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Section II
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND CURRICULUM

Institutional Context
The mission of Marywood University

A Catholic university sponsored by the Congregation of the Sisters, servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood University roots itself in the principle of justice and a belief that education empowers people. Enacting its ideals, Marywood offers students a welcoming and supportive community that encourages men and women of all backgrounds to shape their lives as leaders in service to others. Proud of its liberal arts tradition and host of professional disciplines, Marywood challenges students to broaden their understanding of global issues and to make decisions based on spiritual, ethical, and religious values. Marywood calls upon students to seek their full potential and invites all to engage in a lifelong process of learning. Witnessing the efficacy of teaching and scholarship, Marywood educates students to live responsibly in a diverse and independent world. 

In this mission the hallmarks of a Catholic education are evident: a commitment to rich tradition of a Catholic liberal arts education, an emphasis on living responsibly in a global environment, and the development of ethical decision-makers. At Marywood, this means that curriculum is rigorous and faculty expectations are high. All undergraduates complete courses in English, philosophy, theology, history, fine arts, foreign language, mathematics, science and social sciences. Students are challenged to be livelong learners and live in service to others.

The following goals are intended to provide a framework within which different graduate and undergraduate programs develop discipline-specific goals. These goals embrace the core values and principles inherent in the mission of Marywood University:


Goal 1 Provide a values based context for university experiences.
1.1 A majority of students will participate in service opportunities in an on-going way.
1.2 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of their fields of study.
1.3 A majority of students will participate in spiritual development activities.
1.4 Employees will demonstrate core values in the work place.

Goal 2 Foster an awareness and appreciation of the pluralistic nature of contemporary society.
2.1 Graduates will choose to study or work in multicultural settings either at home or abroad.
2.2 Students will demonstrate a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity and an understanding of global issues.
2.3 Enrolled students will travel abroad during their college years.
2.4 Employee groups and governing bodies will reflect the pluralistic nature of contemporary society.

Goal 3 Provide a supportive and welcoming environment to a diverse academic community.
3.1 Students enrolled in any program will fulfill their academic goals by successfully completing their degree work.
3.2 An increasing number of racially and culturally diverse students and employees will choose Marywood as a welcoming community.
3.3 Students from a cross-section of socio-economic groups will enroll in each incoming class.
3.4 Campus constituencies will express satisfaction with all campus services.

Goal 4 Prepare people for socially responsible leadership roles.
4.1 Students will participate in an internship or practicum experience.
4.2 Students will demonstrate a significant level of co-curricular activities.
4.3 Students will experience positive interactions with faculty members outside of class.
4.4 Employees will serve as role models of socially responsible leaders.

Goal 5 Provide a challenging instructional program.
5.1 Students will demonstrate achievement of cognitive skills at a level comparable to peers on standardized tests.
5.2 Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically by engaging in research activities and by developing problem solving strategies.
5.3 Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate the liberal arts tradition with their professional specializations.
5.4 Students will demonstrate competence in both information literacy skills and communications skills.
5.5 Faculty will provide evidence of ongoing scholarly activity.

Goal 6 Inspire a sense of personal responsibility for responding to social justice issues.
6.1 Faculty, staff and students will participate in projects designed to address social inequities.
6.2 Students will demonstrate knowledge of both national and international social justice issues.
6.3 Faculty, students and staff will serve as advocates for justice in their personal and professional lives.

 Within this context, is the mission of the "Reap College of Education and Human Development", which is centered in the helping professions, sets forth the following:

Reap College of Education Mission:

 “We explore the workings of the human mind and prepare students to meet the cognitive, emotional and interpersonal needs of others across the lifespan. We educate students to evaluate, apply, and produce research which is the basis of best practice in professional organizations. We challenge students to be leaders who are:

Because the graduate programs in counseling frequently share faculty resources and curriculum with the graduate program in Psychology, we share an additional level of program objectives and program philosophy.

