Trauma-Informed Counseling Certificate

Program Description

There has been an increasing interest in assessing intersectionality issues through the prism of crisis and trauma-informed counseling. Topics for inclusion in the graduate certificate program include theories, techniques, and interventions of trauma and crisis counseling, etiology, diagnosis and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), clinical interventions, and evidenced-based treatment modalities. The proposed courses for the Trauma-Informed Counseling Certification are based on increase in demand for trauma-informed care across the country. Counselors and related human services are often faced with complex client crises and trauma histories. In particular, although counselors-in-training gain knowledge and skills for practice, there is a need for an opportunity to explore additional training for the benefit of clients being served. In various counseling and related human services programs across the United States, courses such as crisis counseling, trauma counseling, and disaster mental health counseling have been integrated into the training of helping professionals. Based on this background, trauma-informed counseling certificate has been identified as key areas of inclusion into the department of Human Services Counseling Programs. The Human Services Department could contribute towards a synergy of expanding the interdisciplinary potential of the offered variety of courses. The certificate is designed to offer an interdisciplinary space, yet one that offers valuable exposure to economic analysis.

The proposed program will serve as an extension to the existing graduate degree training and or professional advancement for non-degree seeking individuals. The graduate certificate would enable graduate students from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds to develop a specialty in assessing client issues with trauma-informed knowledge, skills, and practice in accordance with CACREP Standards.

Admission Requirements:

Anyone with a master’s degree and/or is pursing masters in any programs in the Department of Human Services and other related fields are eligible to apply for Trauma-Informed Counseling Certificate, e.g., licensed social worker, clinical psychologist school administrators, school personnel, and nursing.”

Program Learning Objectives:

Student Learning Outcomes/CACREP Core Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice. Gain knowledge of studies that provide an understanding of aspects of professional functioning

• counselors’ roles and responsibilities as members of an interdisciplinary emergency management response team during a local, regional, or national crisis, disaster or other trauma-causing event (II.G.1.c);
• self-care strategies appropriate to the counselor role (II.G.1.d);
• counseling supervision models, practices, and processes (II.G.1.e);

2. Social and Cultural Diversity

• individual, couple, family, group, and community strategies for working with and advocating for diverse populations, including multicultural competencies (II.G.2.d);

3. Human Growth and Development. Understand the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels and in multicultural contexts

• human behavior, including an understanding of developmental crises, disability, psychopathology, and situational and environmental factors that affect both normal and abnormal behavior (II.G.3.f);
• effects of crisis, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on persons of all ages (II.G.3.c);

4. Helping Relationships

• An orientation to wellness and prevention as desired counseling goals (II.G.5.a);
• crisis intervention and suicide prevention models, including the use of psychological first aid strategies (II.G.5.g);

5. Research and Evaluation

• The use of research to inform evidence-based practice (II.G.8.e)

Graduate Certificate Requirements:

To obtain the certificate, a student must:

a)  be enrolled in a graduate counseling program;

b)  have a master’s degree before beginning the certificate program;

c)  successfully complete 9 credit hours of Trauma-Informed Counseling listed below;

d)  successfully complete 3 credit hours in appropriate graduate level classes from another discipline;

e)  be a practicing counselor;

f)  have completed a bachelor’s degree in a human service related field;

g)  be enrolled in a helping professions graduate program such as social work or psychology;

h)  earn a cumulative average of 3.0 for the 12-credit hour program.

For More Information

• Trauma-Informed Counseling Certificate
• School of Education and Leadership
• College of Health, Education, and Human Services