MA Psychology Counseling Licensure (LIOS Residential)

Master's in Counseling (LIOS)

The residential (LIOS) MA degree program in Psychology with a specialization in Counseling, is academically and personally rigorous. Your education for this degree is designed to build confidence and resiliency by encouraging you to practice your learning inside and outside of class, in the crucible of lived experience.

Self-Awareness and Therapeutic Relationship Studies

This program prepares you for an outstanding career as a licensed mental health counselor or a licensed marriage and family therapist. In their internship settings, our students consistently receive high ratings, especially for their self-awareness and the capacity to artfully engage in the therapeutic relationship with clients. This focus on developing the self of the therapist, creatively engaging in relationships with clients, and blending systems counseling theories with solid skills, lies at the heart of the counseling program.

Models of Counseling Theory

Multiple models of counseling theory are taught with an emphasis on developing the specific competencies of the therapist: the art of joining and active listening, creating resiliency within a family system, and crafting conversations of possibility and change. Throughout the two-year program, Counseling students are also introduced to subjects critical to understanding human behavior. Human Development, Sexuality, and Assessment and Diagnosis are just some of the courses that help you become an effective psychological counselor. Our students also learn about the professional life of the therapist by studying ethics, laws, and current issues within the mental health field.

Internships

In addition to the academic program, students will participate in internships during their second year. The 9-18 month supervised clinical internships, set up in a variety of community settings, require a total of 600 hours of internship time. Students also participate in ongoing consultation groups with faculty consultants and peers concurrent with the internship.

Faculty

All our Counseling faculty have years of clinical experience and training and have active clinical practices within the Seattle area. Faculty publications include books and journal articles on counseling theory, marriage and family therapy, the training of therapists, family of origin therapy, and systems consultation.

Licensure

The Counseling curriculum currently meets education requirements within the state of Washington for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor and meets curriculum requirements for licensure as a Marriage & Family Therapist with the addition of one elective course, also offered in Seattle. Graduates who are licensed as Marriage & Family Therapists with the state of Washington qualify for membership with the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT).

For information relating to post-Master's degree licensing requirements contact:  

• Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) - Mental Health Division [1]
• Licensure information for Marriage and Family Therapists [2]
• Licensure information for Mental Health Counselors [3]

Students planning to practice in other states or provinces should contact the appropriate organizations of those regions. Some states and provinces may require additional course work to meet certification standards. As always, because requirements may change, it is the responsibility of the student to research the specific requirements of the organization from which the student is seeking credentials. We will work with you to help you meet these requirements through independent studies.