In this regard, the philosophy that pervades the Graduate Counseling and Psychology Department at Marywood University has its orientational roots in the basic philosophy of the institution.  The aims of the program, therefore, emphasize the need of the student to achieve a balance of integrity, personal maturity, and professional competency.

The faculty of the Department of Counseling and Psychology recognize that counselor skills and competencies should be based on a foundation of theory and research in the social and behavioral sciences.  A diversified background in counseling and psychology is considered essential and must include knowledge and skill in understanding and dealing with individual behavior dynamics as well as with the psychological dynamics operating in small groups.  A fundamental consideration is that the counselor must understand himself/herself.  He/she must also be aware of the impact of the counselor’s personality on the dynamics of his/her role and function.  Furthermore, he/she must develop a value system which will allow him/her to demonstrate a consistent self within the counseling situation.

Bearing this in mind, while endeavoring to synthesize and integrate the general education and the professional preparation of its prospective counselors, the faculty of the Department of Counseling and Psychology sets forth the following general goals:

  1. To educate individuals at the graduate level who have integrity, personal maturity, and the professional competence to function effectively as counselors in school , community, and agency settings. 

  2. To establish productive and facilitative relationships with counselor trainees.

  3. To assist trainees in their personal growth and development.T

  4. To acquaint trainees with the ethical responsibilities and standards of the counseling profession.

  5. To acquaint the trainees with various consultative skills.

  6. To educate the trainees in the utilization of assessment procedures and diagnostic criteria.

  7. To develop a wide range of therapeutic intervention skills and strategies.

  8. To provide flexibility within the curriculum to allow for individual differences in competencies and understandings developed prior to entering the program.

  9. To develop an appreciation of the goals and objectives of schools and community agencies and the effect of counselors on the learning environment.

  10. To instill the ability to work cooperatively with school,  agency, and community personnel in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of a counseling and therapy program.

  11. To determine the effectiveness of Counseling Programs

A. A comprehensive mission statement has been developed that brings the program into focus and concisely describes the program's intent and purpose. The mission statement:

1. describes the types of students it serves, its geographic orientation, and the priorities and expectations of the faculty;
2. is the basis for the development of program objectives and curriculum;
3. is published and available to faculty and students; and
4. is reviewed at least once every three years and revised as needed.  

Specific to the graduate counseling programs, the following mission statement was revised, reviewed and vetted by the graduate program counseling faculty, the Dean of the Reap College of Education and Human Development as per our three year review cycle. As noted here, the Advisory Board approved our most recent revisions of the mission statement : 

Marywood University Graduate Programs in Counseling Mission Statement:

The mission of the graduate Counseling Program is to train masters-level students to be ethical and caring decision-makers. Our graduates attend to the varied developmental and emotional needs of children and adolescents in school settings K-12 and the needs of individuals various mental health settings. Housed in a comprehensive regional institution steeped in the Catholic tradition, the Marywood counseling program, its faculty and curricular experiences, inspire our students to learn and transform them into leaders who serve others in a diverse and changing world. Within this context, the education of the whole person is paramount. The standards-based curriculum is rigorous; faculty expectations are high; and students are challenged to understand and apply the ethical dimensions of personal and professional life and to examine their own attitudes, values and beliefs. 

 As can be observed, the statement clearly describes the program's intent and purpose, students served, geographical orientation, and faculty priorities and expectations. As can be seen below, the mission gave rise to 14 aligned program objectives which serve as the basis for the graduate counseling program curriculum also described below. The mission statement and program objectives are published in the student handbooks and online at the Graduate Programs in Counseling Homepage:

B. The program objectives
1.  Reflect current knowledge and positions from lay and professional groups concerning the counseling and human development needs of a pluralistic society.
2.  Reflect the present and projected needs of a pluralistic society for which specialized counseling and human development activities have been developed.
3.  Reflect input from all persons involved in the conduct of the program, including program faculty, current and former students, and personnel in cooperating agencies.
4.  Are directly related to program activities; and
5.  Are written so that they can be assessed:

