Master of Arts: . Marriage and Family Counseling
The Department of Psychology ~ffers a graduate program des igned to prepare students for the role of a professional Marriage and Fam il y Counselor. Whi le the Department presents a strong academic course of st ud y, a major concern will be that students receive supervised ex per ienti al training in face to face counse ling situ at ions. Compete nce in counse ling and academic excell ence are sought throughout the cou rse of study. The st udent wi ll be provided wi th an evaluati on of his or her academic ability , personality , and interpersonal skills at the end of 24 units of st udy in terms of whether or not the student is perceived as hav ing potential to complete the rema ining courses of st udy and practicums in counse ling . The program of study is Biblica ll y based and not only fo ll ows but also teaches a professional code of et hics developed for professional Marriage and Family Counselors . Students will be screened carefully th rough personal interv iews, personality testi ng, personal recommendations of profess ion als, and observati on in their own group therapy exper iences before being placed in counse ling centers . Individual responsibility fo r acquiring the number of hours required fo r licensing rests wi th the student but every effo rt will be made to provide students with a max imum of experience re lated to their ab ility and avai lability . A final evaluation will be made by a comm ittee as to the student 's competence as a Marriage and Family Counse lor. This eval uation determi nes whether or not the student will be granted a Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Counse ling. Prerequisites: Due to the nature of this graduate program of study (and the terminus of the degree) a bacc alaureate from an acc redited or recogni zed institution is required with a minimum of 20 units in undergraduate psycho logy along with at least 20 units of Bible courses from the Old and New Testaments taken at an accred ited or recognized college or seminary. No more than six units o f graduate work may be transferred from another schoo l. In the required undergraduate studies in psychology at least one course must be in statistics, human development , learning , personality , meas urement , and abnormal behavior. A student may be admitted as defic ient but must make up the deficiency prior to graduation . Since excellence is a major goal of thi s program , an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 is expec ted , an overall score of 1100 on the Graduate Record Exams or some equivalent tes t predicting success at the graduate level. Students may be accepted on a provisional basis but must demonstrate by the end o f the their first twe lve units that they are capable of co ntinuing and maintaining at least a 3 .0 grade level which is required of all students. Students will be required to take a battery of personality tests before the ir competency evaluation at the end of the first year or completion of 24 units. Students pass ing beyond this point will be required to have malprac tice insurance in force for the ir own protec tion before being assigned to a service center fo r counseling experience. Malpractice insurance coverage is avai lable through the college , or eq uivalent coverage must be attained . Supervision: Supervision will be provided at the rate of at least one hour per week during the practicuum counseling experience by the student . Every effort will be made to place the intern in a serv ice center relevant to his level of ex pertise and concern. A special fo rm explaining the internship experience and reporting procedure will be provided. Admission to Program: To be admitted to the program a student must make application to the Dean of Admissions , Biola College, and provide the following: I. Transcripts and ev idence of an accredited or recogni zed baccal aureate degree with a grade point average o f at least 3.0 . 2. Two letters of recommendations on forms provided by the college.
115
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker