Does anyone know about Risk&Prevention at Harvard?

[intotheblue]

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Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows about the program called "Risk and Prevention" at Harvard University.

I am interested in obtaining a masters degree in counseling psychology.

It seems like Harvard's program provides the curriculum that suits my interests.

For example, they have "Preventive and Developmental Counseling Track focusing on Guidance or Adjustment Counseling".. and on their webpage it is stated:

"How does the training in the Risk & Prevention Ed.M. program differ from a traditional social work or counseling program?

The Risk & Prevention program is largely focused in prevention and intervention work, specifically with children and adolescents (ages 0-19). The coursework in R&P, while meeting specific regulations for adjustment and mental health counseling licensure, maintains our commitment to multidisciplinary perspectives, drawing from urban education, developmental and applied psychology, public health, and non-profit program development and evaluation. Students explore a wide range of issues, including the influences of early attachment, violence and trauma, gender and sexuality, resilience, and motivational factors as they relate to educational processes, and counseling and prevention practices. Our emphasis on children and adolescents is much more specific and significant than in many social work or master's level counseling programs. See also the question immediately above."

As for me, I want to become a school counselor or an academic advisor. I am not really interested in research, and I want to work with children/students.

For this reason, I think this program would prepare me well for the careers that I am interested in.

My concern is if this program at Harvard is not very good program.

Some people on this forum had advised me not to attend the counseling psych. at TC@Columbia.

Can anyone tell me about Harvard's Risk and prevention program?
Is it a good program?

Their program history seems to be short...but I am not sure if this matters, because TC@Columbia seems to have very long history.
Program History

The Risk & Prevention Program was initiated in 1992-93. It evolved from a practicum course designed by Risk and Prevention director, Roy Edward Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development Robert L. Selman to train students in prevention intervention in low-income schools and community settings.
As of July 2005, 632 students have graduated from the program; approximately 60 students are admitted each year. Many of our graduates have started new careers or gone back into the sector in which they worked before. Many have entered doctoral programs

Anyway, I would like to hear feedbacks about this program on this forum.

I haven't taken the GRE yet,(Columbia Ed.M doesn't require GRE) and I am not sure if I should take it.

I don't really feel like studying for it since all the Canadian schools don't require GRE.

I would take GRE if I am sure that I would apply to Harvard.

However, first I need to know if it's worth to spend the whole summer studying GRE just for Harvard' R&P program.

Thank you.

 

[amy203]

I was accepted by the Human Development and Education EdD program at Harvard and attended their visitation weekend. I decided to attend a clinical psych program instead - it's a long story and doesn't really apply to your questions, so I'll skip it! Suffice it to say, the education department is excellent. It's actually ranked as the number one school of education in the country by US News (if you trust those rankings).

I don't know as much about the masters level programs, but, as I am interested in risk and prevention, I am familiar with the faculty that specialize in that area and I learned some things about the program at the visitation weekend. The department of education recently overhauled the degree programs, so that is why the Risk and Prevention program is fairly new. However, the school of education has always had a strong focus on mental health issues, and I'm sure a masters from the program would be well respected.

They are VERY big on integrating research and practice. I could be wrong, but I think they're probably more interested in applicants who are interested in designing interventions, doing implementation research, managing a non-profit, etc as opposed to just straight clinical work.

Finally, you should also consider the cost. The PhD program is funded, so I'm not entirely sure what the cost is for masters students, but I got the impression it is rather pricey. I know they offer research and teaching positions to help cover cost, but I don't know how many are available to masters students.

The graduate secretaries are very nice and helpful. I'm sure someone would be willing to listen to your questions and help you figure out if the program is right for you.

Hope that helps!

 

[michalita]

Does this program prepare you for licensure in mental health counseling? Be sure to find that out before you pursue it. I think I specifically did not apply to Harvard because of that, but it's worth investigating further. Also, it depends on where you plan to work once you've graduated.

 

[michalita]

Does this program prepare you for licensure in mental health counseling? Be sure to find that out before you pursue it. I think I specifically did not apply to Harvard because of that, but it's worth investigating further. Also, it depends on where you plan to work once you've graduated.

To answer my own question:

Students choose to pursue either a one-year, 32 credit, Prevention Specialist Master's Degree (Ed.M.) or follow a two-year, 64 credit, Preventive and Developmental Counseling Track focusing on Guidance or Adjustment Counseling. Students pursuing the two-year tracks earn an Ed.M. degree at the completion of their first year and a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Counseling at the completion of the second. Students in the R&P Master's apply for the C.A.S. year by submitting a second application during their master's year. Students completing a C.A.S. are eligible for initial licensure in Guidance or Adjustment Counseling from the Massachusetts Department of Education. Students may also become eligible to pursue licensure as Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC) through the Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health.