The Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services (PY) is dedicated to the exploration and understanding of the art and science of being human. The philosophical emphasis of the program is on positive psychology as applied to counseling. The program provides you with a solid foundation of knowledge blended with active/experiential learning inside and outside the classroom. The curriculum allows you to choose courses from a menu format to create your own specialty concentration in Counseling Psychology. Possibilities for creative concentrations might include, but are not limited to, ecopsychology and outdoor therapy, counseling psychology and developmental studies. We challenge and foster all of our majors to grow both personally and professionally, to be leaders in the field, and to actively contribute to a better community and world. Our program of study provides you with a theoretical and applied foundation for launching you into a counseling career, further graduate work, and lifelong learning.

As you pursue your own path of study, our goals are for you to achieve the following competencies:

Creative Expression (CE): Demonstrates the ability to express one’s passion positively in one’s own voice or through one’s own talents and/or share one’s self or world in unique ways, and helps others to do the same. 

Self Understanding (SU): Demonstrates the ability to identify, understand, and value one’s unique way of being in the world, as well as actively working towards reaching one’s full potential, and helps others to do the same.  

Critical Thinking (CT): Demonstrates the ability to understand the fullness of things, including the abilities to consistently analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and research, to understand and challenge assumptions, as well as to design, implement, and evaluate projects, and helps others to do the same.  

Activism/Leadership (AL): Demonstrates the ability to create significant positive influences on others and/or one’s environment through practice, writing, speaking, or other change modalities.

Professionalism (P): Demonstrates the ability to use professional skills and to live by the APA professional codes by displaying behaviorally that one values responsibility, public service, accountability, clear communications, respect, excellence, and compassion in one’s work. 

Knowledge of the Discipline (KD): Demonstrates the ability to identify, interpret, and apply facts, terms, concepts, theories and processes germane to the field of Counseling Psychology.