Program Description
The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MCP) is a two-year, four-semester postgraduate program designed to prepare students for professional practice in counseling and psychosocial support across diverse individual, family, group, community, educational, healthcare, and organizational settings. The program integrates theoretical foundations, practical skills, supervised field experience, research, and professional development to develop competent, ethical, and reflective counseling professionals.
The program provides a strong foundation in counseling theories, human development, psychological and psychosocial concerns, assessment, communication, therapeutic interventions, ethics, and professional practice. Students develop the ability to apply evidence-informed counseling approaches with children and adolescents, adults, couples and families, groups, and diverse communities. The curriculum also addresses specialized areas including career counseling, addiction, chronic illness and health-related concerns, and disaster, crisis, and trauma interventions.
A strong emphasis is placed on experiential and supervised learning. Students progressively develop counseling competencies through skills-based courses, practical exercises, field experiences, and at least 600 hours of supervised internship and practical experience. These experiences enable students to apply academic knowledge in professional settings while developing skills in assessment, intervention, communication, professional boundaries, ethical practice, and culturally responsive counseling.
The program adopts a developmental, contextual, and multicultural perspective, recognizing the influence of individual, family, social, cultural, and environmental factors on psychological well-being. Students are prepared to work with diverse populations and contribute to both prevention and intervention, with an emphasis on promoting mental health, psychosocial well-being, resilience, and access to appropriate support.
Research and professional development are integral to the program. Students develop competencies in research methodology, academic writing, project development, and evidence-informed practice, culminating in a thesis. Through its combination of academic learning, practical training, and supervised professional experience, the program prepares graduates to contribute to counseling, mental health and psychosocial services, community-based practice, educational settings, healthcare, humanitarian and disaster contexts, research, and other related fields.
