The collaborative Community Counseling program with our sister Jesuit university, Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) in Mexico City, prepares bilingual culturally-sensitive counseling professionals. The program was designed to meet the mental health needs of Spanish-speaking individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities in the United States and abroad.
The program creates professional counselors who can diagnose and treat emotional disorders across the severity spectrum in collaboration with other mental health professionals. In addition, the successful graduate is able to design and implement psychosocial programming at secondary and tertiary levels of intervention in Spanish-speaking communities.
Curriculum
The collaborative University of Scranton-UIA program is a 60-credit curriculum leading to the Master of Science degree; 57 required credits include 39 credits of course work in principles and practice of counseling, 12 credits of advanced coursework in Spanish, 3 credits of practicum, 3 credits of internship, and 3 credits of advanced internship. Three credits of electives are offered to further develop personal interest areas.
Students are required to complete at least one semester of graduate study at UIA in Mexico City. This exchange experience will include didactic course work in addition to professional counseling experience in Mexican communities. Credits undertaken at UIA will fulfill degree requirements at the University of Scranton. Prior to the exchange semester, students will be expected to demonstrate advanced language proficiency in Spanish.
Language Requirement: Fluency in Spanish is an essential component of the collaborative program in Community Counseling. Successful program completion requires demonstrated Spanish language proficiency in reading comprehension, listening comprehension, writing, grammar/vocabulary, and oral expression. Seminar courses, coursework/clinical experiences in Mexico, and advanced clinical internship are taught in Spanish. As such, progression in the graduate program requires ongoing language preparation, assessment, and proficiency.
While undergraduate preparation and Spanish fluency are clearly advantages for those students pursuing the collaborative master’s degree program, ongoing language development is essential for all students. Each student will be required to prepare with the Program Director a language study plan to be completed over the course of the graduate program. On the basis of placement tests (oral and written) conducted in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Languages, this study plan should reflect how the student will develop Spanish language fluency. Complete access to language training resources at The University of Scranton is assured throughout the graduate program.
Accreditation and Certification
The University of Scranton’s Collaborative Community Counseling program is accredited under the nationally accredited Community Counseling program. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) is a specialized body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Hence, graduates meet all educational requirements for certification as a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Graduates may apply to the National Board of Certified Counselors to take the National Counselor Examination prior to graduation from the program. Every student who passes the certification examination will be granted recognition as an NCC. Students who wish to explore other types of counselor certification should consult with the Program Director. All inquiries regarding certification as an NCC and application for same should be directed to:
National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.
3-D Terrace Way
Greensboro, NC 27403
(336) 547-0607
Refer to General Information under the Department of Counseling and Human Services for policies and procedures applicable to all Departmental programs.
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