Ways to Learn: Traditional Online

Master of Arts
in Holistic Health Education
Holistic Nutrition

19.6%

Expected Annual Growth in Health Education Jobs in CA

14.5%

Expected Annual Growth in Health Education Jobs in U.S. 2014

Ways to Learn

  • Hybrid
  • Online

Quick Facts

  • 2-Years Full-Time
  • 3 Years Part-Time
  • 65 Units
  • Evening Option

Campus Location

Resources

Overview

The Specialization in Holistic Nutrition requires completion of 24 units, 13 of which are core units embedded in the MA in Holistic Health Education curriculum, and 11 of which are electives. (NOTE: Because we only require 5 units of electives, the specialization students end up taking a total of 65 rather than 59 units to get all 11 of the elective units required for the specialization.)

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Highlights

  • Unique nutritional expertise embedded within the field of health education
  • Emphasis on food as a healing modality
  • Students learn to customize their nutritional approach for each client

Students enrolled in the Specialization in Holistic Nutrition evaluate multiple nutritional approaches and dietary theories, analyzing the benefits and deficits of each approach as applied to the individual.

Throughout the course of study, students apply the theme of food as a healing modality in a range of ways, from addressing imbalances that occur throughout an individual’s lifetime to developing nutritional and herbal approaches to common disease states including heart disease, diabetes and dysglycemia, cancer, and autoimmune conditions. The concepts of nourishment and creating health within imbalance and disease states are also explored.

Finally, the Specialization in Holistic Nutrition reaches beyond holism as applied to the individual to implications in global food systems and environmental influences on individual and community health.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

As a result of completing the Specialization in Holistic Nutrition, graduates are able to:

  • Choose nutritional approaches and demonstrate understanding of theory, issues, health information, research, and applications in the field of nutrition
  • Explain in clear language basic philosophies of holistic nutrition and application of nutritional therapies
  • Practice professionally as a nutrition educator, instructor, and consultant as well as an integrative/holistic health educator
  • Embody a healthy approach to nutrition and nourishment, and model health through food and nutrition in one’s own community

Specialization Electives

The MA degree can be completed in 7 quarters if students start in the fall quarter. However, students pursuing the Holistic Nutrition Specialization and/or the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching will need at least one additional quarter to complete the required electives.

Electives
Units
HHE 5910 Dietary Planning
1
Students will develop the skills and practical experience necessary to develop customized diet and meal plans. Different approaches to diet development and meal planning will be covered. Students will learn how to develop meal plans and food charts for a variety of dietary approaches such as a cleansing diet, calorie controlled diets, vegetarian diets, vegan diets, Paleo, Ketogenic, etc. Diets for several common health issues will also be discussed. Prerequisite: HHE 5772
HHE 5911 Nutritional Consultation Business Practices
1
This course is designed to train students how to build, run, and market their own nutrition consulting practice. Nutrition consulting has become an increasingly viable and growing option for nutrition professionals. Whether planning to open their own practice, work for another health professional, or work as a health educator within a corporate setting, students need the skills to create their own practice within a practice. In this course, students gain a clear understanding of the consulting process and learn to recognize their own strengths as a consultant and to define and establish a strategic direction, as well as tips on running an office, setting fees, insurance needs, and developing an overall business plan and marketing strategy. Prerequisite: HHE 5772
HHE 5912 Nutritional Consultation and Coaching
2
The focus of this course is effective nutrition counseling including the skills needed for building rapport, listening and interviewing skills, including motivational interviewing, and working with clients through various states of change. Blending together counseling and coaching techniques, students will learn how to identify key areas of intervention to maximize client’s success and how to engage with clients in a collaborative manner to co-create a dietary plan that works. Prerequisites: HHE 5750, HHE 5772.
HHE 5913 Nutrition for Healing Body and Mind
4
Nutritional approaches for working with clients with conditions such as diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, depression, heart disease and cancer are addressed in this course. This course introduces the foods, ways of eating, nutritional therapies and dietary approaches that help to bring about and maintain the most vibrant health with regard to gastrointestinal health, diabetes, allergies, autoimmune disease, depression, cancer and heart disease. This course will explore some of the underlying causes, nutritional deficiencies and lifestyle factors that contribute to these health conditions. Nutritional and herbal approaches for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, food allergies, asthma, and breast cancer will also be discussed. Emphasis is on promoting and maintaining wellness. Prerequisite: HHE 5772
HHE 5914 Holistic Approaches to Weight and Health
1
Approaches to weight management are examined, including an alternative model of looking at weight and size – Health At Every Size®. The psychology behind issues related to nourishment and poor body image are considered in this course, along with socio-cultural factors that influence weight and health. Prerequisite: HHE 5772
HHE 5915 Farm to Table
2
A thorough examination and analysis of the complete food chain will serve as a means of determining how and why our food supply may or may not supply healthy choices for any of us. Food production begins in the earth and continues through many necessary and sometimes unnecessary processes. This class will look at farming practices; to include the fundamentals of soil examination, soil enhancement, ecological effects on soil health, soil degradation, political soil extortion, the many types of farming from the large industrial farming system to small organic biodynamic farms, the kinds of fertilizing of soil and plants, the status and implementation of the water supply needed for agriculture to remain sustainable, harvesting, transporting, and finally the distribution and the profit motivated practices of getting the food to the consumer. This understanding is critical to offering sound, uncomplicated, appropriate, and healthy “food” knowledge and nutritional advice.
HHE 5920 Coaching Experiential
0.5-2.0
A seminar with variable units that enables faculty and students to create an active coaching community among those pursuing the Certificate at any given time. Faculty and students meet as needed to introduce cutting edge topics in coaching, report on new research and developments, and provide extra coaching practice as needed.
HHE 5922 Coaching Practicum B
1
Students are observed coaching and receive detailed feedback from a coaching mentor. Written and practical examinations are administered as the final step in obtaining the Coaching Certificate or Specialization (depending on student’s program). Prerequisite: HHE 5750
HHE 5924 Health, Disease, & Wellbeing for Health Coaches
1
Conventional medicine is compared to holistic concepts of health and wellbeing. Conventional risk factors and common chronic diseases are covered. Emphasis will be placed on holistic, health-promoting approaches such wellness wheels, continuums, salutogenesis, and similar wellness models. MA Students may substitute HHE 5710.
HHE 5926 Mind-Body Connection for Health Coaches
1
Students explore the field of mind-body medicine, including psychoneuroimmunology, integrative health, and whole-person approaches. Key topics of interest to health coaches are covered, including self-care practices, nutrition, spirituality, embodiment, and ecotherapy. MA Students may substitute HHE 5823.
Electives
Units
HHE 5928 Change Theory for Coaches
1
This course looks at what motivates people to make sustainable changes in their lives. Key change theories, such as the Health Belief Model, the Transtheoretical Model, and Self-Determination Theory, are explored. Coaching students explore how they can use these theories and models to help their clients realize their goals and achieve lasting change. MA Students may substitute HHE 5756.
HHE 5930 Weight and Body Image for Coaches
1
Individuals frequently seek out health and wellness coaches to lose weight and/or change their body shape/size. However, the evidence is overwhelming that weight-loss diets are ineffective long-term and often harmful. Moreover, body dissatisfaction is a growing and insidious problem in U.S. culture. In this course, health coaches learn how to work from a “do no harm” perspective to promote these clients’ long-term health and wellbeing. Coaches will also learn how to recognize more serious conditions, such as depression, eating disorders, and body dysmorphic disorder, as well as how to refer appropriately. Prerequisite: HHE 5750
HHE 5932 Stress Management for Health Coaches
1
Stress may be the defining characteristic of 21st century life; no one is immune. Because every client is different though, health coaches need to understand stress and how it can affect us, and to appreciate the myriad of ways there are to manage it. This course examines the physiological, mental, and spiritual effects of stress before turning to a variety of holistic approaches to stress management that coaches will find useful in their practice. MA Students may substitute HHE 5842.
HHE 5934 Supervised Community Coaching
1-2
Coaching certificate students will gain valuable experience coaching under the supervision of experienced coaches. Variable units: 1-2 per quarter. Students are required to take 2 units total. Prerequisite: HHE 5750
HHE 5940 Energy Models of Healing
2
This course investigates how health, illness, wholeness and healing may be defined and worked with in energy terms. The coursework involves in-depth inquiry into the many disciplines and traditions that contribute to energy healing as well as an analysis of the concepts and philosophies upon which these systems are based. We look at energy medicine from the perspectives of quantum physicists, biologists, consciousness and psi researchers, philosophers, spiritual healers, and medical intuitives. We will also investigate how energy modalities are viewed by mainstream medicine.
HHE 5941 Asian Approaches to Health and Healing
2
Two of the oldest holistic systems of medicine—Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine—are presented in this survey course. Their basic philosophy, principles, and standards of treatment will be explored both didactically and experientially. The course will not focus on comparing the two systems, but the diversities of each will be outlined with emphasis on their spiritual roots, cultural and social perspectives, and their growing appeal as global alternatives in health care.
HHE 5942 Arts in Healthcare
1
This course is an overview of the powerful role that the arts can play in fostering well-being and wholeness. Research is documenting connections between creative engagement and pain management, stress reduction, recovery and resilience. We will explore the writing, visual arts, theater and music programs being used within hospitals, healthcare facilities, and communities. Experiential creative exercises will allow participants to experience their own movement toward a fuller living experience. Coursework includes meditative practices and creative processes including the use of visual art, movement, and writing. No art experience is necessary. The course is focused on internal growth and development of the individual. Each student will apply the course content to their own personal and professional needs.
HHE 5943 Functional Nutrition Blood Chemistry
1
Designing an effective nutrition program is dependent on the establishment of an accurate nutritional profile guided by scientific approaches such as a comprehensive blood test. There is no test more accepted, efficient and affordable than a comprehensive blood chemistry profile. By learning how to interpret blood chemistry from a nutritional perspective, you can detect the shifts in physiological function and use it in a more preventative manner. Designing a truly individualized nutrition program will produce a more efficient and longer lasting result than just addressing one symptom or effect of the imbalance. You will also easily be able to track the effectiveness of any nutrition program. In this practicum you will learn the basics of nutritional blood chemistry and how to identify some common patterns of imbalance and how to develop a customized nutrition program based on the results.
HHE 5944 Nutrition for Women’s Health
1
As women are living longer than ever, it is important for women to address their health so that they can remain vital and thrive throughout the life cycle. A woman’s health profile can dramatically change from one decade to the next. In this class students will learn about using diet, lifestyle and nutrients to balance hormones throughout life. We will also discuss the relationship of blood sugar metabolism, stress, thyroid health, inflammation and gut health to fertility, weight issues, mood shifts, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, perimenopause, osteoporosis and menopause.
HHE 5945 Transitions & Grief
1
One of the most important functions of a health educator or health coach is to help clients navigate transitions and transformative change. Too often, we forget that a key element of many kinds of change is releasing our attachment to past ways of being and going through an appropriate grieving process. Students will learn about different approaches to coping with grief and how they can support clients who find themselves grieving various types of loss.
Electives
Units
HHE 5928 Change Theory for Coaches
1
This course looks at what motivates people to make sustainable changes in their lives. Key change theories, such as the Health Belief Model, the Transtheoretical Model, and Self-Determination Theory, are explored. Coaching students explore how they can use these theories and models to help their clients realize their goals and achieve lasting change. MA Students may substitute HHE 5756.
HHE 5930 Weight and Body Image for Coaches
1
Individuals frequently seek out health and wellness coaches to lose weight and/or change their body shape/size. However, the evidence is overwhelming that weight-loss diets are ineffective long-term and often harmful. Moreover, body dissatisfaction is a growing and insidious problem in U.S. culture. In this course, health coaches learn how to work from a “do no harm” perspective to promote these clients’ long-term health and wellbeing. Coaches will also learn how to recognize more serious conditions, such as depression, eating disorders, and body dysmorphic disorder, as well as how to refer appropriately. Prerequisite: HHE 5750
HHE 5932 Stress Management for Health Coaches
1
Stress may be the defining characteristic of 21st century life; no one is immune. Because every client is different though, health coaches need to understand stress and how it can affect us, and to appreciate the myriad of ways there are to manage it. This course examines the physiological, mental, and spiritual effects of stress before turning to a variety of holistic approaches to stress management that coaches will find useful in their practice. MA Students may substitute HHE 5842.
HHE 5934 Supervised Community Coaching
1-2
Coaching certificate students will gain valuable experience coaching under the supervision of experienced coaches. Variable units: 1-2 per quarter. Students are required to take 2 units total. Prerequisite: HHE 5750
HHE 5940 Energy Models of Healing
2
This course investigates how health, illness, wholeness and healing may be defined and worked with in energy terms. The coursework involves in-depth inquiry into the many disciplines and traditions that contribute to energy healing as well as an analysis of the concepts and philosophies upon which these systems are based. We look at energy medicine from the perspectives of quantum physicists, biologists, consciousness and psi researchers, philosophers, spiritual healers, and medical intuitives. We will also investigate how energy modalities are viewed by mainstream medicine.
HHE 5941 Asian Approaches to Health and Healing
2
Two of the oldest holistic systems of medicine—Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine—are presented in this survey course. Their basic philosophy, principles, and standards of treatment will be explored both didactically and experientially. The course will not focus on comparing the two systems, but the diversities of each will be outlined with emphasis on their spiritual roots, cultural and social perspectives, and their growing appeal as global alternatives in health care.
HHE 5942 Arts in Healthcare
1
This course is an overview of the powerful role that the arts can play in fostering well-being and wholeness. Research is documenting connections between creative engagement and pain management, stress reduction, recovery and resilience. We will explore the writing, visual arts, theater and music programs being used within hospitals, healthcare facilities, and communities. Experiential creative exercises will allow participants to experience their own movement toward a fuller living experience. Coursework includes meditative practices and creative processes including the use of visual art, movement, and writing. No art experience is necessary. The course is focused on internal growth and development of the individual. Each student will apply the course content to their own personal and professional needs.
HHE 5943 Functional Nutrition Blood Chemistry
1
Designing an effective nutrition program is dependent on the establishment of an accurate nutritional profile guided by scientific approaches such as a comprehensive blood test. There is no test more accepted, efficient and affordable than a comprehensive blood chemistry profile. By learning how to interpret blood chemistry from a nutritional perspective, you can detect the shifts in physiological function and use it in a more preventative manner. Designing a truly individualized nutrition program will produce a more efficient and longer lasting result than just addressing one symptom or effect of the imbalance. You will also easily be able to track the effectiveness of any nutrition program. In this practicum you will learn the basics of nutritional blood chemistry and how to identify some common patterns of imbalance and how to develop a customized nutrition program based on the results.
HHE 5944 Nutrition for Women’s Health
1
As women are living longer than ever, it is important for women to address their health so that they can remain vital and thrive throughout the life cycle. A woman’s health profile can dramatically change from one decade to the next. In this class students will learn about using diet, lifestyle and nutrients to balance hormones throughout life. We will also discuss the relationship of blood sugar metabolism, stress, thyroid health, inflammation and gut health to fertility, weight issues, mood shifts, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, perimenopause, osteoporosis and menopause.
HHE 5945 Transitions & Grief
1
One of the most important functions of a health educator or health coach is to help clients navigate transitions and transformative change. Too often, we forget that a key element of many kinds of change is releasing our attachment to past ways of being and going through an appropriate grieving process. Students will learn about different approaches to coping with grief and how they can support clients who find themselves grieving various types of loss.

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Sport Psychology

40+

AASP Certified/Approved Supervisors

9

Professional Development Seminars by Global Speakers/Year

4

Internships in Diverse Environments Completed by Students

Sport Psychology Programs

Dual MA Sport Psychology and PsyD

This innovative linked program allows completion of both degrees within six years of full time study.

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MA Sport Psychology

Provides rigorous training to help students become effective sport psychology practitioners.

