Community & Trauma Counseling

The Community and Trauma Counseling Program (CTC) was developed out of the growing empirical evidence that trauma is frequently the root cause of psychological distress and impacts the social determinants of health.  The Master of Science program strives to develop competent trauma-informed, healing-centered professionals with the knowledge and skills to work as interdisciplinary clinical mental health counselors who are global advocates and agents of social transformation. Students are trained to be responsive to structural inequities, environmental challenges, and neurological changes that impact resilience and seek to enhance the professionalism and practice of trauma counseling by encouraging research, reflection, and innovation in practice.

The following framework is provided in an effort to improve stakeholder understanding of the CTC program.

The framework identifies the program’s three priority areas or guiding philosophies (Community, Trauma, Counseling –the program’s 3Ps). The 3Ps will be evident through this document as they serve to organize how the program addresses the CACREP’s eight common core areas (in Section 2, Standard F) and the clinical mental health counseling specialization area (in Section 5, Standard C), and they further guide program and student evaluation. While our program has always carried the “Community and Trauma Counseling” program name, the framework below reflects an improved conceptualization of our priority areas as well as updates and improvements to our program objectives.

The CTC program was intentionally named in order to underscore its three core priorities and guiding philosophies (3Ps): (1) Community, (2) Trauma, and (3) Counseling.

The CTC program aims to:

1. Prepare clinicians and scholars for ethically-grounded practice and inquiry that is...
2. Informed by and responsive to the needs of diverse communities and prioritizes cultural humility and social justice. (COMMUNITY)
3. Infused with trauma + resilience theory, knowledge and skills. (TRAUMA)
4. Upheld by the core values and principles of the counseling profession, with special emphasis on self-reflection, growth, and wellness. (COUNSELING)
   

1. Prepare and promote competent, trauma-informed professionals who meet the academic and practice standards necessary to achieve credentialing and membership with appropriate professional organizations. The successful evaluation of this objective is evidenced by meeting the minimum threshold determined for individual academic quality indicators as outlined in the annual program evaluation plan. 
2. Prepare and promote versatile professionals equipped to practice effectively with diverse clients (e.g., marginalized populations) within a variety of community, agency, and institutional settings, private practice, and government. The successful evaluation of this objective is evidenced by meeting the minimum threshold determined for individual academic quality indicators as outlined in the annual program evaluation plan.
3. Prepare and promote professionals who demonstrate cultural humility and engagement as culturally competent professionals. The successful evaluation of this objective is evidenced by meeting the minimum threshold determined for individual academic quality indicators as outlined in the annual program evaluation plan.
4. Prepare and promote professionals who serve as advocates for their clients, for the counseling profession, and for themselves as professionals continuously engaged in life-long learning. The successful evaluation of this objective is evidenced by meeting the minimum threshold determined for individual academic quality indicators as outlined in the annual program evaluation plan.
5. Prepare and promote professionals who uphold the highest standards of ethical practice as according to the American Counseling Association’s most recent code of ethics. The successful evaluation of this objective is evidenced by meeting the minimum threshold determined for individual academic quality indicators as outlined in the annual program evaluation plan.

The program objectives are highly representative of our philosophy of developing counselors who are well-equipped to serve in the community with a balance of foundational knowledge and clinical skill.