Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Myth of the "Dual Concentration"

If you are a School Counseling or College Student Development (CSD) concentration student, you may have heard other students or faculty refer to a "dual concentration." Let me set the record straight that this is a myth and provide clarification.

1. CSL students graduate with a degree in one concentration area; Community, School or CSD.

2. School and CSD concentration students may opt to add several of the Community courses to their overall program plan so that they are eligible to sit for the Illinois Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) exam after graduation. These courses appear on your final transcript which is needed to apply to take the exam and thus the LPC credential application.

3. Many of our non-Community counseling students take these additional courses because it opens the doors to other employment settings and puts them on the path to private practice if that is something they wish to do later on. Additionally, taking these courses gives you valuable knowledge and skills in areas that truly apply in any counseling setting.

4. Taking these courses post-graduation is much more difficult because you will be competing for spots with degree-seeking students so you are encouraged to consider taking them as part of your program plan. Most non-Community counseling students add these courses during their last year while in practicum and internship since they are not prerequisites.

5. The courses are:

  • CSL 466: Assessment and Treatment of Chemical Dependency
  • CSL 556: Couples and Family Counseling
  • CSL 489: Psychopathology (additional for CSD, already a prereq. for School)