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Grad Certificate in Sport Psychology

Provides psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and mental skills coaches the necessary coursework required by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) for certification as a consultant.

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Faculty

Steve Del Chiaro

Professor and Chair, College of Psychology
sdelchiaro@jfku.edu

Alison Pope-Rhodius

Program Chair, College of Psychology

Brian Alexander

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Daniel Murphy

Lecturer

Deborah Munch

Supervisor of Sport Psychology

Dora Kurimay

Dora Kurimay, Supervisor of Sport Psychology

Fernando Lopez

Core Faculty, Co-Fieldwork Director

Gily Meir

Assistant Professor/Research Director

Karlene Pick

College of Psychology

Katie McKee

Performance Consultant, College of Psychology

Kellen Lee

Adjunct Faculty, Mental Performance Consultant, Sport Psychology

Kim E. Kinna

Lauren S. Tashman

Adjunct Faculty/Supervisor, College of Psychology

Mary Foston-English

Supervisor, Sport Psychology

Meenal Chaudhari

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Megan Byrd

Research Director, Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Michael Gerson

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Michelle Cleere

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Phillip Post

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Victoria Tomlinson

Core Faculty, Co-Fieldwork Director, College of Psychology

You found the door. So open it.

Program Finder

JFKu Online

Graduate Certificate Museum Studies

Ways to Learn

  • Online

Program Length

  • 30 Units

Resources

Program Overview

Enhance your understanding of museum work without earning a master’s degree. The Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies is open to students who have a Bachelor of Arts and substantial experience as a museum employee or volunteer. Applicants without substantial museum experience may be admitted to the program, but will be required to complete an additional internship. The 30-unit certificate is offered with a specialization in either collections management or education and interpretation.

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Program Highlights

  • Our on-demand online certificate program gives you the freedom to earn your degree at your own pace while still enjoying close interaction with your course instructor.

Requirements

Certificate students are required to take the first-year core courses applicable to the specialization and complete an internship in a museum.

All students must demonstrate writing competency and, if determined by the program, may be required to take additional courses in writing beyond the units required for the certificate.

All museum studies students are required to complete one or more museum internship(s) in the area of specialization. Internships allow students to assume professional responsibilities and gain an understanding of a museum’s operations and relationship to the museum field under the guidance of professionals.

Core Curriculum

  • MUS 5003 – Issues in Museums I: History and Theory (4.5 units)
  • MUS 5004 – Issues in Museums II: Finance and Administration (4.5 units)
  • MUS 5321 – Museums and Communities (4.5 units)
  • MUS 5975[1] – Internship (4.5 units)
  • MUS 5976 – The Lab (3 units)

Select one of the following specializations (9 units)

Collections Management — select both courses

  • MUS 5501 – Collections Management I: Foundation (4.5 units)
  • MUS 5502 – Collections Management II: Preventive Conservation (4.5 units)

Education and Interpretation — select both courses

  • MUS 5610 – The Visitor Experience: Learning Theories and Understanding Audiences (4.5 units)
  • MUS 5612 – The Visitor Experience: Interpretative Methods and Applications (4.5 units)

[1] All museum studies students are required to complete one or more museum internship(s) in the area of specialization. Internships allow students to assume professional responsibilities and gain an understanding of a museum’s operations and relationship to the museum field under the guidance of professionals. Students in the program have interned in local, national and international museums and museum-related institutions.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of your program, you’ll have the skills and expertise needed to:

  • Collections Management Specialization: Document collections and practice preventative conservation with a focus on creative problem solving and real-world issues
  • Education and Interpretation Specialization: Develop educational programs and exhibitions, and utilize current research and innovative methods to provide engaging learning experiences for visitors of all ages

Why Choose JFK University?

Since 1965, John F. Kennedy University has been providing higher education to lifelong adult learners in the Bay Area and beyond. Here are just a few benefits of enrolling at JFK University:

  • Private nonprofit university
  • Accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
  • Campus, online, and on-demand online programs
  • Locations in Pleasant Hill and San Jose, CA
  • Experienced faculty who are practitioners in their fields
  • Service learning and internship opportunities

Faculty

Barbara Filion

Adjunct Faculty, Business & Professional Studies
bfilion@jfku.edu

Susan B. Spero

Program Chair, College of Business and Professional Studies
sspero@jfku.edu

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Epxolore AM rcaetive sratetgy porgarm.
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JFKu Online

Graduate Certificate in Creative Strategy

Ways to Learn

  • Online

Program Length

  • 6 Courses

Resources

Program Overview

The Graduate Certificate in Creative Strategy is an opportunity for professionals in a variety of fields to advance their careers with the power of design thinking. Throughout the six-course program, you’ll explore design thinking, iterative design, and media production and gain the skills needed to harness emerging media technologies applicable to your field. You’ll also develop the advanced communication skills necessary to convey complex ideas and new solutions in visual, oral, and written mediums. Upon graduation, you’ll leave with the insight and abilities necessary to propel yourself to new levels of agency and influence within your field.

Program Highlights

  • Our on-demand online certificate program gives you the freedom to earn your degree at your own pace while still enjoying close interaction with your course instructor.
  • Opportunity for professionals in a variety of fields to cultivate creative problem solving skills
  • Taught by innovative practitioners from a range of fields
  • Provides students with immediately applicable skills in design thinking

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of your program, you’ll have the skills and expertise needed to:

  • Communicate complex ideas and new solutions in visual, oral, and written mediums
  • Utilize emerging media technologies applicable to your field
  • Apply design thinking, iterative design, and media production best practices

Why Choose JFK University?

Since 1965, John F. Kennedy University has been providing higher education to lifelong adult learners in the Bay Area and beyond. Here are just a few benefits of enrolling at JFK University:

  • Private nonprofit university
  • Accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
  • Campus, online, and on-demand online programs
  • Locations in Pleasant Hill and San Jose, CA
  • Experienced faculty who are practitioners in their fields
  • Service learning and internship opportunities

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Clinical Psychology

13:1

Student - Faculty Ratio in the PsyD Program

84%

of PsyD Students Complete the Program

7:1

Student - Faculty Ratio in the BA Psychology Program

18

Months to Complete BA Psychology

Overview

Clinical psychology is the largest branch of the field of psychology that integrates science, theory and clinical practice to assess and treat a broad spectrum of mental health and behavioral medicine concerns.

The demand for mental health professionals, particularly those with doctoral degrees, is expected to increase over the next decade.  

Clinical Psychology Programs

Doctor of Psychology

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology is designed for individuals seeking the highest level of training to become hands-on practitioners in the field of psychology.

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Dual MA Sport Psychology and PsyD

This innovative linked program allows completion of both degrees within six years of full time study.

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BA in Psychology

Engages students in a lively process of intellectual inquiry, self-discovery, critical thinking, creative synthesis, and interpersonal communication.

Learn More

Faculty

Alvin McLean, Jr

Associate Dean - College of Psychology
amclean@jfku.edu

Alette Coble-Temple

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Cinthya Chin Herrera

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

David Henry Peterzell

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Douglas C Haldeman

Program Chair, College of Psychology
CE Program Committee

Eric B. Vogel

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Kayoko Yokoyama

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Kristin Hancock

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Peter H. Van Oot

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Robbin Rasbury

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Ron Perry

Associate Professor / Program Chair

Sarah Carroll

Research Director, Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Steve Del Chiaro

Professor and Chair, College of Psychology

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Program Finder

Master of Arts
in Holistic Health Education

19.6%

Expected Annual Growth in Health Education Jobs in CA

14.5%

Expected Annual Growth in Health Education Jobs in U.S. 2014

Ways to Learn

  • Online

Quick Facts

  • 2 Years Full-Time
  • 3 Years Part-Time
  • 59 Units
  • Evening Option

Campus Location

  • Online

Resources

Overview

The Master of Arts in Health Education at John F. Kennedy University guides students on an in-depth exploration of health that goes far beyond the disease/cure paradigm currently prevailing in Western medicine. Following an evidence-based approach, students examine the various links among the physical, emotional, spiritual, social, environmental, and systemic aspects of health, investigating the ways in which our individual and communal life experiences are influenced not only by physical factors such as nutrition, exercise, and the environment, but also by thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and relationships.

 

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Highlights

  • Emphasis on client interaction goes beyond the science-only approach of other programs
  • Applied learning component ensures all students gain practical, on-the-job experience while serving the local community
  • Optional specialization in Holistic Nutrition

With a strong focus on experiential learning and an emphasis on multicultural understanding, the program prepares aspiring health educators and holistic nutritionists to work with a wide range of clients across a variety of practice settings. Graduates possess the skills and knowledge necessary to chart their own career in health education, whether it be with a traditional healthcare employer such as a hospital or clinic, with a niche non-profit organization, or as a solo entrepreneur. From day one, our accomplished faculty of scholar-practitioners is dedicated not only to providing our students with the tools they need to guide their clients successfully to increased health and well-being, but to embody the values of holism and wellbeing themselves.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Graduates of the MA in Holistic Health Education degree will, at a level appropriate to a master’s degree, be able to:

  • Demonstrate skills and abilities for the field of holistic health education.
  • Apply specialized knowledge in the field of holistic health education, including holistic perspectives on health, health education, and health coaching.
  • Apply relevant ethical principles or frameworks to guide both professional conduct and relationships with individuals, communities, and other professionals.
  • Cultivate an awareness of a multicultural and diverse community to inform all aspects of the health educator role and to promote health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups.
  • Demonstrate commitment to service to the community.

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Why JFKU

An Integrative Approach to Health

The JFK University MA in Health Education program takes an integrative approach to health that addresses not only the body but also the mind, spirit, community, and environment. Working from an ecological perspective that recognizes the individual’s connection to others and the environment, our trained health educators assist clients in coming to a holistic understanding of health and wellbeing.

Holistic Nutrition Specialization

One of the most popular aspects of our MA in Health Education program is the Holistic Nutrition Specialization. Focusing on food as a healing modality, this specialization meets and exceeds the requirements established by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) and is a NANP recommended program. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Board Exam in Holistic Nutrition.

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Applied Learning

Prior to completing the program, all students are required to participate in an applied learning component in which they take their knowledge and abilities from the classroom into the community. Under faculty supervision, students fulfill their applied learning component by providing wellness coaching, nutritional consultation, and other health education services.

Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching

Individuals and organizations alike increasingly are turning to the evidence-based field of holistic health coaching to address a glaring need in our current healthcare system. This 14-unit certificate program geared toward preparing students to serve as health and wellness coaches can be embedded directly into the MA in Holistic Health Education program.

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Available Specialization

Holistic Nutrition

The MA degree can be completed in 7 quarters if students start in the fall quarter. However, students pursuing the Holistic Nutrition Specialization and/or the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching will need at least one additional quarter to complete the required electives.
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Curriculum

The MA in Health Education requires completion of 59 quarter units comprised of the courses outlined below. Each student must also take:

  • HHE 5615, Practicum in Health and Healing, (5) units

Holistic Nutrition Specialization

Most of the courses required for the Holistic Nutrition Specialization are part of the curriculum for the Master’s program, leaving only four (4) units beyond the degree requirements required to fulfill the requirements of the Holistic Nutrition specialization.

