Counseling
Psychology, MA
Program at a Glance
Program
Counseling Psychology, MA
Format
Online, Hybrid
Total Units
60
Requirements
No GMAT or
GRE Required
Summer ’24 Final Application Deadline
April 21
Program Overview
Golden Gate University offers a license-eligible Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. The program maintains a strategic partnership with the Psychotherapy Action Network, an organization that aims to organize, formulate initiatives, and collectively advocate for mental health policy that is based on the complexity of the individual and not simply on the identification of discrete symptoms. This is consistent with our program philosophy, which envisions psychotherapy as a complex process of individual growth and change and the therapeutic relationship as a key element in successful treatment.
Traineeship is an integral part of our program, providing an opportunity for students to apply the skills learned in class to the clinical encounter. Students are required to complete 300 face-to-face clinical hours under clinical supervision and to concurrently attend our practicum seminar over the course of at least three trimesters. Students who intend to pursue licensure outside the state of California are responsible for determining the traineeship requirements for the relevant states, such as additional face-to-face hours or supervisor qualifications, and for working with faculty and staff to make sure that any additional requirements are met. If you intend to pursue licensure outside the state of California or to complete your traineeship in another state, please speak with a faculty member in the Department of Psychology prior to beginning the program. We are happy to help you navigate this process.
Although faculty and staff are available to assist, students who intend to pursue licensure outside the state of California are responsible for determining the traineeship requirements for the relevant states, such as additional face-to-face hours or particular supervisor qualifications, and for working with faculty and staff to make sure that any additional requirements are met.
Our curriculum meets the MFT licensure requirements as set forth by section 4980.36 of the California Business and Professions (Cal. B&P) code. The program satisfies all the educational requirements set by the California Board of Behavioral Science Sciences, and provides some hours of supervised experience fulfilling part of the practical experience requirements. Our curriculum also meets the educational requirements for Licensed Professional Clinical counselor (LPCC) licensure as required by section 4999.33 of the California Business and Professions (Cal. B&P) code. The curriculum also meets the educational requirements for MFT and/or LPCC licensure in some other states. If you intend to pursue licensure outside the state of California or are completing the program, including the traineeship, outside the state of California, speak with a faculty member in the Department of Psychology to discuss the licensure requirements in your state of interest prior to beginning the program.
Admission Requirements
- Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited US institution or the equivalent from a recognized foreign (outside the US) institution, and provide official transcripts.
- Applicants whose native language is not English must meet the English Language Proficiency Admission Requirements.
- Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 2.50 should submit a statement of purpose and a resume.
The statement of purpose should address the circumstances that may have led the applicants to poor academic performance, what had changed and why they think they’ll be successful now.
Curriculum
Personal Psychotherapy Requirement
Students entering the counseling profession benefit professionally, personally and academically from personal psychotherapy. During the program, students must complete 50 hours of psychotherapy with a licensed clinician or therapist under supervision by a licensed clinician (Psychiatrist, Psychologist, MFT, LPCC, or LCSW). Students may select individual, couple, family or group psychotherapy or some combination of these. If the psychotherapy requirement presents an unmanageable emotional and/or financial burden, it may be deferred to post-graduation or waived entirely with the permission of the Program Director.
Undergraduate Psychology Pathway Programs
As a pathway to the graduate-level counseling programs, students who complete certain undergraduate-level courses with grades of “B” or better at Golden Gate University as a part of completing the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology or a Psychology minor with another Bachelor’s degree may receive internal transfer credit for the corresponding graduate-level courses for the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology or the Graduate Certificate in Counseling Skills programs. Internal transfer credit will be recorded after students’ Bachelor’s degrees have been conferred. Note: Students who complete the courses below but who do not earn Bachelor’s degrees at GGU with Psychology majors or minors (formerly concentrations) are not eligible for this incentive.
Students who complete the following undergraduate courses may receive internal transfer credit as shown below:
Students must complete a total of 9 units of PSYCH 394 – Practicum: Counseling Psychology.
Traineeship Placements
Traineeship placement is a foundational aspect of your education here at Golden Gate University. In traineeship, you begin to apply the didactic knowledge you have gained in your courses to the broad range of tasks that confront professional psychotherapists, under the guidance of a licensed supervisor and with the support of an on-campus clinical case conference led by one of our professors. If you intend to pursue licensure outside the state of California or to complete your traineeship in another state, please speak with a faculty member in the Department of Psychology prior to beginning the program.
