Business Administration - John F. Kennedy University

of 12 extra units and three quarters of fieldwork in a setting that
provides experience in the specialty chosen.
Students who are interested in completing an individualized
specialization are encouraged to meet with an advisor early in their
program to begin the planning process.
Cohort Programs
John F. Kennedy University offers two-year Master of Arts in
Counseling Psychology programs in Berkeley and Santa
Cruz/Central Coast. These programs duplicate the successful
Pleasant Hill and Campbell programs, emphasizing experiential
learning, theory and substantial fieldwork, and leading to licensure
in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), but with some unique
differences. Both programs satisfy all BBS requirements for
licensure. Key differences are highlighted in the following table:
The field placement component of the program emphasizes our
community service orientation as well as hands-on training and
will give students direct contact with their own counseling clients.
Students complete their field placements at carefully identified
community-based agencies in geographically conven ient locations
where they receive both individual and group supervision from
licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs), licensed clinical
social workers (LCSWs), and licensed psychologists. As with our
Pleasant Hill and Campbell programs, this fieldwork will help
students amass significantly more hours toward licensure than
many other MA counseling programs in northern California.
Currently, students who wish to choose a specialized area of focus
must take the additional courses at the Pleasant Hill or Campbell
campuses.
Berkeley and Santa
Cruz/Central Coast Cohort
A cohort model in which students
complete the program as a group.
A maximum cohort size of only 20
students.
Five 9-week sessions each year
with three classes each term.
year 1 (5 terms) classes meet one
or two evening per week and all
day Saturdays.
year 2 (5 terms) one or two weekly
classes and students accumulate
practicum hours at an external
internship site.
All primary courses held at the
Berkeley and Santa Cruz/Central
Coast campuses.
Six required workshops and three
elective units during the two years
plus the comprehensive master’s
examinations held at the Pleasant
Hill or Campbell campus.
Two-year program (full-time
only).
Fall entry only.
Pleasant Hill and
Campbell
Students complete the program
full or part-time.
Open class sizes.
Four 11-week quarters, with classes
taken part-time or full-time.
Classes on various days of the
week throughout the program.
All primary courses and
comprehensive master’s
examination held at Pleasant Hill
or Campbell campus.
Six required weekend workshops
at Pleasant Hill or Campbell
campus.
Two and one-half year program
for full-time study, longer for
part-time study.
Fall and spring entry.
College of Professional Studies
Clinical Training Certificate
The post-master’s clinical training offers advanced, individualized
training to clinicians who have completed a master’s degree in
psychology or a related field, and are registered with the Board of
Behavioral Sciences as an MFT intern, as a pre-licensed associate
social worker, or with the Board of Psychology as a psy chological
assistant. The advanced degree must have been received from an
institution with regional accreditation, an example being the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Students have the opportunity to acquire new skills while earning
hours toward licensure. The program is individually designed and
created to be completed within a year or less. Examples of
concentrations of interest could be child therapy, psychodynamic
therapy, couple and family therapy, addiction studies, or expres sive
arts. Other interests and specialties are open to considera tion. A
combination of courses and clinical placements are used for the
acquisition of new skills.
Each person in the post-master’s clinical training program has an
individualized program established to meet his or her unique
needs. Courses and fieldwork make up the certificate. The number
of units in the program depends on student needs.
Community Programs
Community Counseling Centers
John F. Kennedy University operates two community counseling
centers in con junction with its Pleasant Hill and Campbell
campuses. The centers’ dual mission is to provide supervised
training for advanced students in the counseling psychology
program and to offer high-quality, affordable psychotherapy to the
community. The centers offer individual, couple, family, and group
counsel ing. A wide range of concerns are addressed including
family conflicts, parenting, alcohol and drug issues, depression,
grief, trauma, aging, and sexuality.
The University opened its first community counseling center in
Concord in 1974. Today the center, now located in Pleasant Hill, is
one of the largest com munity-based, outpatient mental health
facilities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Under the
supervision of licensed professionals, over 100 graduate trainees
serve approximately 5,000 clients per year.
The Community Counseling Center in Sunnyvale is located at the
Cupertino Union School district’s Center for Children and
Families. Counseling services are provided by graduate trainees,
who may also serve as counselors on-site in the school district’s
elementary and junior high schools.
School-Based Counseling Program
Graduate-level psychology students and post-master’s interns
provide on-site counseling services at elementary, middle, and high
school campuses. JFKU counselors are supervised by experienced
clinicians licensed in psychology, social work, and marriage and
family therapy.
Services to schools include individual and group counseling with
children and adolescents, as well as collaterals with the youths’
parents. JFKU students may also provide psycho-education, parent
workshops, and teacher and administrative consultation.
JOHn F. KEnnEdy UnIvErSITy College of Professional Studies 89
College of
Professional Studies