Now Taking Applications
Next start: Fall 2024
Take the first step — a Felician University enrollment advisor can answer your questions and guide you through the application process. They can help with:
- Admission Requirements
- Enrollment Support
- Curriculum Details
- Tuition & Financial Aid
- Clinical Placement
Unlock Your Potential
The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) program prepares students for a meaningful career as licensed mental health professionals, specifically as licensed counselors, with the ability to serve diverse populations within society. Through online learning and outside fieldwork, you will learn to identify patterns of behavior and articulate treatment plans for a variety of patients. Taught within the framework of Franciscan values, our program empowers graduates to bring a high level of professionalism and humanity to the people and groups they serve.
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Ranked Best in NJ
Top among private colleges in New Jersey by Niche.com
- 60 credit hours
- 100 practicum hours and 600+ internship hours
- Seven semesters (full-time), Ten semesters (part-time)
- Three intakes per year (Spring, Summer, Fall)
- A 20% Ed Assist discount may be available
- $925 per credit hour
- MPCAC Aligned
- Bachelor’s degree
- 3.0 undergraduate GPA
- 9 credits in psychology/social sciences
- Resume
- Personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
- Interview
Get the most from your educational path through comprehensive core courses and diverse elective offerings. At Felician, you can choose from elective topics such as mindfulness, spirituality, substance abuse/addictions counseling, and needs of populations such as children/adolescents and older adults. Additionally, our Counseling Psychology program is taught with new counseling models such as positive psychology—centered on empowering the potential of others.
Choose a Flexible Pathway to a Rewarding Counseling Career
- Flexible program with online coursework offered in both full-time and part-time study options
- Start your career as a counselor in as few as two years and three months (full-time) or three years and three months (part-time)
- Start when it’s convenient for you with three starts per year
- Save time with placement support for your field experiences near your own community
- Low tuition rates from a top-ranked university. A 20 % Ed Assist discount may also be available to you.
Felician University offers a Forensic track of the online Master of Arts in counseling Psychology program. Forensic counseling covers a broad spectrum: from counseling with juvenile delinquents and prisoners to working with pathologists, forensic examiners, and law enforcement officers. Within the program, students develop skills in counseling techniques and assessment and treatment planning for an array of diverse populations. The MACP Forensic Track prepares students for counseling specifically focused on offenders or victims in forensic settings. You will learn how the legal system relates to counseling through coursework in forensic assessment, criminal behavior, studies in PTSD and more. Students are prepared to work towards licensure as counselors in settings such as victim services, correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, probation and parole agencies, social service agencies, and more.
Students from a number of states are welcome to apply to Felician University’s online MACP program. Please see our State Authorization page for more detailed information.
Felician University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
The online Master of Arts Counseling Psychology curriculum is aligned with the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
The major developmental theories of personal development will be examined. An emphasis will be placed on normal growth patterns, accounting for variations that emerge along the developmental spectrum.
(3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a working knowledge of ethical issues in mental health care practice. The course will consider the manner in which governing principles of health care ethics are articulated within the general values and specific prescriptions/proscriptions (legal and moral) which constitute current moral wisdom of the mental health professional. Ethical codes of the American Counseling Association, American Mental Health Counselors Association, and the American Psychological Association will be examined. Lectures, case analysis, class discussion of assigned readings, and written assignments will provide both the conceptual and practical tools for addressing the critical ethical issues which arise in your practice.
(3 credits)
This course familiarizes students with the assessment process, how to interview and use assessment tools in conjunction with the DSMIV to arrive at a diagnosis and treatment plan and compares standard assessment techniques and process-oriented interviewing. It considers when to make appropriate referrals to ancillary treatment modalities or for medical evaluations. It also weighs both the potential benefits and risks of assigning diagnostic labels to people.
(3 credits)
Counseling Practicum involves placement in a clinical setting to enable students to develop basic counseling skills and integrate professional knowledge and skills. Counseling Practicum provides an opportunity to perform, on a limited basis and under supervision, some of the activities that a mental health counselor would perform. In addition to the supervised practicum, this course involves a weekly seminar. Prior permission of the Practicum Coordinator is required in order to arrange for a practicum setting appropriate to the student's academic and career goals.
(3 credits)
Learn More
We’re here to answer any questions you may have about the program, including enrollment, tuition, admission requirements, curriculum details, and more.
