Counseling Psychology (MSCP)

Counseling Psychology (MSCP) Overview

As a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) student, you will acquire the self-awareness, knowledge, and skills required of counseling professionals. The program fosters the integration of theory, experience, and research skills with practice. You will learn to assess clients in their family and social contexts, design evidence-informed strategies for change, and evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions. The program has a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice.

Program School

College of Health Sciences

Application Deadline

Recommended and Rolling

Deadlines to submit application and all required materials:
Fall - July 1
Spring - November 1
Preferred deadline of March 15 for full consideration of assistantship opportunities.

Credits Required

48-60

Sixty credits are required for degree conferral. Completion of a sixty credit degree program meets one of the qualifications to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania.

Vital Curriculum

Field Placement

Chatham offers a field placement training curriculum that occurs throughout the Western Pennsylvania region and the city of Pittsburgh in various settings. Read more below.

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Accreditation

The MS in Counseling Psychology is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) for the period of April 2017-April 2027.

Explore the Counseling Psychology Degree:

The program focuses on the professional, intellectual, and personal growth of students, emphasizing human-centered values as well as evidence-informed treatment approaches.

Prerequisites:

Have a completed baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, with an overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
If a student has below a 3.0 GPA, please feel free to apply if you show extreme promise through other achievements. Additional Admissions documents may be requested.
Successful completion of an undergraduate psychology course with at least a B grade

Completed application for admission by the posted deadline, including:

Online application
Admissions Essay (current prompt found in application portal)
Curriculum vita or Resume
Two letters of recommendation
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended

Once a student’s application materials are received, they will be contacted to schedule a required 30-minute virtual interview with a faculty member.

As part of our admission’s review, Chatham reserves the right to request a background check prior to the offer of admission.

International Applicants

International Applicants must submit additional documentation to the Office of Admissions. A list of these documents can be found on the International Admission web page.

PSY617: Psychology of Culture and Identity

The course addresses issues of culture and identity as related to counseling and therapeutic relationships. Sociopolitical, socioeconomic, familial, and psychological aspects of diversity, identity, and culture are explored through readings, seminars, and experiential exercises. Students challenge underlying assumptions and develop effective skills to work with diverse populations in counseling.

PSY629: Human Development across the Life Span

The course explores cognitive, social, emotional and physiological development throughout the life span. While including concentration on the major theoretical approaches to life span development, an equally significant focus will be on practical application of material.

PSY681: Professional Integration Seminar

The course explores ethical conceptualization, analysis, and practices of applied and counseling psychologists. Topics include the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association, the history of applied psychology, and the developing mental health counseling movement. Certification, licensure, and regulatory practices are also discussed.

View Course Catalog

The MS in Counseling Psychology program at Chatham University is a community of diverse learners. We believe that learning is optimized in an atmosphere of safety, support, and respect. We strive to create this atmosphere by welcoming community members from the full spectrum of human experience, including diversity in age, class, race, ethnicity, gender identity, physical abilities, political beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, spirituality, and size. We strive to acknowledge the role power and privilege play in our multiple, intersecting identities and to work towards creating a climate of egalitarianism, justice, and affirmation of all persons. We encourage students to challenge themselves to think beyond their current understanding of the world. As part of our program’s commitment to diversity, we endeavor to infuse consideration of multicultural issues into every aspect of our students’ graduate training, including classroom instruction, practicum and internship experience, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation research.

When looking for a master’s program, I wanted to really focus on my future career and be sure that I had a supportive environment to move me forward. The small class sizes help to create a community, and my professors knew me and my interests. At Chatham, you have the opportunity to find a professor who can nurture and mentor you.

—ERIN TROUP, MS ’08, LPC, NCC, CT

Photo of a Chatham University psychology student speaking with a patient at a counseling session.

Field Placement Training

Chatham University offers a vibrant and comprehensive field placement training curriculum. The field placement opportunities occur throughout Western Pennsylvania region and the city of Pittsburgh at a variety of settings, including hospitals, community mental health agencies, private practice, and correctional facilities. Populations served by these sites are infants and parents, children, adolescents, adults, and senior citizens working through the range of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, relationship problems, career development issues, eating disorders, and end-of-life concerns.

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Success Coach Program

Success Coach Graduate Assistants (SCGAs) receive 12 credits of tuition remission and a $6,000 annual stipend in return for working 15 hours per week from mid-July through May to help support undergraduate students in their transition to college.

Explore the SCGA Program

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Graduate Counseling Psychology Research

Students have opportunities to engage in a broad array of faculty-led research, from investigating counseling modalities to exploring issues related to diversity and identity.

Explore Graduate Research

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Why Counseling Psychology?

Counseling psychology is a subfield of psychology with specific values focused on strength-based approaches to interventions, multicultural counseling competence, individual differences, human development across the life span, outreach and prevention, social justice and advocacy, relatively brief interventions, and understanding person-environment interactions.

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Program Faculty

Chatham's Counseling Psychology faculty members are accomplished teachers, scholars, practitioners, and active leaders in the field. They serve as mentors and advisors and are there for you every step of the way.

Meet the Faculty

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WELL Project

Chatham University’s Counseling Psychology graduate programs received an HRSA-funded Behavioral Workforce Education and Training grant in the Fall of 2017 for the Supporting Wellness: Expanding Psychology Training in Integrated Care Project, or the WELL Project. The project is now completed.

Explore the WELL Project

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HAPPY Project

Chatham University’s Counseling Psychology graduate programs received an HRSA-funded Behavioral Workforce Education and Training grant in fall 2021 for the Healthcare Alliance Promoting Pittsburgh Youth Project (the HAPPY Project).

Explore the HAPPY Project

Read Our Newsletter

Learn about student and faculty accomplishments, alumni achievements, and various activities that occurred over the last academic year—in Pittsburgh, and all over the country.

View Program Newsletters

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Tuition & Funding

The cost of a graduate degree consists of university tuition (per credit charge), fees, and any other personal expenses you may require for earning your degree. Chatham also offers a 20% corporate partner discount, graduate assistantships, and professional campus work positions for many graduate programs that can help make a Chatham graduate education more affordable. Our Financial Aid and Admissions offices will also work with you to understand loan and financing options available.

Explore Tuition & Funding

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Accreditation

In accordance with the 2017 standards, MPCAC now requires programs to report program statistics (applications, admissions, graduations) and program outcomes on their websites. MPCAC will also need to report on these data for all of our programs in our annual report as part of our own public accountability.

View Full Accreditation Information

Visits & Events

Start the next steps in your graduate journey at Chatham University by visiting campus or attending upcoming events. Join virtual info sessions, open houses, or admitted student sessions to learn about our programs and the application process, interact with faculty, and experience the Chatham community. Click the button below to view the schedule and register, and email graduate@chatham.edu with any questions.

View Graduate Event Schedule