Counseling Psychology Masters
The Master’s of Science in Counseling Psychology prepares students for a successful and fulfilling career in mental health counseling.
Key Highlights
- Core coursework covers the basics of counseling required for licensure in Missouri and Kansas
- Practicum and Internship requirements offer real-world supervised practice experience conducting counseling, intakes, and assessments.
- Curriculum is aligned with all counseling standards for coursework and practice.
What You’ll Learn
| Course | Description |
|---|---|
| PY 602 – Orientation to Counseling Professions | Orients students to the counseling profession including the role and function of the counseling and counseling psychology professional. |
| PY 605 – The Helping Relationship I | Introduces students to a transtheoretical, multicultural model of foundational helping skills and emphasizes basic attending skills as the foundation of effective listening. |
| PY 615 – Career Development | Investigates historical foundations of the career development movement and explores major career development theories and their applications in a counseling setting. |
| PY 617 – Research Design and Analysis I | Learn what differentiates scientific from nonscientific approaches to psychology and how research designs can be strategically and ethically employed. |
| PY 621 – Advanced Developmental Psychology | Study of physical, cognitive, social, personality, brain, and emotional development across the lifespan. |
| PY 630 – Theories of Counseling | Introduction to theories of counseling and psychotherapy with a multicultural approach. |
| PY 645 – Personality Assessment | Provides a basic understanding of the fundamentals of psychological testing. |
| PY 650 – Biological Bases of Behavior | Explores the relationship between biology and human experience. |
| PY 656 – Multicultural Counseling | Promotes sensitivity to issues in counseling service delivery for culturally, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. |
| PY 660 – Theories and Methods of Group Counseling | Focuses on the structure and dynamics of the group treatment process. |
| PY 665 – Differential Diagnosis of Mental Disorders | Provides thorough familiarization with the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). |
| PY 693 – Ethics and Professional Development | Focuses on ethical, legal, and professional standards that guide the counseling profession. |
| PY 694 – The Helping Relationship II | Bridge between theory and practice integrating development, psychopathology, counseling theories, and assessment. |
| PY 695 – Internship | Clinical experience working in a supervised capacity in a professional placement. |
| PY 698 – Treatment of Disorders | Explores current paradigms for understanding behavioral and mental disorders and effective treatment modalities. |
For course descriptions, please view the graduate academic catalog.
Career Pathways
This program meets the Kansas and Missouri state educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Students obtain employment in a wide variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment facilities, private practice, schools, and correctional facilities.
Faculty
Jon Mandracchia, Ph.D.
MSCP Director and Professor of Psychology Phone 816-501-2943 Email jon.mandracchia
Jordan R Wagge, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science Phone 816-501-2964 Email jordan.waggeStudent Experiences & Success Stories
Student Testimonial
“The Masters Counseling Psychology Program at Avila University did a great job of making me realize that life is the perfect grounds to train where I needed to go and to find my sense of agency as a counselor.” — Ayat Youssef, Current MSCP Student.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Avila, getting to know both the professors and students. The ability to take night classes has allowed me to work while earning my master’s degree. The professors are knowledgeable, approachable, and always willing to help. I also appreciate the small class sizes, which make discussions with classmates more engaging. I’ve met some amazing people and look forward to maintaining those connections beyond graduation.” –Jill Nicholson, Current MSCP Student.
“Here at Avila I have learned so much from my professors and colleagues. I have grown so much as a person and I credit that to this program. I have made friendships that I believe will last a lifetime and I am forever grateful for that.” – Virginia Cardello, Current MSCP Student.
Alumni Spotlight
I liked that Avila was a smaller university, and I hoped it would have a community feel where the professors and staff knew me and took an interest in my goals. And after spending the past five years at Avila, it very much feels like family – in all the best ways.
Avila is so special to me because of the friendships that I made during my studies. Avila also gave me a safe space to explore and develop my talents. And finally, I love that Avila has such a sense of responsibility to the community and works to impact the Kansas City area positively.
My time at Avila gave me the confidence to pursue my Ph.D. Currently, I’m enrolled at NCU, working towards my Ph.D. in Psychology focusing on Gender and Sexual Fluidity. I’m working towards my LCPC license in the state of Kansas and opening my private practice, Emerge Counseling, in May. My ultimate goal is to eventually turn Emerge Counseling into a non-profit counseling center that provides therapy to the LGBTQIA+ community free of charge.
It was important to me to learn about counseling through the perspective of the scientific-process followed in academic psychology. Avila University’s Master of Science in Counseling Psychology was salient to my choosing this program.
I became acquainted with Avila University several years before enrolling. I had spent two years at Jerusalem Farm, a non-profit home repair organization in the low-income Historic Northeast of Kansas City. Avila was the fiscal sponsor that got Jerusalem Farm off the ground in 2012. During this time, I was introduced to the work and charisma of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the founders of Avila University. I noticed that, as an institution, Avila is anchored in the Sisters’ values of social justice and ministry of relationship. I thought surely in today’s world any institution that puts ‘their money where their mouth is’ must be an institution of integrity and depth.
I found that to be true in Avila’s program. The faculty and staff are relational, competent, and committed to the students. The program has a strong emphasis on counseling with a multicultural perspective and a broad worldview. The professors not only teach but personify fidelity, justice, and beneficence, and other professional values of counseling. During my 3 years in the program, I have been prepared to be a professional counselor who understands that building a therapeutic alliance with person-centered skills and evidence-based interventions is pivotal to the process of change in counseling.
The staff consists of intelligent professors who are extremely passionate about what they do! They are willing to work with you and help you in any and every way possible.
I am currently working as a counselor specializing in substance use disorders and loving it! I would love to teach as well as take on some sort of leadership role in the future.
All of my professors guided me and helped me reach my goal. They prepared me for the National Counseling Exam, CPCE, as well as wrote many recommendations for me. They also taught me many things that you just can’t learn in a textbook!
Avila holds a special place in my heart mainly because of the professors. They truly cared about me along with my personal goals in the counseling field and beyond. They believed in me and helped me to push through every assignment. They are inspiring and their mentorship and support continue beyond graduation.
I use my degree in everyday life as I believe that my counseling degree is transferrable in all fields. I currently work in healthcare operations and I manage clinical and non-clinical teams. Through the program and internship experience, I learned how to effectively communicate, create, and accomplish goals, show compassion and empathy; and most importantly, I learned a lot about myself. I plan to utilize the skills that I learned in private practice for teens and adolescents in the very near future
My professors mentored me during the Practicum course and it was very constructive. They gave me advice on my counseling skills and how to perfect the skill that was innate within me. They told me that it was ok “to be silent” during a session and how to ask open-ended questions to help engage clients.
Student Opportunities
- Research Opportunities: Research | Avila University
- Psi Chi is an international honor society in psychology, whose mission is to recognize and promote excellence in the science and application of psychology. Avila has had a Psi Chi chapter for over 40 years. Advisor: Dr. Marcia Pasqualini
Contact
Contact
Jon Mandracchia, Ph.D., MSCP Director and Professor of Psychology
P: 816-501-2943 / E: jon.mandracchia