Graduate Counseling Program Objectives

The following statement of program objectives was vetted at the same time as the mission statement, by the previously mentioned constituencies:

  1. Apply the knowledge base of the field of counseling to design, implement and evaluate empirically supported individual, group, and organizational interventions in school and mental health settings. 
  2. Assume roles as professional counselors in school and mental health settings as described by professional organizations and credentialing bodies (i.e., CACREP, NCC, ACA, ASCA, etc.)
  3. Translate accepted counseling theory, learning theory, and principles of human development to normative and non-normative patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving and generate effective research-based interventions for individuals, groups and families. 
  4. Describe and adjust to societal changes and trends in a multicultural society.
  5. Demonstrate the capacity for self-examination, self-evaluation and an ability to form effective helping relationships with diverse individuals and groups. 
  6. Demonstrate mastery of the facilitative factors that influence the helping process including effective counselors and client characteristics, including but not limited to age, racial/ethnic background, socioeconomic status, disability, spirituality and sexual factors that might bear on the success of the helping process.
  7. Develop a mastery of consultation skills; and the philosophical and theoretical frameworks that undergird the process.
  8. Translate the theory of group development, dynamics, leadership styles, and group counseling and classroom guidance methods into effective group interventions in educational and mental health settings.
  9. Demonstrate the capacity to apply educational/vocational planning, career development and decision-making theory, and knowledge of career assessment and information systems to facilitate the career development of clients in school and mental health settings. 
  10. Acquire a sufficient knowledge base to use formal and informal assessment procedures to identify needs, strengths and foci of interventions, and assess counseling interventions and programmatic outcomes and effectiveness. 
  11. Develop sufficient knowledge and skills to understand and utilize counseling research, and evaluation results, and treatment protocols to guide counseling practice. 
  12. Exhibit professional behavior, skills and attitudes associated with competence in the core areas specified by CACREP Standards. 
  13. Demonstrate ethical behavior and decision-making which is based on ACA and ASCA ethical standards, and understand the relevant legal issues in school and mental health settings.
  14. Exhibit the professional leadership and social advocacy skills necessary to serve as effective agents of change and advance the cause of diverse and underrepresented groups at a local, regional and national level. 
Throughout the process, the faculty labored to develop objectives that retained programmatic strengths and traditions of excellence in clinical training from past years, while incorporating current thinking from the recent counseling literature and clinical and educational practice from professional literature. In doing so, the program faculty and advisory board considered the current and future needs of the increasingly diverse tri-state area of Northeastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, and Western New Jersey, to construct measurable program objectives, which gave rise to the curricular experiences that we believe produce some of the area's finest professional counselors. These program objectives are published in the student handbooks, and online on the department webpage. 

C.  Programs in ... School Counseling... are comprised of a minimum of two full academic years, defined as four semesters or six quarters of approved graduate-level study with a minimum of 48-semester hour or 72-quarter hour credits required of all students.  Academic units with programs in Mental Health Counseling ... are comprised of approved graduate-level study with a minimum of 60-semester hour or 90-quarter hour credits required of all students.  

The Master of Science in Counselor Education, Secondary School Counselor and the Master of Science in Counselor Education, Elementary School Counselor, are 48-credit hour programs. Courses are sequentially structured in a cohort design which is completed in 2 1/2 or 3-1/2 years. The program is delivered in evening courses during 15 week semesters with two 5 week summer sessions.  Historically, Marywood University has accommodated both traditional and non-traditional students and this format allows students to pursue the program while continuing employment. All course requirements are found in the Graduate Catalog and the Counseling Department Student Handbook.

The Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program is a 60-credit hour program. Courses are sequentially structured in a cohort design that is completed in 3 to 4 years. The program is delivered in evening courses during 15 week semesters with two 5 week summer sessions.  With the recent passage of a licensure law in Pennsylvania which suggests a 60 credit program, the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program fulfills the educational requirements for counselors pursuing licensure.

