Community Counseling (MEd)
The education field needs professionals who can meet client concerns from diverse cultural perspectives. The MEd in Community Counseling prepares professionals who are knowledgeable about cultural influences on human development.
CURRICULUM
For more information about the following items, please refer to the Counseling Student Handbook 2024-2025.
Completion of the MEd degree program requires 60 semester hours of graduate study focused in two major areas: counseling core and a specialty area. This includes 700 clock hours of practicum and internship experience (taken for six semester hours of credit). Students must also take and pass a comprehensive examination during their final semester of study. Students have five years from acceptance to complete the program.
Students should present transcript evidence of successful completion ("B" or better) of an introductory statistics course or its equivalent. Ideally, students will have completed this course prior to the start of the program.
This program meets Illinois requirements for LPC/LCPC (counseling compact included).
Coursework
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Core | 45 | |
| Counseling Skills | ||
| Professional Issues Counseling | ||
| Theory Counseling & Psychotherapy | ||
| Career Development & Counseling | ||
| Assessment in Counseling | ||
| Group Counseling: Theory and Practice | ||
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling | ||
| Multicultural Counseling | ||
| Addiction Counseling | ||
| Practicum 1 | ||
| Internship 1 | ||
| Family Therapy I | ||
| Human Development: Cognitive, Aff & Phys Bases | ||
| Clinical Appraisal and Treatment Planning | ||
| Introduction to Research Methodology | ||
| Track Requirements | 15 | |
| All students must choose either the Clinical Mental Health Track or the Research Track. | ||
| Clinical Mental Health Track | ||
| Prevention, Advocacy, and Outreach: Community-Based | ||
| Advanced Theories in Psychotherapy | ||
| Seminar in Supervision & Consultation | ||
| Internship 2 | ||
Elective | ||
| Research Track | ||
| Psychological Measurement | ||
| Introduction to Linear Models | ||
or RMTD 421 | Educational Research II: Building a Body of Evidence Quantitative Method | |
| Independent Research | ||
Two (2) electives in Research Methods or Statistics | ||
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
Practicum/Internship requires 700 hours of supervised experience in a setting relevant to community counseling practice.
- 2
The course is completed twice, once during the spring and once during the summer.
Suggested Sequence of Courses
The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework. An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study. Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| CPSY 420 | Counseling Skills | 3 |
| CPSY 424 | Career Development & Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 433 | Multicultural Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 454 | Human Development: Cognitive, Aff & Phys Bases | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 421 | Professional Issues Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 423 | Theory Counseling & Psychotherapy | 3 |
| CPSY 427 | Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 528 | Clinical Appraisal and Treatment Planning | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| CPSY 425 | Assessment in Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 426 | Group Counseling: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| CPSY 437 | Addiction Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 444 | Family Therapy I | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| CPSY 440 | Practicum | 3 |
| RMTD 400 | Introduction to Research Methodology | 3 |
| Track Course #1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| CPSY 441 | Internship | 3 |
| Track Course #2 | 3 | |
| Track Course #3 | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| Track Course #4 | 3 | |
| Track Course #5 | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Program Length
Full-time students complete the program in two years, including at least one summer. Part-time study is also available.
Comprehensive Assessment
A proctored examination is required. See program handbook for details. Comprehensive examination application deadlines are as follows (see the School of Education Academic Calendar for comprehensive exam dates)
Licensure
The curriculum of the MEd program reflects current requirements for licensure in the State of Illinois. Licensure is handled by individual states, and portability of licensure across state lines differs according to each state. The Department of Professional Regulation in the State of Illinois has adopted the certification exam developed and administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors. Many states use this exam for licensure purposes, so scores from the exam can be transferred. Coursework, including the number of hours required, differ across states. Students interested in completing licensure or certification in another state are strongly advised to consult the professional regulation boards prior to enrolling at Loyola to determine the appropriate coursework required. Students should also stay apprised of licensure requirements throughout the program.
Practicum Sites
The Chicagoland area provides a wealth of clinical training opportunities for the students in community, school, and clinical mental health counseling programs. Students receive generalist training, but through site selection can begin to acquire population-specific competencies in working with children, adolescents, families, gay/lesbian/bisexual clients, and other groups of individuals. Many of the practicum sites also contain American Psychological Association-approved internship programs where trainees are provided with rigorous supervision and on-site seminars.
To discuss typical practicum settings and sites in Chicago and its suburbs, please contact Rufus Gonzales, Practicum Coordinator, at (312) 915-6378.
Continuous Enrollments
MEd students in Community Counseling are required to maintain the status of continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the School of Education’s Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Understand the knowledge bases of the counseling professions.
- Capable of applying the knowledge base of their disciplines in an ethical, reflective, and culturally-responsive manner.
- Evaluate research, appreciate the contribution of empirical inquiry to the solution of applied problems, and apply research findings to their practices.
- Knowledgeable of the social-cultural contexts of human development.
- Evaluate the outcomes of their interventions with empirically sound methods
- Participate in continuing professional education and supervision in their future professional lives and who involve themselves in activities of their professional associations.
- Committed to social justice in scientific and practice settings.
Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for licensing as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Illinois upon graduation. Graduates are then subsequently eligible to apply for licensing as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois after receiving two years of post-degree supervised experience.