EdM in Counseling
The Master of Education (EdM) program prepares individuals to enter professional roles as mental health counselors, school counselors, and/or mental performance consultants. The program is available to individuals who have completed bachelor’s degrees in accredited colleges and universities throughout the world. While evidence of commitment to human service is a prerequisite, it is not necessary to have majored in the social or behavioral sciences.
The EdM in Counseling focuses explicitly on child, adolescent, and early adulthood, and includes three concentration areas: Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Sport/Performance Psychology. Your area of concentration will determine the specific coursework required for completion of the EdM program in Counseling; however, all students will complete the core counseling curriculum with a minimum of 60 credit hours, as well as a minimum of 700 hours of clinical training. For Sport/Performance Psychology students, you will also be expected to complete 400 hours of sport psychology-based internships over four semesters. The EdM in Counseling’s core training emphasizes:
- Normative development from infancy through early adulthood.
- Ecological considerations, including personal, environmental, and cultural factors.
- Strengths-based theory, focusing on individual attributes and adaptations.
The program has a strong mental health focus, so regardless of your concentration you will graduate with the knowledge and skills required to work with individuals with a wide range of mental health issues.
This is an intensive two-year program, including a summer session in between years one and two, with most students completing the Counseling program on a full-time basis, beginning in September. However, alternative arrangements can be made that allow for completion of the degree as a part-time student. For employed students, arrangements must be made with employers to ensure that students are able to complete the required coursework and the requisite hours of clinical work. Please note, the duration of study for part-time students will be longer than two years.
International students for whom English is a second language may need to anticipate a longer course of study depending on English language proficiency.
You will complete sequenced coursework pertaining to the treatment of children, adolescents, emerging adults, and families in areas such as counseling theories and techniques, cross-cultural perspectives, lifespan development, psychopathology, psychological testing, research, positive psychology, and ethics.
Preliminary advising from your academic advisor and/or the program coordinator of your concentration and consulting the EdM in Counseling Student Handbook prior to registering is encouraged. Approved electives drawn from across the University can be suggested for individual students who have interest in special settings or forms of counseling.
Concentrations
The three concentrations within the EdM in Counseling include:
- Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counseling
- School Counseling
- Sport/Performance Psychology
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counseling
The comprehensive training you will receive in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counseling concentration will prepare you for a career providing counseling to children, adolescents, and young adults in community-based settings that include, but are not limited to, community mental health facilities, hospitals, therapeutic schools, substance abuse treatment facilities, eating disorder treatment facilities, universities, and prisons. If all coursework and practicum/internship requirements are met, students will graduate from the program with all of the pre-master’s requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Throughout your program, you will build clinical skills and complete a field experience through practicum and internship courses. During the fall semester of your first year of study, you will meet with the Counseling Practicum/Internship Coordinator to determine where you will apply to complete your field experiences. During your placement application process, you will receive guidance, support, and supervision from your field supervisor, faculty advisor, and peers.
During your second year of study, you will complete a yearlong clinical training, which requires approximately 20 to 24 hours per week along with three hours of class time per week.
Licensure regulations vary from state to state. Students are urged to contact the appropriate state licensing board to determine current licensure requirements and to consult with their academic advisor to tailor their program of study before registering for courses.
School Counseling
Massachusetts Licensure
After completing program requirements in the School Counseling concentration, you will be eligible for initial licensure as a School Counselor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While many School Counseling graduate programs explicitly emphasize academic counseling, graduates of the BU Wheelock Counseling program will also have comprehensive training in mental health issues and counseling, more fully preparing you to work in the dynamic and ever-changing school environment where there is an increased need for counselors with mental health training.
Throughout your program, you will complete three semesters of field experience: A pre-practicum in the spring semester of your first year, and a yearlong practicum during your second year. During the fall semester of your first year of study, you will meet with the Counseling Practicum/Internship Coordinator to determine where you can apply to complete your field experiences. You and the Coordinator will discuss your career goals, preference for school setting, and preference for grade level. During your pre-practicum and practicum you will receive guidance, support, and supervision from your field supervisor, faculty advisor, and peers.
- Pre-Practicum: The pre-practicum will take place during the spring semester of your first year of study.
- Practicum: During your second year of study you will complete a yearlong practicum. The practicum is 16–20 hours per week and includes 3 hours of class time per week with your cohort and University practicum supervisor. During your practicum you will have field experience, which could include individual counseling with students around academic or interpersonal concerns, developing guidance curriculum, assisting with special education meetings, and coordinating the college admissions process.
Licensure regulations vary from state to state. In some states, students must have teaching experience and teacher licensure in order to work as guidance counselors. Students are urged to contact the appropriate state Department of Education and/or Counseling Board to determine current licensure requirements and to consult with their academic advisor before registering for courses.
