Radical Counseling Masters programs?

[maestrospenny]

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I am interested in pursuing a masters in counseling/mental health counseling/counseling psychology and was hoping this board might know particular programs that are radical in nature or have a reputation for being such. By radical I mean very libral/progressive and focused on social justice. Programs that encourage work with those people society tends to leave behind or against whom society tends to discriminate (minorities, the poor, LGBTQ, criminals, etc.). Programs housed at institutions with these characteristics are also encouraged.

CACREP or other accreditation would also be great, but not required.

 

[erg923]

I would get rid of the notion that one has to be a "radical" or "liberal" in his/her views in order to serve the mental health needs of minorities or the (typically) underserved. Interest in social justice, restorative justice, and service to others does not need to correlate with such things. True Catholics do this all the time. 🙂

In other words, I would look for a programs with a mission to serve these populations (and in area where you are likely to encounter them), not one that espouses radical ideologies/agendas or politics.

 

[erg923]

I would get rid of the notion that one has to be a "radical" or "liberal" in his/her views in order to serve the mental health needs of minorities or the (typically) underserved. Interest in social justice, restorative justice, and service to others does not need to correlate with such things. True Catholics do this all the time. 🙂

In other words, I would look for a programs with a mission to serve these populations (and in area where you are likely to encounter them), not one that espouses radical ideologies/agendas or politics.

 

[Cydpsyche]

Hi,

I know the Family Institute at Northwestern University is very inclusive regarding minorities, including the gay, lesbian, and trans-gender community. They offer two master's there- one in Marriage and Family Therapy and one in Counseling Psychology. The North Shore of Chicago (the suburbs north of the city) where the Family Institute is located, tends to have highly educated and somewhat intellectual people who lean liberal. At the programs at Northwestern they also have many satellite offices where there are populations that are very diverse, economically disadvantaged, racial minorities, etc. Plus they offer sliding scale services which helps to attract a broad spectrum of people.

Northwestern University is very expensive, but I think you might find what you are looking for there. Also, your personal fit with a program is important, not just the population of the clinical opportunities. Good luck.

 

[CounselortoMD]

I am interested in pursuing a masters in counseling/mental health counseling/counseling psychology and was hoping this board might know particular programs that are radical in nature or have a reputation for being such. By radical I mean very libral/progressive and focused on social justice. Programs that encourage work with those people society tends to leave behind or against whom society tends to discriminate (minorities, the poor, LGBTQ, criminals, etc.). Programs housed at institutions with these characteristics are also encouraged.

CACREP or other accreditation would also be great, but not required.

I cannot recommend a particular academic program, but I would strongly suggest that you do some in-depth research about Feminist Therapy. I expect that you will like what you discover about this inspiring ideology and its many innovative modalities. If you are drawn to this unique holistic discipline, as I always have been, you may then begin to explore the possibilities of future training opportunities associated with, or directly linked to, this exciting paradigm.

 

[SmoothJams]

FYI - The Northwestern program costs around $90K ($96K I think) for a two year degree. The training is good and the school is great, but that isn't a wise investment when you could get the same thing at several other very respectable schools for half that cost...unless you are wealthy.

 

[maestrospenny]

I would get rid of the notion that one has to be a "radical" or "liberal" in his/her views in order to serve the mental health needs of minorities or the (typically) underserved. Interest in social justice, restorative justice, and service to others does not need to correlate with such things. True Catholics do this all the time. 🙂

In other words, I would look for a programs with a mission to serve these populations (and in area where you are likely to encounter them), not one that espouses radical ideologies/agendas or politics.

I apologize for the untimely reply to my original post. To be honest, I used the term "radical" both because it most accurately describes what I seek and because I hoped it would evoke worthwhile response and discussion to my post 😉.

Programs with a mission to serve such populations and a demonstrated history of doing so are exactly what I hope to find. If, off the top of your head, you happen to know of any or resources pointing in the direction of such programs, I would greatly appreciate hearing about them.

