ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum education: Bachelor's degree
• Prerequisite courses: None
• Student status: Must not currently be enrolled in a GGU degree program.
• Residency: F or J Visa holders are not eligible.

Read more about Admission Requirements to Certificate Programs

TOTAL UNITS — 15

Qualified students wishing to enroll in the program may earn the Graduate Certificate in Counseling Skills by completing, with a B average or better, five graduate courses (15 units) with the "PSYCH" prefix at Golden Gate University. These five courses are chosen in consultation with the program director.

REQUIRED COURSE — 3 UNITS

PSYCH 320

Therapeutic Communication and Counseling Skills

ELECTIVE COURSES — 12 UNITS

Select four of the following:

PSYCH 302

Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications for Therapists

PSYCH 304

Cross-Cultural Aspects of Psychology

PSYCH 306

Group Models of Counseling

PSYCH 308

Applied Psychological Research

PSYCH 321

Psychopathology

PSYCH 322

Psychological Assessment

PSYCH 323

Psychodynamic Models of Counseling

PSYCH 324

Child/Adolescent Psychology, Assessment and Treatment

PSYCH 325

Principles of Couple and Family Counseling

PSYCH 326

Legal and Ethical Responsibility for Counselors

PSYCH 329

The Neuroscience of Counseling and Psychopharmacology

PSYCH 331

Human Sexuality

PSYCH 333

Substance Use, Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction

PSYCH 334

Relational Abuse: Assessment, Treatment and Reporting

PSYCH 335

Special Issues in the Treatment of Families (2 units)

PSYCH 337

Community Mental Health

PSYCH 339

Cognitive-Behavioral and Short-Term Models of Counseling

PSYCH 351

Career Counseling and Development

Other courses, such as those in the MA in Industrial-Organizational Psychology program, may be selected instead of the elective courses listed above, in consultation with the program director.

Applicability of Undergraduate Psychology Courses (Pathway Programs)

As a pathway to the graduate-level counseling programs, students who complete the following undergraduate-level courses at Golden Gate University as a part of completing either the Bachelor of Arts in Management with a Concentration in Psychology or Bachelor of Science with a Concentration in Psychology may have the comparable graduate-level required courses waived from their Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, Graduate Certificate in Counseling Skills, or Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution program requirements: PSYCH 102 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications satisfies the PSYCH 302 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications for Therapists requirement. PSYCH 120 Principles and Methods of Counseling satisfies the PSYCH 320 Therapeutic Communication and Counseling Skills requirement. Note: Students who have not completed (or are expected to complete) the Bachelor of Arts in Management with a Concentration in Psychology or Bachelor of Science with a Concentration in Psychology are not eligible for this waiver. As a consequence of having these courses waived, the total number of units required to complete the program will be reduced accordingly.

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