Professional School Counseling (MEd)
The Professional School Counseling Program leading to a Master of Education degree in Professional School Counseling is designed to provide individuals the opportunity to pursue an integrated program of study, specifically in the field of Professional School Counseling. The program has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for public school certification.
The program provides individuals with theological distinctiveness, contemporary scholarship and professional counseling skills to serve competently within both the public and private school context. The program utilizes scripture as the foundation on which skills and knowledge are developed. In addition, the American School Counselor Association National Model is utilized in the development, implementation and delivery of comprehensive professional school counseling services. Programs provide a unique opportunity to integrate both faith and practice into the field of professional school counseling.
Students who want to be eligible to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE) will need to take 3 credits in addition to the 48 credits (51 credits total). Also, students have the option of taking 12 credits in addition to the 48 credit degree (60 credits total) to meet the Pennsylvania requirements to be a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of the professional school counseling program is to provide training that will give entry-level qualifications for elementary/secondary school counseling opportunities, state licensure, and public school certification. The objectives for the programs are:
- To provide training in the essential areas of vocational guidance, social and developmental issues, curriculum management, and crisis intervention
- To orient the student to the elementary/secondary school counselor's role and to professional school counseling systems
- To create within the student the ability to conduct critical thinking skills, to evaluate theory, and practice from a biblical perspective
- To provide an emphasis on application of information and knowledge by means of supervised professional school counseling field experiences
- To develop the student's knowledge of the foundational elements in counseling theory and research to prepare students for further study
Program Information
Curricular Structure
| Orientation Seminar |
0 Credits |
| Foundation Courses |
18 Credits |
| Skills and Attitudes |
12 Credits |
| Management and Delivery Systems |
12 Credits |
| Field Placement |
6 Credits |
| Program Total |
48 Credits |
Location Offered
Lancaster, PA
MEd School Counseling Faculty
Resident Faculty:
Freeman M. Chakara, PsyD
Ryan M. Kuehner, PhD
Gary L. Troxell, EdD
Adjunct and Visiting Faculty:
Justin D. Charles, PsyD
Jessica A. Dixon, MS
Sean Dougherty, MEd
Maria Taormina, MSS
Pre-program Candidacy Requirements - Biblical and Theological Foundational Courses
Students must complete all the Biblical and Theological Foundation courses prior to being admitted to candidacy status. Some exemptions are possible. Students without the 30 credits of Bible/Theology but who have taken 9 credits of Old Testament, New Testament, or Theology courses are exempt from taking the respective Biblical and Theological Foundation Courses. Likewise, a 3 credit course in Hermeneutics will exempt students from BTC 561. At the time of admission, an evaluation will be done of the students’ transcripts, and students will be informed of which courses they are exempt from taking.
The following four Biblical and Theological Foundation Courses are each 1 credit courses and are included with each semester’s roster of courses.
| BTC 521 | Biblical Narrative - Old Testament | 1 |
| BTC 531 | Biblical Narrative - New Testament | 1 |
| BTC 561 | Biblical Interpretation | 1 |
| BTC 571 | Introduction to Christian Theology | 1 |
Foundation Courses (12 Credits)
ORI 500
| | |
| CPS 501 | Orientation to Counseling and Psychology | 3 |
| CPS 508 | Counseling Skills in Helping Relationships | 3 |
| CPS 530 | Professional Ethics in Counseling & Psychology Casework | 3 |
| CPS 541 | Group Counseling Leadership Skills | 3 |
Skills and Attitudes (18 Credits)
| CPS 525 | Counseling & Psychological Assessment Techniques I | 3 |
| PSC 556 | Career Development in Schools | 3 |
| CPS 575 | Counseling Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| CPS 583 | Cross-Cultural Counseling | 3 |
| PSC 521 | Foundations of School Counseling and Program Planning | 3 |
| PSC 556 | Career Development in Schools | 3 |
Management, Delivery and Accountability (12 Credits)
| PSC 504 | Research Design & Stats for School Counselors | 3 |
| PSC 523 | Leadership and Advocacy in Education | 3 |
| PSC 526 | Collaboration, Consultation, and Coordination | 3 |
| PSC 535 | Exceptional Students: Population, Policies, & Procedures | 3 |
PSC 504: For Students without a previous statistics course; they will need to take a pre-statistics assessment on eCampus to assess their level of pre-statistics understanding. This assessment will be taken on a Counseling & Social Work Department computer. If the student scores a 70% or higher, they would be eligible to register for CPS 505 Research and Program Evaluation. Or PSC 504 Statistical Methods for School Counselors. Should they score lower than 70%, the student would be required to take MAT 216 Statistics for the Social Sciences prior to taking CPS 505 or PSC 504. Students who have already taken a statistics course in their undergraduate experience in which they received a final grade of at least 70% are free to register for CPS 505 or PSC 504.
