Master of Arts in Counseling at Aquinas College

• Professional Counseling Identity and Advocacy - Students' understanding of the history of professional counseling, knowledge of the philosophical foundations of the profession, knowledge of the roles and functions of counselors, professional pride/professional engagement, professional advocacy, and knowledge and understanding of professional ethics.
• Ethical Practice – Students commit to and follow professional ethics with the American Counseling Association ethical guidelines. They seek supervision/consultation to resolve ethical dilemmas and take personal responsibility in the event an ethical error is committed.  Students also develop a strong awareness of their own values and worldviews, recognize their own competencies and limitations, maintain openness to supervision, and recognize/acknowledge/remediate personal issues that may impact client care.

• Multicultural Competence – Students develop awareness of power, privilege, difference, and their own cultural attitudes, beliefs, and effects of social location, and learn strategies for working with diverse populations, including gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, and other non-dominant groups. Students develop an ability to recognize the injustices that affect the physical, academic, career, economic, and mental well-being of individuals and learn skill sets to act to alleviate such injustices in their work with clients.  Students develop the ability to be empowering agents and advocates in service as change agents on the systemic level to better serve underrepresented, marginalized, and oppressed individuals and groups.

• Human Growth and Development- Students learn to interpret and apply core theory and research of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels and in multicultural contexts.

• Career Development- Students develop an understanding of how to apply core theory and research of career development, the psychology of work, and related factors.  Students recognize the integral role of work in the human experience and wellness. They develop the knowledge and skills necessary to use assessment instruments and techniques that are relevant to career and vocational planning and decision making.

• Helping Relationships – Students develop therapeutic communications, emphasize the client-counselor relationship, and facilitate and manage the counseling process with individuals and groups. Students develop an understanding of a range of counseling theories consistent with a developmental perspective.  Students develop knowledge of treatment planning and interventions consistent with their own theoretical orientation, the ability to critically evaluate the research literature, identify client mental health needs and goals in counseling, diagnosis, and best practices in the profession.

• Group Work - Students develop an understanding of the theoretical and experiential foundations of group purpose, development, and dynamics, and understand how to apply group counseling methods and skills in group settings.

• Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis- Students understand principles of assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis and are competent to apply practice, both individual and group methods of assessment and evaluation, and individual diagnosis.

• Research and Program Evaluation - Students understand methods and roles of research, statistical analysis, needs assessment, and program evaluation.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MAC) degree at Aquinas College is a 60-semester-hour program designed to prepare students to become highly skilled and highly competent mental health counseling professionals. Graduates will be eligible to become Licensed Professional Counselors in Michigan and other states. Our intimate and selective program admits only high-quality students for our practice-based cohort program.