Year 1 - Fall
Units
HHE 5701 Introduction to Holistic Health Education
0
A required, no cost, no credit course for all students entering the MA-HHE program, this class prepares students to get the most out of their courses and what they need to do to complete the program. Students will also have an opportunity to consider their values, goals, and objectives at the commencement of their graduate studies.
HHE 5702 Town Hall Meetings
0
Town Hall meetings are held twice a year. Students must attend all town hall meetings while enrolled in the program. Topics discussed will include current issues and developments in the field of health education; program changes and announcements; and student internships and projects. It will also be a forum for students to ask questions and give feedback on the program and to discuss pertinent issues, concerns, and topics.
HHE 5703 Cohort Meetings
0
Students will meet online with an Advisor and their cohorts a minimum of once per quarter while they are enrolled in the program. Students will be assigned to cohorts based on their format and approximate pace of study.
HHE 5710 Foundations of Holistic Health Education
3
This course overviews the field of health education and prepares students for study and practice in their chosen field. We discuss the role of the health educator and various professional and ethical considerations inherent in that role. We look into various holistic theories as tools for analyzing and understanding health and health education. We begin to identify issues and questions of importance to the field and to us personally and professionally, such as health education for the “whole person;” shifting from a disease-focused to a health-focused health paradigm; cultural competency, and spirituality and health.
HHE 5713 Written Communication for Health Education
2
This course is also designed to provide students entering the MA in Holistic Health Education program with a review of the critical thinking and fundamental writing skills that will serve as a foundation for producing graduate-level written work. In addition, students will learn and practice different types of writing that health educators encounter in the field and how to write for different audiences.
HHE 5716 Foundations of Holistic Nutrition
4
This course goes beyond basic nutrition and lays the foundation for using food as medicine focusing on supporting healthy cellular, organ and system function. Reviewing anatomy and physiology through the lens of functional medicine, we also examine the role of macronutrients and micronutrients in health and illness. As a result of the course students will be able to communicate the scientific reason for their nutritional recommendations.
Year 1 - Winter
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5730 Fundamentals of Coaching
2
In this course, students discover what is needed to develop an effective and trusted coaching relationship that creates meaningful and sustainable change for clients. They learn how to coach from an integral perspective that engages the complexity and potential of the whole person -- mind, body, heart, and spirit. Aligned with the ICF competencies for professional coaches, Fundamentals of Coaching will teach students how to establish the coaching relationship, co-create trust and intimacy, and develop the core coaching skill of deep dialogue. It will also introduce the stages of the coaching process, including how to integrally assess the needs of the client, creating meaningful and clear coaching goals, integral design, and maintaining coaching momentum and accountability. This course will be taught in a dynamic, practice-based approach.
HHE 5732 Health Education Research Basics
2
This course introduces students to research concepts and practices that will support success in their graduate studies in holistic health education. The emphasis will be on developing critical thinking skills and gaining familiarity with academic publications. Key areas of discussion will include how to use the library’s databases to conduct effective literature searches, how to evaluate the quality of a journal and the quality of an article, an efficient strategy for reading articles, the different types of articles, and how to interpret research article results.
HHE 5734 Integrative Health
3
This course provides a foundation in Integrative Health, exploring the development of Western Medicine and alternative and complementary medicine. We examine historical perspectives that influence the current state of healthcare, explore the scientific basis of integrative approaches, and address the challenges of integrative health care. Students evaluate multiple approaches for addressing degenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes examining the relationships among behavioral, environmental and genetic factors that enhance or compromise health.
HHE 5737 Nutrition for Wellness Throughout the Lifecycle A
2
This course introduces the foods, ways of eating and nutritional therapies that help to bring about and maintain the most vibrant health throughout the lifecycle, highlighting pediatric health and geriatric health nutrition. Special dietary needs of children and elders are a focus of this course. Nutritional recommendations for physical and mental vibrancy in the pediatric and elder years are identified through a holistic approach for preventing illness and maintaining wellness. Prerequisite: HHE 5716
Year 1 - Spring
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5750 Coaching Practicum A
1
Students continue to build and deepen their coaching skills through practice and review the coaching competencies. Other key topics include coaching agreements, use of intake questionnaires, self-care for coaches, and considerations for setting up a coaching practice. Prerequisite: HHE 5730
HHE 5753 Research in Health Education
2
This course continues the work begun in HHE 5732 Health Education Research Basics, going deeper with cultivating skills to become sophisticated consumers of health and health education research. Whether working in private practice or as part of an organization, the health educator needs to be prepared to find, understand, and evaluate public health or medical articles written by experts in the field. Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be surveyed.
HHE 5756 Multiculturalism & Cultural Competency
2
We discuss our individual, ethical, and professional responsibilities to engage with the challenges of cultural oppression, bias, privilege, and stigma. We examine key issues at the intersection of culture and health, including the social determinants of health and health equity. Students identify the role of the health educator in the formation and evaluation of health policy and embody the role of health activist and advocate. We explore key models of cultural competency in health education, including cultural humility, structural competence, and participatory and community-based approaches. Also covered: the social ecological model of health promotion; community building and community organizing; and Health in All Policies (HiAP).
HHE 5759 Nutrition for Wellness throughout the Lifecycle B
2
This course introduces continues with the coursework from Nutrition for Wellness throughout the Lifecycle A (HHE 5759) highlighting geriatric health and holistic sports nutrition. Special dietary needs of elders and athletes are a focus of this course. Nutritional recommendations for physical and mental vibrancy in the elder years are identified through a holistic approach for preventing illness and maintaining wellness. The nutritional needs of the athlete will also be examined through the lens of holistic nutrition and specific nutritional recommendations for athletes are discussed. Prerequisite: HHE 5737
Year 1 - Summer
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5770 Health, Environment, and Sustainability
2
In this course, we examine the connection between the health of the environment and the health of the individual and community. We look at the origins of humanity’s disconnection from nature and the resulting modern worldview, through which we understand ourselves as separate individuals, “free” but helpless in the face of increasing environmental destruction. We evaluate the consequences of this worldview on our physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health. We then explore possibilities for re-connecting to each other and to the natural world as part of a homecoming that will allow us to re-imagine our relationship to nature and begin to create a sustainable future.
HHE 5772 Challenge of Change
3
This course is designed for future educators, including teachers, trainers, coaches, and others who facilitate learning. We will explore how students can forge their identity as educators from the wisdom of their own lived experience. Topics will include: whole person learning, creating space for learning, adult learning models, learning taxonomies, content organization, presentation skills, experiential activities, learning aids, and learning module lesson plans. Opportunities for in-depth practice will enable students to discover and develop their own style of teaching.
HHE 5774 Professional Development
1
Students will prepare for their internships and for work after graduation. Students will be encouraged to cultivate key skills such as informational interviewing and “selling” their ideas through oral and written communication. Students will learn how to identify and obtain an internship as a model for obtaining work throughout their careers.
HHE 5777 Complementary and Alternative Modalities
2
A general survey of holistic health practices and issues, with a focus on the variety of alternative and complementary modalities that are present in integrative health care settings. Students will complete an assessment of the values and attitudes which underpin their current health practices, as well as examining the values and issues that shape our current health care models. They will explore and critically evaluate a variety of holistic health services and their application.
HHE 5801 Student Review: Mid-Point
0
A comprehensive review of the student’s work halfway through the program. Each student’s work is reviewed by the department chair. All degree candidates must meet with the department chair in order to continue in the program.
Year 2 - Fall
Units
HHE 5820 Concepts and Practices for the Emerging Educator
3
This course is designed to help future educators, including teachers, trainers, coaches, and others who facilitate learning develop familiarity with a range of learning models and instructional methods. Topics will include: whole person learning, creating space for learning, adult learning models, learning taxonomies, content organization, presentation skills, experiential activities, writing learning outcomes, and how to create a learning module. Opportunities for practice will enable students to apply course content immediately.
HHE 5823 Psychology and Physiology of Stress
2
In this course, we examine the psychological and physiological effects of stress on the mind and body. Content will include information on the impact of stress on the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, digestive and immune systems, among others.
HHE 5825 Internship
1-2
Students work with ways of bridging their work as students with what they hope to do as professionals by working for one quarter in a professional setting under the guidance of a mentor, keeping a journal, and describing their work in a paper. This internship meets the requirements of SVL 5000 – Service Learning. This two-unit requirement may be satisfied with two separate internships of 1 unit each; one 2-unit internship in a single quarter, or a 1-unit internship over two quarters. Prerequisite: HHE 5774 and Permission of Instructor.
Electives
0-2
Students take a minimum of 5 elective units. They may choose from among electives offered for the Holistic Nutrition Specialization, and/or for the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching, and/or other topics such as Energy Models of Healing, Arts in Healthcare, or Transitions & Grief.
Year 2 - Winter
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5840 Innovative Strategies for Health Education
2
Students explore creative and novel ways to approach complex health education problems using collaborative processes that emerge from the fields of design thinking, iterative design, and media production. Students will also hone their ability to communicate complex ideas and solutions in a variety of internal and external settings.
HHE 5842 Mind-Body Practices for Self-Care
2
The theory, concepts and practice of various mind-body medicine modalities (such as meditation, expressive movement, visualization, etc.) will be presented as comprehensive holistic approach to stress management. Students will learn hands-on practices for mind-body self-care and will integrate their learning into course content.
HHE 5865 Capstone A
2
This is the first course of a two-course series in which the student will develop and create a health education capstone project, which consists of a written paper and an oral presentation. The student considers an important question or challenge in the field of health education and develops a holistic or integrative solution in the shape of a new model, approach, program, curriculum, etc. (approach or program) through faculty guidance and peer support/feedback. In the first course, the student develops the approach or program and writes a detailed description of it and its possible method of implementation. Prerequisites: Permission of Chair
HHE 5825 Internship
1-2
Students work with ways of bridging their work as students with what they hope to do as professionals by working for one quarter in a professional setting under the guidance of a mentor, keeping a journal, and describing their work in a paper. This internship meets the requirements of SVL 5000 – Service Learning. This two-unit requirement may be satisfied with two separate internships of 1 unit each; one 2-unit internship in a single quarter, or a 1-unit internship over two quarters. Prerequisite: HHE 5774 and Permission of Instructor.
Electives
0-2+
Students take a minimum of 5 elective units. They may choose from among electives offered for the Holistic Nutrition Specialization, and/or for the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching, and/or other topics such as Energy Models of Healing, Arts in Healthcare, or Transitions & Grief.
Year 2 - Spring
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5855 Coaching for Health and Wellbeing
1
The focus of this advanced level course is coaching individuals for health and wellbeing. Students consider different coaching models and tools, such as salutogenesis, narrative, and appreciative inquiry, that are well suited to promoting the client’s wellbeing. Students explore the importance of alignment between a client’s health values and beliefs and their coaching goals. The practice of creating “wellness visions” and the like is examined. We also identify barriers to coaching for health and wellbeing and how to overcome them. Corequisite: HHE 5750
HHE 5866 Capstone B
2
This is the second course of a two-course series in which the student will develop and create a health education capstone project, which consists of a written paper and an oral presentation. In this course the student presents a public oral presentation providing an explanation of the theoretical foundations of the proposed approach or program and identifying similarities and differences between theirs and existing approaches or programs. Prerequisite: HHE 5865
Electives
0-2+
Students take a minimum of 5 elective units. They may choose from among electives offered for the Holistic Nutrition Specialization, and/or for the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching, and/or other topics such as Energy Models of Healing, Arts in Healthcare, or Transitions & Grief.
Year 1 - Winter
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5730 Fundamentals of Coaching
2
In this course, students discover what is needed to develop an effective and trusted coaching relationship that creates meaningful and sustainable change for clients. They learn how to coach from an integral perspective that engages the complexity and potential of the whole person -- mind, body, heart, and spirit. Aligned with the ICF competencies for professional coaches, Fundamentals of Coaching will teach students how to establish the coaching relationship, co-create trust and intimacy, and develop the core coaching skill of deep dialogue. It will also introduce the stages of the coaching process, including how to integrally assess the needs of the client, creating meaningful and clear coaching goals, integral design, and maintaining coaching momentum and accountability. This course will be taught in a dynamic, practice-based approach.
HHE 5732 Health Education Research Basics
2
This course introduces students to research concepts and practices that will support success in their graduate studies in holistic health education. The emphasis will be on developing critical thinking skills and gaining familiarity with academic publications. Key areas of discussion will include how to use the library’s databases to conduct effective literature searches, how to evaluate the quality of a journal and the quality of an article, an efficient strategy for reading articles, the different types of articles, and how to interpret research article results.
HHE 5734 Integrative Health
3
This course provides a foundation in Integrative Health, exploring the development of Western Medicine and alternative and complementary medicine. We examine historical perspectives that influence the current state of healthcare, explore the scientific basis of integrative approaches, and address the challenges of integrative health care. Students evaluate multiple approaches for addressing degenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes examining the relationships among behavioral, environmental and genetic factors that enhance or compromise health.
HHE 5737 Nutrition for Wellness Throughout the Lifecycle A
2
This course introduces the foods, ways of eating and nutritional therapies that help to bring about and maintain the most vibrant health throughout the lifecycle, highlighting pediatric health and geriatric health nutrition. Special dietary needs of children and elders are a focus of this course. Nutritional recommendations for physical and mental vibrancy in the pediatric and elder years are identified through a holistic approach for preventing illness and maintaining wellness. Prerequisite: HHE 5716
Year 1 - Summer
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5770 Health, Environment, and Sustainability
2
In this course, we examine the connection between the health of the environment and the health of the individual and community. We look at the origins of humanity’s disconnection from nature and the resulting modern worldview, through which we understand ourselves as separate individuals, “free” but helpless in the face of increasing environmental destruction. We evaluate the consequences of this worldview on our physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health. We then explore possibilities for re-connecting to each other and to the natural world as part of a homecoming that will allow us to re-imagine our relationship to nature and begin to create a sustainable future.
HHE 5772 Challenge of Change
3
This course is designed for future educators, including teachers, trainers, coaches, and others who facilitate learning. We will explore how students can forge their identity as educators from the wisdom of their own lived experience. Topics will include: whole person learning, creating space for learning, adult learning models, learning taxonomies, content organization, presentation skills, experiential activities, learning aids, and learning module lesson plans. Opportunities for in-depth practice will enable students to discover and develop their own style of teaching.
HHE 5774 Professional Development
1
Students will prepare for their internships and for work after graduation. Students will be encouraged to cultivate key skills such as informational interviewing and “selling” their ideas through oral and written communication. Students will learn how to identify and obtain an internship as a model for obtaining work throughout their careers.
HHE 5777 Complementary and Alternative Modalities
2
A general survey of holistic health practices and issues, with a focus on the variety of alternative and complementary modalities that are present in integrative health care settings. Students will complete an assessment of the values and attitudes which underpin their current health practices, as well as examining the values and issues that shape our current health care models. They will explore and critically evaluate a variety of holistic health services and their application.
HHE 5801 Student Review: Mid-Point
0
A comprehensive review of the student’s work halfway through the program. Each student’s work is reviewed by the department chair. All degree candidates must meet with the department chair in order to continue in the program.
Year 2 - Winter
Units
HHE 5870 Colloquium in Holistic Health Education
1
The Colloquia represent our residency requirement, offered three times a year, often held over a single weekend. Students from both the online and hybrid formats attend together, with program faculty welcome to attend as well. Topics covered will include those of general interest to all, such as professional identity or spirituality and health, as well as cutting edge issues as they arise. Each Colloquium is 1 unit each. Students are required to attend a minimum of five Colloquia in order to graduate.
HHE 5840 Innovative Strategies for Health Education
2
Students explore creative and novel ways to approach complex health education problems using collaborative processes that emerge from the fields of design thinking, iterative design, and media production. Students will also hone their ability to communicate complex ideas and solutions in a variety of internal and external settings.
HHE 5842 Mind-Body Practices for Self-Care
2
The theory, concepts and practice of various mind-body medicine modalities (such as meditation, expressive movement, visualization, etc.) will be presented as comprehensive holistic approach to stress management. Students will learn hands-on practices for mind-body self-care and will integrate their learning into course content.
HHE 5865 Capstone A
2
This is the first course of a two-course series in which the student will develop and create a health education capstone project, which consists of a written paper and an oral presentation. The student considers an important question or challenge in the field of health education and develops a holistic or integrative solution in the shape of a new model, approach, program, curriculum, etc. (approach or program) through faculty guidance and peer support/feedback. In the first course, the student develops the approach or program and writes a detailed description of it and its possible method of implementation. Prerequisites: Permission of Chair
HHE 5825 Internship
1-2
Students work with ways of bridging their work as students with what they hope to do as professionals by working for one quarter in a professional setting under the guidance of a mentor, keeping a journal, and describing their work in a paper. This internship meets the requirements of SVL 5000 – Service Learning. This two-unit requirement may be satisfied with two separate internships of 1 unit each; one 2-unit internship in a single quarter, or a 1-unit internship over two quarters. Prerequisite: HHE 5774 and Permission of Instructor.
Electives
0-2+
Students take a minimum of 5 elective units. They may choose from among electives offered for the Holistic Nutrition Specialization, and/or for the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching, and/or other topics such as Energy Models of Healing, Arts in Healthcare, or Transitions & Grief.

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JFKu Online

Graduate Certificate in
Holistic Health Coaching

60%

of Americans Want Health Coaching According to a 2016 Survey

85%

Health Coaching Clients Retain Benefits After 1 Year

Ways to Learn

  • Online

Program Length

  • 14 Units
  • Less than a year
  • Part-Time

Resources

Program Overview

Train to become a holistic health coach and learn how to create a collaborative partnership that supports the client’s health and well-being in the Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching program. This program integrates evidence-based coaching techniques with a holistic approach to health that incorporates the mind, body, spirit, and community. The Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health Coaching draws from our Holistic Health Education Department’s decades of experience conducting our Master of Arts in Holistic Health Education program, while also benefiting from the cross-disciplinary insights and opportunities made possible by the program’s inclusion within our wider university.

What is a Holistic Health Coach?
Individuals and organizations alike increasingly are turning to the evidence-based field of holistic health coaching to address a glaring need in our current health-care system. Properly trained health coaches help clients to bridge the gap between a doctor’s advice and lifelong change. A health coach partners with clients in a holistic and creative process that inspires them to maximize their well-being.

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Program Highlights

  • Evidence based coaching techniques integrated with a holistic approach to health
  • Draws on JFKU Health Education’s decades of experience and cross-disciplinary benefits from the University’s other programs
  • Can be embedded in the MA Holistic Health Education program

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

A student completing the Graduate Certificate in Health Coaching at JFKU will be able to:

Demonstrate mastery of the coaching competencies as defined by the International Coach Federation and International Consortium for Health and Wellness Coaching

Facilitate health-promoting changes in alignment with the values and objectives of the client

Utilize change theory and holistic health principles to support the coaching relationship

Appropriately blend coaching skills and the coach’s area of expertise within the health professions in order to serve the client’s interest

Demonstrate a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct of coaches

Effectively practice with an awareness of a multicultural and diverse community

There are two paths to obtaining the Holistic Graduate Certificate in Health Coaching. First, students enrolled in the Master’s in Holistic Health Education program may embed the certificate within their Master’s degree, and earn both the MA and the certificate within the same time frame and same number of units. Second, students with at least a bachelor’s degree may enroll in the certificate program without pursuing the entire Master’s degree. To learn more about the individual benefits of each track and for assistance determining which track is right for you, please contact your advisor.

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Curriculum

REQUIREMENTS

The Certificate comprises 14 units at the graduate level. It is designed to be completed in a minimum of nine months (three quarters).

