INTERESTING IN COUNSELING? HERE'S HOW TO FIND OUT MORE:
1. For detailed information go to the School of Education website and look at graduate programs in counseling. General information on counseling, the program handbook and slides from the advising session are available on the web page under School of Education/Graduate/Counseling.
http://www.ius.edu/education/Handbooks.cfm#271
2.After you have looked at the information on the web page, you must attend an Advising and Information Session. These are offered at least four times a semester in the fall and spring and twice in the summer. See the School of Education webpage under Advising for dates and times.
The A & I Session should answer most of your questions about the counseling program. There will be some opportunity for individual questions at the end of the session and I will stay and answer questions. We do not do individual advising session UNTIL students attend a group advising and information session. Also, to obtain an application for the program, you must attend the Advising and Information Session.
3. The next step is to apply to Graduate Studies as a counseling major. Once we have your application and transcripts, your application will be reviewed and you will receive a letter indicating your acceptance. You will be admitted if you have a 2.75 undergrad GPA in any major or a masters in any field with a GPA of 3.0. This allows you to take courses in the pre-counseling core. We do not admit anyone as a counseling major unless they meet the GPA guideline. You will receive a checklist that tells you if you have to take any of the pre-requisite or pre-core courses. Students are admitted on a rolling basis, BUT you should apply by August 1 for fall, October 1 for Spring and March 1 for summer in order to get in classes before they fill.
4. Take G500 Orientation to Counseling as soon as you have been admitted. This course is taught each semester and is required for the counseling program. It will give you an overview of the field of counseling and allow you to better evaluate your interest in counseling. You must take this course at IUS.
5. After taking G500, take the other pre-counseling courses and pre-requisite courses if needed.
6. Once you have finished the pre-core classes (and any pre-requisites) apply to the Counseling Program, Clinical Cohort. Students are accepted once a year to begin the clinical counseling program. Sixteen students are selected each year based on undergrad GPA, letters of recommendations, experiences related to working with K-12 age students, grades in pre-core classes and projects related to standards in the pre-core courses. Applications are due April 1 and a decision is made in late April. The first course is in Summer 2 Intensive, 1-4:30.
OVERVIEW OF THE COUNSELING PROGRAM The M.S. in School Counseling is 48 Semester Hours of Graduate Work. For students who already have a Masters in Education, they may take just the 36 hours of clinical coursework, provided they have satisfied the pre-requisites and pre-core classes in their first masters. When the student applies as a counseling major, the coordinator will do a checklist to indicate which courses they have satisfied. G500 must be taken at IU Southeast.
Pre-Counseling Courses may be taken at your own pace. Taking the pre-core classes does not guarantee acceptance into the clinical cohort. The best 16 students will be chosen each year.
Once you are accepted into the counseling program, you move through
two years of coursework as a cohort group. Courses are offered in
the evenings fall and spring two days a week. Summer sessions are in
late afternoon (1-4:30) or evenings.
Teachers may continue to teach during the program; all classes are offered in the evening except for summer school courses which may be in the afternoon. Teachers (or other school personnel) must have a signed permission form from their principal indicating they will be able to do field experiences during their preparation period. It is essential that the building principal support your participation in the counseling program. Teachers can normally use their preparation period and some time before or after school to complete the required practicum and internship hours. Non-teachers must have one day a week available for a practicum in the schools (spring semester) and two days a week available for internship (both fall and spring of final year). Teachers should have at least two years of teaching experience before they apply to the clinical cohort.
Indiana and Kentucky allow non-teachers to become certified school counselors. However, IU Southeast requires non-teachers to have 2 years experience working with K-12 age children before applying to the clinical cohort. It is possible for non-teachers to work during the program, but they must be available to do one day of field experience in the second semester of the first year and two days of field experience for the entire second year. These field experiences are not paid, but may be done in a school near your home if there is appropriate supervision and a counseling program that follows the standards set by the American School Counseling Association.
Links
IUS Education Home Page
American School Counseling Association