Master of Education in Counselling Psychology (Counselling & Psychotherapy Field)

Coursework

Students must complete 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

• APD1202H Theories and Techniques of Counselling and Psychotherapy — Part I (0.5 FCE).
• APD1203Y⁺ Practicum I: Interventions in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy (1.0 FCE). The practicum placement is the supervised training component of this course.
• APD1214H Critical Multicultural Practice: Diversity Issues in Counselling and Psychotherapy (0.5 FCE; corequisites: APD1202H and APD1302H).
• APD1219H Ethical Issues in Professional Practice and Psychotherapy (0.5 FCE).
• APD1260H Family Therapy (0.5 FCE) or APD1261H Group Work in Counselling and Psychotherapy (0.5 FCE).
• APD1302H Theories and Techniques of Counselling and Psychotherapy — Part II (0.5 FCE).
• 1.5 FCEs in electives. Recommended electives: one of
  • APD1266H Career Counselling and Development: Transition from School to Work (0.5 FCE),
  • APD1267H Emotion-Focused Therapy (0.5 FCE),
  • APD1268H Career Counselling and Development: Transitions in Adulthood (0.5 FCE),
  • APD1278H Cognitive Therapy (0.5 FCE).

Comprehensive Examination

Upon completion of program course requirements, students must pass a written comprehensive exam of selected topics from the program curriculum and training.

Optional Additional Practicum

Counted as one of the electives. Students may choose to complete a practicum (APD1247H Practicum in Adult Counselling and Psychotherapy) for an additional 250 hours of field placement concurrent with the required course (APD1203Y⁺ Practicum I: Interventions in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy). Arrangements for the practicum placement must be made in consultation with and the approval of the Director of Clinical Training.

Collaborative Specializations provide students with a the opportunity to explore a novel interdisciplinary area or special development that crosses a number of disciplines. 

Collaborative Specializations are available with the MEd in Counselling Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy field in the following areas:

• Aging, Palliative Care and Supportive Care Across the Life Course 
  • Prepares students for specialization in the field of aging and/or the field of palliative and supportive care, with an emphasis on viewing aging and palliative issues within the perspective of the life course
• Community Development
  • Focuses on working with community members and groups to effect positive change in the social, economic, organizational, or physical structures of a community
• Sexual Diversity Studies
  • For students to engage in questions of gender, ethnicity, race, Aboriginal status, (dis)ability, and class to highlight the importance of exploring their interaction with sexual differences.
• Women and Gender Studies
  • Provides a rich interdisciplinary environment in which students can grapple with how gender and sexuality are tangled with questions of race, citizenship, embodiment, colonialism, violence, and other pressing concerns.

Admission requirements state that at least one year of relevant experience is required. What is considered relevant experience?
The 1-year minimum is a guideline for the amount of experience we expect. We do not have the resources to approve or recommend a particular position or setting for interested applicants. The admissions committee does not prefer consecutive over periodic experience, nor distinguish between part-time vs. full-time hours

Strong applicants to the MEd program have practical experience in a mental health environment, with adult populations, practicing or exposed to some of the counselling techniques and interventions as taught in the MEd curriculum.

Use your answer to the guided questions to identify where your practical skillsets, counselling exposure and professional development goals fit with the MEd program curriculum, perhaps by naming courses and/or models of therapy. Your resume and professional reference letter should corroborate, and each would detail your locations of practice, client populations served, counselling interventions practiced, and time durations of each. This information will ensure that your professional focus is relevant and it would appear likely that you can be successfully placed in a practicum site within our program.

According to the application requirements for the Master of Education in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy program, an academic reference is preferred, along with a professional reference, however, will two professional references be accepted instead of one academic and one professional reference?
Yes. For applicants several years from their undergraduate programs, a strong academic reference may be difficult to obtain.  The want is to have one of the practical referees speak to your scholarship too – perhaps critical thinking/writing, report writing, literature reviews, presentation skills, and all-around collegiality – in addition to what she/he can offer toward your practical skills.

Can you please confirm that this program does not have a research component?
The MEd degree programs do not have a research component.  Applicants do not need to identify professors of research interest, but can list courses of interest which they teach.

Does what programs we do for our undergraduate influence our chances of getting into the program?
The MEd Counselling and Psychotherapy program does not require a specific undergraduate major.  Any 4 year BA with a B+ or better in the last year is fitted.  Applicants will want to demonstrate their academic scholarship with their faculty questions and via their reference letters, such as critical thinking and writing.

Is a successful work experience not related to counselling field not recommended to apply?
Applicants are encouraged to elaborate only on  practical exposures relevant to mental health skills building and preparedness for a successful practicum placement.

For students who are in the process of completing their undergraduate degree, does the admissions committee look at just the 3rd year courses since the 4th year grades aren't released? Are there a certain number of courses they take to calculate an admissions average? 
For applicants applying during their final year of the undergraduate program, an application GPA is not calculated.   If an admissions offer is received in late March/early April, it will be conditional upon submitting proof of graduation and receiving a B+ or better GPA in the last 5 full-year equivalent degree course credits.

For the MEd in CP - Counselling and Psychotherapy what is the minimum numbers of courses you can take as full time student. Are courses offered over the spring and summer months? 
Full-time registration in the MEd program is typically 3 courses per semester. This is 6 in the first year, and the remaining 4 in the 2nd year, including the practicum placement. Summer courses are available. These are electives and are optional.

Would it be possible to apply as international student and change the status afterwards if permanent residency is granted after been accepted by the university? 
An applicant’s residency status would not affect the review of their application. When an offer of admission is received, in late March or early April, the applicant may update our OISE registrars’ office with their residency status at that time.

If I have just begun a volunteer position with a crisis line that I am committed to for one year, (meaning at the time of the application I will only have been in the position for a month), will this still be considered for relevant experience for September program start date.
Yes, the one year practical experience requirement is counted back from when an applicant would begin the program the following September.  We encourage applicants to consider when is the best year to apply, when familiar and glowing letters of reference can be secured.

Experiences beginning at the time of application will often not have substantial relationship-building for the referee to elaborate upon.

I am trying to get an idea of what the program looks like and I’m not having a lot of luck online. Do you happen to have an example schedule of what courses are offered and what your week would look like ? Also, does the program help to find you a placement and is the 250 hours direct or does that include all direct and indirect hours at placement? 
A representative course schedule is not available, but full-time registration is typically 3 courses per semester, which can be scheduled in 2 or 3 days - 9 hours of in-class time per week.   The 2nd year includes 4 more courses plus a two day a week practicum placement. The minimum 250 hours is inclusive of indirect and direct client hours - the latter being a minimum of 25%.

Two reference letters are required with your application. Please communicate these items to your practical/professional referee and ask that (s)he comment on the following in your reference letter.

To the extent possible, please comment on the applicant’s: 

• Sensitivity to others
• Awareness of their own impact on others
• Empathy and capacity to provide support to others
• Ability to exercise appropriate judgment
• Appropriateness of interpersonal behaviour
• Ethically appropriate behaviour

In your opinion, how suitable is this applicant for training in counselling?

Program Chair: Dr. Ellie Gutowski

Program Faculty: Jeffrey Ansloos; J. Roy Gillis; Abby Goldstein; Charles Chen; Roy Moodley; Judy Silver; Lana Stermac; Jeanne Watson; Ellen Gutowski; Greg Hamovitch; Julie Goldenson; Olga Ulanova

Questions? Please email us at oise.aphd@utoronto.ca

Program Coordinator:
Caren Li
kl.li@utoronto.ca