Quarter 1
Units
HHE 5428 Fundamentals of Coaching
2
This course is an introduction to coaching competencies and coaching for wellness.
HHE 5449 Health, Disease, & Wellbeing for Health Coaches
1
HHE 5451 The Mind-Body Connection for Health Coaches
1
Beginning with an inquiry into the meanings of health and healing, students explore the field of mind-body medicine, including psychoneuroimmunology, integrative health, and whole-person approaches. Key topics of interest to health coaches are covered, including self-care, nutrition, spirituality, embodiment, ecotherapy, the importance of connection and community, and more.
HHE 5448 Coaching Experiential
0.5
Quarter 2
Units
HHE 5430 Coaching Practicum A
1
Students build coaching skills through practice.
HHE 5431 Coaching for Health & Wellbeing
1
The focus of this course is coaching individuals for health and wellbeing. Students consider different coaching models and tools such as salutogenesis, narrative, and appreciative inquiry, that are well suited to promoting the client’s wellbeing. Students explore the importance of alignment between a client’s health values and beliefs and their coaching goals. The practice of creating “wellness visions” and the like is examined. We also identify barriers to coaching for health and wellbeing and how to overcome them.
HHE 5452 Change Theory for Coaches
1
This course looks at what motivates people to make sustainable changes in their lives. Change theories covered include Bridges’ Transition Theory, the Transtheoretical Model, Self-Determination Theory, and the Immunity to Change Model. We will also cover transformative learning theory, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, and Paulo Freire’s concepts of praxis and critical consciousness as key models for working with adults. Coaching students explore how they can use these theories and models to help their clients realize their goals and achieve lasting change.
HHE 5454 Stress Management for Health Coaches
1
Stress may be the defining characteristic of 21st century life; no one is immune. Because every client is different though, health coaches need to understand stress and how it can affect us, and to appreciate the myriad of ways there are to manage it. This course examines the physiological, mental, and spiritual effects of stress before turning to a variety of holistic approaches to stress management that coaches will find useful in their practice.
HHE 5448 Coaching Experiential
1
Quarter 3
Units
HHE 5455 Supervised Community Coaching
2
HHE 5432 Coaching Practicum B
1
Students are observed coaching and receive detailed feedback from a coaching mentor. Written and practical examinations are administered as the final step in obtaining the Coaching Certificate/ Specialization (depending on student’s program) and to conform to the requirements of the International Coach Federation and other credentialing organizations.
HHE 5453 Weight & Body Image for Health Coaches
1
Individuals frequently seek out health and wellness coaches to lose weight and/or change their body shape/size. However, the evidence is overwhelming that weight-loss diets are ineffective long-term and often harmful. Moreover, body dissatisfaction is a growing and insidious problem in U.S. culture. In this course, health coaches learn how to work from a “do no harm” perspective to promote these clients’ long-term health and wellbeing. Coaches will also learn how to recognize more serious conditions, such as depression, eating disorders ,and body dysmorphic disorder, as well as how to refer appropriately.
HHE 5448 Coaching Experiential
0.5
Quarter 2
Units
HHE 5430 Coaching Practicum A
1
Students build coaching skills through practice.
HHE 5431 Coaching for Health & Wellbeing
1
The focus of this course is coaching individuals for health and wellbeing. Students consider different coaching models and tools such as salutogenesis, narrative, and appreciative inquiry, that are well suited to promoting the client’s wellbeing. Students explore the importance of alignment between a client’s health values and beliefs and their coaching goals. The practice of creating “wellness visions” and the like is examined. We also identify barriers to coaching for health and wellbeing and how to overcome them.
HHE 5452 Change Theory for Coaches
1
This course looks at what motivates people to make sustainable changes in their lives. Change theories covered include Bridges’ Transition Theory, the Transtheoretical Model, Self-Determination Theory, and the Immunity to Change Model. We will also cover transformative learning theory, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, and Paulo Freire’s concepts of praxis and critical consciousness as key models for working with adults. Coaching students explore how they can use these theories and models to help their clients realize their goals and achieve lasting change.
HHE 5454 Stress Management for Health Coaches
1
Stress may be the defining characteristic of 21st century life; no one is immune. Because every client is different though, health coaches need to understand stress and how it can affect us, and to appreciate the myriad of ways there are to manage it. This course examines the physiological, mental, and spiritual effects of stress before turning to a variety of holistic approaches to stress management that coaches will find useful in their practice.
HHE 5448 Coaching Experiential
1

Maybe Lasts forever. Yes changes the world.

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Master of Arts in Consciousness and Transformative Studies

1

First Accredited Consciousness MA in the United States

40+

Year Old Program

88%

Student Satisfaction Rate

74%

Program Alumni with Right Livelihood

Ways to Learn

  • Online
  • Hybrid
  • In-Person

Program Length

  • 2 Years Full-Time
  • 3 Years Part-Time
  • 58 Units

Resources

Overview

Delve deeper into your own consciousness and gain the knowledge to help transform self and world with a Master of Arts in Consciousness and Transformative Studies.

Drawing from psychology, philosophy, religion, and the new sciences, consciousness studies bridges the divide between science and spirituality to empower transformative leaders. Leading students on a journey of self-discovery, the MA in Consciousness and Transformative Studies program links personal transformation to professional development and service of the greater good. The program is designed not only to galvanize your wisdom, courage, love, joy, and vitality, but also to enrich your sense of meaning, passion, and purpose. This program is offered on campus and online in a structured format with weekly deadlines across each quarter-long course.

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Highlights

  • Attain greater self-knowledge and growth through a multidisciplinary approach drawing from psychology, philosophy, and religion
  • Clarify your life purpose and develop professional expertise
  • Gain creative competencies applicable to a wide range of fields

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students earning a Master’s in Consciousness and Transformative Studies will be able to do the following:

  • Articulate and apply a holistic and developmental view of consciousness and human evolution.
  • Demonstrate awareness and accountability for one’s subjective states and stage development using integrative psychological and spiritual principles and practices.
  • Communicate and apply systems theory principles to individual, community, and organizational transformation.
  • Apply leadership and Participatory Action Research skills to a creative leadership project in service of consciousness growth and systems change.

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Why JFKU

Turn Your Degree into Your Work

Acknowledging that the journey of identifying our authentic purpose would not be complete without the practical skills necessary to make that vision a reality, our program devotes a portion of required coursework to professional development topics such as writing, teaching, publishing, entrepreneurship, and coaching. These practical skills aid students in translating their degree into a professional context.

Customize Your Expertise

Graduates of the Program go on to work in a range of fields where their new skills allow them to effectively guide individuals, organizations, and even entire communities through transformational change. Depending on their objectives, students may choose from a variety of specializations:

  • Consciousness and Healing
  • Culture and Community
  • Philosophy and Religion
  • Dream Studies
  • Coaching (Coming soon!)

Come Home to a Program that Recognizes Your Experience

In existence since the late 1970s, our program was one of the first of its kind in the country. We were built on the understanding that there are those of us out there whose experience is not yet recognized by the culture at large. In joining us, many of our students feel that they have found their tribe. By discovering a shared recognition of their unique experience, they also come home to themselves.

Curriculum

The Master’s in Consciousness and Transformative Studies requires completion of 58 quarter units. Specializations are completed within the 58 units through completion of four “core” courses and 6-7 elective units, all of which are part of the degree requirements.

Undergraduate Prerequisites [1]
COR 3145 – Research Writing (4 units)

Fall - First Year
Units
CNS 5049 Intro to Consciousness Studies
0 (All New Students)
This course introduces new students to the Consciousness and Transformative Studies program.
CNS 5012 Emotional Intelligence
3
This course introduces basic principles and practices of effective communication. Since emotional intelligence is a cornerstone of effective communication, students learn about affect theory and emotional scripts, and learn to apply these theories personally in service of greater self-awareness. Topics include emotional intelligence, affect theory, emotional scripts, emotional triggering and reactivity, presence, centering, listening skills, and discriminating between content and process.
CNS 5015 Body Consciousness/ Body Wisdom
2
This experiential course gives students the opportunity to explore their own body sensations, and in so doing, to make contact with its wisdom and power. We explore various areas and systems of the body, listening to their messages about what makes us feel supported, trusting, and strong; what makes us feel alive and passionate; what is right for us; what makes us feel satisfied; what do we care for and what do we want to give; what are our boundaries and what do we want to express; and what makes us feel protected and safe. Along the way, we consider messages that signal stress, anxiety, hunger, fear, and vulnerability.
Winter - First Year
Units
CNS 5030 Consciousness of Sleep and Dreams
2
Students will examine recent scientific research in sleep and dreams and explore varieties of techniques in working with dreams. The course focuses on the states of consciousness within sleep and different phenomena of the dreaming mind. Students will also explore their own dreams through different experiential and creative explorations.
CNS 5013 Interpersonal Intelligence
3
(prereq: CNS 5012 Emotional) This course continues to practice skills and principles of effective communication with a focus on intersubjective contexts. Students explore the use of communication in day-to-day life, relationships, counseling, teaching, employment settings, and other contexts. Topics include emotional dynamics, conflict resolution, and the importance of communication in social and global issues.
Spring - First Year
Units
CNS 5010 Paradigms of Consciousness
3
A paradigm is a model of reality, or aspects of reality, held by a community, and affirmed and enacted through communal behavior. Society today is shaped by past paradigms of consciousness as well as those which are newly emerging. This class explores the nature of paradigms, how they emerge, and how they are sustained and changed. We give particular attention to the evolution of various paradigms of consciousness and reality – from indigenous to modern, postmodern, holistic, and integral – and examine the potential of each to contribute to personal, social, and global transformation.
CNS 5125 Transpersonal Psychology
3
Summer - First Year
Units
CNS 5349 Integral Life Spiritual Practice
2
The complex challenges of our time demand that we give the best of ourselves to the world, yet many of these challenges leave us with little time for self-care or self-cultivation. An integral life practice, which draws on both ancient and modern insights and techniques as well as the principles of cross-training to maximize the effectiveness of our efforts, offers a stream-lined approach to transformative practice and thriving. Through this course, students engage in individual and collective self-assessment exercises, and learn to design and implement an integrative program of practices to promote physical health, emotional balance, mental clarity, and spiritual awakening.
CNS 5275 Living Systems & Creative Potential
2
This course introduces the basic principles of Living Systems Theory using theoretical and experiential components. Students apply these principles and practices to a selected area of interest (ecology, psychological development, community/cultural development, education, business or spiritual leadership, etc). We also explore feedback processes, the interdependence of all life, creative emergence, individual development, family systems and the impact of systems thinking on organizational transformation and social change.
Fall - Second Year
Units
CNS 5017 Human Development and Evolution of Consciousness
2
This course imparts a meta-perspective on human development and on the evolution of human consciousness. Developmental models assist us in perceiving the growth potentials across the human life span, which include conscious leadership. The course introduces various models of human development, such as Erikson’s psychosocial development, Kohlberg and Gilligan’s moral development, Fowler’s faith development and Kegan’s adult development. The course also explores basic elements of Ken Wilber’s integral theory, including the four quadrants, the difference between states and stages, and premodern, modern, and postmodern altitudes. Topics include models of consciousness, the relationship of Self/self, and the potential of integral psychology to deepen our understanding of and help bring about personal psycho-spiritual development as well as social/global change.
ELECTIVES OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
3
Winter - Second Year
Units
CNS 5023 Shamanic Traditions
2
Shamanic practices and rituals that acknowledge and strengthen relationship to family, community, and the earth are sorely lacking in our modern culture, yet with each person’s ancestral lineages can be found evidence of earth-based spirituality, nurtured and supported through shamanic traditions. In this class, students will research shamanic practices within their ancestral lineages with the intention of integrating these practices with present-day knowledge.
CNS 5120 Diversity, Community & Leadership
3
(prereq: CNS 5013 Interpersonal) This course explores the question: Who am I, who are we, and who do we want to be as leaders of a new paradigm of interrelationship, interconnection, compassion and global citizenship? Students explore diversity, community development, leadership skills and professional development possibilities for expressing their highest and deepest values as agents of transformative change in their personal lives, families, and communities.
Spring - Second Year
Units
CNS 5025 Cosmology & Consciousness
3
(Prerequisite: CNS 5010 Paradigms). Cosmology is the study of the origin, structure, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe. Perhaps the most mysterious and intriguing aspect of the universe is the fact that it has evolved to include living beings with experience and even self-consciousness. Using the principles of systems theory, we can view the evolution and development of human consciousness not as separate from the rest of the cosmos, as is usually thought, but as integral parts of the experiential expansion of the cosmos. In this view, experience is as fundamental a feature of the universe as is space, time, energy, and matter. This participatory cosmology asks us all to become aware of our subjective states as causal elements in the continuing unfolding of the cosmos.
ELECTIVES OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2
Summer - Second Year
Units
CNS 5455 Professional Identity: Life Purpose
3
This course presents the Enneagram system through the lens of professional identity (e.g. as team members, leaders, entrepreneurs). The Enneagram is a spiritual and psychological personality system comprised of 9 interrelated personality types with distinct unconscious emotional motivations that drive behavior and are expressed in 9 unique styles of speaking, communicating, body language and world view. The course examines the Enneagram Centers, Wings and Levels of Development, to identify differences between people of the same Type and levels of constriction (i.e. healthy to unhealthy). Throughout the course, students are expected to create and maintain a developmental practice designed to bring awareness to subjective reactions and perceptions and improve self-awareness, self-management and personal accountability.
CNS 5020 Archetypal Mythology
3
(Prerequisite: CNS 5125 Transpersonal). This course explores the role, weight, and significance of life's mythic dimension from the standpoint of depth psychologists who have claimed that mythic presences, events, and situations are not dead or extinct, but alive and addressing us continually. Archetypes and myths address us every day in our dreams, relationships, conflicts, and mishaps. We explore this claim through discussions, dream work, film, and other media that disclose deep myth-making layers of the psyche. Understanding the archetypal layer of consciousness deepens awareness of our subjectivity, and restores to us the archaic roots of our evolutionary heritage.
CNS 5126 Qualitative Research A
1
This course provides students with an introduction to research paradigms, and an overview of qualitative research methodologies. Discussion and exercises in class are geared toward defining and developing a research topic, question and project, in preparation for designing and conducting a creative leadership project.
Winter - First Year
Units
CNS 5030 Consciousness of Sleep and Dreams
2
Students will examine recent scientific research in sleep and dreams and explore varieties of techniques in working with dreams. The course focuses on the states of consciousness within sleep and different phenomena of the dreaming mind. Students will also explore their own dreams through different experiential and creative explorations.
CNS 5013 Interpersonal Intelligence
3
(prereq: CNS 5012 Emotional) This course continues to practice skills and principles of effective communication with a focus on intersubjective contexts. Students explore the use of communication in day-to-day life, relationships, counseling, teaching, employment settings, and other contexts. Topics include emotional dynamics, conflict resolution, and the importance of communication in social and global issues.
Summer - First Year
Units
CNS 5349 Integral Life Spiritual Practice
2
The complex challenges of our time demand that we give the best of ourselves to the world, yet many of these challenges leave us with little time for self-care or self-cultivation. An integral life practice, which draws on both ancient and modern insights and techniques as well as the principles of cross-training to maximize the effectiveness of our efforts, offers a stream-lined approach to transformative practice and thriving. Through this course, students engage in individual and collective self-assessment exercises, and learn to design and implement an integrative program of practices to promote physical health, emotional balance, mental clarity, and spiritual awakening.
CNS 5275 Living Systems & Creative Potential
2
This course introduces the basic principles of Living Systems Theory using theoretical and experiential components. Students apply these principles and practices to a selected area of interest (ecology, psychological development, community/cultural development, education, business or spiritual leadership, etc). We also explore feedback processes, the interdependence of all life, creative emergence, individual development, family systems and the impact of systems thinking on organizational transformation and social change.
Winter - Second Year
Units
CNS 5023 Shamanic Traditions
2
Shamanic practices and rituals that acknowledge and strengthen relationship to family, community, and the earth are sorely lacking in our modern culture, yet with each person’s ancestral lineages can be found evidence of earth-based spirituality, nurtured and supported through shamanic traditions. In this class, students will research shamanic practices within their ancestral lineages with the intention of integrating these practices with present-day knowledge.
CNS 5120 Diversity, Community & Leadership
3
(prereq: CNS 5013 Interpersonal) This course explores the question: Who am I, who are we, and who do we want to be as leaders of a new paradigm of interrelationship, interconnection, compassion and global citizenship? Students explore diversity, community development, leadership skills and professional development possibilities for expressing their highest and deepest values as agents of transformative change in their personal lives, families, and communities.
Summer - Second Year
Units
CNS 5455 Professional Identity: Life Purpose
3
This course presents the Enneagram system through the lens of professional identity (e.g. as team members, leaders, entrepreneurs). The Enneagram is a spiritual and psychological personality system comprised of 9 interrelated personality types with distinct unconscious emotional motivations that drive behavior and are expressed in 9 unique styles of speaking, communicating, body language and world view. The course examines the Enneagram Centers, Wings and Levels of Development, to identify differences between people of the same Type and levels of constriction (i.e. healthy to unhealthy). Throughout the course, students are expected to create and maintain a developmental practice designed to bring awareness to subjective reactions and perceptions and improve self-awareness, self-management and personal accountability.
CNS 5020 Archetypal Mythology
3
(Prerequisite: CNS 5125 Transpersonal). This course explores the role, weight, and significance of life's mythic dimension from the standpoint of depth psychologists who have claimed that mythic presences, events, and situations are not dead or extinct, but alive and addressing us continually. Archetypes and myths address us every day in our dreams, relationships, conflicts, and mishaps. We explore this claim through discussions, dream work, film, and other media that disclose deep myth-making layers of the psyche. Understanding the archetypal layer of consciousness deepens awareness of our subjectivity, and restores to us the archaic roots of our evolutionary heritage.
CNS 5126 Qualitative Research A
1
This course provides students with an introduction to research paradigms, and an overview of qualitative research methodologies. Discussion and exercises in class are geared toward defining and developing a research topic, question and project, in preparation for designing and conducting a creative leadership project.

