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About our Four Concentrations
One Program - Four Concentrations
Our MS in Counseling Program is comprised of four CACREP-accredited concentrations:
- Career Counseling
- Marriage, Couple, & Family Counseling (MCFC)
- Rehabilitation Counseling
- School Counseling
The program is run as an integrated program between all four concentrations and involves 60 units of classes:
45 Units of Core Classes – These foundational classes are needed for work in the mental health profession. Students across all four concentrations attend these classes, allowing the yearly student cohort to intermix, build networks, and understand the needs and perspectives of other mental health professions.
15 Units of Specialization Classes – These classes are aimed at specifically developing the needs for each of the four concentrations.
An example of our cohort sequence of classes
Master’s Culminating Experience
During the program, all students are required to undergo a practicum, an internship, and a comprehensive examination.
- Practicum – During the spring semester of the second year, students will acquire a minimum of 100 hours in practicum under faculty supervision. This is accomplished by providing counseling services through either the on-campus Center for Counseling and Diagnostic Services (CCDS) or an approved K-12 school site in the community.
- Internship - Over the final year, students must accrue between 600-800 hours of counseling experience in the community (under faculty AND site supervision). The program works with both students and our approved community partnerships to determine internship assignments.(Click here to learn more about our community partnerships.)
- Comprehensive Examination - This exam helps prepare students for licensing exams when seeking licensure or credentialing. (Note: This exam is required, and the program does not have a masters thesis option.) The program utilizes the Counselor Preparation and Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), a national exam used in counselor education programs. The areas assessed include the following content areas:
- (C1) Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice;
- (C2) Social & Cultural Diversity;
- (C3) Human Growth & Development;
- (C4) Career Development;
- (C5) Counseling & Helping Relationships;
- (C6) Group Counseling & Group Work;
- (C7) Assessment and Testing; and
- (C8) Research and Program Evaluation.
Career Counseling
The Career Counseling concentration provides students with the knowledge, theory, and skills to work as effective counselors/career development specialists, and consultants in a variety of settings: community-based agencies, schools (K-12), colleges and universities, private practice, business, industry, and government. Students are trained to facilitate holistic career development, career decision-making, and planning with groups and individuals. This process integrates personal, social, and career needs. Students develop the skills to address current issues such as career self-reliance, work/family/life balance, multiculturalism, diversity, and lifelong learning.
Top Five Things to Know
- There are less than 10 Career Counseling specialized programs in the nation.
- Career Counselors work with advocacy, grant writing, community system development, curriculum developing, and individual/group counseling.
- Career Counselors empower individuals to achieve their career and life goals.
- Career Counselors gain experience for the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the State of California.
- Career Counselors have the option to obtain the Certified Career Counseling Credential (CCC) from the National Association of Career Development upon graduation.
Marriage, Couple, & Family Counseling (MCFC)
The Marriage, Couple, & Family Counseling (MCFC) concentration provides students with the knowledge, theory, and skills to work as effective counselors/therapists in a variety of settings: community-based agencies, public and private agencies, non-profit organizations, private practice, and school-based wellness centers supporting student mental health.
The MCFC concentration blends both clinical mental health skills with a systems perspective, understanding that individuals are part of family or larger systems that influence and integrate with mental health. MCFC students are trained to work with individuals, couples, and families in diverse settings. Students also learn how to address developmental and preventative concerns.
Students will be dually eligible for both their Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) license. With training and clinical rotations in both the community and the on-campus Center for Counseling and Diagnostic Services (CCDS), students are prepared to diagnose, develop both symptom-based and theory-based treatment plans, perform intake and screening of mental health diagnosis but also identify issues within the couples and families with an emphasis on wellness and prevention.
Rehabilitation Counseling
The Rehabilitation Counseling concentration provides students the opportunity to gain several specialized skills for working with individuals with disabilities, addiction, and co-occurring disorders. Students in this program are prepared to work in a wide variety of settings, including private practice, community agencies, private organizations, residential in-patient centers, intensive out-patient centers, college campuses, and state departments. Students develop skills to understand medical and psychosocial aspects of disability and its impact on co-occurring disorders including substance abuse and clinical mental health.
Students will apply advanced skills within Rehabilitation including integration of services, including trauma informed care, diagnostic interviews, mental status examinations, symptom inventories, psychoeducational and personality assessments, biopsychosocial histories, assessments for treatment planning, and assessments for assistive technology needs. Students are eligible for their Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor License (LPCC) and Certified Rehabilitation Counseling (CRC) Credential.
Quick FAQ:
- What is the difference between an LPCC and LMFT? Both work with individuals, families, and groups. LPCC specializes in individual services, such as trauma, disability, work integration, substance abuse, and clinical mental health. LMFT specializes in couples, children, and families. Both diagnose, assess, and perform psychotherapy services with a wider array of clients/patients.
- Salary Ranges? Beginning salary is $50,000-75,000 for graduates working in clinical agency or Department of Rehabilitation settings. This salary range is based on a post-graduate, pre-licensed ‘associate’ status and increases once licensed which is typically two years post-graduate and based on licensing board requirements. (Note: O*Net lists $45,000, but this is for baccalaureate/unlicensed work.)
School Counseling
The School Counseling concentration is designed for individuals who seek to become elementary, middle, or secondary school counselors. This program meets the requirements for the K-12 California Pupil Personnel Services-School Counseling (PPS-SC) Credential. An optional path allows for additional eligibility for becoming a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor License (LPCC).
Students in this program are prepared to function as key members of an educational team seeking to optimize children’s academic, socio-emotional, and career development. Students obtain the expertise necessary to lead the educational team in working collaboratively with a broad range of education and human service professionals, paraprofessionals and community representatives to identify, develop, implement and evaluate programs that provide key services to both the individual child as well as the systems and subsystems in which the child interacts.
Note: The PPS-SC Credential at Sacramento State is not offered as a stand-alone credential. Only those students accepted into the School Counseling degree are eligible to earn their PPS Credential.