Pastoral Counseling

2009 - 2010
Graduate Catalogue

Pastoral Counseling

Office: Columbia Campus
Telephone: 410-617-7620 or 800-221-9107, x7620
Website: www.loyola.edu/pastoralcounseling

FACULTY

Chair: C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., Associate Professor

Founding Director: Barry K. Estadt (emeritus)
Director of Doctoral Admissions and Doctoral Clinical Education: Kelly M. Murray
Director of Research: Ralph L. Piedmont
Director of M.A. Program: Thomas E. Rodgerson
Director of M.S. Admissions: Geraldine M. Fiakowski
Director of M.S./C.A.S. Clinical Education: Danielle LaSure-Bryant
Director of C.A.S. Program: Robert J. Wicks
Director of C.S.T. Program: Joeseph Ciarrocchi
Director of Academic Operations: David C. Newton

Professors: Sharon E. Cheston; Joseph W. Ciarrocchi; Barry K. Estadt (emeritus); Joanne Marie Greer (emerita); Ralph L. Piedmont; Lee J. Richmond; Robert J. Wicks
Associate Professors: C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J.; K. Elizabeth Oakes
Assistant Professors: Gina Magyar-Russell; Wairimu W Mutai; Joseph Stewart-Sicking
Affiliate Faculty: Donelda A. Cook; Rosemary Cook-Johnson; Beverly E. Eanes; Edward David Eanes; Geraldine M. Fialkowski; John M. Hayes; John S. Jeffreys; Judith V. Kehe; Anthony F. Krisak; John L. McLaughlin, Sr.; Mary Ellen Merrick, I.H.M.; David C. Newton; Bernard M. Raiche; Mary M. Raphel; Roland R. Reed; David M. Reile; Frank J. Richardson, Jr.; Thomas E. Rodgerson; William J. Sneck, S.J.; Anne Ross Stewart; Allan Tsai; Joanne F. Vizzini; Anne Marie Wheeler

The pastoral counseling program is holistic in scope. It seeks to understand the human search for meaning and purpose in all its complexity. The program's vision espouses a growth-oriented, interactional approach which attempts to interpret human behavior and human experience as an integration of the physiological, the intellectual, the emotional, the social, and the spiritual. Further, the program addresses the individual search for meaning within and beyond the concrete circumstances of daily life and the reaching out for spiritual understanding. It encourages a transcendent faith in which participants explore the richness of the human person and of their own individuality.

The pastoral counseling program seeks to be a collegium, inviting individuals to a common pursuit of truth. In this pursuit, the focus is on the student. In the words of a site-visitation team of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC): "The program is marked throughout by the dictum of Saint Francis de Sales: 'Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing so gentle as real strength.' As a result of that dominant spirit, both students and staff find relating to the program to be self-esteem enhancing and personally enriching." The AAPC team states further, "The student is expected to be authentic and open, engaged in personalized learning, and developing a personal style of counseling. Faculty and supervisors attempt to relate to students as they would have students relate to their clients." There is a genuine sense of copilgrimage among faculty and students in this collegial effort.

The master's, certificate of advanced study, and doctoral degree programs in pastoral counseling; the master's program in spiritual and pastoral care; and the certificate program in spirituality and trauma allow for both full- and part-time participation. The department recognizes that candidates vary widely in prior theoretical background, counseling experience, and experience in ministry. While candidates in each of the particular degree programs normally pursue the same basic program, the extent of prior experience will determine the intensity with which the candidate can pursue the degree(s). In the case of advanced level candidates, an individualized assessment is made and a program of study is developed in keeping with one's level of proficiency.

Graduates make a point of stressing that the training had a profound impact on their style of ministering in areas other than counseling and individual pastoral care, pointing to an increased person-centeredness in their teaching, preaching, organizing, and celebrating.

ACCREDITATION

The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
The American Association of Pastoral Counselors

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA), has conferred community counseling accreditation to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Pastoral Counseling. CACREP also has accredited the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pastoral Counseling under the Counselor Education and Supervision standards.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

An in-person admission interview with the director of admission, along with participating faculty, is required of all applicants within the continental United States and Canada. An admission telephone interview is required of all applicants outside the continental United States and Canada.

M.A./M.S. Candidates

Applicants for a master's degree in either pastoral counseling or spiritual and pastoral care must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Candidates are evaluated more in terms of their overall readiness to take advantage of the learning opportunities of the program and less in terms of specific course preparation.

C.A.S. Candidates

Applicants for the Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Pastoral Counseling must have completed a master’s degree from an accredited college or university in counseling, psychology, or closely related field.