Traineeship Readiness Requirement
Before applying for a traineeship, a student must advance to Traineeship Candidate status. A student must apply for Candidacy before the end of their second trimester of enrollment. To apply for Candidacy, a student must complete the Traineeship Candidacy form, which must be submitted to the Department Chair. This form, in addition to feedback from faculty and any atypical reports that have been submitted by professors due to academic or behavioral issues in the classroom, will be reviewed by the Program Director to assess the student’s academic and emotional preparedness to begin traineeship and continue on the path to pursue licensure as a psychotherapist. In addition, the student must have completed or plan to have completed by the time their traineeship will begin at least PSYCH 320, PSYCH 321, and PSYCH 326 and have made substantial progress toward completing their courses on psychotherapy theory (PSYCH 323, PSYCH 324, PSYCH 325, and PSYCH 339). Candidacy also requires that students verify that they have started the process of accruing personal psychotherapy hours or have applied for a waiver or modification of the personal psychotherapy requirement, as required by the program, and have confirmed a path to completion of their remaining courses through meeting with their academic advisor. Upon receiving Traineeship Candidate status, the student may begin working with the Department’s faculty and staff to apply for traineeships. International students in F-1 or J-1 visa status must also have their employment authorization eligibility confirmed by their academic advisor/DSO. In the event that a student is not advanced to Candidacy status, the student will be notified in writing.
If there are concerns about a student’s academic or emotional readiness for traineeship or psychotherapeutic practice, a Traineeship Candidacy Committee of at least two faculty members will be convened and, whenever possible, a plan will be developed with the student to address gaps in academic performance or emotional readiness. Similarly, if a student’s traineeship placement is terminated for any reason, their readiness to participate in another traineeship will be evaluated by the Candidacy Committee according to Candidacy guidelines. If reports are submitted regarding academic or behavioral issues in the classroom after Candidacy has been approved, the Committee may reconvene to review those reports and require an in-person meeting with the student. In rare cases, the Committee may decide that the student has failed to demonstrate professional and personal responsibility (as evidenced by violations of professional conduct, interpersonal trust, or ethical practice) and require students to leave the program.
Traineeship Placements
Golden Gate University has an outstanding reputation with a wide range of traineeship placements in San Francisco, in the wider Bay Area, and in many other states. Our Traineeship Coordinator and Career Services Staff work with students to develop a compelling traineeship application, including a professional curriculum vitae, and also provide guidance with professional interviewing. We maintain relationships with traineeship placements and their directors throughout the Bay Area and beyond and consistently places students at top traineeship sites.
Traineeship sites vary depending on the population that they serve and by the treatment modalities and clinical specialties implemented at their site. These sites include state, county, and community mental health facilities as well as outpatient clinics, psychiatric hospitals, schools, residential treatment programs, chemical dependency treatment programs, and other settings.
We help students to select traineeship sites that are consistent with philosophy of our training program. We believe that psychotherapy must acknowledge the complexity of the individual and the uniqueness of individual suffering, rather than the identification and resolution of discrete symptoms. Psychotherapy is envisioned as a complex process of individual growth and change, and the psychotherapeutic relationship is seen as a key element in successful treatment. The student’s relationship with his or her clinical supervisor, similarly, is seen as an integral aspect of professional development. Based on these criteria, we approve each site and have a written agreement with each site that details each party’s responsibilities. The agreement provides for regular progress reports and evaluations of the student’s performance.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology will possess the skills and knowledge to:
- Demonstrate comprehensive and integrative knowledge of the field of counseling psychology relevant to mental health professionals, including human development, psychopathology, and group, family, couple, and individual dynamics.
- Demonstrate knowledge of ethical and best practice standards that exist for professionals in their field.
- Demonstrate the capacity and willingness to practice psychotherapy from a stance of cultural humility.
- Demonstrate the capacity to practice individual, couple, family, and group psychotherapy from a relational and systemic lens.
- Demonstrate knowledge of research designs and parameters of psychological research, particularly within the field of counseling psychology, and the capacity to critically assess psychological research.
