Gwynedd Mercy University ( v 8-11-21 )
AY2021-2022 Graduate Academic Catalog
Attendance Policy : The counseling program defines attendance in the same matter as the University does for all non-term courses : Online students are considered present for the week if they post to a discussion forum or submit any assignment or other deliverable during the instructional week ( Monday- Sunday ). Failure to actively engage in the course by posting to discussion forums or submitting assignments will result in an official absence and a lower grade . In addition , there are specific attendance expectations in several Counseling courses . These courses include but are not limited to the program field courses ( weekly 1.5 hours synchronous group supervision ) and program skills courses . Program skills courses ; CNS 501 , CNS 535 and CNS 536 all require weekend residencies . Failure to attend or remain in these required meeting results in class failure .
Students in the Counseling Program need to be aware of the following non-term program attendance policy . Should a student fail to attend a course for two consecutive weeks the student will be administratively withdrawn from the course .
Academic Progress , Probation , and Program Dismissal : Counselor trainees in the Master Counseling Program are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the ethical codes of the American Counseling Association , American Mental Health Counselors Association , and American School Counseling Association . Counselor trainees are expected to demonstrate proficiencies in the following areas : academic knowledge , counseling skills and professional dispositions ( behavior and demeanor appropriate for counselors ). Deficiencies found in any of these areas trigger a Professional / Personal Development Plan to remediate the identified deficiency / ies . Failure to meet the expectations of the Professional / Personal Development Plan may lead to dismissal from the program . For a full explanation of this policy and process , please see the Counseling Trainee Evaluation , Assistance and Appeal Policy on the student portal .
Regardless of the Professional / Personal Development Plan students are still obligated to meet the nonterm programs ’ academic policies including but not limited to the Academic Warning , Academic Probation and Academic Dismissal policies found in the Graduate Catalog .
Course withdrawal policies : The Counseling Program maintains the same course withdrawal policies as outlined for all non-term programs in the Graduate Catalog .
Time to Completion : Counseling Program completion time varies based on program of study . The program completion times are 1 . Master of Science in Counseling Program ( both concentrations of study ) is between 3.5 and 4 years 2 . Post-graduate Clinical Mental Health Certificate Program is between 7 and 10 months depending on start time of cohort 3 . Post-graduate PreK-12 School Counseling Certification Program varies based on the total number of Pennsylvania Department of Education competencies waived based other master ' s degree work .
Field Requirements : The Counseling Program offers three areas of field experience : Pre-Practicum , Practicum and Internship : 20 hours of Pre-Practicum ( built into counseling course work ), 100 hours of Practicum and 600 + hours of Internship . Below are the main field experience expectations by area . For specific information regarding field placement particulars ( expectations , grading , application requirements , etc .) please review the appropriate field handbook . These handbooks can be found on the student portal .
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