Counseling

Arcadia University’s Graduate Program in Counseling (GPC) is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC). You can learn more by viewing our Graduate Counseling Program Manual.

Program Options

Master of Arts in Counseling

The Graduate Program in Counseling (GPC) offers a Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) for 48 or 60 credits. The 48-credit MAC satisfies the current Pennsylvania course and credit requirement to sit for the National Counselor’s Examination. The 60-credit MAC satisfies the current Pennsylvania course and credit requirement to sit for the National Counselor’s Examination and to apply for licensure in Pennsylvania (and other states with equivalent requirements) after passing the NCE and accumulating 3,000 hours of supervised work experience.

Specialty Concentrations

All MAC students take common core courses and choose areas in which to specialize. The GPC offers seven concentrations to help students gain specialized knowledge and skills.

• Autism
• Child/Family Therapy
• Community Public Health
• Foundations in BCBA®
• Mediation and Conflict Transformation
• Mental Health Counseling
• Trauma: Clinical Bases of Treatment and Recovery

Dual Degrees

The GPC offers two dual degrees in collaboration with other graduate programs.  

Master of Public Health and Master of Arts in Counseling
In this innovative dual degree program, students work toward two separate Masters degrees: MAC and Master of Public Health Degree (MPH). This program equips graduates to implement individual and systemic change in the mental health and public health fields, by integrating the tools of the counselor with the tools of public health. This program prepares students to become licensed as professional counselors in Pennsylvania and educates students to become community health professionals trained to promote the health of individuals, families, communities, and the environment. 

Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and Master of Arts in Counseling
In this unique dual degree program, students work toward two separate Masters degrees: MAC with a Trauma Concentration and Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution (MAIPCR). This program is for students with specific interests in trauma recovery at an international scale, as well as students interested in serving the increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers in the United States. This program prepares students to become licensed as professional counselors in Pennsylvania and positions students to plan and implement programs that facilitate psychological recovery from violence and natural disasters, both domestically and abroad.

Advanced Graduate Options

The GPC offers three advanced educational options for practicing counselors who already have a Master's degree and related mental health providers looking to further their knowledge and skills and career opportunities. 

Child and Family Therapy Graduate Certificate
This graduate certificate provides specialized training in child and family mental health, including assessment, diagnosis, and various evidence-based therapeutic treatments. This certificate also emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivity and cultural tailoring in working with youth and families from diverse backgrounds.  

Trauma: Clinical Bases of Treatment and Recovery Graduate Certificate
This graduate certificate responds to the need for counselors to assist clients who have been impacted by traumatic experiences both locally and internationally. Specifically, training focuses on short-term interventions and long-term care with an emphasis on evidence-based treatments of trauma, strategies for treating grief and bereavement, as well as advocacy and social justice.  

Post-Master’s Program in Counseling for Licensure Readiness
This program is designed for individuals with Masters degrees who wish to pursue further systematic study to qualify to sit for the National Counselor’s Examination (NCE) or licensure in Pennsylvania (or other states with equivalent requirements). The specific courses that students take in this program vary according to their needs in meeting specific NCE and state licensure requirements. 

Other Programs

Early Entry MA Counseling Program
This program allows students in their junior year of undergraduate studies (across all majors) to apply to take up to three graduate counseling courses during their senior year. Taking courses while completing their undergraduate studies allow seniors to lighten their coursework as graduate students. While completing courses, Early Entry students receive ongoing advising from an assigned faculty mentor. Importantly, the credits earned for these graduate courses by Early Entry students will only count toward their intended graduate degree.

The Graduate Program in Counseling (GPC) includes four full-time faculty dedicated to the graduate program, along with many talented adjunct instructors. 

Core Faculty

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Michael T. Morrow

Professor & Program Director

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Lauren Cain-Baxter

Associate Director

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Hsin-Hua Lee

Associate Professor

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Lauren E. Reid

Assistant Professor

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Student Advising

I feel personally connected to the faculty. The program supports and encourages personal interaction with the faculty and staff giving the students the ability to interact with and develop meaningful professional and personal relationships. It truly cultivates a positive learning environment where you are not just a number, you're a person that is valued and known. — Roxane Henning

All students are assigned a program adviser to assist in planning their coursework and a faculty mentor to offer guidance with their professional development. Students are also connected with peer mentors (advanced students) and alum mentors. 