Faculty

Karen Ann Jaenke

Program Chair, College of Psychology
kjaenke@jfku.edu

Bonnie Johnstone

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Bruce Alderman

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Carole Griggs

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Charles Burack

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

David Pleasants

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Isabella Price

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Loyd Auerbach

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Niralli D’Costa

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Samuel A. Malkemus

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Stephan Martin

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology
Fall - Third Year
Units
CNS 5127 Qualitative Research B (OR)
1
(prereq: CNS 5126 Qualitative Research A) Continuing the approach of CNS 5126, this course provides students with an in-depth exposure to participatory action research methods. Students apply one of these methods to their own creative leadership project by creating a research design using Action Research, Collaborative Inquiry or Appreciative Inquiry. They also complete a literature review focused on their topic and project.
CNS 5600 Planning a Thesis
1
(prereq: CNS 5126 Qualitative Research A) In this course, students will explore their thesis topics and clarify the major questions to be addressed.
ELECTIVES OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4
Winter - Third Year
Units
CNS 5610 MA Integrative Project A (OR)
1
(prereq: CNS 5127 Qualitative Research B) Students implement participatory action research methods in service of consciousness growth and systems change. Students conduct research for their creative leadership project designed in CNS 5127. Projects typically engage in four cycles of action and reflection, plus a final meaning-making meeting.
CNS 5602 Thesis
1
(prereq: CNS 5600 Planning a Thesis)
ELECTIVES OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4
Spring - Third Year
Units
CNS 5611 MA Integrative Project B (OR)
1
In this class, students assimilate the learnings from their creative leadership project conducted in service of consciousness growth and systems change. They prepare their final integrative paper, reporting on their learnings from their creative leadership project conducted in CNS 5610. They also present their project and learnings in class. The creative leadership project offers a bridge to post-graduation work and right livelihood.
CNS 5602 Thesis
1
(prereq: CNS 5600 Planning a Thesis)
CNS 5613 Consciousness Studies Integration
1
This course, taken at the conclusion of the program, offers students the opportunity to integrate their cumulative learnings from the Consciousness and Transformative Studies curriculum, both personally and conceptually. The course includes a review of key concepts and major principles from the core curriculum, gathered through student presentations and then evaluated through a cumulative learning assessment. Additionally, students apply these concepts and principles in a personal essay exploring their own transformation of consciousness throughout the program.
ELECTIVES OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4
Summer - Third Year
Units
CNS 5602 Thesis
1
Winter - Third Year
Units
CNS 5610 MA Integrative Project A (OR)
1
(prereq: CNS 5127 Qualitative Research B) Students implement participatory action research methods in service of consciousness growth and systems change. Students conduct research for their creative leadership project designed in CNS 5127. Projects typically engage in four cycles of action and reflection, plus a final meaning-making meeting.
CNS 5602 Thesis
1
(prereq: CNS 5600 Planning a Thesis)
ELECTIVES OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4
Summer - Third Year
Units
CNS 5602 Thesis
1

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In my life, my academic pursuits, and my vocation, I have taken an alternative path. As a young adult, I was compelled by early formative experiences to follow a path that had heart and soul. Guided by an inner insistence that my work be personally meaningful, as well socially additive, I sought to allow my […]

After nearly 40 years of offering the Master of Arts in Consciousness and Transformative Studies onsite we are now launching a 100% online version of the same program this fall! About the Curriculum The program aims to facilitate a combination of conceptual understanding, personal transformation, and professional development. This 58-unit interdisciplinary master’s degree approaches consciousness […]

The election of Donald Trump has caused a lot of intense emotions. You might be elated that your side has finally won and those sensitive liberals are finally getting their due. The left’s proliferation of safe spaces, micro-aggressions, at least 50 new gender pronouns, etc. is viewed to be excessive from the perspective of the […]

Here, where the river slips like Sanskrit From the mouths of rocks, And the hawks in blue swing Above the mistletoe, And the dropped sun does nothing On the water’s face;   Where I sway by plum-colored currents, This as grass, and mad As a hermit, mad with prayer, In a hovel of trees,   […]

Isabella Price is a seeker. It has always been this way. She was raised in a traditional Christian household and the Vatican was seen as law, but for some reason this didn’t quite sit right with her. “My mother being Roman Catholic, it was like whatever Rome says is infallible,” Isabella says wryly. “The dogmatic […]

The Writings of Eckhart Tolle Dr. Charles Burack is a professor in the College of Psychology and Dr. Karen Jaenke is the chair of Consciousness and Transformative Studies at JFKU. In this video, the two professors discuss the importance of Tolle’s teachings and the benefits of being present and quieting the chattering mind. Charles Burack: […]

Tonya Kent, a John F. Kennedy University student in the JD program, is motivated by kindness to share with members of her community most in need. She splits her time between studying and working to help incarcerated women. Through her own organization Infinite Hope and Restoration, in partnership with other nonprofit organizations, she seeks to […]

On Friday, June 22, 2018 the Consciousness and Transformative Studies program held its graduation ritual to honor its graduating students. In addition to the graduating students, faculty, staff, current students, alumni and family members of graduates were in attendance, representing all constituent groups in the CTS community. Room S108 had been transformed from ordinary classroom […]

Master of Arts
in Counseling Psychology

39,157

Counseling Psychology Hours Performed by Students Each Year

80%+

Pass Rate for First Time Test Takers (MFT and LPCC)

1:12

Student Teacher Ratio

Each Student Assigned

Ways to Learn

  • In-Person
  • Hybrid

Quick Facts

  • 2.5 Years/ 10 Quarters
  • Part-Time & Accelerated Options
  • 90 Units
  • Morning, Evening & Weekend Options

Campus Location

Resources

Overview

“Follow your passion,” the old saying goes. But what about compassion? With a license-eligible Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills necessary to transform your affinity for helping others into a career in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT).

Marriage and Family Therapists work with clients of all ages and life circumstances, from children to seniors, guiding them through life’s many challenges. JFK University’s MA in Counseling Psychology prepares graduates to attain their full potential as practitioners by focusing on the development of clinical skills through extensive practical experience. Our expanded focus on clinical skills, assessment, and diagnosis make JFK University graduates some of the most highly sought-after Marriage and Family Therapists in the competitive Bay Area job market.

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Highlights

  • Satisfy California Board of Behavioral Sciences Requirements and gain exam preparation with this license-eligible degree
  • Attune yourself to issues of multiculturalism and social justice
  • Learn from a faculty of practitioner-scholar experts
  • Accelerated evening/weekend option

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students completing the Master’s in Counseling Psychology will be able to do the following:

Articulate and evaluate the role of the self in marriage and family therapy and in professional clinical counseling along with developing strong professional identities as therapists and counselors and demonstrating leadership and advocacy applicable to furthering the professions.

Assess and diagnose client problems systematically and contextually.

Establish, maintain, evaluate, and utilize the therapeutic relationship to serve the mental health needs of diverse clients.

Recognize their own potential biases and deliver culturally sensitive treatment.

Utilize concepts, structures, theories, models, and technologies appropriate to the practice of marriage and family therapy and professional clinical counseling.

Identify, explain, and apply state, federal, and local laws that govern the provision of psychotherapy and counseling and can employ ethical decision-making processes.

Be aware of, evaluate, and respond to measurable outcomes of their work with clients using the research tools and methods in the field and employing evidence-based practices in psychotherapy and counseling interventions, assessments, and program evaluations.

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Why JFKU

A Modern, Multifaceted Degree in Counseling Psychology

JFK University’s master’s degree program in Counseling Psychology provides a robust contemporary education in the counseling arts and the practice of psychotherapy, integrating recent findings in fields such as trauma research, developmental attachment, systems theory, and neurobiology (including interpersonal neurobiology) with a grounding in evidence-based practices and psychotherapy.

Accelerated Degree Program

The MA in Counseling Psychology is also offered in an accelerated format, which allows students to complete the program in 2 years instead of 2 and a half. Classes are held on Thursday evenings and all day Saturday on the Pleasant Hill campus, making this track an accessible option for students who are also holding down a full-time job.

An Emphasis on Clinical Practice

Our program graduates stand apart from the competition thanks to the volume of practical experience and clinical skills training they receive. Whereas most programs require only one quarter of clinical skills training, JFK University requires three. And the JFK University MA in Clinical Psychology offers up to twice as many courses dedicated to assessment and diagnosis as other programs.

Practitioner-Scholars Who Practice What They Teach

Our faculty members collectively have published dozens of articles, books, and studies, and they have travelled the country giving talks on their respective areas of expertise. Their diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints exposes our students to the full breadth of clinical psychology and allows them to make informed decisions about which theoretical approaches and practice areas suit them best.

Curriculum

To receive the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree, students must complete 90 units.

