Personal Psychotherapy Requirement
Students entering the counseling profession benefit professionally, personally and
academically from personal psychotherapy. During the program, students must complete
50 hours of psychotherapy with a licensed clinician or therapist under supervision
by a licensed clinician (Psychiatrist, Psychologist, MFT, LPCC, or LCSW). Students
may select individual, couple, family or group psychotherapy or some combination of
these. If the psychotherapy requirement presents an unmanageable emotional and/or
financial burden, it may be deferred to post-graduation or waived entirely with the
permission of the Program Director..
Undergraduate Psychology Pathway Programs
As a pathway to the graduate-level counseling programs, students who complete certain
undergraduate-level courses at Golden Gate University as a part of completing the
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology or a Psychology concentration with either the Bachelor
of Arts in Management or Bachelor of Science in Business may have the comparable graduate-level
required courses waived from their Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, Graduate
Certificate in Counseling Skills, or Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution program
requirements.
The following courses are eligible for this waiver option: PSYCH 102 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications satisfies the PSYCH 302 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications for Therapists requirement.PSYCH 120 Principles and Methods of Counseling satisfies the PSYCH 320 Therapeutic Communication and Counseling Skills requirement. As a consequence of having these courses waived, the total number of
units required to complete the program will be reduced accordingly. Note: Students
who have not completed (or are expected to complete) one of the Bachelor programs
listed above are not eligible for this waiver.
TOTAL UNITS — 60
REQUIRED COURSES — 60 UNITS
(Courses are 3 units unless otherwise noted)
- PSYCH 302
- Lifespan Development: Theories & Applications for Therapists
- PSYCH 304
- Cross-Cultural Aspects of Psychology
- PSYCH 306
- Group Models of Counseling
- PSYCH 308
- Applied Psychological Research
- PSYCH 320
- Therapeutic Communication & Counseling Skills
- PSYCH 321
- Psychopathology
- PSYCH 322
- Psychological Assessment
- PSYCH 323
- Psychodynamic Models of Counseling
- PSYCH 324
- Child/Adolescent Psychology, Assessment & Treatment
- PSYCH 325
- Principles of Couple & Family Counseling
- PSYCH 326
- Legal & Ethical Responsibility for Counselors
- PSYCH 329
- The Neuroscience of Counseling & Psychopharmacology
- PSYCH 331
- Human Sexuality (1 unit)
- PSYCH 333
- Substance Use, Co-Occurring Disorders & Addictions (1 unit)
- PSYCH 334
- Relational Abuse: Assessment, Treatment & Reporting (1 unit)
- PSYCH 335
- Special Issues in the Treatment of Families (2 units)
- PSYCH 336
- Evidence-Based Practice Treatment (1 unit)
- PSYCH 337
- Community Mental Health
- PSYCH 339
- Cognitive-Behavioral & Short-Term Models of Counseling
- PSYCH 351
- Career Counseling & Development
- PSYCH 394
- Practicum in Counseling Psychology (9 units)
TRAINEESHIP
Traineeship placement is a foundational aspect of your education here at Golden Gate
University. In traineeship, you begin to apply the didactic knowledge you have gained
in your courses to the broad range of tasks that confront professional psychotherapists,
under the guidance of a licensed supervisor and with the support of an on-campus clinical
case conference led by one of our professors. If you intend to pursue licensure outside
the state of California or to complete your traineeship in another state, please speak
with a faculty member in the Department of Psychology prior to beginning the program.
TRAINEESHIP READINESS REQUIREMENT
Before applying for a traineeship, a student must advance to Traineeship Candidate
status. A student must apply for Candidacy before the end of their second trimester
of enrollment. To apply for Candidacy, a student must complete the Traineeship Candidacy
form, which must be submitted to the Department Chair. This form, in addition to feedback
from faculty and any atypical reports that have been submitted by professors due to
academic or behavioral issues in the classroom, will be reviewed by the Program Director
to assess the student’s academic and emotional preparedness to begin traineeship and
continue on the path to pursue licensure as a psychotherapist. In addition, the student
must have completed or plan to have completed by the time their traineeship will begin
at least PSYCH 320, PSYCH 321, and PSYCH 326 and have made substantial progress toward
completing their courses on psychotherapy theory (PSYCH 323, PSYCH 324, PSYCH 325,
and PSYCH 339). Candidacy also requires that students verify that they have started
the process of accruing personal psychotherapy hours or have applied for a waiver
or modification of the personal psychotherapy requirement, as required by the program,
and have confirmed a path to completion of their remaining courses through meeting
with their academic advisor. Upon receiving Traineeship Candidate status, the student
may begin working with the Department’s faculty and staff to apply for traineeships.
International students in F-1 or J-1 visa status must also have their employment authorization
eligibility confirmed by their academic advisor/DSO. In the event that a student is
not advanced to Candidacy status, the student will be notified in writing.
If there are concerns about a student’s academic or emotional readiness for traineeship
or psychotherapeutic practice, a Traineeship Candidacy Committee of at least two faculty
members will be convened and, whenever possible, a plan will be developed with the
student to address gaps in academic performance or emotional readiness. Similarly,
if a student’s traineeship placement is terminated for any reason, their readiness
to participate in another traineeship will be evaluated by the Candidacy Committee
according to Candidacy guidelines. If reports are submitted regarding academic or
behavioral issues in the classroom after Candidacy has been approved, the Committee
may reconvene to review those reports and require an in-person meeting with the student.
In rare cases, the Committee may decide that the student has failed to demonstrate
professional and personal responsibility (as evidenced by violations of professional
conduct, interpersonal trust, or ethical practice) and require students to leave the
program.
TRAINEESHIP PLACEMENTS
Golden Gate University has an outstanding reputation with a wide range of traineeship
placements in San Francisco, in the wider Bay Area, and in many other states. Our
Traineeship Coordinator and Career Services Staff work with students to develop a
compelling traineeship application, including a professional curriculum vitae, and
also provide guidance with professional interviewing. We maintain relationships with
traineeship placements and their directors throughout the Bay Area and beyond and
consistently places students at top traineeship sites.
Traineeship sites vary depending on the population that they serve and by the treatment
modalities and clinical specialties implemented at their site. These sites include
state, county, and community mental health facilities as well as outpatient clinics,
psychiatric hospitals, schools, residential treatment programs, chemical dependency
treatment programs, and other settings.
We help students to select traineeship sites that are consistent with philosophy of
our training program. We believe that psychotherapy must acknowledge the complexity
of the individual and the uniqueness of individual suffering, rather than the identification
and resolution of discrete symptoms. Psychotherapy is envisioned as a complex process
of individual growth and change, and the psychotherapeutic relationship is seen as
a key element in successful treatment. The student’s relationship with his or her
clinical supervisor, similarly, is seen as an integral aspect of professional development.
Based on these criteria, we approve each site and have a written agreement with each
site that details each party's responsibilities. The agreement provides for regular
progress reports and evaluations of the student's performance.