Student-Faculty Collaboration

Counseling students and faculty collaborate through a culture of feedback, in which students are repeatedly encouraged to share their feedback on program strengths and suggestions for improvement. Students now assist faculty with interviewing all Counseling course instructors through a Student Advisory Hiring Committee. Students and faculty are also working together on several issues related to social justice across the University.     
 

Meet Our Students

See what our students have to say about our advising and program on our Meet Our Students page. 
 

As an applied program, our students are trained to critically evaluate counseling research. Students are not expected to conduct research. However, the Graduate Program in Counseling (GPC) offers various opportunities for students to further their interests in counseling research. Under faculty supervision, students can complete original research or assist with ongoing research in the department. Our graduate students have published their research in peer-reviewed journals and presented their work at professional conferences, both regionally and nationally. 

Students can conduct original research or assist with ongoing research through several elective courses: 

• PY 589 Independent Research
• PY 686 Special Project
• PY 697, 698, or 699 Masters Thesis in Counseling

Sample Student-Faculty Publications

• Morrow, M. T., & Hallas, C. (in press). A Psychoeducational children’s book to prepare families for child-focused counseling. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association.
• Reid, L.E. & Stay, V.* (2020). Biracial and bi-ethnic sexual and gender minority mental health. In E. Rothblum (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health: New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 
• Lee, H.-H., Kasson, D. M., & Chong, S. (2020). A qualitative investigation of former Taiwanese unaccompanied minors’ culture-based conflicts with parents. Journal of Family Therapy, 42, 54-78.
• Bender, S., Lee, H.-H., & Farrell, J. A. (2019).  The essential guide to the multicultural counseling internship. San Diego, CA: Cognella Inc.
• Morrow, M. T., Hubbard, J. A., & Sharp, M. K. (2019). Preadolescents’ daily peer victimization and perceived social competence: Moderating effects of classroom aggression. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
• Shermeyer, L., Morrow, M. T., & Mediate, N. (2019). College students’ daily coping, and adjustment: Benefits of problem-focused engagement. Stress & Health.
• Lee, H.-H., & Wentz, B. L. (2019). Evaluation of a pilot school-based group for Mandarin-speaking minors. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 41, 73-85.
• Morrow, M. T., Hubbard, J. A., & Sharp, M. K. (2019). Preadolescents’ attributions for negative peer experiences: Links to child and classroom peer victimization and friendship. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47(3), 393-404.
• Morrow, M. T., Hubbard, J. A., & Sharp, M. K. (2018). Preadolescents’ depressive symptoms and attributions for negative peer experiences. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 17, 25-35. Vincent, C. E., & Morrow, M. T. (2018).
• Parent discipline and child externalizing behavior in bereaved families: The moderating role of parent grief. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 17, 36-43.
• Lee, H.-H. & Johnson, R. W. (2017b). Differentiation of self as predictor of Asian-American immigrants’ perceptions of cultural harmony. Journal of Family Therapy, 39, 151-168.
• Lee, H.-H., & Johnson, R. W. (2017a). Assessing the psychometric properties of the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised for Asian-American bicultural adults. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 45, 51-65.
• Bartoli, E., Mamolou, A., Morrow, M., Brutko, L., Cox, E., Herreid-Halstead, S., & Levy, A. (2017). READY, MindSET, GO! Increasing students’ resilience in counselor education programs. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 16, 2-12.
• Morrow, M. T., Hooker, S. D., & Cate, Rebecca Lynne (2015). Consultation in bullying prevention: An elementary-school case study. School Community Journal, 25, 85-112.
• Morrow, M. T., Garwood, B. E., Brutko, L. M., Schneider, C. A., & Cuttic, J. A. (2015). The development and evaluation of a mental health training for foster parents. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 14, 28-38.
• Morrow, M. T., Cuttic, J., Lineberger, J., & Cretekos, E. (2014). Licensed Professional Counselors and collaborative care. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 13, 13-25.
• Bartoli, E. Morrow, M., Gillem, A., Gaskin Dozier, C., & Mamolou, A. (2014). Creating effective counselors: Integrated multicultural and evidence-based curricula in counselor Education programs. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 13, 27-38.

The Graduate Program in Counseling (GPC) views Practicum and Internship as two of the most important elements of students’ professional development in the program. Students are supported in finding training sites to complete their applied clinical work. Our students have trained across a wide range of sizes, including community agencies, hospitals, colleges, schools, and private practices. 