Fall - First Year
Units
PSY/PSJ 5115 Theories for MFT Practice I
3
This course serves as the beginning of a survey of historical and empirical foundations of therapeutic theories and their effectiveness. Individually-oriented and family systems epistemologies are compared in their historical contexts. Theories I covers psychodynamically-based approaches with individuals, couples, and families. The course also introduces communication theory, cybernetics, and early systems approaches. This course is the first in the three-quarter sequence with PSY 5156 and PSY 5157.
PSY/PSJ 5112 The Family Life Cycle
3
Students study individual and family life cycle stages and transitions, including childhood, adolescence, launching, courtship, early marriage, childbirth, divorce, blended families, aging, and death. Human growth, intergenerational theory and multicultural considerations form a framework for the examination of life cycle stages and transitions. Students reflect on clinical applications and implications for self-of-the-therapist development.
PSY/PSJ 5070 Theories and Practices of Community Mental Health
3
This course provides contextual and practical information for working in publicly-funded community settings. Core elements of the community mental health movement and factors essential for working effectively with diverse communities will be initially provided. Using this as a foundation, other core issues will be addressed, including: working with the severely mentally ill; wellness, resilience, and recovery; consumers, families, and community as key partners in collaborative treatment; continuum of care across human services; multicultural competence and accountability; addiction and substance abuse; case management principles; disaster and community trauma response. Appropriate therapeutic models, including effective practices, emerging community practices, and linking interventions to outcomes will also be core to this course.
PSY/PSJ 5000 New Student Orientation
0
This is a required one time orientation to the MA in Counseling Psychology program. It provides essential information needed to navigate the university and program systems by reviewing essential information regarding policies, ethical codes of conduct, community building, and academic expectations. Specific discussion topics include; curriculum requirements, core competencies, comprehensive exams, practicum/internship, graduation requirements, university and department resources and advisement, professional conduct, and an introduction to evidence based practice..
PSY/PSJ 9001 Diversity Awareness Workshop
0
In this workshop, students engage in activities and discussions designed to increase awareness of diversity issues on the personal, social, professional, and systems levels. It is intended to be taken in the first phase of study and must be completed prior to enrollment in PSY5249 or PSY5260 Field Practicum.
Winter - First Year
Units
PSY/PSJ 5156 Theories for MFT Practice II
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5115 This course examines family systems, humanistic, and experiential approaches to include with individuals, couples, and families. Students participate in experiential learning activities to bridge theory and application. This course is the second in the three-quarter sequence with PSY 5115 and PSY 5157.
PSY/PSJ 5230 Clinical Skills Training A: Self as Clinician
3
This course focuses on the person of the therapist with an emphasis on one’s own values, beliefs, attitudes, personal biases, and expectations. Students are invited to examine how their personal history has led up to a decision to enter the field of counseling psychology. Through personal reflections and interpersonal interactions students are also invited to consider how their context shapes who they are as individuals, and impacts interactions between self and other. In this class “context” will be examined as one’s personal history, family of origin, cultural dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion, and physical ability, as well as community, national, and global realities. Theoretical and experiential learning applies this contextual awareness of self and other to communication and counseling skills. Through experiential activities, students will gain self-awareness, practice foundational counseling skills, and learn about self-disclosure, as both a tool for effective therapeutic change, and as a barrier to clinical treatment.
PSY/PSJ 5054 Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative
3
The Research Methods course provides a brief introduction to various forms of research methods, both quantitative and qualitative. An overview is presented of the quantitative and qualitative research methods and designs applicable to the systematic analysis of the varieties of human behaviors. Scientific problem-solving will be emphasized to include observational techniques and measurement tools, coding, analytic strategies, and reporting of research. Reviews of applications within the psychological literature will be covered. The course will encourage students to focus on research that has been used in their appropriate fields. This course will help in preparing students for the MA research thesis process and will facilitate understanding of research in later work as a practitioner in the field.
Spring - First Year
Units
PSY/PSJ 5157 Theories for MFT Practice III
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5156 This course closely examines cognitive-behavioral, post modern and integrative approaches to individual, couple, and family therapy. Evidence-based treatment models and common factors in research are explored. This course is the third in the three-quarter sequence with PSY 5115 and PSY 5156.
PSY/PSJ 5231 Clinical Skills Training B: MFT Techniques I
3
Prereq PSY/PSJ 5230 This course is an introduction to clinical communication processes with individuals, couples, and families. Working within a multicultural context, students interactively learn practical skills for joining with clients, gathering clinical information in early interviews through use of questions and formal assessment methods, such as the genogram, and the mental status exam, and developing early clinical hypotheses linked to theory-based conceptualizations. Includes skills such as listening and tracking, focusing on process vs. content, understanding contributing dynamics, mirroring and reflective listening, interviewing individuals, couples, and families, a systemic evaluation of unit(s) of treatment, and managing therapeutic crises. Students learn how to recognize opportunities for referral and collaboration, and make appropriate use of clinical supervision. This course is the first in the two-quarter sequence with PSY 5232 taken with same instructor.
PSY/PSJ 5635 Ethics and the Law
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5230; Concurrent: PSY/PSJ 5231 Examines legal and ethical issues related to the practice of Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Clinical Counseling. Class topics include ethical and legal obligations of licensees, legal trends in mental health and family law, professional behavior, and the impact of therapist’s values on practice. Case management, referral practices, confidentiality and privilege, scope of practice, client welfare, and AAMFT, CAMFT, and ACA specific codes of ethics are also covered. Systemic, specific issues such as joint confidentiality, sessions with sub-systems, and separation and divorce are also considered.
Summer - First Year
Units
PSY/PSJ 5303 Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy: Assessment and Treatment A
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5157 This course is part of a two quarter sequence with 5304 & is taken with the same instructor. Part one focuses on the history of assessment & diagnosis using the DSM-5 related to children and adolescents. DSM-5 diagnoses will be explored from various viewpoints through using both formal and informal assessment tools; differential diagnosis; neuropsychology findings; and a bio-psycho-social approach. Topics include developmental theories, case conceptualization and the introduction of treatment planning through a multicultural & systemic lens.
PSY/PSJ 5232 Clinical Skills C: MFT Techniques II
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5231 with same Instructor Students continue to prepare for clinical work with individuals, couples, and families. Supervised role-play and/or videotaped practice sessions are used to help students practice listening and tracking, re-focusing from content to process, mirroring and reflective listening, and creating couple and family enactments. Students practice applying individual and systemic case conceptualizations to the beginning, middle, and end phases of therapy, and formulating clinical approaches using individual and systemic theories of practice. This course is the Third in the three-quarter sequence with PSY 5230 and PSY 5231.
PSY/PSJ 5403 Diagnosis and Assessment of Psychopathology A
3
This course is part one of a two-quarter sequence and it examines notions of health and psychopathology from individual, familial, and systemic perspectives. It focuses on the history, development, use, and critique of the DSM-5, with an emphasis on all mental disorders diagnosed except for Personality Disorders (to be discussed in Psychopathology B) and diagnoses designed for children (to be discussed in the Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapy sequence). DSM-5 diagnoses will be explored from various viewpoints, including assessment (formal—such as mental status exam—and informal—such as intake interviews), differential diagnosis, neuropsychology findings, psychopharmacology, and a bio-psycho-social approach. Culturally sensitive diagnosis is included as well as the scope of LPCC and LMFT practice, use of referrals, inter-disciplinary and inter-agency cooperation, and wellness/recovery principles. This course is the first of a two-quarter sequence with PSY 5404 taken with same instructor.
PSY/PSJ 9000 Child Abuse Assessment & Reporting Workshop
0
This workshop covers the following topics: recognizing and assessing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect; legal definitions of child abuse; legal reporting requirements and process; crisis intervention for the victim, families, and abusers; cross-cultural concerns; counter-transference issues; and community resources. It meets the requirement of AB141 for seven hours of training for MFT licensure and must be taken prior to the beginning of field placement.
Fall - Second Year
Units
PSF 5251 Field Practicum 1
1.5
Field experience at a JFK University Community Center that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of community counseling center director required.
PSY/PSJ 5304 Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy: Assessment and Treatment B
3
Prerequisite: PSY/PSJ 5303 with same Instructor This course is part two of the child, adolescent and family therapy series. The course examines the theories and practices in working with children and adolescents within individual, systemic, and multicultural contexts. Topics include a variety of clinical techniques and treatment modalities within different theoretical orientations. Students participate in experiential learning activities to bridge theory with application.
PSY/PSJ 5404 Diagnosis and Assessment of Psychopathology B
3
Prerequisite: PSY/PSJ 5403 with same Instructor This is part two of a two-quarter sequence examining, in particular, psychopathologies diagnosed in the category of Personality Disorders of the DSM-5--while simultaneously reviewing all the other categories. Etiology, assessment, and treatment recommendations of personality disorders from multi-theoretical perspectives, including cultural contexts, are explored and critiqued. Dual diagnoses, including co-occurring Substance Induced and Substance Use disorders and their standard screening and assessment instruments, are being discussed.
PSY/PSJ 5620 Multicultural Competence
3
Prerequisite: PSY/PSJ 9001 This course provides specific exposure to core elements in multicultural counseling. The course is specifically designed to enhance students’: a) deepening awareness and appreciation of their own cultural identities through theoretical frameworks; b) understanding of variables that affect therapeutic process and outcomes for diverse individuals, couples, and families; c) knowledge of evidence-based practices, community-defined evidence, and cultural adaptation of effective practices; and d) skills in committing to multicultural competence and sensitivity as an ongoing, developmental process in becoming and practicing as a therapist.
Winter - Second Year
Units
PSF 5252 Field Practicum 2
1.5
Field experience at a JFK University Community Center that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of community counseling center director required.
PSY/PSJ 5179 Family Treatment of Addiction
3
This course provides core information about alcohol and drug addiction, including the physical, psychological, and systemic impact they have on individuals, couples, and their families. Compulsive behaviors, such as disordered eating, gambling, and internet addictions, as well as their assessment are included, along with information about etiology, intergenerational patterns, and relapse. Research and assessment on systemic treatment approaches for youth, adults, minorities, and co-occurring disorders are reviewed. Standard screening and assessment instruments for substance use disorders and process addictions are covered. Contemporary strategies, such as abstinence/12-step, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, community-based treatment, and recovery (disease) models are covered. Students will learn about appropriate collaboration with other professionals, and about how to make appropriate referrals.
PSY/PSJ 5247 Clinical Case Seminar
2
Prerequisite: PSF 5251 This course accompanies quarters/sessions 2-4 of a student’s practicum experience (5261-5263 or 5250-5252), and involves formal presentation of ongoing clinical cases. Students will present videotape, audiotape, and/or treatment studies in class, for feedback on case conceptualization, systemic theory application, and treatment planning that is consistent with theoretical orientation. Instructors may also use role play, and other techniques to help students with treatment impasses, illustrate, and practice interventions, etc. Students will learn the application of both individual and systemic theories. This course is also intended to support students in preparing for their Master’s Oral Exam. Limited to students in clinical practice. Students with unsatisfactory progress in this course may be required to take extra quarter(s) beyond the three required for graduation.
PSY/PSJ 5434 Family Violence
2
This course covers violence against children, intimate partners, and the elderly. The following topics are addressed: the shared dynamics associated with violence; recognizing and assessing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect; legal definitions of child, dependent adult, and elder abuse; legal reporting requirements and process; crisis intervention for victims, families, and abusers; cross-cultural concerns; self-of-therapist issues; and community resources. Culturally sensitive therapeutic theories and interventions are examined. This course satisfies the BBS requirement for 15 hours of coursework in domestic violence for Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Clinical Counselors.
PSY/PSJ 9010 Issues with HIV/AIDS Workshop
0
This course covers the current medical, psychosocial, and mental health needs of clients living with HIV/AIDS, as well as family members, intimate partners, and caretakers. Specific concerns addressed include working with chemically addicted clients, cultural diversity issues including racial and sexual minority clients, legal issues, self-of-therapist issues, and effective models for service delivery and care. Family dynamics that impede or support treatment compliance are included. This course satisfies the BBS requirement for Marriage and Family therapists to complete a course at least seven hours in length that covers the characteristics and methods of assessment and treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Spring - Second Year
Units
PSF 5253 Field Practicum 3
1.5
Field experience at a JFK University Community Center that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of community counseling center director required.
PSY/PSJ 5154 Couple Therapy
3
This course introduces students to the modality of couples therapy. Empirically based and non-empirically based models of treatment will be explored. Students will participate in experiential learning activities designed for practicing fundamental clinical skills in couples counseling.
PSY/PSJ 5247 Clinical Case Seminar
2
This course accompanies quarters/sessions 2-4 of a student’s practicum experience (5261-5263 or 5250-5252), and involves formal presentation of ongoing clinical cases. Students will present videotape, audiotape, and/or treatment studies in class, for feedback on case conceptualization, systemic theory application, and treatment planning that is consistent with theoretical orientation. Instructors may also use role play, and other techniques to help students with treatment impasses, illustrate, and practice interventions, etc. Students will learn the application of both individual and systemic theories. This course is also intended to support students in preparing for their Master’s Oral Exam. Limited to students in clinical practice. Students with unsatisfactory progress in this course may be required to take extra quarter(s) beyond the three required for graduation.
PSY/PSJ 5310 Group Therapy
3
Group therapy has gained recognition as an evidence-based approach that is both critically-sound and cost-effective. This course introduces students to both theoretical and experiential understanding of group therapy. The value of multi-couple and multi-family groups is discussed. The class is introduced to psychoeducational (content), interpersonal (process-oriented), or combined (content and process) group approaches. An on-going group experience is required so that students may reflect upon their own interpersonal process to further develop the self of the therapist. An overview of multiple models and techniques are applied in experiential practice, including stages of group development, support group, group leadership, and facilitation styles.
PSY/PSJ 9090 Master’s Written Exam
0
Comprehensive written examination covering material of Phase I to be taken during the first or second quarter of filed working Phase II. Further guidelines are available in the Graduate Psychology office. The written examination must be passed before advancing to Phase III of the program.
PSY/PSJ 9007 Community Based Programs
0
(Concord School-Based Placement Students Only) Students take this workshop when beginning a school based practicum. Students are oriented to the organization and dynamics of working in a school based setting. The politics of working with children and adolescents in the schools is addressed including the legal and ethical issues inherent in the schools. Introduction into the specialized record keeping and procedures of the school based program will be implemented. Information is given regarding assessment and treatment planning in the school system. Students learn how to conduct consultation with the school personnel and parents.
Summer - Second Year
Units
PSF 5254 Field Practicum 4
4
Field experience at a JFK University Community Center that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of community counseling center director required.
PSY/PSJ 5613 Human Sexuality
2
This course covers a diverse range of human sexual and intimate behaviors throughout the lifespan. The course examines the impact of gender, race, class, age, health/disability, religion, sexual and gender identity, and sexual behaviors and concerns. Topics include sexual assessment interviewing, treatment models, clinicians’ comfort, and competence. Relevant legal and ethical issues are covered. This course satisfies the BBS requirements for licensure.
PSY/PSJ 5247 Clinical Case Seminar
2
This course accompanies quarters/sessions 2-4 of a student’s practicum experience (5261-5263 or 5250-5252), and involves formal presentation of ongoing clinical cases. Students will present videotape, audiotape, and/or treatment studies in class, for feedback on case conceptualization, systemic theory application, and treatment planning that is consistent with theoretical orientation. Instructors may also use role play, and other techniques to help students with treatment impasses, illustrate, and practice interventions, etc. Students will learn the application of both individual and systemic theories. This course is also intended to support students in preparing for their Master’s Oral Exam. Limited to students in clinical practice. Students with unsatisfactory progress in this course may be required to take extra quarter(s) beyond the three required for graduation.
PSY/PSJ 5167 Brief Therapy
2
This course examines theories and methods of brief therapy from systemic and individual psychotherapy perspectives. Topics include problem identification, goal formulation, languaging, problem solving and solution building. Students will learn philosophical and theoretical premises of approaches, and practice clinical application through experiential activities.
PSY/PSJ 9008 Aging and Long-Term Care Workshop
0
This course offers an overview of mental health issues for older adults. Differential diagnosis of dementia from depression along with the impact of retirement, altered family roles, decline in social and economic status, and increased disability. The psy­chological, social, and financial aspects of long-term care are discussed. Psychodynamic treatment strategies focus on maxi­mizing quality of life and functional capacity for the elderly client, and facilitating collaboration with family, medical personnel, and caregivers. This course satisfies the BBS requirement to complete a minimum of ten hours of coursework in aging and long-term care for California licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
PSY/ PSJ 5309 Seminar in MFT
1
These 1-3 unit courses cover specific topics pertaining to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Each class has a specific focus, such as working with issues in divorce and remarriage, grief and loss, resilience and wellness, medical family therapy, addiction, eating disorders, LGBT clients, expressive arts therapy, advanced child therapy, or advanced couple therapy. MFT Students must complete a total of 3 units of PSY5309. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Recommended for during field practicum.
Winter - First Year
Units
PSY/PSJ 5156 Theories for MFT Practice II
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5115 This course examines family systems, humanistic, and experiential approaches to include with individuals, couples, and families. Students participate in experiential learning activities to bridge theory and application. This course is the second in the three-quarter sequence with PSY 5115 and PSY 5157.
PSY/PSJ 5230 Clinical Skills Training A: Self as Clinician
3
This course focuses on the person of the therapist with an emphasis on one’s own values, beliefs, attitudes, personal biases, and expectations. Students are invited to examine how their personal history has led up to a decision to enter the field of counseling psychology. Through personal reflections and interpersonal interactions students are also invited to consider how their context shapes who they are as individuals, and impacts interactions between self and other. In this class “context” will be examined as one’s personal history, family of origin, cultural dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion, and physical ability, as well as community, national, and global realities. Theoretical and experiential learning applies this contextual awareness of self and other to communication and counseling skills. Through experiential activities, students will gain self-awareness, practice foundational counseling skills, and learn about self-disclosure, as both a tool for effective therapeutic change, and as a barrier to clinical treatment.
PSY/PSJ 5054 Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative
3
The Research Methods course provides a brief introduction to various forms of research methods, both quantitative and qualitative. An overview is presented of the quantitative and qualitative research methods and designs applicable to the systematic analysis of the varieties of human behaviors. Scientific problem-solving will be emphasized to include observational techniques and measurement tools, coding, analytic strategies, and reporting of research. Reviews of applications within the psychological literature will be covered. The course will encourage students to focus on research that has been used in their appropriate fields. This course will help in preparing students for the MA research thesis process and will facilitate understanding of research in later work as a practitioner in the field.
Summer - First Year
Units
PSY/PSJ 5303 Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy: Assessment and Treatment A
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5157 This course is part of a two quarter sequence with 5304 & is taken with the same instructor. Part one focuses on the history of assessment & diagnosis using the DSM-5 related to children and adolescents. DSM-5 diagnoses will be explored from various viewpoints through using both formal and informal assessment tools; differential diagnosis; neuropsychology findings; and a bio-psycho-social approach. Topics include developmental theories, case conceptualization and the introduction of treatment planning through a multicultural & systemic lens.
PSY/PSJ 5232 Clinical Skills C: MFT Techniques II
3
Prereq: PSY/PSJ 5231 with same Instructor Students continue to prepare for clinical work with individuals, couples, and families. Supervised role-play and/or videotaped practice sessions are used to help students practice listening and tracking, re-focusing from content to process, mirroring and reflective listening, and creating couple and family enactments. Students practice applying individual and systemic case conceptualizations to the beginning, middle, and end phases of therapy, and formulating clinical approaches using individual and systemic theories of practice. This course is the Third in the three-quarter sequence with PSY 5230 and PSY 5231.
PSY/PSJ 5403 Diagnosis and Assessment of Psychopathology A
3
This course is part one of a two-quarter sequence and it examines notions of health and psychopathology from individual, familial, and systemic perspectives. It focuses on the history, development, use, and critique of the DSM-5, with an emphasis on all mental disorders diagnosed except for Personality Disorders (to be discussed in Psychopathology B) and diagnoses designed for children (to be discussed in the Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapy sequence). DSM-5 diagnoses will be explored from various viewpoints, including assessment (formal—such as mental status exam—and informal—such as intake interviews), differential diagnosis, neuropsychology findings, psychopharmacology, and a bio-psycho-social approach. Culturally sensitive diagnosis is included as well as the scope of LPCC and LMFT practice, use of referrals, inter-disciplinary and inter-agency cooperation, and wellness/recovery principles. This course is the first of a two-quarter sequence with PSY 5404 taken with same instructor.
PSY/PSJ 9000 Child Abuse Assessment & Reporting Workshop
0
This workshop covers the following topics: recognizing and assessing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect; legal definitions of child abuse; legal reporting requirements and process; crisis intervention for the victim, families, and abusers; cross-cultural concerns; counter-transference issues; and community resources. It meets the requirement of AB141 for seven hours of training for MFT licensure and must be taken prior to the beginning of field placement.
Winter - Second Year
Units
PSF 5252 Field Practicum 2
1.5
Field experience at a JFK University Community Center that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of community counseling center director required.
PSY/PSJ 5179 Family Treatment of Addiction
3
This course provides core information about alcohol and drug addiction, including the physical, psychological, and systemic impact they have on individuals, couples, and their families. Compulsive behaviors, such as disordered eating, gambling, and internet addictions, as well as their assessment are included, along with information about etiology, intergenerational patterns, and relapse. Research and assessment on systemic treatment approaches for youth, adults, minorities, and co-occurring disorders are reviewed. Standard screening and assessment instruments for substance use disorders and process addictions are covered. Contemporary strategies, such as abstinence/12-step, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, community-based treatment, and recovery (disease) models are covered. Students will learn about appropriate collaboration with other professionals, and about how to make appropriate referrals.
PSY/PSJ 5247 Clinical Case Seminar
2
Prerequisite: PSF 5251 This course accompanies quarters/sessions 2-4 of a student’s practicum experience (5261-5263 or 5250-5252), and involves formal presentation of ongoing clinical cases. Students will present videotape, audiotape, and/or treatment studies in class, for feedback on case conceptualization, systemic theory application, and treatment planning that is consistent with theoretical orientation. Instructors may also use role play, and other techniques to help students with treatment impasses, illustrate, and practice interventions, etc. Students will learn the application of both individual and systemic theories. This course is also intended to support students in preparing for their Master’s Oral Exam. Limited to students in clinical practice. Students with unsatisfactory progress in this course may be required to take extra quarter(s) beyond the three required for graduation.
PSY/PSJ 5434 Family Violence
2
This course covers violence against children, intimate partners, and the elderly. The following topics are addressed: the shared dynamics associated with violence; recognizing and assessing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect; legal definitions of child, dependent adult, and elder abuse; legal reporting requirements and process; crisis intervention for victims, families, and abusers; cross-cultural concerns; self-of-therapist issues; and community resources. Culturally sensitive therapeutic theories and interventions are examined. This course satisfies the BBS requirement for 15 hours of coursework in domestic violence for Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Clinical Counselors.
PSY/PSJ 9010 Issues with HIV/AIDS Workshop
0
This course covers the current medical, psychosocial, and mental health needs of clients living with HIV/AIDS, as well as family members, intimate partners, and caretakers. Specific concerns addressed include working with chemically addicted clients, cultural diversity issues including racial and sexual minority clients, legal issues, self-of-therapist issues, and effective models for service delivery and care. Family dynamics that impede or support treatment compliance are included. This course satisfies the BBS requirement for Marriage and Family therapists to complete a course at least seven hours in length that covers the characteristics and methods of assessment and treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Summer - Second Year
Units
PSF 5254 Field Practicum 4
4
Field experience at a JFK University Community Center that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of community counseling center director required.
PSY/PSJ 5613 Human Sexuality
2
This course covers a diverse range of human sexual and intimate behaviors throughout the lifespan. The course examines the impact of gender, race, class, age, health/disability, religion, sexual and gender identity, and sexual behaviors and concerns. Topics include sexual assessment interviewing, treatment models, clinicians’ comfort, and competence. Relevant legal and ethical issues are covered. This course satisfies the BBS requirements for licensure.
PSY/PSJ 5247 Clinical Case Seminar
2
This course accompanies quarters/sessions 2-4 of a student’s practicum experience (5261-5263 or 5250-5252), and involves formal presentation of ongoing clinical cases. Students will present videotape, audiotape, and/or treatment studies in class, for feedback on case conceptualization, systemic theory application, and treatment planning that is consistent with theoretical orientation. Instructors may also use role play, and other techniques to help students with treatment impasses, illustrate, and practice interventions, etc. Students will learn the application of both individual and systemic theories. This course is also intended to support students in preparing for their Master’s Oral Exam. Limited to students in clinical practice. Students with unsatisfactory progress in this course may be required to take extra quarter(s) beyond the three required for graduation.
PSY/PSJ 5167 Brief Therapy
2
This course examines theories and methods of brief therapy from systemic and individual psychotherapy perspectives. Topics include problem identification, goal formulation, languaging, problem solving and solution building. Students will learn philosophical and theoretical premises of approaches, and practice clinical application through experiential activities.
PSY/PSJ 9008 Aging and Long-Term Care Workshop
0
This course offers an overview of mental health issues for older adults. Differential diagnosis of dementia from depression along with the impact of retirement, altered family roles, decline in social and economic status, and increased disability. The psy­chological, social, and financial aspects of long-term care are discussed. Psychodynamic treatment strategies focus on maxi­mizing quality of life and functional capacity for the elderly client, and facilitating collaboration with family, medical personnel, and caregivers. This course satisfies the BBS requirement to complete a minimum of ten hours of coursework in aging and long-term care for California licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
PSY/ PSJ 5309 Seminar in MFT
1
These 1-3 unit courses cover specific topics pertaining to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Each class has a specific focus, such as working with issues in divorce and remarriage, grief and loss, resilience and wellness, medical family therapy, addiction, eating disorders, LGBT clients, expressive arts therapy, advanced child therapy, or advanced couple therapy. MFT Students must complete a total of 3 units of PSY5309. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Recommended for during field practicum.
Fall - Third Year
Units
PSF 5255 Field Practicum 5
1.5
Field experience in community mental health centers that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of Field Placement Coordinator required.
PSY/PSJ 5120 Specific Theories of Change
3
Prereq: PSF 5253

