Counselor Education
¿ìèÆƽâ°æ the Counselor Education Department
Our CACREP-accredited programs train culturally competent, caring counselors who serve a diverse, multilingual urban community. Professional counselors empower individuals and families to resolve personal, educational, career, and relationship concerns and promote optimum wellness. Faculty and students are committed to social justice advocacy to remove barriers to education and personal growth, and promote equity and optimal development for all persons and groups. For more information about the counseling profession, please visit the .
Our mission
The Counseling Program prepares exemplary counselors who are caring, reflective, and culturally sensitive. As counselors we empower individuals and families to make positive changes in their lives and resolve personal, educational, career, and relationship problems. Our program reflects the goals and needs of a highly diverse, multilingual, and urban community of learners. We are committed to social justice advocacy to remove barriers to education and promote equity and optimal development for all persons and groups in urban, suburban, and rural settings.
The Department of Counselor Education offers two degree options:
The M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling for positions in community mental health and human service agencies, schools, universities, hospitals, government, business, and industry; and provides core courses toward licensure.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Objectives:
- Graduates will gain foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become culturally and ethically competent professional counselors.
- Graduates will develop necessary counseling skills and techniques to work effectively with diverse clients in formats of individual, couples, families, and group counseling to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals through in-person or telehealth platforms.
- Graduates will demonstrate the highest standards of professional dispositions including but not limited to ethical behavior, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills.
- Graduates will develop knowledge and skills in evidence-based practices (EBPs) or best practices, including assessment, diagnosis, prevention, and intervention treatment, for a wide range of mental health and substance use issues.
- Graduates will acquire leadership and advocacy skills to promote social justice and support both individual and systemic change for purpose of promoting clients’ well-being.
The M.A. in Counseling with School Counselor Certification prepares students for school counselor positions in K-12 schools.
School Counseling Program Objectives:
- Graduates will gain foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become culturally and ethically competent school counselors.
- Graduates will develop necessary counseling skills and techniques to work effectively with diverse students either in-person or telehealth modality in individual, groups, and school counseling curriculum to meet students’ social-emotional, academic, and career needs.
- Graduates will demonstrate the highest standards of professional dispositions including but not limited to ethical behavior, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills.
- Graduates will develop knowledge and skills in developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental school counseling program for PreK-12 to address students' academic, career, and social-emotional needs. 
- Graduates will acquire knowledge and skills to effectively implement evidence-based practices (EBPs), consultation and collaboration, leadership, advocacy, and systemic change to ensure education equity.
Our program offers face-to-face (in-person) courses in the evenings from Monday to Thursday to accommodate the needs of our working students. Students have options to enroll part-time or full-time. Please refer to financial aid for graduate students.
Additional elective courses can be taken to meet licensure and certification requirements, including Registered Play Therapist (RPT).
Click to view a virtual information session about programs in Counselor Education.
Counseling Program Student Handbook 2024
Contact Us
Rossey Hall, Room 536
201-200-3400
Dr. Jean Georgiou, Chair
Email: jgeorgiou@njcu.edu
Norma Durant, Administrative Assistant
Email: ndurant1@njcu.edu
See our faculty profiles