CounselingPrograms at

FGCU

School CounselingMental Health Counseling

Agenda

• Faculty Introductions

• Overview of Program

• Plans of Study

• Field Experiences

• Admissions

• Exit Requirements

Faculty Introductions

• Abbe Finn, Ph.D. (590-7772)– Afinn@fgcu.edu

• Madelyn Isaacs, Ph.D. (590-7785)– misaacs@fgcu.edu

• Signe Kastberg, Ph.D. (590-7798)– skastberg@fgcu.edu

• Russell Sabella, Ph.D. (590-7782)– rsabella@fgcu.edu

Programs Overview

Accreditation

• Both the School Counseling and Mental Health Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

• CACREP accreditation provides recognition that the content and quality of the education offered by Florida Gulf Coast University has been evaluated extensively and meets standards set by and for the profession.

Accreditation

• The FGCU School Counseling program is approved by the

Program Design

• Our Students: – approximately 150 students currently

enrolled– majority are employed full-time– broad age range– mostly female– About 1/2 mental health counseling,

1/2 school counseling

Designed for Accreditation

• Strive to meet national standards• CACREP• ASCA• ASGW• ACES Technology • NCDA• AMCD Diversity Standards• All appropriate state law and rule for

licensure (Mental health) and certification (School)

Advising

• A-F: Dr. Abbe Finn (239-590-7772; afinn@fgcu.edu)

• G-L: Dr. Kastberg (239-590-7798); skastberg@fgcu.edu)

• M-R: Dr. Isaacs (239-590-7785); misaacs@fgcu.edu)

• S-Z: Dr. Sabella (239-590-7782); rsabella@fgcu.edu)

• Typically, you will complete a planned program of study at your admissions interview and confirmed during orientation. If your program requires a change, you must check with your advisor.

Program Areas in Counseling

• School Counseling - program designed to meet DOE certification requirements– Plan 1 (Certified Teachers or those with prior teacher

preparation)– Plan 2 (non-Certified Teachers or those without

teacher preparation) these students take additional courses to qualify for certification

• Mental Health Counseling- program designed to meet state requirements for licensed mental health counselor

• Both programs are designed for early and sequential field-based learning

Program Goals

Commitment to the Development of:– Professional Competence, Accountability and

Leadership– Respect and Advocacy for Clients– Self-Awareness, Personal and Professional

Growth, Professional Identity– An Effective Professional Philosophy– A Research Orientation– Technological Literacy

Basic Courses Completed by All Students

… download from the web (click on one or both of the following which

are linked to PDF files:•Mental health program

•School Counseling Program

ADMISSIONS• Non-degree

– 12 credit rule– Permission of instructor to be added to

course(s)

• Degree Seeking– GRE OR Miller Analogies Test– Transcripts– 3 Letters of Recommendation– Statement of Purpose– Admissions Interview

FGCU Testing and Assessment Site:http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/Testing/

Field Experiences

• Field Experiences/Internships are cumulative, that is, students are expected to demonstrate competence in the course areas they have completed to date

• Field Experiences/Internships are hierarchical and comprehensive in nature;

• Two practicum courses early in the program; first in basic listening and attending skills and second extends basic skills to developing counseling relationships and techniques;

• Both programs have Internships during their final year that are immersion experiences. School counselors complete 200 and 300 hour final internships and mental health counselors complete two (2) 300 hour final internships.

Field Experiences

• All students must have liability insurance prior to entering practicum and internship experiences (these are available at preferred student rates through professional organizations.)

• Many sites also require drug screening, background checks, and/or orientation meetings.

Internship

• Immersion in a professional counseling role

• A total of 700 hours of field experiences for school counselors and 1000 hours for Mental Health counselors– 40% (240 hours for school and 360 for mental

health) of direct client contact includes:• Individual• Group• Consultation

• Weekly on-site and University supervision

FAQ on Field Experiences

• Can I complete my experience where I work?

• Is it a lot of work?• Do I also attend group and individual

supervision meetings on campus while completing an internship?

• For more information see the Counseling Program Field Experience Manual at http://coe.fgcu.edu/mentalhealthma/counseling-internship-manual.pdf

FTCE

• School counseling students are required to successfully complete all sections of the FTCE prior to graduating. Students with prior teaching certificates may only have to complete the guidance and counseling portion.

General Knowledge Exams

• All school counseling students must have passed the CLAST exam to enter the graduate program. If you successfully took and passed the exam before July 1st, 2002, you may use these scores to enter and exit. If you have not, and you do not have a current Florida certification you must now take the General Knowledge exam (as well as the professional and subject area subsections) as part of your FTCE requirement to graduate. School counseling students who are already certified in another area and who are adding this as a new certification area must take and pass the subject area section of the exam to graduate.

Comprehensive Exams

• Regardless of the program of registration, students are required to successfully pass a culminating experience, currently a Comprehensive Examination, by their last semester of study.

• See http://coe.fgcu.edu/mentalhealthma/exitexam.html for more information and to sign up for the exam when appropriate.

FEAPS

• School counseling students are required to successfully demonstrate their competencies in the 12 Florida Educator Accomplished Practices.

Counseling Program Network

htt

p:/

/fg

cu-c

ou

nse

lin

g.g

rou

psi

te.c

om

/mai

n/s

um

mar

y

Counseling Program on Twitter

College of Education facebook

Counseling Program Links

Photo from: http://www.uexpressit.com/bracelets.htm