“The Ph.D. program in Counseling Psychology at NMSU is great! The faculty are very supportive of students’ interests, both in clinical and research areas. I really have enjoyed the support the faculty has given me. In addition, the program allows students to have various experiences in different clinical settings. The faculty respects diversity and really focuses on multicultural issues that are emerging in counseling psychology.”
— Richard Calleja Zamora
APA Accredited
Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data (Click here to see the data)
The Counseling Psychology program at NMSU was first accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1995, and was reaccredited in 2012 for a period of seven years with the next site visit occurring in 2019 (For more information on accreditation, contact the Office of program Consultation and Accreditation, APA, 750 1st st NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-336-5979). The program, housed within the College of Education, offers educational experiences in the foundations of scientific psychology (history & systems of psychology, biological, cognitive/affective, individual and social bases of behavior) as applied within the discipline of counseling psychology. The program is based on the scientist-practitioner model and emphasizes the integration of theory, research, and practice. Students complete a practicum each semester where theory is applied to a variety of counseling modalities. The program fosters an increased sensitivity to, and competence in serving, a culturally diverse society. Multicultural aspects of theory, practice, and research are infused throughout the program. Students have an opportunity to teach, counsel, and conduct research with a diverse student population. The department sponsors the Counseling & Educational Psychology Training & Research Clinic, applying consistent and helpful supervision, utilizing modern digital recording equipment, and providing empirically-supported research/clinical tools in order to enable doctoral (and other CEP) students in providing counseling and assessment to NMSU undergraduate students and the Las Cruces/Doña Ana county community.
Doctoral students are assigned a faculty advisor who will mentor their research efforts and chair their dissertation. Students present their research projects at a multicultural research symposium during their second year. Students also are mentored in teaching by assisting faculty with undergraduate classes, eventually teaching their own classes.
The ethical code of the America Psychological Association is stressed throughout the program. Completion of the Ph.D. Program typically requires three years of full-time course work and one year devoted to pre-doctoral internship and working on a dissertation.
Students develop knowledge and skills in the following areas:
- appraisal of personality and intelligence
- diagnosis and treatment planning
- individual, family and group counseling
- child and adolescent counseling
- vocational psychology
- addictions counseling
- ethics and professional issues
- consultation and supervision
- research and statistics