Online Master of Science in Education, School Counseling

The mission of the Department of Counselor Education at St. John’s University is to prepare motivated, competent, cultural aware, and ethical counselors whose Vincentian inspired work will help them meet the demands of a rapidly changing society. Our students will receive quality clinical and academic experiences that will foster advocacy and research skills. Our unified and dedicated faculty will utilize the latest technology, evidenced based research, and the current Council on the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) accreditation standards to inform our teaching.

Counseling Department Objectives

1. To train graduate students as professional counselors in School settings in accordance with CACREP standards, while orienting students to the role and identity of a professional counselor, legal and ethical issues of the profession, and guidelines of the American Counseling Association. 
2. To train graduate students to be ethical and effective counseling practitioners, and empower them to utilize counseling skills in a variety of modalities, including individual counseling, group counseling, career counseling, assessment, and consultation. 
3. To train students to utilize appropriate evidence-based counseling theories and treatment modalities, and to ensure that students select counseling approaches in alliance with the developmental level and cultural beliefs of the clients/students they serve.
4. To foster an expectation of cultural awareness, social justice and responsibility among counselors-in-training following our Vincentian mission, and to hold students to an expectation of respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion in their academic, personal, and clinical practices. 
5. To foster critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and current knowledge of the counseling profession utilizing research and scholarship, while also requiring continual, critical self-reflection for internal biases and ongoing self-assessment of counselor wellness. 
6. To foster an expectation of continued professional development and advocacy for the counseling profession and for the clients we serve, via active involvement in counseling organizations, ongoing training, and advocacy efforts, both throughout their program and beyond.

School Counseling Program Objectives

1. To educate professional School Counselors about the roles to be effective leaders, team members and collaborators, systemic change agents and advocates in the profession to improve the quality of education and access for all students.
2. To educate professional School Counselors about models of comprehensive school counseling programs so as to develop activities for a school counseling program based on the American School Counseling Association model
3. To train professional School Counselors to utilize data to develop comprehensive, accountable counseling programs that address the academic, career and social-emotional needs and development of all students.
4. To prepare skilled and multiculturally competent school counselors who are capable of identifying and responding to the needs of diverse students by providing a wide range of guidance and counseling services for children, adolescents and their parents.
5. To train professional school counselors to explore community resources, referral sources, and legal and ethical considerations specific to school counseling