PhD in Counseling Psychology

(DPCPSYC)

The Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology major in Clinical, School or Industrial Counseling Program aims to develop competent and effective academicians and practitioners in counseling psychology by (a) grounding the student in updated theories and research in relevant fields of psychological science; (b) exposing the student to various theories, techniques, and applications of counseling psychology with emphasis on their relevance to the Asia Pacific context in general and the Philippines in particular; (c) providing an intensive and highly supervised practicum and internship experience in specialization areas, and (d) developing skills for conducting scholarly and scientifically rigorous research which will contribute to the understanding, appreciation, and development of counseling in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific Region.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Graduates of PhD in Counseling Psychology are expected to possess the following Lasallian attributes, namely:

LO1: Critical and Creative Thinker

  • Demonstrate a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of theories, principles, concepts, and skills that are at the forefront of counseling psychology.
  • Develop and sustain arguments about, and critically evaluate both established and emerging knowledge in counseling psychology.
  • Extend the theoretical, professional, and methodological knowledge by generating new knowledge through research.

LO2: Effective Communicator

  • Understand and explain the appropriateness of the various advanced methods of inquiry in counseling psychology.
  • Engage in research of a level of quality that meets standards of peer review and eventually merits publication in scholarly refereed journals in counseling psychology and related fields.
  • Communicate with specialist and non-specialist audiences regarding how specialized knowledge in counseling psychology can be applied to make judgments about relevant issues.

LO3: Reflective Lifelong Learner

  • Correctly apply the theories, principles, concepts, skills, and methods in creative and flexible ways in counseling psychology in varied academic research, applied, or employment contexts.
  • Apply specialized theories and methods in counseling psychology in innovative ways to make informed judgments about relevant issues.
  • Undertake further specialized training for developing existing skills and acquiring higher-level competencies in the employment context.

LO4: Service-Driven Citizen

  • Creates approaches to solving problems in academic research, applied or an employment context, in ways that involve rigorous thinking, and independent work.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the ethical dimensions of the use of psychological theories and methods, especially in research and professional practice in counseling psychology
  • Conceptualize, design, and implement research projects for the generation of new knowledge and/or application of knowledge in counseling psychology, and adjust the project design in consideration of external exigencies.

LO5: Innovator and constant seeker of improvement

  • Comprehend and evaluate new information related to counseling psychology (e.g., theory, concepts, data) that may be presented in various forms and from various sources.
  • Understand, explain, and critically evaluate the appropriateness of the various advanced methods of inquiry in counseling psychology.
  • Advance knowledge and skills in counseling psychology using the established sources of advanced information in the field.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  1. A Master of Science or a Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling or its equivalent. By equivalent is meant a master’s degree in psychology or in education, major in guidance and counseling with courses in Counseling Techniques I and II, Group Process, Testing in Counseling, and Organization of Guidance Services. A master’s degree in another field may be considered if the applicant has 15 units of guidance and counseling courses cited above.
  2. An overall grade of 90, 3.0 or B+ in the master’s program.
  3. Psychological tests and personal interview by the department chairperson and members of the Admissions Committee.
  4. Evidence of professional promise (persona, interpersonal and the ability to communicate in English and/or Filipino effectively. Such evidence may be gathered from the student’s application for admission, from the results of the admission tests and/or from the interview with the chairperson and members of the Admissions Committee.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Core Courses 12 units
Major Courses  9 units
Specialization Courses  3 units
Professional Competencies  9 units
Comprehensive Examinations  0 units
Dissertation 12 units
Research Publication  0 units
Total 45 units

Written Comprehensive Examination

The WCE is a final check on the student’s competency in both pedagogy and his/her field of specialization. As such, the WCE has two parts: the pedagogical knowledge and the content knowledge.

Candidacy Examination/Proposal Defense

 

Research Publication

The student must have at least one (1) research publication in an internationally- or nationally-refereed and indexed journal within residency in the program.

 

PROGRAM CURRICULUM

CORE COURSES (12 units)

CPS510D   Advanced Statistics (3 units)
This is a 3-unit course for doctoral degree students of Counseling and Educational Psychology.  It extends the students’ knowledge beyond the basic statistics at the master’s level. It includes topics on multivariate ANOVA, multiple regression, path analysis, cluster analysis and other multivariate analysis with manifest and latent variables.

CPS525D   Research Methods I (3 units)
This course is the entry-level research methods course for students in the PhD Counseling Psychology and PhD Educational Psychology programs. The prerequisite course is CPS510D (Advanced Statistics), and the students are also expected to have completed a masters level course on methods of research.  Thus, students are expected to be knowledgeable about the basic research designs (experimental and descriptive methods) in research and about multivariate statistical procedures.

CPS530D   Advanced Seminar on Personality (3 units)
A study of theoretical, clinical, and research-based approaches to the development and functioning of personality.  General consideration is given to the socio-cultural aspects of personality in the Philippine context.

CPS665D  Psychopathology and Pharmacology (3 units)
This subject is the study of the characteristics of the psychopathologies, their etiology, prognosis and treatment.

 

MAJOR COURSES (9 units)

CPS552D   Approaches to Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy (3 units)
An in-depth study of major theoretical positions and basic concepts of the counseling and psychotherapy relationships.  Professional and ethical issues are discussed. Application in the group setting are considered.

CPS570D   Individual Assessment (3 units)
Principles and practice in the use of various types of individual assessment instruments including standardized paper-and-pencil tests used to assess personality, intelligence, and other psychological variables in the various counseling, clinical, and school settings.

CPS593D   Advanced Group Psychotherapy (3 units)
This course introduces counseling students to the important elements in the conduct of counseling and therapy in a group setting.  Special emphasis is given to the applicability of group psychotherapy and counseling in the Philippine context.