D. Students actively identify with the counseling profession by participating in professional associations such as the American Counseling Association (ACA) its divisions, branches, and affiliate organizations, and by participating in seminars, workshops, or other activities that contribute to personal and professional growth.

Starting at the New Student Orientation in August of each year, students are encouraged to join the American Counseling Association, The Pennsylvania School Counseling Association, and the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. A detailed discussion of ACA and its affiliates and branches is part of Counseling 504, which students usually take in their first semester. Program faculty strongly supports the idea that students need to join professional organizations as part of their professional development and often encourage student research presentations at various national conferences during their graduate study at Marywood.

Students are routinely invited to local and national conferences, and have recently been granted limited financial support for reimbursement of expenses for attendance from the office of the Dean of the Reap College of Education and Human Development (Click here for example).There are also links to both ACA, PSCA, and PCA on the department homepage. And in consideration of the effects of modeling professional involvement, faculty are active participants in the affairs of local and regional organizations such as PCA, PSCA. At the time of this writing, faculty are recent past presidents, and editors of the state-level journal of a professional organization and each of the three full-time faculty members are scheduled to attend either ACA or EB-ACA as presentors during the 2007-2008 academic year. 

Marywood University has a long history in service to professional development through the many and varied workshops provided through both the Department of Continuing Education, and the Psychological Colloquium series.  Most of these programs and presentations have been qualified by professional organizations to provide CEUs for professionals such as counselors, educators, social workers and psychologists.  Students of this program are kept informed of upcoming presentations through fliers distributed in class and on bulletin boards.  As a requirement for a class, faculty may invite students to attend a continuing education presentation for a nominal fee of $10.00 per student. Attendance at Psychological Colloquium series presentations are free to graduate students in the counseling programs. (Recent presentors have included Drs. Patricia Arredondo, Don, Locke, Theresa LaFromboise, Courtland Lee, and Thomas Parham.)

Finally, Marywood University Counseling Faculty encourages students to join Chi Sigma Iota, the National Counseling Honor Society, as an additional step toward professional development.  

E. Over the course of one academic term, students meet for a minimum of 10 clock hours in a small-group activity approved by the program.  This planned group requirement is intended to provide direct experiences as a participant in a small group.

Many of the counseling program courses are designed so that small group activity is an important part of the learning format (e.g., Career, Applied Practice I).  An additional small group experience is prepared for all counseling students in Counseling 543 - Group Process, during which students participate in an ongoing group experience throughout the semester.  The Group Process Course is divided into a didactic portion and an experiential portion during which time students take turns as leaders and participants of the group for more than 10 clock hours. 

F. Consistent with established institutional due process policy and American Counseling Association (ACA) Ethical Standards, when evaluations indicate that a student is inappropriate for the program, faculty assist in facilitating the student’s transition out of the program and, if possible, into a more appropriate area of study.

The Counseling faculty have in place a process of on-going evaluation of all students through a process of direct observation as well as the utilization of the student observation/evaluation form (for example, click here) which is based on the areas of academic performance, interpersonal skill development and adherence to the American Counseling (ACA) Ethical Standards.  From the admissions process, to the Candidacy Application process and thereafter, faculty provide input on student progress. This information is used to identify students who may require early intervention to resolve problems.  The Department has a well defined procedure for the Evaluation of Student Fitness for the Profession of Counseling which is used for purpose of remediation that is outlined in  the Counseling Dept. Student Handbook (p. 21). 

During the period of practicum and internship, students meet weekly with faculty, thus continuing the opportunity for evaluation and assistance in skill and interpersonal development. Students who are experiencing difficulty academically or manifesting behaviors unacceptable to program standards are subject to the Department’s Evaluation of Student Fitness for the Profession of Counseling process (see p. 21 in the Counseling Dept. Student Handbook ) which could ultimately result in a student’s removal from the program.