Child - This course explores in-depth a theoretical approach and application of a specific theory used with children, adolescents, and their families in MFT and PPC practices. Theory topics regularly offered include Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Expressive Arts Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.

OR Family - This course explores in-depth a theoretical approach and application of a specific theory used with individuals, couples, and families in MFT and PCC practice. Theory topics regularly offered include Bowen Therapy, Object Relations Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Postmodern Therapy, and Gottman Marital Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.

OR, Individual - Explores specific theoretical and evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy and counseling with individuals selected from such schools of thought as Psychodynamic-Psychoanalytic Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical-Behavioral therapy, and Humanistic-Existential Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.
PSY/PSJ 5406 Psychopharmacology
3
Provides a comprehensive overview of psychotropic medication options, including biochemical makeup, function, and possible side effects, utilized to treat mental disorders. Students will be exposed to the basic physiology and function of the brain as it relates to the use of psychotropic medications and basic psychological dysfunctions, e.g., mood disorders, ADHD, ADD, OCD, intermittent explosive disorder, and psychotic disorders. Also examines the increased collaboration among mental health and medical practitioners as psychopharmacological interventions become more common in client populations served by Professional Clinical Counselors.
PSY/PSJ 5309 Seminar in MFT
1
These 1-3 unit courses cover specific topics pertaining to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Each class has a specific focus, such as working with issues in divorce and remarriage, grief and loss, resilience and wellness, medical family therapy, addiction, eating disorders, LGBT clients, expressive arts therapy, advanced child therapy, or advanced couple therapy. MFT Students must complete a total of 3 units of PSY5309. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Recommended for during field practicum.
PSY/PSJ 9091 Master’s Oral Exam
0
Prereq: PSF 5254, Passed Written Exam Comprehensive oral examination covering material in all phases of the program to be taken in Phase III during the fifth or sixth quarter of practicum. Further guidelines are available at the College of Psychology and Holistic Studies office.
Winter - Third Year
Units
PSF 5256 Field Practicum 6
1.5
Field experience in community mental health centers that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of Field Placement Coordinator required.
PSY/PSJ 5120 Specific Theories of Change
3
Prereq: PSF 5253

Child - This course explores in-depth a theoretical approach and application of a specific theory used with children, adolescents, and their families in MFT and PPC practices. Theory topics regularly offered include Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Expressive Arts Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.

OR Family - This course explores in-depth a theoretical approach and application of a specific theory used with individuals, couples, and families in MFT and PCC practice. Theory topics regularly offered include Bowen Therapy, Object Relations Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Postmodern Therapy, and Gottman Marital Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.

OR, Individual - Explores specific theoretical and evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy and counseling with individuals selected from such schools of thought as Psychodynamic-Psychoanalytic Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical-Behavioral therapy, and Humanistic-Existential Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.
PSY/PSJ 5309 Seminar in MFT
1
These 1-3 unit courses cover specific topics pertaining to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Each class has a specific focus, such as working with issues in divorce and remarriage, grief and loss, resilience and wellness, medical family therapy, addiction, eating disorders, LGBT clients, expressive arts therapy, advanced child therapy, or advanced couple therapy. MFT Students must complete a total of 3 units of PSY5309. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Recommended for during field practicum.
PSY/PSJ 5436 Crisis and Trauma
3
This course provides an overview of crisis theory and management, and disaster and trauma causing events and their interventions. Students will learn current strategies for working with individuals, couples, and families impacted by personal, familial, intergenerational, community, and crisis and trauma events. Brief, intermediate, and on-going interventions aimed at reducing traumatic impact, utilizing strengths and resilience, restoring previous levels of function, as well as interventions for addressing delayed, longer-term, or secondary effects of trauma will be presented.
PSY/PSJ 9100 Professional Development: Post Master’s Preparation
0
This meeting formalizes the preparation of paperwork that must be processed as students complete field practicum and change from trainee status to intern status upon graduation. This meeting allows students to reflect upon and bring closure to their graduate experience as they prepare for their future as a practitioner.
PSY/PSJ 9075 Personal Psychotherapy
0
Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their personal development and knowledge of self and to become sensitive to the impact that they have on those around them. Consequently, and consistent with the BBS guidelines for MFT and PCC training, there is a non-credit requirement for at minimum of 50 hours of personal (individual, couple, family, or group) psychotherapy. Students register in the quarter they will complete the requirement or later. Further guidelines are available at the College of Psychology and Holistic Studies office.
Winter - Third Year
Units
PSF 5256 Field Practicum 6
1.5
Field experience in community mental health centers that meets BBS requirements for clinical training experiences for MFT and PCC trainees. Includes one hour of individual supervision and at least two hours of group supervision per week, as well as didactic training and practice application of MFT and PCC assessment and intervention techniques with individuals, couples, and families. Field experience includes the use of audio/video recordings or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients. Student’s counseling performance will be formally evaluated on an ongoing basis. Completion of Phase I and written consent of Field Placement Coordinator required.
PSY/PSJ 5120 Specific Theories of Change
3
Prereq: PSF 5253

Child - This course explores in-depth a theoretical approach and application of a specific theory used with children, adolescents, and their families in MFT and PPC practices. Theory topics regularly offered include Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Expressive Arts Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.

OR Family - This course explores in-depth a theoretical approach and application of a specific theory used with individuals, couples, and families in MFT and PCC practice. Theory topics regularly offered include Bowen Therapy, Object Relations Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Postmodern Therapy, and Gottman Marital Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.

OR, Individual - Explores specific theoretical and evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy and counseling with individuals selected from such schools of thought as Psychodynamic-Psychoanalytic Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical-Behavioral therapy, and Humanistic-Existential Therapy. This course may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.
PSY/PSJ 5309 Seminar in MFT
1
These 1-3 unit courses cover specific topics pertaining to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Each class has a specific focus, such as working with issues in divorce and remarriage, grief and loss, resilience and wellness, medical family therapy, addiction, eating disorders, LGBT clients, expressive arts therapy, advanced child therapy, or advanced couple therapy. MFT Students must complete a total of 3 units of PSY5309. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Recommended for during field practicum.
PSY/PSJ 5436 Crisis and Trauma
3
This course provides an overview of crisis theory and management, and disaster and trauma causing events and their interventions. Students will learn current strategies for working with individuals, couples, and families impacted by personal, familial, intergenerational, community, and crisis and trauma events. Brief, intermediate, and on-going interventions aimed at reducing traumatic impact, utilizing strengths and resilience, restoring previous levels of function, as well as interventions for addressing delayed, longer-term, or secondary effects of trauma will be presented.
PSY/PSJ 9100 Professional Development: Post Master’s Preparation
0
This meeting formalizes the preparation of paperwork that must be processed as students complete field practicum and change from trainee status to intern status upon graduation. This meeting allows students to reflect upon and bring closure to their graduate experience as they prepare for their future as a practitioner.
PSY/PSJ 9075 Personal Psychotherapy
0
Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their personal development and knowledge of self and to become sensitive to the impact that they have on those around them. Consequently, and consistent with the BBS guidelines for MFT and PCC training, there is a non-credit requirement for at minimum of 50 hours of personal (individual, couple, family, or group) psychotherapy. Students register in the quarter they will complete the requirement or later. Further guidelines are available at the College of Psychology and Holistic Studies office.

PROFESSIONAL CLINICAL COUNSELING (PCC) SPECIALIZATION

The following courses are required for the PCC specialization. These 10.5 specialization units along with the 90 core units of coursework, fulfill requirements for the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree with a Specialization in Professional Clinical Counseling.

Course
Units
PSY 5780 - Theories of Career Development
4.5
This course provides an opportunity for students to learn and evaluate several key career development theories and practice how to integrate and apply aspects of theories to their counseling work with diverse client populations. Students will understand the importance of theory in career development and life planning, learn the historical and philosophical perspective of career development, recognize current challenges in existing theories, explore emerging issues and trends, and appreciate the complexity of career choice, decision-making, and satisfaction of clients. This is an online course.
PSY 5405 - Psychological Testing
3
An overview of tests utilized and interpreted in the practice of Professional Clinical Counseling with the goal that students learn to develop referral questions and to review psychological reports conducted by other professionals. Projective tests (Rorschach, TAT), objective tests (Millon, MMPI), and behavioral rating scales (Hamilton, Conners) will be covered with the emphasis on managing and assessing client outcome. Introduces the principles of intellectual and cognitive assessment so that learning disability diagnosis can be discussed. Ethical and legal issues involved in psychological testing including the influences of gender, cultural, and socioeconomic context are included.
Course
Units
PSY 5407 - Recent Advances in Pediatric & Geriatric Psychopharmacology
1.5
This course provides an up to date view of the development in pediatric and geriatric psychotropic research and new medication options. Advanced study of physiology and function of the brain in relation to the use of psychotropic medications and common disorders in youth and aged populations are examined. This course provides the additional 1.5 units for the PPC specialization requirement in Psychopharmacology.
PSY 5646 - Advanced Studies in Research
1.5
Advanced topics and issues concerning research designed to expand student knowledge of the topic beyond the core course through additional learning and/or practical applications. This course meets the requirements for additional units in addiction studies for the LPCC in California. Must be taken either concurrently with or subsequent to PSY 5054. Required for students in the LPCC track, though open to all MFT students.
Course
Units
PSY 5407 - Recent Advances in Pediatric & Geriatric Psychopharmacology
1.5
This course provides an up to date view of the development in pediatric and geriatric psychotropic research and new medication options. Advanced study of physiology and function of the brain in relation to the use of psychotropic medications and common disorders in youth and aged populations are examined. This course provides the additional 1.5 units for the PPC specialization requirement in Psychopharmacology.
PSY 5646 - Advanced Studies in Research
1.5
Advanced topics and issues concerning research designed to expand student knowledge of the topic beyond the core course through additional learning and/or practical applications. This course meets the requirements for additional units in addiction studies for the LPCC in California. Must be taken either concurrently with or subsequent to PSY 5054. Required for students in the LPCC track, though open to all MFT students.

Faculty

Elysha “Lacy” Martinez

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology
emartinez@jfku.edu

Lauren Gogarty

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Maryasha Katz

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Matthew R. Mock

Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Melanie Stern

Core Faculty, External Field Coordinator, College of Psychology

Rob Fisher

Adjunct Faculty, College of Psychology

Sage Williams

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Steve Del Chiaro

Professor and Chair, College of Psychology

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College of Psychology

Master of Arts in
Sport Psychology

40+

AASP - Certified/Approved Supervisors

9

Professional Development Seminars by Global Speakers/Year

4

Internships in Diverse Environments Completed by Students

Ways to Learn

  • Online
  • Hybrid
  • In-Person

Program Length

  • 2 Years Full-Time
  • 3 Years Part-Time
  • 77 Units

Resources

Overview

Sport psychology employs a combination of evidence-based performance enhancement techniques, sport science, and counseling skills to help clients maximize their potential by honing their mental approach to high-leverage situations. In the MA in Sport Psychology program, you’ll learn from faculty who are pioneers in the field and push the boundaries in an ongoing effort to improve sport psychology through both research and practice. This program is offered on campus and online in a structured format with weekly deadlines across each quarter-long course.

