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Community Counseling Master's Program
Department of Counseling
The Master's Degree in Community Counseling is CACREP-accredited and is approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, & Marriage and Family Therapist Board as meeting the educational and experiential requirements for professional (PC/PCC) licensure in Ohio. The Community Counseling Master’s Program consists of 60 graduate credits, including both ‘core’ and clinical specialty courses. Foundational or ‘core’ courses include such areas as theories of counseling, counseling techniques, group counseling methods, human development across the lifespan, and multicultural issues in counseling. Clinical specialty courses include program-specific training in professional identity/ethics/advocacy, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, personality and abnormal behavior, addictions counseling, and Practicum/Internship in Community Counseling. Students are trained using a practitioner/scientist model of human growth and development throughout the program.
Professional Counseling is defined by the American Counseling Association (1997) as “the application of mental health, psychological, or human development principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systematic intervention strategies, that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology.” Community counseling is a professional counseling specialty that is defined as “a comprehensive helping framework . . . that promotes the personal development and well-being of all individuals and communities” (Lewis et al., 2003). Therefore, as opposed to other mental health professions, community counseling stresses the surrounding community’s impact (including culture, social history, and group influences) on mental health. Advocacy, social justice, consultation, and community wellness are therefore part of community counselors’ identity. As Professional Counselors/Professional Clinical Counselors, community counselors usually work clinically with individuals and groups (often including couples/families). However, community counselors may also use their roles as advocates and consultants to positively impact the surrounding community, thereby ultimately promoting the wellness of both clients as and society in general.
Please use the links below for additional up-to-date information about the Community Counseling Program
The Program Coordinator and contact person for this program is: Dr. Robert C. Schwartz (rcs@uakron.edu) or 330-972-8155.
Prospective Students
Current Students
Professional Resources and Links
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