 

SPECIALIZATION COURSES (3 units)

Any one of the following:

CPS543D   Consulting Principles and Practice (3 units)
The exploration of the construct and process of influencing human and organizational change through the medium of consultation

CPS614D   Family Therapy, Theory and Techniques (3 units)
This course is an introduction to the various approaches to Family Therapy including their theoretical constructs. Special attention will be given to the applicability of these concepts and techniques within specific cultural and ethnic contexts, including the Philippines, the Pacific Region, and the United States.

CPS700D   Advanced Seminar in Counseling Supervision (3 units)
The primary objective of this course is to familiarize doctoral students in counseling Psychology with the research and applied literature on clinical supervision.  Thus, we will examine and evaluate the issues that emerge from the practice of clinical supervision in terms of theory, scientific research, and ethics.  While there are number of models of supervision, our focus will be on developmental approaches to supervision.  Other important models will be briefly presented and discussed. A Secondary purpose of the course will be to examine some relevant issues related to the overall training of professional psychologists.

CPS750D   Advanced Seminar in Counseling (3 units)
This course will provide Counseling Psychology students an opportunity to be exposed to current developments in counseling psychology research and practice.

CPS911D   Advanced Seminar on Career Counseling (3 units)
This course allows the students to examine major career development theories and their use in understanding one’s own and the individual’s personal and career needs across the lifespan. It also explores on the different issues encountered by individuals that challenges PhD students to conceptualize the clients’ career needs and plan for career counseling intervention using a case of their choice.

 

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES (12 units)

CPS932D   Practicum in Assessment and Psychotherapy (3 units)
This course will allow Doctoral students of Counseling Psychology to demonstrate skills and apply the knowledge in psychological assessment and psychotherapy. This practicum is focused on building and refining assessment protocol, individual and group psychotherapy skills by integrating theory and practice. Students record these sessions in a journal. She/he also reports the number of hours spent with the supervisor in critiquing journal reports, taped sessions, giving and receiving feedback, counseling with clients from an agreed community, group counseling, reflection sharing with other practicum students and dealing with the administrative elements of pre and post assessment and psychotherapy sessions. Students are expected to conscientiously comply with professional ethical psychotherapy practice guidelines as they perform their duties in the practicum sites.

CPS945D   Internship 1 (3 units)
Internship I is the segment in the training of doctoral students where they can experience what it is like to work fulltime as a Counseling Psychologist. The course emphasizes the consolidation of a theoretical body of knowledge through teaching and research, consultation, preventive and developmental outreach programs, and the development of clinical supervision skills.  The internship training also addresses the need for students/interns to process and explore further personal concerns or issues that may interfere in their work as counseling psychologists.   In line with this, they will be required to undergo individual counseling or psychotherapy.

CPS946D   Internship 2 (3 units)
Internship is the segment in the training of doctoral students where they can experience for a minimum of one hundred fifty (150) hours, what it is like to work fulltime as a Counseling Psychologist.  The course emphasizes the consolidation of a theoretical body of knowledge through teaching and research, consultation, preventive and developmental outreach programs, and the development of clinical supervision skills.  Internship 2 however focuses on Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy.

 

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS (0 units)

DPSYC1Q   Qualifying Examination – Area 1

DPSYC2Q   Qualifying Examination- Area 2

DPSYC1W   Comprehensive Examination – Area 1

DPSYC2W   Comprehensive Examinations – Area 2

 

DISSERTATION (12 units)

CPS951D-965D    Dissertation (12 units)

 

PREREQUISITE COURSES

CLG200M   Psychological Foundations (3 units)
(Personality, Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Social Psychology)
This three-unit course is designed to provide students with a brief overview on the psychological foundation courses that includes Personality, Abnormal Psychology, Development Psychology and Social Psychology. Personality emphasizes on the application of their contributions to understanding normal behavior and personality in contrast to psychopathology.  Abnormal Psychology covers various theoretical perspectives on maladaptive behavior and the major diagnostic and treatment issues for a variety of categories of abnormal behavior according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Human development focuses on current research and theory on the biological, linguistic, social and emotional dimensions of development and the factors that affect the progress of development. Social psychology with emphasizes on how individuals form social cognition

ENG501M   Advanced Technical Reading and Writing 1 (3 units) 
The first part of an intensive English academic reading and writing course focuses on the review of basic reading and writing skills and their application in the preparation of short academic papers such as definitions and descriptions, and non-prose forms. It emphasizes the mastery of active reading strategies, the effective use of rhetorical and organizational features of academic writing and proper documentation.

ENG502M   Advanced Technical Reading and Writing 2 (3 units )
The second part of an intensive English academic reading and writing course, focuses on the writing of data commentary and the various parts of a research report, with emphasis on the different rhetorical moves and the linguistic features that realize these moves. The course continues to emphasize the observance of integrity in writing and research.

CLG500M   Statistics (3 units)
This course focuses on the fundamental principles and techniques of inferential statistics as applied to counseling research.  The course covers the definition, data requirement and interpretation of standard statistical analysis.

CLG521M   Methods of Research (3 units)
This course provides an opportunity for students to review concepts and skills learned from their previous research and statistics classes and use these in the development of their thesis proposals. The course will comprise of several workshop sessions that will further hone the knowledge and skills of the students in the conduct of research.

CLG550M   Theories and Techniques of Counseling with Lab Training (3 units)
This course is a discussion of the meaning and dynamics of the counseling process, covering general principles as well as various selected theories.  It is also designed to familiarize the student, through laboratory training, with the use of basic and advance counseling skills and techniques, applied with multicultural and ethical sensitivity.