Business Administration - John F. Kennedy University

College of
Professional Studies
College of Professional Studies
Issues addressed include behavior problems, abuse, academic
difficulties, peer relationship conflicts, self-esteem, grief and loss,
anxiety, depression, family changes, and other devel opmental and
adjustment challenges.
Counseling utilizes a variety of treatment approaches, such as
expressive arts, play therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, talk
therapy, and group work. Services are tailored to the needs of the
clients and interests of the schools being served.
Adults and Children Together Against Violence:
Parents Raising Safe Kids Program
John F. Kennedy University (JFKU) is home to the Western region
Adults and Children Together Against violence (ACT) Training
site, one of five in the United States.
Parents Raising Safe Kids is the highly acclaimed 8-week,
evidence-based parent education course developed by the
American Psychological Association (APA), and validated through
research conducted by the national Center for disease Control
(CdC). Parents Raising Safe Kids teaches parents, caregivers and
professionals about the impact of family and social violence on
young children aged 0-8 years, and is offered throughout the
country as part of the APA’s Adults and Children Together (ACT)
Counseling Psychology - Holistic
The Counseling Psychology - Holistic program offers a Master of
Arts degree in Counseling Psychology with four specializations:
Integral Psychotherapy, Somatic Psychology, Transpersonal
Psychology, and Holistic Studies (an integration of somatic and
transpersonal offered at the Campbell campus). Built on the
traditions of modern psychology, the foundation of the
specializations adds a holistic perspective that integrates body,
mind, spirit, and culture into the curriculum.
The Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology offered in
this Counseling Psychology program is designed for students who
are interested in working psychotherapeutically with individuals,
couples, families, and groups. Students receive a strong foundation
in basic counseling theory and practice while meeting the
educational requirements for the California Marriage and Family
Therapist (MFT) license. Students in the integral, holistic, and
transpersonal specializations are admitted in fall and spring.
Students in the somatic specialization are admitted in fall only.
Prerequisites may be taken in the winter or summer quar ters prior
to the respective fall or spring admission times.
The curriculum encompasses core courses in holistic studies, basic
counseling skills, diagnosis and assessment; marriage and family
counseling courses; and courses in the student’s chosen
specialization. Students complete a yearlong supervised
trainee-ship at the University's Center for Holistic Counseling in
Oakland, or JFK University’s Community Counseling Centers in
Sunnyvale, or an approved community-based site.
The three-year program is divided into three areas of emphasis.
year one focuses on basic counseling psychology theory and the
acquisition of personal therapy skills such as receptivity, presence,
tracking, and therapeutic communication. year two emphasizes the
development of core clinical skills in the area of assessment and
Against violence initiative. Any JFKU student can become certified
to teach the Parents Raising Safe Kids program by completing a
2-day ACT Trainer Certification workshop. Certified Trainers
support the ACT mandate to help prevent violence against young
children by teaching the Parents Raising Safe Kids course in their
communities, while earning extra income. In addition, JFKU
therapists-in-training can receive workshop hours toward
licensure. For more information, see the JFKU website.
Expressive Arts Camps
The MA Counseling Psychology program offers Expressive Arts
Camps for latency-aged children to explore the creative process
through a variety of art modalities including visual arts, movement,
and drama. In addition to providing a unique setting in which
children can acquire new skills in the arts while enhancing their
self–confidence and self-expression, these camps provide MA
Counseling Psychology students the opportunity to apply
classroom learning through supervised internships. The Expressive
Arts Camps are an excellent example of how the MA Counseling
Psychology Program in the College of Professional Studies offers
services to enrich the lives of families in our communities while at
the same time broadening the opportunities for our
student-practitioners to earn additional clinical training hours
towards graduation and Board and Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
requirements. For more information, see the JFKU website.
treatment, marriage, and family interventions, and training in the
specializations. In the third year students work in their supervised
field placement and all courses are focused on work with clients.
Central to the program is the perspective that holistic learning
occurs both cognitively and experientially. Only through knowing
oneself can the therapist obtain the clarity, compassion, and
wisdom necessary to help others. The curriculum therefore places
significant emphasis upon the student’s self-exploration and
personal growth combined with critical thinking and the
acquisition of clinical skills. Graduates of the program know
themselves well as skilled and capable professionals. They
competently use the counseling skills of empathic listening, clear
and direct communicating presence, and self-reflection. Graduates
understand and know professional theories of individual and family
development and therapy, as well as develop basic professional skills
in clinical diagnosis and assess ment. Students of the program also
learn the importance of attunement to issues relating to diversity,
ethnicity, and multi culturalism in providing professional services.
They know the laws of the State of California as they pertain to the
profession of counseling psychology and are practiced in making
ethical choices and decisions. recent data implicate that 77% of
our graduates passed the California Marriage and Family Therapist
(MFT) license examination.
Program learning outcomes
• display the capacity to build a therapeutic relationship with
client.
• demonstrate a high level of clinical skills.
• Articulate theoretical comprehension and apply critical think ing.
• Exhibit holistic self-awareness.
• Articulate and apply the principles of the program
specializations (Holistic, Integral, Trans personal, Somatic).
90 College of Professional Studies JOHn F. KEnnEdy UnIvErSITy