Field Placement (6 Credits)
| PSC 601 | Professional Service I in School Counseling | 3 |
| PSC 602 | Professional School CNS Internship | 3 |
Licensure Courses (any 12 Credits; can be taken AFTER Tier 2 and PSC 526 and PSC 504))
Levels of Completion
- Pre-Candidacy Level: At this level, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, complete all prerequisite requirements, including those set by Capital Seminary & Graduate School and those set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, including the MMPI-2 and 16PF.
- Candidacy Level: To be eligible for candidacy the student must complete a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 18 credits. The student will provide a recent criminal history check, child abuse clearance, Federal fingerprinting. A satisfactory interview with the program director completes the candidacy process. Achieving candidacy is the formal and final admission to your program.
- Practicum Level: Following candidacy, the student is eligible to apply for practicum after successfully completing a minimum of 18 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Internship Level: To be eligible for the internship a student must have satisfactorily completed the practicum level, completed 30 graduate credits, and maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA.
- Graduation: The department chair will recommend students for graduation having fulfilled all the graduation requirements.
Certification Procedures
Students not holding a valid Pennsylvania Instructional I teaching certificate or its equivalent will have some Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requirements to meet, referred to as the Initial Preparation Program.
Students already holding a valid Pennsylvania Instructional I teaching certificate, or its equivalent, have no PDE prerequisites to complete prior to admission. They will enter the Advanced Preparation Program to work toward their Educational Specialist Certificate in School Counseling.
Regardless of the starting point, in order to be recommended for graduation and the Educational Specialist Certificate in School Counseling, students must fulfill the MEd graduation requirements, pass the Praxis II School Counseling exam, and complete the PDE application.
Nondegree Certification Option
For prospective students holding a master's degree, certification in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling (PK-12) can be arranged for a student without the student needing to enroll in LBC's MEd degree program. The nondegree application is to be used for admission and is available online or though Adult Learner Services (717-560-8282).
MEd Degree Without School Counseling Certification
Students may receive the MEd degree in School Counseling without PDE School Counseling Certification by completing the 48 credit MEd curriculum. The PDE certification requirements do not need to be met.
ACT 48
Courses in the School Counseling programs may be used for ACT 48 credit. Teachers may indicate their request for this credit by checking the appropriate box on the registration form when registering for classes. Nondegree students may take School Counseling classes for ACT 48 credit. Please see the "Academic" section of this catalog, "Nondegree Students" for more information.
Academic Advising
Each student is assigned a Student Experience Specialist who will help them through the admissions process, orientation, scheduling, registration, graduation, and other academic matters relating to the student’s progress through their program. Furthermore, a Faculty Advisor will be assigned to each student for assistance with Field-Based Experience and to provide a guide through the program. Final responsibility for the fulfillment of all program and graduation requirements rests with the student; therefore students are encouraged to be proactive in relating to their Student Experience Specialist and Faculty Advisor during academic studies.
Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselor
In Pennsylvania the academic requirement to be a Licensed Professional Counselor is 60 credits. The licensure test is administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors. Students desiring this option may take the additional 12 credits prior to graduation or after they graduate. Students wanting to take the additional 12 credits, prior to graduation must declare their intention with the Director of the School Counseling program, Thomas Starr, Director of the School Counseling Program - 717.569.7071 ext. 5580 | EMAIL: tstarr@lbc.edu during their Counseling Internship course.
Additional information about the Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselor is available at http://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/ SocialWorkersMarriageanFamilyTherapistsandProfessionalCounselors/Pages/default.aspx#.VT7xiCFViko.
MEd Graduation Requirements
The following requirements must be successfully completed in order to receive the Master of Education degree:
- Satisfactory completion of all course work
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Fulfillment of all financial obligations
- Adherence to biblical standards and ethics in living one's lifestyle