Program Requirements

The Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Integral Counseling Psychology is a BBS-approved, three-year degree program. You have the choice between two formats:

1. Weekday - 3 years | Full time | Starts in August or January

2. Weekend - 3 years | Full time | 5 weekends per semester (Fri-Sun) | Starts in August

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement

During your course of study and when you are in practicum, you are required to complete 50 hours of personal psychotherapy with a licensed mental health professional.

Course of Study: Weekday Program

Semester 1 | Fall

Multicultural Counseling (3 units)
Therapeutic Communication (3 units)
Psychodynamics (3 units)
Human Development and the Family (3 units)

Semester 2 | Spring

Family Dynamics (3 units)
Clinical Relationship (3 units)
Group Dynamics and Facilitation (3 units)

Semester 3 | Summer

Gestalt Therapy (3 units)
Professional Ethics and Family Law (2 units)

Semester 4 | Fall

Psychopathology and Psychological Assessment (3 units)
Couples Counseling (3 units)
Child Therapy (2 units)
Assessment and Treatment of Addiction Disorders (1 unit)
General Elective (1 unit)

Semester 5 | Spring

Transpersonal Psychology (3 units)
Trauma (3 units)
Introduction to Community Mental Health (2 units)
General Elective (1 unit)

Semester 6 | Summer

Practicum (2 units)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (1 unit)
Human Sexuality (1 unit)

Semester 7 | Fall

Practicum (2 units)
Research Methods (3 units)
General Elective (1 unit)

Semester 8 | Spring

Practicum (2 units)
Integrative Seminar (3 units)

Course of Study: Weekend Program

Intensive 1 | Fall

Multicultural Counseling (1 unit)
Therapeutic Communication (2 units)
Human Development (1 unit)

Semester 1 | Fall

Multicultural Counseling (2 units)
Therapeutic Communication (1 unit)
Human Development (2 units)
Psychodynamics (3 units)

Semester 2 | Spring

Clinical Relationship (3 units)
Group Dynamics and Facilitation (3 units)
Professional Ethics and Family Law (2 units)
General Elective (1 unit)

Intensive 2 | Fall

Gestalt Therapy (3 units)

Semester 3 | Fall

Family Dynamics (3 units)
Psychopathology and Psychological Assessment (3 units)
Child Therapy (2 units)

Semester 4 | Spring

Couples Counseling (3 units)
Trauma (3 units)
Community Mental Health (2 units)
Human Sexuality (1 unit)
General Elective (1 unit)

Semester 5 | Fall

Transpersonal Psychotherapy (3 units)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (1 unit)
Alcohol and Chemical Dependency (1 unit)
Practicum (2 units)
General Elective (1 unit)

Semester 6 | Spring

Integrative Seminar (3 units)
Research Methods (3 units)
Practicum (2 units)

Semester 7 | Summer

Practicum (2 units)

Practicum

Applicable clinical skills are the foundation of the Integral Counseling Psychology program, which culminates in a year-long practicum training. Students are required to accrue 350 hours during practicum that can be applied to state licensing requirements. The ICP program requires 50 hours of personal psychotherapy with a licensed therapist during practicum. CIIS’ MCP Field Placement Office is available to support students in the process of securing placements.

Many students apply to one of CIIS’ three award-winning community Integral Counseling Centers, all of which are geared toward a private-practice model and offer training in depth psychotherapy. Other students are drawn to practicum sites in schools, hospitals, hospice, community mental health, child/family, etc.

Practicums provide students the opportunity to practice clinical skills by working directly with clients under the supervision of a licensed therapist who can offer input and feedback non-defensively.

Note for weekend students: Most practicum sites are not available on weekends. Weekend Program students need to plan for the impact on their employment that a weekday practicum schedule may have.

Integral Counseling Centers

CIIS’ award-winning community Integral Counseling Centers have been offering mind-body-spirit psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families in the Bay Area for more than 25 years. Our trainees and associates provide a safe and supportive setting for clients to explore a wide range of life issues.

The three Integral Counseling Centers are conveniently located throughout San Francisco and are staffed by graduate students and postgraduate associates. As a student of the Integral Counseling Psychology program, you may choose to do your practicum at one of the clinics.

Learn more about our Counseling Clinics

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Curriculum Highlights

The Integral Counseling Psychology program curriculum integrates spiritual and multicultural perspectives with concrete psychotherapy practice.

MCPI 5604 Group Dynamics and Facilitation (3 units)

This course has two main purposes: to study itself as a group and to learn about group psychotherapy facilitation. The first focus is on addressing increasing empathy and interpersonal sensitivity in a way that will help you develop your therapeutic skills in a group context. The second focus is on learning about different kinds of therapy groups and the different kinds of group facilitation skills necessary to lead such groups.

MCPI 5602 The Clinical Relationship (3 units)

The relationship between therapist and client is one of the central concerns of contemporary theories of therapeutic change. This course explores the relationship between therapist and client from the perspectives of contemporary psychoanalysis, humanism, and self-psychology. It provides various perspectives on transference and countertransference, and how to work with these dynamics in the clinical setting.

MCPI 6603 Multicultural Counseling and the Family (3 units)

This course provides an overview of multicultural counseling through exploration of ethnic, social, and cultural mores and values of representative social groups and special populations. The content will focus on developing oneself as a student, therapist, and educator, who understands the complexity of human diversity—ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic class, and color. We will look at the limitations of current psychological models in addressing the particularities of our clients’ diverse familial and cultural backgrounds. You will be asked to do mindfulness practices, inquiry, and dialogue to explore experiences and cultural backgrounds to help uncover your own beliefs, unconscious assumptions, projections, countertransference, fears, and biases. The instructor will help create a safe space and offer appropriate exercises and communication tools to encourage authentic exploration and dialogue of an emotionally-charged topic.

See a full list of course descriptions in our Academic Catalog

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Program Requirements