C.S.T. Candidates

Applicants for the Certificate in Spirituality and Trauma (C.S.T.) must have completed a master’s degree in the helping professions from an accredited college or university. Master's degrees in counseling, education, social work, psychology, health care, pastoral counseling, theology, religious studies, and the like are eligible for admission to the general concentration. Only credentialed mental health practitioners are eligible for the clinical concentration.

Ph.D. Candidates

Applicants for a Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling must have a master's degree in counseling or closely related field from an accredited college or university. The program accepts candidates who give clear evidence of the ability to apply theoretical constructs, develop advanced level clinical skills, and integrate the above within the context of a religious and/or pastoral identity.

The doctoral curriculum assumes that the candidate has laid the foundation in theoretical knowledge and clinical skill through prior education and training comparable to the Loyola master's program in pastoral counseling. Candidates without such background may wish to apply for admission to the M.S.-Ph.D. sequence. If an applicant with a master's degree from another institution is judged to be qualified for admission to the Ph.D. program but is lacking in specific areas of preparation, an assessment of prerequisites will be made at the time of admission.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Applicants are considered on a rolling admissions basis. Priority application dates are listed below for each degree. Applications received after the recommended dates will be deferred by an admission committee for review the next available semester.

M.A./M.S./C.A.S./C.S.T. Applicants

Fall Semester
April 1

Spring Semester
November 1

Summer Sessions
April 1

M.S.-Ph.D. Applicants

Fall Semester
February 1

Spring Semester
November 1

Summer Sessions
February 1

Ph.D. Applicants

Fall Semester
February 1

Spring Semester
November 1

Summer Sessions
February 1

HOUSING

Housing possibilities for out-of-the area students are diverse depending upon personal interest, budget, and special needs. Most courses are held at the Columbia Campus, about 35 minutes by automobile from the center of Baltimore, Maryland or Washington, D.C. Most clinical practicum opportunities are located in the Baltimore-Columbia-Washington area; however, many of these opportunities are more available to students who reside in Baltimore or Columbia. For further information about housing, contact the Pastoral Counseling Office.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

The Pastoral Counseling Department follows the University's policies on Mail-In, Walk-In, and Web Registration; for more information, see Payment Options under Fees.

Third Party Billing

All third party billing requests must have a third party letter of authorization attached to the Registration Request or Remittance Forms. A new letter must be presented at the beginning of each school year.

CREDITS REQUIRED

The M.S. in Pastoral Counseling requires 66 credits; however, waivers for prior graduate-level theology/spirituality coursework may reduce this requirement to 60 or 63 credits. The M.A. in Spiritual and Pastoral Care requires 45 credits. The C.A.S. in Pastoral Counseling requires 30 credit hours beyond the counseling master's degree. The Certificate in Spirituality and Trauma requires 18 credits beyond a master's degree, as described in the admissions criteria. To assure competency in several areas of study, the Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling requires a minimum of four academic years of graduate-level preparation (including entry-level preparation), defined as eight semesters with a minimum of 96 total graduate-level credit hours.

THERAPY REQUIREMENT

All pastoral counseling students are required to engage in a minimum of 20 sessions of professional mental health counseling or psychotherapy before the completion of the first clinical year. These sessions must have occurred within the last five years. Students who have not completed this requirement before entering the program will be given assistance in finding a therapist in the area.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION REQUIREMENT

All M.A. in Spiritual and Pastoral Care students are required to engage in a minimum of 10 sessions of spiritual direction before the completion of Group Spiritual Guidance (PC704). The 10 sessions may be completed concurrently with the PC703-704 series of classes or may have been completed within the last three years prior to taking this course sequence.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

A high proficiency in oral and written English is expected of all applicants. International students are required to submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to the department as a part of their application package. To enter any of the three programs of study, applicants must have a minimal TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-version of the test or a minimum score of 213 on the version administered through computer adaptive testing. In addition, because of the verbal requirements of the clinical portion of the Ph.D. program, all international students must demonstrate an excellent command of the English language, including nuances of every day speech that will occur during the counseling experience.

SUPERVISORY PROCESS (M.A./M.S./C.A.S./Ph.D.)

Supervision of the ongoing counseling or pastoral care experience is regarded as the primary catalyst for professional and personal integration. Supervision is a special kind of tutorial relationship in which people with less experience present their work for the scrutiny and critique to people with more experience. The focus of the supervisory session is the work-sample presented along with the variety of issues which the work-sample generates.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Degree requirements and course offerings are detailed in the following sections. For additional information on a specific degree, please contact the Pastoral Counseling Department.