Field Placement
Field placement is the required hands-on learning component of Felician University’s MA Counseling Psychology program. You will complete 100 practicum hours and 600+ clinical hours to give you the hands-on experience necessary to become a licensed counselor. Your coursework is 100% online, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it alone. During your MACP education, you’ll be connected with program faculty who have field experience, providing you with the needed support and mentorship as you gain skills in various counseling settings. Below are commonly asked questions regarding field placement.
01
How does the field placement process work?
Experiential learning in your community is one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of earning your degree. Practicum hours are guided and directed by Felician University faculty in collaboration with your on-site field supervisor at the agency where you are assigned. Support to find field placement sites that align with your career goals is integrated into the program cost.
02
How do field placement services help me?
Concurrent coursework and field experiences connect theory with practice. Field placement provides 100 practicum hours and 600+ clinical hours of real-world, hands-on counseling psychology experience. Your Student Success Coach will provide resources to help guide you in your search for a field placement site and will work with Felician’s Placement Team to facilitate any behind-the-scenes paperwork to ensure you are ready to get started on time.
03
How should I prepare for my field placement?
You can begin the process of thinking through what kind of site and experience you would like to gain during your field experience. If there are sites that you are interested in, start researching the services they provide and the type of providers they have. This will ensure that you have a better understanding of different facilities and when you meet with Student Success Coach, you will be able to assess whether or not they are appropriate for your field experience.
04
In what types of agencies do students complete their fieldwork?
Typically, students complete their field practicum hours at:
- Community centers/organizations
- Human service agencies
- Counseling and therapy centers
- Addiction and mental health treatment facilities
- Adoption agencies
- Senior care facilities, such as nursing homes
- Correctional facilities
- Hospitals/clinics
Your Way to Success
Step one
Complete the form to get started
Enter your information and instantly access your digital program guide.
Step two
Speak with an advisor
An advisor will reach out to you, or you can schedule a call at a time that is right for you.
Step three
Submit your application
Gather the information you need and get started on your application.
Step four
Get started on your MACP degree
Confirm your admittance and earn your online MACP degree in as few as 2.3 years.
Sophia Marino
Masters of Counseling Psychology
“The MACP program is a great opportunity for students to further their education and be part of a community that strives to make positive changes and empower those around us, especially within the mental health field.”
Isabella Bertossi
Masters of Counseling Psychology
“As an international student from South Africa, it was pivotal for me to find a place with ample opportunity. Felician not only meets but exceeds my expectations, offering an environment that is both challenging and enjoyable. The community at Felician made it easy for me to forge meaningful connections and make friends to last a lifetime.”
Counseling Psychology Program Objectives and Outcomes
Upon completion of the Master of Arts in Counseling program, students will learn to:
- Demonstrate an awareness of the ethical challenges and responsibilities in the field of counseling.
- Articulate a personal model for addressing these responsibilities that is consistent with Catholic and Franciscan values.
- Assess individuals and groups that display patterns of psychopathology.
- Use information and technology literacy for maintaining best practices in counseling.
- Articulate a clear and precise treatment plan for addressing the diagnoses of individuals and groups.
- Adapt to the unique cultural, gender, racial, and sexual orientation needs of individuals and groups they serve.
- Demonstrate competence in appropriate scientifically validated treatment modalities including individual psychological counseling, marital and couples counseling, family counseling, group counseling, and organizational consultation and interventions.
The total annual median income for full-time Licensed Counselors is $55,539.
Source: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Licensed_Professional_Counselor/Salary
Licensed Counselors practice in diverse environments including schools, hospitals, organizations, mental health facilities, private practices and more.
Felician University’s online Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology curriculum is aligned with the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
Felician University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Our focus is on preparing students to be compassionate, community-focused, and facilitative of the potential of others, while striving to maintain the ideas of the Gospel and following the model of St. Francis through service to others. In the realm of counseling, a new paradigm – positive psychology – has emerged during the last 10 years. An emphasis on mindfulness, spiritual development, and empowering the potential of others has become a new and core theoretical expansion of models of counseling that we incorporate into our curriculum. We also offer a Forensic Track of the MACP program for our students.
This program requires 60 credit hours of coursework with 100 practicum hours and 600+ internship hours. The program can be completed part-time in 10 semesters (3.3 years) or full-time in 7 semesters (2.3 years).
The online Master of Arts Counseling Psychology program costs $925.00 per credit hour for a total degree cost of $55,500, excluding fees. A discount is available to Felician University alumni. A 20% Ed Assist discount may also be available to non-alumni. Fill out the form and connect with an enrollment advisor to see if you qualify.
