byrne, Christina, PhD, psychological trauma and intimate partner violence
Cao, Feng, PhD, behavioral neuroscience
Ciao, Anna C., PhD, risk factors for developing eating and weight concerns, eating disorder and obesity prevention and early intervention, barriers to seeking psychological treatments, dissemination of evidence-based interventions
Czopp, Alexander M., PhD, negative implications for intergroup relations of “positive” stereotypes of groups, prejudice reduction through interpersonal confrontation
Delker, Brianna, PhD, psychology of trauma and abuse perpetrated within close relationships, social and cultural contexts of trauma, developmental psychopathology
Delucio, Kevin, PhD, Counseling psychology
Devenport, Jennifer, PhD, legal psychology, jury decision-making, factors influencing erroneous eyewitness identifications
Du Rocher Schudlich, Tina, PhD, developmental psychopathology, marital conflict and children, parent-child emotion regulation
Gonzalez, Antonya, PhD, cognitive development
Graham, James M., PhD, adaptive processes in romantic relationships, romantic love, measurement, multivariate statistics
Grimm, Jeffrey W., PhD, animal models of drug taking and drug seeking, neurobiology of drug taking and drug seeking
Gruman, Diana, PhD, school counseling, child and adolescent development, educational psychology
Henesy, Rachael, PhD, Counselor education, clinical mental health counseling
Hyman, Ira, PhD, memory, cognitive psychology, social cognition
Jantzen, Kelly J., PhD, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, human environment interactions
Kaplan, Joshua, PhD, behavioral neuroscience
Lehman, Barbara, PhD, childhood family environment and social/psychological health, research methods and statistics
Lemm, Kristi, PhD, implicit attitudes
Mallinckrodt, Brent, PhD, attachment in adults, affect regulation, the counseling relationship as a catalyst for client change, social support, training students for social justice advocacy
Matsukura, Michi, PhD, cognition, perception
McCabe, Jennifer, PhD, women’s wellness
McLean, Kate, PhD, adolescent identity development
Riggs, Anne E., PhD, social cognition, cognitive development, educational psychology
Rose, Jacqueline K., PhD, molecular mechanisms of learning, memory, and plasticity
Sattler, David, PhD, natural disasters, social dilemmas, small group research
Smith, Aaron, PhD, treatment of psychological trauma and the causal mechanisms of posttraumatic growth; veteran mental health
Scollon, Christie K. Napa, PhD, positive psychology
Sowell, Shaun, PhD, school counselors’ advocacy role, training school counselors with social justice focus, school counselor professional identity development
Symons, Lawrence, PhD, perception
Villicana, Adrian, PhD, social psychology, identity, social cognition, and social issues
Warren, Michael T., PhD, positive psychology, moral virtues

Program Director: Dr. Shaun Sowell, Academic Instructional Center, 496

Program Description

The MEd school counseling program prepares professional counselors for employment in educational settings and is designed for those students intending to apply for the state educational staff associate certificate endorsed in school counseling at the elementary and secondary levels. Certification as a public school teacher is not required for admission to the program. The school counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The program contains a thesis option for those students interested in pursuing a research project related to the degree program.

Goals

The program prepares knowledgeable, skilled, collaborative, and ethical counselors who value diversity, equity and social justice and meet the relevant licensing or credentialing standards for practice in mental health and public and private educational settings in the State of Washington.

Prerequisites

The following specific courses are required for those who do not have a degree in psychology: introductory psychology, statistics, abnormal psychology, and child/adolescent development. Deficiencies in prerequisites may be completed after program admission but must be completed prior to first enrollment.

Application Information

Deadlines: Program faculty will begin reviewing application materials after February 1 and will continue to review materials until the enrollment limit is reached or June 1, whichever comes first. Because maximum student enrollment in the program is limited, all applicants are strongly encouraged to submit application materials by February 1. All prerequisites must be completed prior to fall quarter enrollment. Documentation of personal suitability of applicants for counseling is required through a statement of purpose with specific questions, letters of reference, and interviews where possible.

TA Deadline: To be considered for a graduate teaching assistantship, applicants must have their application materials submitted by February 1.

Program Requirements (96 credit minimum)


All students in the school counseling program must complete the following courses:

Additional Information


Retention

The department has requirements affecting retention in the school counseling program which are in addition to the Graduate School scholarship standards. Full, continuing enrollment in the required courses must be maintained. Grades lower than C- are unacceptable. More than 10 credits of C+ or lower grades removes a student from the master’s program. Any course in which an unacceptable grade is earned may be re-taken only with permission of the admission/retention subcommittee, following consultation with the program advisor. It is necessary to maintain at least a 3.00 (B) grade point average for all graded work in order to be retained in the program. Retention in the school counseling program is also dependent upon the development of professional competence in interaction with clients and other professionals. Development of professional counseling competencies is monitored and evaluated on a quarterly basis by the Counseling Program Committee of the Department of Psychology.

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