CERTIFICATE OF ADVANCED STUDY (C.A.S.) IN PASTORAL COUNSELING

Offers advanced-level didactic courses, integrating seminars, intensive in-depth supervisory experiences, and an optional internship experience designed to meet student's career/licensure objectives. Students employed in the counseling field may submit their work for consideration as an optional internship. If approved, the certificate program enriches the work experience with advanced-level didactic and supervisory experiences. The certificate program prepares the candidate for advanced-level practice as a pastoral counselor.

The C.A.S. requires the satisfactory completion of 30 credits and provides an opportunity for a post-master's internship experience of 1,000 hours. It provides an opportunity to work toward member status in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), certification by the National Academy of Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NACCMHC), certification by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), and state licensure or certification.

Non-Loyola pastoral counseling M.S. graduates who do not have master's level theology, are required to take the following courses:

PC608 Theological Anthropology
PC665 Contemporary Religious Perspectives
PC700 Pastoral Integration Seminar

To apply for AAPC membership, students must also include PC805 and PC806 to their program of study.

CERTIFICATE IN SPIRITUALITY AND TRAUMA

The postmaster’s Certificate in Spirituality and Trauma (C.S.T.) desires to deepen the collective understanding of the role of religion and spirituality in the full range of human experience and to recognize religiously motivated paths that produce healing or that prolong trauma, loss, and violence's ill effects. The C.S.T. aims to reduce misconceptions and enhance knowledge based on science, clinical wisdom, and understanding of religious and spiritual diversity in the recovery process.

The program consists of foundation courses and either a clinical or a general sequence. The clinical sequence requires the successful completion of 18 credits and is for credentialed mental health practitioners (e.g., persons certified or licensed as professional counselors, psychologists, social workers, pastoral counselors, psychiatric nurses) who wish to deepen their clinical skills by presenting trauma cases in a small group supervisory format. The general sequence requires successful completion of 18 credits and is for participants from the mental health, pastoral counseling, pastoral care and ministry, education, health care, social work, and related helping professions that will enhance and enrich their work through the knowledge base afforded in the courses.

Program of Study

Foundation Courses (3 credits)

The program requires foundational skills for all students through three, one-credit cognates. The program director may exempt applicants whose academic record or professional experience indicate competency in the cognate areas.

PC725 Ethical, Legal, and Forensic Issues in Trauma Work
PC727 Self-Care for Caregivers in Trauma Work
PC729 Healing Conversations: Skillful Interaction with Trauma and Loss Victims

Clinical Sequence (15 credits)

PC761 Small Group Clinical Case Conference: Practicum in Spirituality and Trauma I
PC762 Small Group Clinical Case Conference: Practicum in Spirituality and Trauma II

In addition to the required clinical courses, students select three courses from the general sequence to complete the certificate.

General Sequence (15 credits)

Students select five courses from the following:

PC730 Phenomenology of Trauma, Grief, and Loss
PC732 Spiritual and Theological Dimensions of Suffering
PC733 Social and Cultural Foundations of Religious Violence
PC734 Dynamics of Violence in Adult Relationships
PC735 Trauma and Violence in Children
PC736 Positive Psychology, Trauma, and Spirituality
PC737 Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Grieving Related to Trauma, Loss, and Violence
PC738 Trauma and Religious Institutions
PC739 The Human Spirit and Trauma in the Arts

Students who successfully complete 18 credits as prescribed receive a certificate, but they are not eligible to participate in the University's Commencement exercises. In addition, students in the C.S.T. program are not permitted to be concurrently enrolled in a master's degree program at Loyola. If a student elects to pursue a master's degree after completing the certificate, advanced standing will be given for successfully completed certificate coursework that is also required for the master's degree.

STATE LICENSURE

The M.S. and M.S.-Ph.D. programs of study integrate the coursework required for Maryland state licensure as a professional counselor. While each state has unique licensure requirements, most states require academic coursework similar to that required in the M.S. and M.S.-Ph.D. programs. Some states do require that academic courses and clinical work be taken in a prescribed order; therefore, students are encouraged to become familiar with their anticipated state of residence’s licensure and examination requirements.

A pastoral counseling faculty member is assigned to act as the liaison between the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and the department. Students may request current licensing information from this person. Information about the licensing requirements of other states is available in the pastoral counseling department office. Further, the University is an approved site for the National Counselors Exam (NCE) administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). The NCE is required for Maryland state licensure. However, surrounding states and the District of Columbia may require different examinations and/or academic requirements. Loyola offers the NCE twice a year, prior to a student’s graduation from the program of study.

Fall Semester	April 1
Spring Semester	November 1
Summer Sessions	April 1

Fall Semester	February 1
Spring Semester	November 1
Summer Sessions	February 1