Furthermore, approximately once a semester one of the Counseling Faculty’s staff meetings is devoted to students’ progress or problems.  Concerns, if any, are raised and a consensus is reached for further action.  At times in the past this consensus has resulted in a student being asked to retake the Practicum (COUN 545/523 - Applied Practices II) or do additional hours on-site before being allowed to proceed to Internship.

In addition to full time faculty input, adjunct faculty also have an opportunity to present concerns about standards.  Thus, all comments on student conduct from adjuncts are welcomed.

G. Flexibility is provided within the program’s curriculum to accommodate individual differences in student knowledge and competencies.

Although the counseling programs are delivered in a structured, cohort format, there are several opportunities for accommodation of individual differences in student knowledge and competencies.  During the research course (EDU 501 - Research Theory or PSY 501 - Research Methods), instructors routinely encourage students to pursue vigorously their independent research interests through their required research project for her course.  At the end of this process, students are encouraged to present their independent research during the annual Graduate Research Forum.  In addition, because the Counseling & Psychology Departments are combined, students have the opportunity of affording themselves electives from a greater variety of course offerings.  Within individual courses, instructors provide many opportunities for a variety of individual course projects and research papers which may reflect specific student interests.  The Counseling & Psychology Department also has a variety of tracks such as Drug & Alcohol Counseling, Pastoral Counseling, etc. which allows for an additional elective variety of research interests in which the students may become involved.

At times, students are allowed to pursue topics in which they may be interested as "independent studies" and the Department also affords students the opportunity for individuality of their learning experience through such courses as COUN 550 Directed Readings and COUN 570 Contemporary Issues Seminar.  Because of the diversity of Marywood University’s Programs throughout the entire institution, we have also had students take electives from the Gerontology Institute and The Department of Public Administration.  Students are also welcomed to present coursework from other institutions for evaluation and inclusion, in accordance with the policy stated in the Graduate Catalog (see p. 24).

H.  Course (or other curricular experience) syllabi are distributed at the beginning of each curricular experience and are available for review by all enrolled or prospective students, and include, but are not limited to the following:
1.  objectives
2.  content areas;
3.  required text (s) and/or reading (s);
4. method of instruction, including a clear description of how content is delivered (e.g., lecture, seminar, supervised practical application, distance learning); and;
5.  student performance evaluation criteria and procedures.

Each course in the counseling programs has a syllabus which includes course number, course title, text (s) including author, publisher, faculty member name, office hours, method of contact, attendance policy, course description, course objectives, methodology, course outline and evaluative criteria.  All course syllabi are distributed during the first class meeting each semester.  Faculty review course syllabi each semester in order to recommend text and other changes.  All syllabi reflect course objectives that are consistent with the required eight CACREP core area standards.  (Click here to access relevant course syllabi)

I.  Evidence exists of the use and application of research data among program faculty and students.

Both research courses (Mental Health students take Psyc 501, and School Counseling students take Educ 501) incorporate specific required content covering the nature of research, research methodology, research design and statistics.  Students are also exposed to the process of research in coursework throughout the program.  In many courses, students are required to write papers that involve review of research literature.  The University’s philosophy regarding student research is that students need to understand the components of sound research, and how to critique research.

Every year the Reap College of Education and Human Development sponsors a Graduate Student Research Forum during which graduate students are encouraged to present a poster presentation of their research.  In addition, many faculty are currently conducting research in which students may become involved and this is also presented at the Forum.

Additionally, faculty include in every syllabi a list of required readings which reflect the most current issues in clinical practice, theory, and research.

J.  Each program for which accreditation is sought must show a history of graduates.

The Mental Health and School Counseling (Elementary and Secondary) specialties at Marywood have a history of graduates since before initial CACREP accreditation in 2001. Combined totals generally rage from 11 to 22 graduates each year, with graduates from each program.

    Year        Mental Health    Elementary        Secondary        

    2002        4                            3                        5
    2003        4                            4                        14
    2004        3                            2                        6
    2005        8                            2                        7
    2006        4                            1                        10   
    2007        6                            4                        10   


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