Ways to Learn
Quick Facts
- 3 Years Full-Time
- Part-Time Option
- 91 Units
- Evening Option
This Program is Now Available at NU
The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology – Holistic program has been relocated to JFK School of Psychology at NU. To learn more, visit the new program page.
Overview
Many of us feel intuitively the intimate, inextricable connections among body, mind, community, and environment. For ages, traditional wisdom has recognized the need to maintain harmony among these various elements in order to achieve mental and physical health as well as internal peace.
However, for how widely acknowledged these connections are, and for how much evidence exists demonstrating their importance, surprisingly few universities offer students the ability to explore with academic and clinical rigor these important aspects of counseling psychology.
JFK University’s Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology—Holistic provides the unique opportunity for students to obtain a license-eligible degree from an accredited university while specializing in transpersonal, somatic, or arts-based practices. The program emphasizes a client-centered approach that teaches students to place trust in the client’s innate health and inner guiding wisdom.
Highlights
- A holistic approach acknowledges mind, body and environment
- Unique specializations include Depth and Transpersonal, Holistic, and Somatic Psychology
- License-eligible degree satisfies the requirements for the California Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students earning their Master’s in Counseling Psychology – Holistic will be able to do the following:
Display the capacity to build a therapeutic relationship with client.
Competently apply clinical skills.
Articulate theoretical comprehension and apply critical thinking.
Utilize principles of their specific program specialization (depth & transpersonal, somatic, holistic, expressive arts) in their work with clients.
Exhibit holistic self-awareness and embodied professionalism.
Program Relocation Information
The Master in Counseling Psychology(MFT/LPCC) program will continue at the JFKU School of Psychology without substantive changes in the academic or clinical training curriculum. There will be both online and on-ground academic coursework.
The principal change is that the operational aspects of the program (financial aid, registration, advising will be managed under the auspices of National University. This will be a positive change given that NUS has a much more robust operational infrastructure.
Students who are graduating by December 31, 2020 will receive a John F. Kennedy University degree. Students finishing after this date may have an option of receiving either a JFKU degree or an NU degree; these details are still under consideration. All JFKU students also have the option of transferring to another university if they choose not to continue with the JFK College of Psychology at National University. Students may transfer directly by contacting another university individually, or they may transfer through an articulation agreement established between JFKU and the articulating university. The primary advantage of the transfer through the articulation agreement is that students will know exactly what courses will transfer over to the receiving local institutions.
JFKU’s WASC accreditation, which is in good standing, provides protections for students; and National University is similarly a WASC-accredited institution. WSCUC has approved the administrative relocation to National University. All students who remain within the National University System and choose to transfer to National University will receive a 20% discount off of NU’s current tuition rates if they remain continuously enrolled and in good academic standing.
MA Counseling students from JFKU also have the option of transferring either to the NU MFT Program or the NCU MFT program
- NU MFT/LPCC Program is a hybrid program
- The Northcentral University (NCU) program is fully online and is the only COAMFTE accredited online program in the country. NCU also has both a DMFT (doctorate in MFT with a clinical focus and a PhD in MFT, that has more of a research focus.https://www.ncu.edu/mft-transfer
If a student wishes to transition outside the National University system, articulation agreements are being developed at the following universities:
Traditional MFT Specialization
- Golden Gate University
- St. Mary’s University
Holistic Counseling Specialization
- California Institute for Integral Studies
- Sofia University
- Pacific Oaks University
Specializations
Specialization in Depth and Transpersonal Psychotherapy
A special emphasis on depth, Jungian, and psychodynamic approaches to psychotherapy, exploring the interaction between personality, emotion, and spirit and empowerment of client’s own self-healing abilities.
Specialization in Holistic Studies
A special emphasis on transpersonal and somatic approaches to psychotherapy. Offered at San Jose campus only.
Specialization in Somatic Psychology
A special emphasis exploring somatic processes, the body-mind connection, and the wisdom of the body as a gateway to self-empowerment and healing.
Holistic Research Center
The Holistic Research Center (HRC) supports research of holistic counseling constructs and expanding research methodology toward a more holistic paradigm.
Curriculum
The curriculum encompasses core courses in holistic studies, basic counseling skills, diagnosis and assessment; marriage and family counseling courses; and courses in the student’s chosen specialization. Students complete a yearlong supervised field placement at an approved community-based site.
Students must complete a minimum of 91-92 units to receive the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree.