Counselor Education and Supervision (low-residency), PhD

PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision (low-residency)
Location: AU Seattle
Credits for Degree: 72 quarter credits
Standard Mode of Instruction: Low residency
Standard time to completion: 39 months

This program is not designed to lead to state licensure.

Program Overview

The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision is designed for counselors who wish to enhance their professional competencies in research and evaluation, supervision, teaching, and counseling. Students develop competencies in counselor education and supervision or creative arts therapy counselor education and supervision. Students who complete the PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision most often go on to achieve positions in higher education as faculty and/or researchers; in community or governmental organizations as clinical supervisors and/or program administrators; or in research positions in public or private mental health sectors. There are also many opportunities for leadership positions within the profession of counseling.

Program Intent and Mission

The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at Antioch University Seattle is a 72-credit doctoral degree program designed for counselors who wish to enhance their professional competencies in research and evaluation, supervision, teaching, leadership/advocacy, and counseling. It is appropriate for professional counselors who want to teach in counselor education and training programs and/or obtain leadership positions in mental health related agencies. The doctoral program seeks to meet the growing need for highly qualified counselor leaders - advanced counseling practitioners, educators and supervisors - attracting candidates regionally as well as nationally and internationally.

Distinct Curricular Themes

1. A counselor education curriculum that exceeds national standards by requiring core coursework in advanced clinical practices, trauma and crisis response, ethical and legal issues, advocacy and social justice, and counselor education program development and outcome evaluation.
2. A multicultural emphasis on leadership and supervision encourages a multicultural counselor identity that seeks an appreciation of diversity and human growth in context to social dynamics while also advocating for community justice and equity. This is concurrent with an emphasis on systemic leadership, and supervisory skills needed to assist with organizational change and transformation.
3. A research model that emphasizes not only the rigor of quantitative and qualitative methodologies consistent with doctoral level inquiry, but also program evaluation procedures and outcome driven decision making related to “best practices”.
4. A student-centered training curriculum based on andragogy where adult learners are invited into a collaborative learning experience of reflective practice, experiential learning, and shared inquiry into the best practices of counselor education, supervision, and creative arts training.
5. A cognate core focused on counselor education, counseling supervision, consultation and organizational change, and advanced professional seminar and inquiry. Students may also choose experiences which emphasize creative arts therapy for those candidates trained in the creative arts therapies wishing to apply their knowledge of counselor education, supervision, leadership, and program development with creative arts therapists.

Program Goal and Objectives

The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at AUS prepares counselors for advanced competency in, a) graduate level teaching and counselor training, b) research and contributing new knowledge to the field, c) counseling supervision, d) leadership and advocacy, and e) counseling. The goal of the program is to expand student abilities in adult learning andragogy specific to counselor and creative arts counselor training, while developing critical thinking skills toward a focused research agenda. Core faculty members at AUS are committed to an active mentoring process with candidates in promoting professional identity and advanced competence as counselor educators, supervisors, and counseling professionals emphasizing the following program objectives:

• Objective 1: Diversity and Change. Doctoral students are expected to demonstrate attitudes and understandings that support engaging with, and appropriately responding to the needs of, a constantly changing population of clients and students whose cultures, experiences, and personal characteristics may be marginalized in mainstream society.
• Objective 2: Counselor Education. Students are expected, by the end of their doctoral internships, to demonstrate levels of knowledge, understandings of the processes of teaching and learning, and teaching skills appropriate for high-quality Masters- level instruction as well as student assessment and program evaluation.
• Objective 3: Supervision. Students are expected to demonstrate, by the end of their doctoral internships, the ability to conceptualize supervisory relationships and deliver high-quality supervision.
• Objective 4: Advanced Practice. Students are expected to identify an area for advanced professional growth demonstrated within their internship experience in the domains of clinical counseling, counselor education and/or counseling supervision.
• Objective 5: Research. Students are expected to demonstrate, by the completion of their programs, high levels of competence in conceptualizing, planning, conducting, and interpreting research appropriate to their counseling interests and the needs of the counseling profession.
• Objective 6: Engagement and Advocacy. Students are expected to demonstrate an active role in their professional communities and the larger society they serve, advocating for improvement in standards of service delivery and access to resources.

Program and Curricular Overview

The degree requires 72 quarter credits over a minimum of three academic years. Students who have graduated from a CACREP accredited master’s degree will be considered to have met “entry level” requirements for the practice of counseling, depending on the total credit requirement of their master’s degree program. Students who graduated from other counseling and related programs must document that they have met the equivalent requirements or will be required to complete those as part of their doctoral program.

The program allows students to pursue advanced study in Counselor Education and Supervision. Additionally, the program provides for advanced preparation in the following content areas:

• Theory pertaining to the principles and practice of advanced counseling, group work, consultation, and counselor supervision
• Instructional design and methods relevant to an andragogy consistent with the best practices associated with reflective learning and counselor training
• Design and implementation of quantitative and qualitative research methodology related to the inquiry of counseling practice and program delivery outcomes
• Advanced practices in counselor education leadership, ethics, social advocacy, and multicultural counseling, supervision, and training
• A unique emphasis integrating the creative arts therapies with counselor training, supervision, and masters level program development in Art, Drama, Play, and other creative arts therapy

Career Choices for Counseling Graduates

Many professional options are open to graduates of the Counseling Programs (MA CMHC or PhD in CES). Depending on the specialization, graduates can seek professional positions in organizations such as community agencies, health care settings, hospitals, mental health clinics, private practices, colleges and universities, consulting and research. 

Graduates of the PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program will have expanded opportunities in counselor education, leadership, and supervision practices. They will find their scope of practice expanded to include assessment, diagnosis, expert witness testimony, and university teaching. Graduates work in private practice, for state or county agencies and at universities.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are assessed for judgment, potential and passion, not achievement alone. Admitted students enter an educational environment which models rigor, nurtures a desire to learn, and fosters collaborative relationships between faculty and students. Students admitted into doctoral study have been repeatedly assessed and have demonstrated that they have skills, knowledge, and abilities far above the average. The PhD candidate will demonstrate a high level of professional autonomy and the ability to work in collaboration with others – qualifications that are identified with professional leadership. Doctoral courses and experiences are designed to help the student leave the university. The Admission process is as follows:

Applicants will have completed a master’s degree in counseling or closely related field that includes the areas of competency required by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Those areas not covered in the student’s master’s program must be taken as part of doctoral study. Doctoral candidates are also expected to enter the program with competency in the use of technology.

1. Students are assumed to have achieved master’s level competence in counseling and/or the appropriate area of practice 
2. Doctoral candidates are expected to have the potential to write at a scholarly level.
3. Applicants to the program must demonstrate a commitment to and capacity to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and adhere to the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics.

Current Tuition and Fees

University Tuition and Fees