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Program Highlights

  • Experienced faculty of pioneers in the field
  • Dual degree PsyD/MA Sport Psychology option
  • Extensive fieldwork and a focus on experiential learning
  • AASP exam prep included in the price of tuition

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon graduation, students will be able to demonstrate competence in these areas:

Application/intervention. The students will be able to describe, explain, synthesize, and apply performance enhancement techniques with individual performers and teams.

Theory. The students will be able to describe, explain, synthesize, and apply theoretical perspectives from Sport Psychology and related fields.

Assessment. The students will be able to describe, explain, synthesize, and apply various assessment tools in a continuous and evolving process to create effective action plans. Students will be able to screen clinical issues.

Counseling skills. The students will be able to identify, describe and explain how to use counseling skills to develop a working relationship with the client. Students will be able to identify, describe, explain, and apply how the self impacts the client-consultant relationship.

Diversity. The students will be able to identify sources of bias within themselves, integrate concepts and adapt their skills to work with a diverse range of populations.

Ethics and professionalism. The students will be able to identify, explain, synthesize, and critically analyze ethical principles in a professional and culturally appropriate manner. Students will be able to utilize decision making principles and explain choices made relating to ethical situations.

Research. The students will be able to summarize, critique, and conduct research in the field of Sport Psychology. Students will assess and apply both established and current research findings to their scope.

Why JFKU

Learn By Doing: An Emphasis On Fieldwork

Actual fieldwork experience is the cornerstone of the JFK University Sport Psychology Program.

Over the course of the program, students participate in a minimum of four separate internships, exposing them to a wide variety of clientele and practice settings. By the time of graduation, students will have gained over 600 hours of practical, on-the-job experience.

The Solt Evans LEAP Program

As part of JFK University’s broader mission to provide practical experience for students while making positive contributions to the local community, the LEAP Program offers students in the Sport Psychology Program the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working with underserved youth, using sport psychology techniques to empower the youth through mental skills training.

Learn more about the LEAP Program

MA Sport Psychology/ PsyD dual degree Option

For individuals interested in sport psychology and in working in a clinical setting and/or using clinical psychology skills in working with clients, John F. Kennedy University is pleased to offer an innovative program that enables individuals to work toward earning an MA in Sport Psychology and a PsyD degree concurrently. This program provides a unique opportunity to train to work with both clinical clients and athletes and prepare to apply the skills and knowledge developed from both the fields of sport and clinical psychology.

Learn More about this Program

Curriculum

Undergraduate Prerequisite – Introduction to Psychology
Students who have not completed the prerequisites prior to admission are required to do so during the first year of graduate study.

Year 1 - Fall
Units
PSP 5800A Sport Psychology A
3
This is one of the main introductory courses in the Sport Psychology Program. It covers the main theoretical approaches in this area. The course will encourage students to begin to think critically about the research presented and how it relates to working in the field with performers.
PSP 5819 Social & Historical Issues in Sport
2
The course examines selected topics within the sociology and history of sport. Particular emphasis will be given to issues related to the potential of sport to benefit society and its potential to reinforce existing social problems. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own experiences within sport and to explore in detail one area of special interest within the history and sociology of sport. The course offers an analysis of sport as a social institution and the interrelations between sport and societal subsystems, as well as a consideration of the attitudes, values, and behaviors associated with sport. Analysis of contemporary problems associated with sport will be made, with ties made to their historic origins; such problems include race relations, the traditional and emergent role of women, aggression and violence, and political and economic concerns.
PSP 5815 Performance Enhancement A
3
Theory and practice of optimal performance are explored in the realm of sport behavior. Includes motivation theory, stress management, visualization, and mental rehearsal.
PSP 5803A Ethics and Professional Issues in Sport Psychology A
2
Examines ethical issues that impact the field of applied sport psychology. Through reading, lecture, and interaction with an experienced professional, students learn how ethical issues influence consultation and develop ways to deal with ethical dilemmas that may arise in sport psychology.
PSP 9020 Town Hall Meeting
0
PSP 5002 Writing Workshop
0
No Fee
Year 1 - Winter
Units
PSP 5811 Counseling Skills A
3
Introduction to basic counseling skills and techniques relevant to sport psychology consulting in a safe and supervised environment. Included are tools for building rapport, empathy, listening and life-development skills, treatment versus consulting, ethics, closure, and termination. Students will also develop skills in presenting sport psychology intervention material.
PSP 5816 Performance Enhancement B
3
Prereq: PSP5815 Focus is on individual and team consultation. Features role-play, case study, and videotaping. Coursework includes introduction to external field placement opportunities. Second half of a two-quarter sequence with PSP5815.
PSP 5805 Psychopathology Assessment
4
Addresses psychological disorders from a clinical standpoint while emphasizing their relation to consulting with teams, athletes, and the field of sport psychology. Students gain a working knowledge of psychopathology in order to identify cases requiring referral. Online or in residence.
Year 1 - Spring
Units
PSP 5822 Team Building
3
The course examines selected topics within the social psychology and sociology of sport. Particular emphasis will be given to issues related to group behavior and dynamics, leadership, interpersonal communication, the potential of sport to benefit society, and its potential to reinforce existent social problems. The course offers and analysis of sport as a social institution and the interrelations between sport and societal subsystems, as well as a consideration of the attitudes, values, and behaviors associated with sport. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own experiences within sport. Analysis of contemporary problems associated with sport will be made; such problems include race relations, the traditional and emergent role of women, aggression and violence, and political and economic concerns. Additionally, students will learn team building and communication skills and strategies that will enable them to effectively work within the current framework of sport in society. The course will examine the practical and theoretical application of group process and social psychology in relation to working in the field of sport psychology. The students will gain an understanding of group behavior and dynamics and will be able to use this knowledge with diverse populations. Students will learn to recognize ethical issues in relation to working with groups and will examine their interpersonal and professional style.
PSP 5826 Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
4
This course is designed to offer students an overview of the biological, cognitive, and affective bases of behavior in youth sport. Specifically, students will be exposed to the current research related to the bio-physio and psychosocial models of development. Students will gain an understanding of how motor learning, and motor development impacts youth sport. Students will also gain knowledge in the developmental sequences associated with cognitive development, emotional development, and moral development. Students will then be required to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical strategies and interventions appropriate for youth and adolescent athletes.
PSP 5804 Assessment Strategies
3
Examines a variety of assessment methods used to gain information from athletes, coaches, or teams utilizing sport psychology professionals. Topics to be covered include the role of assessment in the initial stages of work with athletes, methods of informal assessment, sport-specific assessment tools, issues of reliability and validity with instruments, and the ethical use of measures in the practice of sport psychology. Online or in residence.
PSP 5054A Research Methods A: Quantitative & Qualitative
2
Research methods allows a brief introduction to various forms of research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, with particular attention to qualitative methods. The course will address issues around data collection, interviewing, and data analysis. The course will encourage students to focus on research that has been used in their appropriate fields. It will help prepare students for the MA research project process and aid understanding of research once working as a practitioner.
PSP 9090 Comprehensive Written Examination
0
$75 Fee Comprehensive written examination covering material of Phase I, to be taken at the end of Phase I. Further guidelines are available in the Sport Psychology office.
PSP 5279 Fieldwork Orientation
0
No fee
PSP 9085 Fieldwork Exam
0
$75 Fee
PSP 9020 Town Hall Meeting
0
Year 1 - Summer
Units
PSP 5054B Research Methods B: Quantitative & Qualitative
2
Research methods allows a brief introduction to various forms of research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, with particular attention to qualitative methods. The course will address issues around data collection, interviewing, and data analysis. The course will encourage students to focus on research that has been used in their appropriate fields. It will help prepare students for the MA research project process and aid understanding of research once working as a practitioner.
PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork I
3
Year 2 - Fall
Units
PSP 5817 Performance Enhancement C
3
Prereq: PSP5816, PSP5280(also available each spring, OL only) This advanced optimal-performance course emphasizes sport psychology skill development and addresses different styles of consulting. Students will be challenged by case studies and will role-play actual consulting scenarios in which they can develop and refine their own consulting style with feedback from their peers.
PSP 5812 Counseling Skills B
3
Prereq: PSP5811 This course goes into more depth in scope of practice, ethics, dual relationships, and the referral process for sport psychology consultants. Students acquire consulting role-play and vignette experience, explore how a consultant works with the dynamics of team and group issues, and examine in-depth sport psychology cases for individuals and teams.
PSP 9020 Town Hall
0
Year 2 - Winter
Units
PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork II
3
PSP 5814 Comprehensive Exploration of Diversity in Sport
4
(Also offered in SU). This course is designed to offer students an overview of historical and current topics relevant to the understanding of diversity in sport. Students will be exposed to the historical context of how diversity issues have impacted the development of sport. Students will understand the complex nature of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, age, and disability as it relates to current sport practices. Students will also be exposed to practical strategies for facilitating acceptance of diversity within individual and team sports.
PSP 5803B Ethics and Professional Issues in Sport Psychology B
2
Prereq: PSP 5803A, 5280 (I). This is an advanced course in ethics and professionalism in the field of sport psychology. Students will explore ethical issues that occur while working as a consultant in sport psychology. Students will critically analyze research and newspaper articles that are pertinent to working in the field. Common ethical challenges will be discussed and ways of handling these situations will be addressed.
Year 2 - Spring
Units
PSP 5800B Sport Psychology B
3
Prereq: PSP 5800A, 5280 (I) This is an advanced course that is the second in a two-part series. The main theoretical approaches in the field of sport psychology will be revisited and addressed from an integrated perspective. The students will be expected to synthesize the various theoretical perspectives and research findings and show how this integrated perspective can help their work with performers. The course will continue to engage students to think critically about the research presented and how it relates to their work in the field as a practitioner.
PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork III
4
PSP 5895A Applied Project A
2
Prereq: PSP 5280 I Required of students taking the extra internship option. This sequence typically takes two quarters and involves effective, appropriate, and professional communication issues. Topics addressed will include ethics and professionalism in writing and the publication process. The final product will be an applied paper that will be of publishable quality in a form that does not necessarily require collection and presentation of data. This sequence is under the supervision of the research director. The research proves begins at least two quarters before anticipated graduation. A maximum of two units may be applied to the degree.
PSP 9020 Town Hall Meeting
0
*PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork IV
4
*Note that if you are not finished with Fieldwork after Fieldwork IV then you will need to register for Supplemental Fieldwork
PSP 5895B Applied Project B
2
Prereq: PSP 5895A, PSP 9031 Required of students taking the extra internship option. This sequence typically takes two quarters and involves effective, appropriate, and professional communication issues. Topics addressed will include ethics and professionalism in writing and the publication process. The final product will be an applied paper that will be of publishable quality in a form that does not necessarily require collection and presentation of data. This sequence is under the supervision of the research director. The research proves begins at least two quarters before anticipated graduation. A maximum of two units may be applied to the degree.
PSP 9091 Comprehensive Oral Examination
0
$75 Fee. Comprehensive oral examination covering material in all phases of the program to be taken in the student’s last quarter. Further guidelines are available in the Sport Psychology office.
PSP 9100 Exit Meeting
0
No fee.
Year 2 - Summer
Units
*PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork IV
4
PSP 5895B Applied Project B
2
Prereq: PSP 5895A, PSP 9031 Required of students taking the extra internship option. This sequence typically takes two quarters and involves effective, appropriate, and professional communication issues. Topics addressed will include ethics and professionalism in writing and the publication process. The final product will be an applied paper that will be of publishable quality in a form that does not necessarily require collection and presentation of data. This sequence is under the supervision of the research director. The research proves begins at least two quarters before anticipated graduation. A maximum of two units may be applied to the degree.
PSP 9091 Comprehensive Oral Examination
0
$75 Fee Comprehensive oral examination covering material in all phases of the program to be taken in the student’s last quarter. Further guidelines are available in the Sport Psychology office.
PSP 9100 Exit Meeting
0
No fee.
Year 1 - Winter
Units
PSP 5811 Counseling Skills A
3
Introduction to basic counseling skills and techniques relevant to sport psychology consulting in a safe and supervised environment. Included are tools for building rapport, empathy, listening and life-development skills, treatment versus consulting, ethics, closure, and termination. Students will also develop skills in presenting sport psychology intervention material.
PSP 5816 Performance Enhancement B
3
Prereq: PSP5815 Focus is on individual and team consultation. Features role-play, case study, and videotaping. Coursework includes introduction to external field placement opportunities. Second half of a two-quarter sequence with PSP5815.
PSP 5805 Psychopathology Assessment
4
Addresses psychological disorders from a clinical standpoint while emphasizing their relation to consulting with teams, athletes, and the field of sport psychology. Students gain a working knowledge of psychopathology in order to identify cases requiring referral. Online or in residence.
Year 1 - Summer
Units
PSP 5054B Research Methods B: Quantitative & Qualitative
2
Research methods allows a brief introduction to various forms of research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, with particular attention to qualitative methods. The course will address issues around data collection, interviewing, and data analysis. The course will encourage students to focus on research that has been used in their appropriate fields. It will help prepare students for the MA research project process and aid understanding of research once working as a practitioner.
PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork I
3
Year 2 - Winter
Units
PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork II
3
PSP 5814 Comprehensive Exploration of Diversity in Sport
4
(Also offered in SU). This course is designed to offer students an overview of historical and current topics relevant to the understanding of diversity in sport. Students will be exposed to the historical context of how diversity issues have impacted the development of sport. Students will understand the complex nature of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, age, and disability as it relates to current sport practices. Students will also be exposed to practical strategies for facilitating acceptance of diversity within individual and team sports.
PSP 5803B Ethics and Professional Issues in Sport Psychology B
2
Prereq: PSP 5803A, 5280 (I). This is an advanced course in ethics and professionalism in the field of sport psychology. Students will explore ethical issues that occur while working as a consultant in sport psychology. Students will critically analyze research and newspaper articles that are pertinent to working in the field. Common ethical challenges will be discussed and ways of handling these situations will be addressed.
Year 2 - Summer
Units
*PSP 5280 Supervised Field Experience: Fieldwork IV
4
PSP 5895B Applied Project B
2
Prereq: PSP 5895A, PSP 9031 Required of students taking the extra internship option. This sequence typically takes two quarters and involves effective, appropriate, and professional communication issues. Topics addressed will include ethics and professionalism in writing and the publication process. The final product will be an applied paper that will be of publishable quality in a form that does not necessarily require collection and presentation of data. This sequence is under the supervision of the research director. The research proves begins at least two quarters before anticipated graduation. A maximum of two units may be applied to the degree.
PSP 9091 Comprehensive Oral Examination
0
$75 Fee Comprehensive oral examination covering material in all phases of the program to be taken in the student’s last quarter. Further guidelines are available in the Sport Psychology office.
PSP 9100 Exit Meeting
0
No fee.

Faculty

Steve Del Chiaro

Professor and Chair, College of Psychology
sdelchiaro@jfku.edu

Alison Pope-Rhodius

Program Chair, College of Psychology

Brian Alexander

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Daniel Murphy

Lecturer

Deborah Munch

Supervisor of Sport Psychology

Dora Kurimay

Dora Kurimay, Supervisor of Sport Psychology

Fernando Lopez

Core Faculty, Co-Fieldwork Director

Gily Meir

Assistant Professor/Research Director

Karlene Pick

College of Psychology

Kim E. Kinna

Megan Byrd

Research Director, Core Faculty, College of Psychology

Michael Gerson

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Phillip Post

Adjunct Professor, College of Psychology

Victoria Tomlinson

Core Faculty, Co-Fieldwork Director, College of Psychology

Maybe Lasts forever. Yes changes the world.

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