Sport/Performance Psychology
All Sport/Performance Psychology students complete all requisite course and clinical experience of the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counseling concentration (see above) and, in addition, take courses and participate in sport psychology applied internship settings.
The concentration in Sport/Performance Psychology will prepare you for a career providing counseling to children, adolescents, and young adults in community-based settings that may include, but are not limited to, community mental health facilities, hospitals, therapeutic schools, substance abuse treatment facilities, eating disorder treatment facilities, universities, and prisons. If all coursework and practicum requirements are met, students will graduate from the program with all of the pre-master’s requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The concentration in Sport/Performance Psychology will also prepare you to provide performance enhancement services to athletes, performers, teams, and coaches, as well to work within the youth sport development arena. The coursework and applied experiences in the field of applied sport psychology practice are designed to help you become eligible and prepared to apply to become an Association for Applied Sport Psychology Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), given all coursework and applied experiences are completed. Please refer to the AASP website and the CMPC Handbook for certification criteria, including coursework, applied experience, and supervision.
All students participate in clinical mental health training experiences, which include a minimum of 700 hours during their second full-time year of study. In addition, all Sport/Performance Psychology students will participate in a sport psychology/performance enhancement practicum every semester, meaning that students will participate in performance enhancement fieldwork for all four semesters enrolled in the program. The sport psychology/performance enhancement practicum includes working with collegiate teams and/or engaging in internship sites that are focused on urban youth sport.
Concurrent with the sport psychology/performance enhancement practicum, students complete “clinical” field experiences: During the fall semester of the first year of study, students will meet with the Sport Psychology Placement Coordinator to determine where they will apply to complete the field experiences. During the clinical placement, students will receive guidance, support, and supervision from the field supervisor, faculty advisor, and peers.
During your second year of study, you will complete a yearlong clinical training which requires approximately 20 to 24 hours per week along with three hours of class time per week.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate evidence-based science and practice knowledge, awareness and abilities, and be prepared to apply these to work effectively with children through emerging adult populations as a professional counselor.
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Counseling concentration
- School Counseling concentration
- Sport/Performance Psychology concentration
- Overall program
- Students will demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to equity, diversity, and individual differences.
- Students will demonstrate ethical and professional behavior as required in their profession’s code of ethics.
Required Courses for All Concentrations
The following core courses are required for all concentrations.
- SED CE 630 Applied Positive Psychology (4 cr)
- SED CE 635 Counseling Skills & Techniques (3 cr)
- SED CE 705 Lifespan Development (3 cr)
- SED CE 710 Child & Adolescent Psychopathology (3 cr)
- SED CE 726 Clinical Assessment: Psychological Testing (4 cr)
- SED CE 737 Counseling: Philosophy, Theory, and Practice (4 cr)
- SED CE 739 Psychology of Vocational Development (4 cr)
- SED CE 740 Ethics & Professional Responsibilities (3 cr)
- SED CE 741 Cross-Cultural Perspectives (4 cr)
- SED CE 746 Clinical Practice (3 cr) (two semesters for 6 cr total)
- SED CE 769 Substance Abuse and Treatment (4 cr)
- SED CE 847 Theories of Group Counseling (4 cr)
- SED RS 600 Introduction to Research (4 cr)
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Counseling
In addition to the core coursework, you have the option of selecting two elective courses in relevant areas of interest and will additionally complete the following courses:
- SED CE 715 Evidence-Based Practice for Children and Adolescents (4 cr)
- SED CE 840 Psychodynamics of Marriage and Family (4 cr)
- SED SE 650 Children at Risk (4 cr)
School Counseling
In addition to the core coursework, you will complete coursework specific to school counseling, including:
- SED CE 730 Guiding the College Admissions Process (2 cr)
- SED CE 735 Issues in School Counseling (4 cr)
- SED CE 739 Psychology of Vocational Development (4 cr)
- SED CE 840 Psychodynamics of Marriage and Family (4 cr)
- SED SE 534 Classroom and Behavior Management (2 cr)
- SED SE 650 Children at Risk (4 cr)
- SED SE 706 Introduction to Special Education (4 cr)
Sport/Performance Psychology
In addition to the core counseling coursework, you will complete all of the following courses for the Sport/Performance Psychology concentration:
- SED CE 650 Counseling Skills and Techniques in Sport & Exercise Psychology (4 cr)
- SED CE 721 Sport & Performance Psychology Practicum (2 cr) (four semesters for 8 cr total)
- SED DS 700 Advanced Sport Psychology Seminar (4 cr)
- SED PE 505 Motor Learning and Control (3 cr)
- SED PE 710 Sport Theory and Social Systems (4 cr)
- Two of the following courses:
- SED CE 529 Psychology of Coaching Teams (4 cr)
- SED CE 634 Mindfulness and Performance (4 cr)
- SED DS 700 Advanced Sport Psychology Seminar (4 cr)