Personal Counseling Requirement: The GPC firmly believes that counselors should have the experience of personal counseling. Accordingly, all students pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) are expected to complete at least six sessions of personal counseling prior to starting Internship.

Practicum

Practicum (PY587) is typically taken during students’ first summer semester and consists of a minimum of 100 hours of applied experience designed to introduce students to clinical observation, interviewing assessment, and therapy. Placements vary, with some for beginning clinicians and others for students with more experience. PY587 includes off-site supervision, in which students will receive one hour of online group supervision per month from an Arcadia faculty member. 

Practicum Manual

Internship

Internship (PY630 & PY631) must be taken during the final year of course work. All students enrolled in our MAC program must accumulate a minimum of 300 clock hours at their internship site during the fall and spring semesters, for a total of 600 clock hours, including at least 240 direct contact hours. While completing the Internship, students attend a weekly seminar led by an Arcadia faculty member. Seminar groups are kept relatively small (e.g., 6 to 7 students) to provide students with individualized support.

Internship Manual 

Arcadia University’s Graduate Program in Counseling (GPC) is committed to recruiting and retaining students who represent various multicultural identities and intersectionalities, particularly individuals who identify as members of multicultural groups that have experienced histories of prejudice, discrimination, oppression, violence, and trauma. Our program is dedicated to training all students to become multiculturally competent counselors and to embody the principles of social justice throughout their counseling careers.

Applying for Admission

To apply for admission to the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program, the following requirements must be met:

1. A graduate application, including personal statements, to be completed online on our Graduate Application page.
2. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a recommended GPA of 3.0 or better.
3. One official transcript from each college, university, or professional school attended. Transfer credits included on a transcript must include grades earned; if not, an official transcript from the original school must be submitted. Transcripts must be sent from the issuing school in a sealed envelope and contain the appropriate signatures and seals.
4. Completion of at least three Psychology courses (must include Introductory Psychology), with grades of “B” or better in each.
5. Three letters of recommendation. The letters must be of a professional, not personal nature. For students who have been out of school for five years or less, at least one letter must come from a professor. Of note, Arcadia’s Psychology majors (current students and alums) are only required to submit two letters. 
6. An in-person interview with administrators and faculty in the program (by invitation only). 
7. International applicants should visit our International page for detailed information on admission requirements and application procedures. Official results from the TOEFL or IELTS are required for all students for whom English is a second language except for non-native speakers of English who hold degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand). A course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by an independent evaluation service based in the United States also is required.

Of note, the admissions requirements for other programs (dual degrees, advanced study options, and the early entry program) differ slightly from the requirements above. Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for the specific requirements of these programs.

Application Deadlines 

Regular Decision: Applicants seeking regular admission for the fall semester should complete their applications by January 15. Applicants seeking regular admission for the spring semester should complete their applications by November 1. If seats are still available in courses, the Counseling program might accept applications after these deadlines. Prospective students can contact the Associate Director to inquire whether applications are still being accepted. 

Early Decision: Early decision is designed for applicants who hope to secure a seat in the GPC for the fall semester, in advance of the regular decision admission process. Applicants seeking early admission for the fall semester should complete applications by November 1. 

Early Entry: The Early Entry MA Counseling Program allows students in their junior year of undergraduate studies (across all majors) to apply to take up to three graduate counseling courses during their senior year. Applicants seeking early entry should complete applications during their junior undergraduate year by January 15.

2021-22 Expenses

Tuition: $805 per credit    
Registration fees: $50 per semester
Technology fees: $100 per semester
Parking fees: $55 per semester (Fall and Spring) before 4 p.m. No charge after 4 p.m.

Scholarships

The GPC offers a limited number of scholarships ($1,000 to $5,000) based on applicants' merit and commitment to multiculturalism in counseling. Prospective students can apply for scholarships by completing an optional scholarship essay within the online application.   

Graduate Assistantships

The GPC offers several paid Graduate Assistantship (GA) positions each year, pending the availability of funding and open positions. Prospective students are encouraged to share their interest in pursuing GA positions during in-person interviews. Decisions about GA positions are based on merit (e.g., academic record and previous work experiences), as well as students’ interests. 

Graduate Student Employment

Other forms of employment may be also available to graduate students across the University. Students may apply for employment upon acceptance and registration. Questions regarding graduate employment should be directed to the Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies. 

Federal Loans

Graduate students are eligible to borrow through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan and Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan programs provided they are taking at least 6 credits per semester (in the summer, 6 credits overall summer sessions combined satisfies this requirement). For more information, visit our Financial Aid page.

