Mar 28, 2024  
2021 - 2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021 - 2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

School Psychology & Counselor Education (SPACE)


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Degree Programs in SPACE  

SPACE Courses  

Licensure in Counseling

The Counseling Clinics

Comprehensive/Doctoral Committee

Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations


School Psychology

The school psychology program incorporates a developmental course of study that ensures students’ learning is appropriately sequenced and coordinated with relevant practical experiences. The school psychology program curriculum has been structured with three major emphases: (1) psychological and educational foundations; (2) clinical training in assessment linked to intervention, consultation & collaboration, and prevention & intervention; and (3) effective application of skills in school settings.

CACREP Accredited Counseling Programs

The M.Ed. Program in Counseling is organized into a series of required educational and research foundation courses, basic counseling courses, and specialized courses that enable a student to concentrate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with specializations in Addictions Counseling, Couples, Marriage & Family Counseling, or Military/Veterans Counseling) and School Counseling.  In addition, graduate students can pursue an online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Mental Health & Military/Veterans Counseling, or School Counseling.  All M.Ed. programs include intensive practicum and internship experiences that provide students with substantial opportunities to develop their clinical skills under qualified supervision.  The goal of the M.Ed. program is to prepare students to become competent and qualified professional counselors, leaders and advocates for those they serve in public and private schools and community mental health settings.

The Doctoral program in Counselor Education is designed to evaluate the theory and practice of counseling through quantitative and qualitative research and to prepare educators and leaders in the field of counseling. Students take doctoral seminars in selected counseling research topics, courses in statistics and research, a counseling practicum, a counselor education internship, and electives approved by their advisors. The goal of the doctoral program is to encourage students to extend their abilities in creative didactic and experiential activities, while developing critical thinking skills and a focused research agenda.

Certificate Program

Graduate certificates are offered for students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree, and who want to gain additional skills and knowledge in a given area. 

Licensure in Counseling 

Professional Counselor in Virginia (LPC)

At this time in Virginia, licensure as a Professional Counselor requires a master’s level degree in counseling, 60 hours of graduate course work in counseling, a 3400 hour, post-master’s clinical residency , and successful completion of the licensure examination.  The programs of study for all of the M.Ed. degrees in Counseling at William & Mary includes all the required areas of classroom and clinical instruction needed for licensure as a Professional Counselor in Virginia and most states. 

Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner in Virginia (LSATP)

The program of studies for the Community & Addictions Counseling program also meets the coursework and clinical instruction requirements for licensure in Virginia as a Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner.

Certified Substance Abuse Counselor in Virginia (CSAC)

The program of studies for the Community & Addictions Counseling program also meets the coursework and clinical instruction requirements for licensure in Virginia as a Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner.   

Marriage & Family Therapist in Virginia

The program of studies for the Family Counseling program also meets the coursework and clinical instruction requirements for licensure in Virginia as a Marriage & Family Therapist and most other states.  For more information about licensing requirements by the state of Virginia: http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/counseling/.

The Counseling Clinics

The Counseling Program features a teaching clinic offering state-of-the-art clinical training for students and providing two vital services to the William & Mary and surrounding communities.  The New Horizons Family Counseling Center is the product of the collaborative efforts of New Horizons Regional Educational Center and the William & Mary School of Education.  The New Leaf Clinic provides brief counseling (6-10 sessions), two session assessment and feedback sessions, and group counseling to students at William & Mary with issues related to the use of alcohol or other drugs. 

Comprehensive/Doctoral Committee - SPACE

The Comprehensive/Doctoral Committee includes the Chair or Co-Chairs, and one to two additional members, with a minimum of three members. The members of the Committee, initially selected for the Comprehensive Examination process, ideally should remain on the Doctoral Committee throughout the dissertation and final defense. The composition of the Committee should include at least one member from the student’s department, and at least one member from outside the primary field of study. The Chair of the Committee must be a faculty member in the School of Education; a minimum of two members of the Committee must be faculty members in the School of Education. Members outside of the School of Education must be approved by the Committee Chair. The appointed academic advisor may be selected by the student to serve on or chair the Committee, but inclusion of the academic advisor is not mandatory. All members of the Committee must have a terminal degree and are required to participate fully in review and assessment of written and oral examinations and in the dissertation process. The Chair should ensure that current or recent supervisory and collegial relationships between Committee members and the student are avoided.

Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations- SPACE

Eligibility

A student is considered eligible to take the doctoral comprehensive during or immediately following the final semester of required course work, or within six hours of completion of the courses listed on the plan of study, excluding dissertation hours. Completion of EDUC 663, EDUC 664 and EDUC 665 is recommended prior to the semester in which the comprehensive examination is taken.

Comprehensive/Doctoral Committee

The Comprehensive/Doctoral Committee includes the Chair or Co-Chairs, and one to two additional members, with a minimum of three members.  The Chair of the Committee must be a faculty member in the School of Education; a minimum of two members of the Committee must be faculty members in the School of Education. Members outside of the School of Education must be approved by the Committee Chair.

In SPACE, the members of the Committee, initially selected for the Comprehensive Examination process, ideally should remain on the Doctoral Committee throughout the dissertation and final defense. (The composition of the Committee should include at least one member from the primary field, and at least one member from outside the primary field of study.)

The appointed academic advisor may be selected by the student to serve on or chair the Committee, but inclusion of the academic advisor is not mandatory. All members of the Committee must have a terminal degree and are required to participate fully in review and assessment of written and oral examinations and in the dissertation process. The Chair should ensure that current or recent supervisory and collegial relationships between Committee members and the student are avoided.

The Comprehensive Examination consists of the Standard Written Examination, the Candidacy Paper, and the Oral Examination based primarily upon the Candidacy Paper.

The Standard Examination

The Doctoral Program faculty design essay questions representing areas of study that are central to doctoral study in the field. The questions require a demonstration of breadth of knowledge and call for description and analysis of central issues in the primary field of study and supporting fields or cognate areas as deemed appropriate by the Area faculty.

The Candidacy Paper
The Candidacy Paper serves as the focus for the Oral Examination. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an in-depth critical analysis coupled with appropriate or original interpretations and applications of the topic under consideration. The student must submit an outline for the paper to the Chair within two weeks of receiving an evaluation of Pass or Honors for the Standard Written Exam. Within two weeks following submission, the Committee must accept the topical outline or may request a revised submission by the student. Upon approval, the Committee Chair will file the appropriate form with the Office of Academic Programs. Students must certify in an Honor Code statement that the paper is a substantially new product which may draw upon previous work, but represents fresh perspectives. The paper will be between fifteen and twenty narrative pages [6000 to 9000 words] in a topic area highly relevant to the primary field of study and follow standard APA style requirements. The paper must be completed within four weeks. During this period, faculty contact is limited to brief consultation on the process but not the substance of the paper. Ideally, the paper will be of publishable quality.

The Oral Examination
The Oral Examination will be facilitated by the Chair of the Committee, and all members of the Committee must attend. The oral examination focuses on verbal presentation of the content of the Candidacy Paper, as well as any other relevant content areas that are identified by the Committee and submitted to the student.

Note:  Students who fail to pass any section of the Counselor Education Comprehensive Exam two times will be dismissed from the program.

Honors Designation

In order for a student to receive the Honors designation on the transcript for the comprehensive exams, all components (the standard exam, the candidacy paper, and the oral exam) must be judged at the Honors level. The Honors designation will be announced at the time of graduation during the recognition of degrees at the School of Education graduation ceremony.

 

More information regarding policies for doctoral students can be found on the Doctoral Policies    page.