Counseling Psychology

Department Overview​​

The Counseling Psychology department, in the School of Professional Psychology and Health at CIIS, supports prospective clinicians who value a modern, holistic, and culturally sensitive approach to the practice of psychotherapy.

Our Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree reflects CIIS’ commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice. The integral pedagogy of both classroom and clinical training is designed to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills they need to provide effective and compassionate mental health care. 

Our programs prepare attentive, reflective, culturally-sensitive counselors and therapists with an unwavering commitment to equity in therapeutic practices. Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, among them trauma and recovery, ageism, gender and cultural identity, eating disorders, addiction and codependency, military families, foster youth and young adults, Buddhist psychology and mindfulness-based therapies.

Learn More About Our Programs

Our Approach  

Excellence in clinical skills is a top priority for the Counseling Psychology department. Each of our five programs includes broad training in psychological theory and methods, while also providing program-specific coursework and training in specialty disciplines.

The department is committed to advancing and promoting diversity, inclusion, and social justice throughout the core curriculum. As a pedagogic community, we work collaboratively to identify and challenge entrenched systems of racism, ableism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression in the classroom, clinical training situations, and therapeutic spaces. 

All of our programs meet national norms for training in counseling and fulfill the educational requirements of California's Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license or the optional Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) with additional coursework. CIIS graduates have a 92% pass rate on the MFT licensure exam and have held the #1 position in California for pass rates over the last six exam cycles.

Our graduates go on to work in private practice, hospitals and school settings, governmental agencies, community non-profits, and other clinical settings.

Practicum  

One year of approved clinical fieldwork experience (practicum), or the equivalent of six semester units, is required as a part of each program. More than 200 clinical agencies and schools in the Bay Area and beyond are currently approved for students in all of our Counseling Psychology programs. 

The MCP Field Placement Office maintains a database of practicum sites and offers workshops to help students move through the process.

Counseling Clinics  

Our Counseling Psychology students have the opportunity to apply to complete their practicum training at one of our six award-winning counseling clinics. Each clinic trains students in integrative psychology in a variety of therapeutic orientations, including: somatic, transpersonal, psychodynamic, and Gestalt.

Which License Track is Right for You?

*Please note, for both licenses, you must also complete 3,000 clinical hours in addition to your educational requirements.