Counseling Program Achievements

• Outstanding Counseling Program Award, Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 2013
• Innovation Grants, Arcadia University 2019-20

Faculty Achievements

Dr. Michael Morrow, Program Director and Professor

• Research/Publication Award of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 2019
• The Lindback Distinguished Teaching Awarding, 2016
• Honorable Mention for Pediatric Psychology Diversity Grant, 2011
• Spencer Foundation Research Grant for Improvement in Education, 2008
• E. M. Koppitz Dissertation Award Semi-Finalist, 2007
• Forest and Honaker Scholarship for Psychology Research, 2006​

Dr. Hsin-Hua Cathy Lee, Associate Professor

• Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, 2020
• Benevolent Research Award, 2011
• Initiatives for Women Award, 2010
• Carson Carr Diversity Scholarship, 2009

Dr. Lauren Reid, Assistant Professor

• CMCTP Travel Scholarship, Council for Counseling Psychology Training Programs, 2016
• Minority Fellowship Program, American Psychological Association, 2014
• Outstanding Student Award, University of Miami, Counseling Psychology Program, 2013
• Dissertation Fellowship Honorable Mention, Ford Foundation, 2012

Lauren Cain-Baxter, Instructor and Associate Director of Counseling

• Pennsylvania Counseling Association Outstanding Graduate Student Award (2016)
• PSI CHI International Honor Society in Psychology, 2016

Dr. Eleonora Bartoli, Former Professor 

• Provost Award for Outstanding Advising and Mentoring, 2019
• Arcadia University Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, 2013

Elizabeth Byrne, MA, LPC, Adjunct Faculty

• Pennsylvania Counseling Association Outstanding Practitioner Award, 2017

Lois Keller, MA, LPC, Adjunct Faculty

• Pennsylvania Counseling Association Outstanding Practitioner Award, 2018

Student Achievements

Montgomery County Counseling Association Graduate Student Award

• Stephanie Leather '19
• Marissa Adamczyk '19
• Roxane Henning ’94, ‘17M, 2017
• Stacey Herreid-Halstead '16M
• Emily Cox, '15M
• Jessica Cuttic '13M
• Cassandra Allen '12M
• Toby Ayash '15M, 2008
• Angela DiCarne Sacks '03, '07M, 2007
• Monica Williams '05M

Pennsylvania Counseling Association Outstanding Graduate Student Award

• Stephanie Leather '20
• Marissa Sharp ‘19M, 2018
• Lauren Cain-Baxter, 2016
• Lisa Brutko ‘16M, 2015
• Crystal Winfield '13M, 2012

Pennsylvania Counseling Association Graduate Student Leadership Initiative

• Cristen Fitzgerald '10M, 2009
• Jennifer Brittingham '04, '08M, 2007

Presented posters at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association

• Angela Abraham '20
• Stephanie Leather '20

Pennsylvania Association for Counselor Education and Supervision ACA Conference Student Scholarship

• Kristen Hawk '12M, 2011

Pennsylvania Psychological Association of Graduate Students Community Service Project Award

• Lisa Brutko, ‘16M, 2014
• Brooke Garwood, ‘15M, 2014
• Christina Schneider, ‘15M, 2014
• Faculty Supervisor – Dr. Michael Morrow

Arcadia University Honors Convocation Commencement Speaker

• Raymond S. Lewis, III, '18M
• Rebecca Cate, ‘14M

Arcadia University Richard A. Polis Award

• Jiana Saigh '22
• Michelle Del Buono, ‘16M

Arcadia University Molly Haas Valentine Award

• Lawrence Fleming ‘17M
• Jessi Trump, ‘14M

Samuel M. Cameron Graduate Award for Excellence in Counseling Psychology

• Anje McLish '20
• Miranda Brindza '19

Ellington Beavers Award

• Robert Pina '21

Phi Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda Honor Society 

• Lorren Ruscetta '21
• Robert Pina '21
• Samantha Edwards
• Sarah Parcell

Alum Achievements

Young Alumni Golden Disc Award for Distinguished Achievement, 2019

• Jessica Cuttic

Gillem-Bartoli Alum Award for Contributions to Social Justice

• Jennifer Wiggins and Kathy Christensen, 2020
• Kristin Bertsch and Radhika Sehgal, 2019
   

Learn more about our Counseling Awards and Honors