OVERVIEW OF THE

COUNSELING AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PROGRAM

 

The Counseling and Human Development Services (CHDS) Program offers the master’s degree in School and Community Counseling as well as the Ph.D. degree. These three areas are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The doctoral program area is accredited in Counselor Education and Supervision. Kent State University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

 

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MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

 

Doctoral study in CHDS in the College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University is designed to provide advanced level preparation for counselors in various public and private human service and mental health settings as well as preparing individuals for the counselor education professoriate in colleges and universities. The CHDS doctoral program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is approved by the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSW&MFTB). The CHDS doctoral program makes attempts to attract students from a national and international level. Individuals applying to the doctoral program typically possess or are about to complete a master’s degree in counseling and, so, the faculty works to identify and extend a doctoral student’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become advanced practitioners and counselor educators. The faculty members believe that to perform effectively doctoral level counselors and counselor educators need to have an understanding of educational, supervisory, and counseling processes, competence in scholarly inquiry, and maturity in self development. The faculty believes it important to acculturate students into the high standards of professional behavior. As a result, educational requirements for psychology license are not to be met while pursuing a Ph.D. degree in the CHDS doctoral program. Broad objectives of the program include the following educational experiences that extend beyond the entry-level counseling program:

 

• study pertaining to theories related to the principles and practices of counseling, career development group work, systems, and consultation;

• study pertaining to theories and practices of supervision;

• study pertaining to instructional theory and methods relevant to counselor education;

• study pertaining to the pedagogy relevant to current social and cultural issues, including social change theory and advocacy action planning;

• study pertaining to design and implementation of quantitative research and methodology;

• study pertaining to design and implementation of qualitative research and methodology;

• study pertaining to models and methods of assessment and use of data;

• study pertaining to ethical and legal considerations in counselor education and supervision (e.g., the ACA Code of Ethics);

• study pertaining to the role of racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage, nationality, socioeconomic status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, occupation, physical, and mental status, local, regional, national, international perspective, and equity issues in counselor education programs; and

• study and experiences pertaining to advanced clinical practice.

 

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROGRAM

 

1.         The program is diverse in nature. The age range of our doctoral students extends from the mid-20's to the mid-50's. Professors represent various points of view in terms of philosophy of human services and modes of practice. 

 

2.         The program reflects its identity within the College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services. That is, it is devoted to the problems of daily living.  Our focus is on situational crises, decision making, self-enhancement, social skills, adaptation to loss or to changed circumstances, career planning and changing, interpersonal relations, anxiety, loneliness, and other issues which most persons face during their lifetime.  Preparation, however, also considers problems of daily living within the context of mental and emotional disorders.

 

3.         There is a common base of knowledge, attitudes and skills which is expected of all our students. This appears in the prerequisites to the program and in the doctoral core requirements.

 

4.         Professional identity in counseling is fostered through mentoring, through involvement with professional organizations and activities, through participation in conferences and conventions, and through collaborative scholarship with professors and other students.

 

5.         The curriculum of studies includes the development of skills to be of direct service to clients, the development of theory and research competencies, and the development of instruction and supervision competencies.

 

6.         The practitioner aspect of the program integrates both theory and application. Students are presented with successive approximations to reality through in-class activities, then through controlled practica, and finally internship, all under supervision.

 

7.         Knowledge about oneself is maximized with experiential learning. Practicum and other hands-on experiences are laboratories for testing of one's skills, for confirming or disconfirming one's strengths and weaknesses, for identifying biases, and for developing professional integration.

 

8.                   Our teaching model assumes that the student is an active participant, not a passive learner. In this condition we expect receptivity to supervision; willingness to test one's assumptions and hypotheses; readiness to share insights and information with one's student colleagues; solicitation of feedback and critique; and willingness to consider and try out alternative behaviors. 

 

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CHARACTERISTICS OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE PROGRAM

 

We have compiled some information about individuals admitted to the CHDS doctoral program that may be helpful to other individuals who are considering whether to make application.