 

[maestrospenny]

FYI - The Northwestern program costs around $90K ($96K I think) for a two year degree. The training is good and the school is great, but that isn't a wise investment when you could get the same thing at several other very respectable schools for half that cost...unless you are wealthy.

Thanks for the head's up and thanks to cydpsyche for the information about Northwestern. $90k+ is certainly more than I want to spend for a two-year degree.

It begs the question of the importance of name recognition and prestige. If my long-term goal is licensure for individual clinical practice, is it enough to complete a program at a reputable, accredited (CACREP?) program, regardless of the cache it may or may not afford, especially given the opportunity for post-graduate didactic training in myriad modalities?

Additionally, how important is CACREP accreditation long term?

 

[futureapppsy2]

Why not look into MSW programs with clinical focuses? Many clinical social workers work as counselors/psychotherapists, and social work tends to have a strong social justice bent.

 

[catdaddymft]

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[catdaddymft]

I would recommend taking a look at two programs at SDSU. The mft program awards a masters in coumseling with an emphasis in MFT. The program has its own low cost clinic in inner city San Diego for first year students, second year trainees, and interns. Most students work in the clinic their first year only and do a traineeship elsewhere (which will almost undoubtedly involve a subset of the population that you are interested in). The program has a post modern, Social Constructionist focus - as well as development of the self of therapist. The program is COAMFTE accredited. I'm a graduate of the program.

The Community Based Block program is in the same department. It is a one year program currently, and they share a clinic with the mft program. A downside is that current graduates aren't able to see clients with this training alone. However, I've heard a rumor that this program will soon become a two-year LPCC program (I would check with the director about this if interested). Also, it's common for CBB'ers to transfer to the MFT program to finish masters studies.
I had a choice to do both, but I chose the MFT program and would do it the same way again if I had it to do all over again.
However, CBB does seem pretty "radical" based on their interview and reports I've heard from my suoervisor and classmates who were in the program before moving to mft 🙂
Both have a very strong multicultural focus. And affordability is another strength...

Here's a link to look into them...

http://go.sdsu.edu/education/csp/Default.aspx

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

FYI - The Northwestern program costs around $90K ($96K I think) for a two year degree. The training is good and the school is great, but that isn't a wise investment when you could get the same thing at several other very respectable schools for half that cost...unless you are wealthy.

You are definitely right about this one. That is waaaay to much for a masters.

 

[G Costanza]

Look up dissertations that cover the type of social justice you want to study and see where they come from. You'll be limiting yourself to programs that have Doc level training but that's usually a good thing.

 

[maestrospenny]

I would recommend taking a look at two programs at SDSU. The mft program awards a masters in coumseling with an emphasis in MFT. The program has its own low cost clinic in inner city San Diego for first year students, second year trainees, and interns. Most students work in the clinic their first year only and do a traineeship elsewhere (which will almost undoubtedly involve a subset of the population that you are interested in). The program has a post modern, Social Constructionist focus - as well as development of the self of therapist. The program is COAMFTE accredited. I'm a graduate of the program.

The Community Based Block program is in the same department. It is a one year program currently, and they share a clinic with the mft program. A downside is that current graduates aren't able to see clients with this training alone. However, I've heard a rumor that this program will soon become a two-year LPCC program (I would check with the director about this if interested). Also, it's common for CBB'ers to transfer to the MFT program to finish masters studies.
I had a choice to do both, but I chose the MFT program and would do it the same way again if I had it to do all over again.
However, CBB does seem pretty "radical" based on their interview and reports I've heard from my suoervisor and classmates who were in the program before moving to mft 🙂
Both have a very strong multicultural focus. And affordability is another strength...

Here's a link to look into them...

http://go.sdsu.edu/education/csp/Default.aspx

These programs look REALLY interesting. Unfortunately I am more or less tied to the mid-atlantic/Washington, DC region, both for work and family.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology recently opened a DC campus that offers a Masters in Counseling Psychology geared towards licensure as a LPC. University of the District of Columbia also has a similar program that is very affordable.

Do you (or anyone reading this post) happen to know about the quality/reputation of either of these programs and/or institutions?