Students normally progress through the Master of Counselling program at a standard pace. Their time commitment will depend on whether they decide to apply for the thesis route. Students usually find that they require additional time at the end of the program, to complete their thesis.
Students in the Art Therapy specialization must follow a fixed program plan because of the nature of the collaboration with the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.
We strongly recommend that you consider the time commitment involved with online graduate work as you prepare for this program. You should plan to devote a minimum of 15 hours per week in each course. During the semesters when you are completing your practicum, you must be able to add an additional 250 hours per semester for your practicum placement.
Students in the Art Therapy specialization will complete a portion of their coursework through Athabasca University and a portion through the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute (VATI). For more details on the Art Therapy specialization courses, please see the VATI website. Since we are working with relatively small cohorts of students in this stream, it will be important for you to adhere to the proposed course schedule.
The thesis route is not available to MC:AT students because it does not allow room for the Art Therapy specialization courses.
Year | Semester | GCAP Courses | VATI Courses |
---|---|---|---|
I | Fall | GCAP 631: Models of Counselling and Client Change (online) | |
Winter | GCAP 633: Infusing Culture into Counselling (online) | ||
Spring/Summer | GCAP 635: Intervening to Facilitate Client Change (online + Summer Institute) GCAP 671: Developing a Working Alliance (online + Summer Institute) |
||
II | Fall | GCAP 691: Methods of Inquiry (online) | |
Winter | GCAP 632: Professional Ethics (online) GCAP 651: Art Therapy History and Theory |
||
Spring/Summer | GCAP 634: Assessment Processes (online) | VATI 601: Art Therapy Training Group I (Summer Institute) VATI 603: Art Therapy Techniques Lab I (Summer Institute) |
|
III | Fall | GCAP 685: Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar | VATI 617: Specialized Practicum (200 hours) |
Winter | GCAP 685: Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar | VATI 617: Specialized Practicum (may extend into spring semester) | |
Spring/Summer | VATI 601: Art Therapy Training Group II (Summer Institute) VATI 603: Art Therapy Techniques Lab II (Summer Institute) |
||
IV | Fall | GCAP 695: Specialization Seminar – Knowledge Transfer |
Please Note:
The normal program plan is four courses per year; one in the fall, one in winter, and two in the spring-summer semester. All students are required to to complete the first year of the program as a cohort, completing the first four courses in a standard sequence. The courses have been designed to build sequentially the foundational competencies required for your success in the rest of the program. For most students, four courses per year is the ideal pace to complete their program as it ensures core courses are available and you have maximum flexibility in selecting elective courses. The program normally takes 3.3 years to complete.
Year | Semester | Course-Based Exit Route | Thesis Route |
---|---|---|---|
I | Fall | GCAP 631: Models of Counselling and Client Change (online) | GCAP 631: Models of Counselling and Client Change (online) |
Winter | GCAP 633: Infusing Culture into Counselling (online) | GCAP 633: Infusing Culture into Counselling (online) | |
Spring/Summer | GCAP 635: Intervening to Facilitate Client Change (online + Summer Institute) GCAP 671: Developing a Working Alliance (online + Summer Institute) |
GCAP 635: Intervening to Facilitate Client Change (online + Summer Institute) GCAP 671: Developing a Working Alliance (online + Summer Institute) |
|
II | Fall | GCAP 691: Methods of Inquiry (online) | GCAP 691: Methods of Inquiry (online) |
Winter | GCAP 632: Professional Ethics (online) | GCAP 632: Professional Ethics (online) GCAP 692: Advanced Quantitative Methods* or GCAP 693: Advanced Qualitative Methods |
|
Spring/Summer | GCAP 634: Assessment Processes (online) Specialization Option I (online) |
GCAP 634: Assessment Processes (online) |
|
III | Fall | GCAP 685: Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar) | GCAP 685: Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar) |
Winter | GCAP 685: Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar) | GCAP 685: Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar) If not taken in Year II: GCAP 692: Advanced Quantitative Methods* or GCAP 693: Advanced Qualitative Methods* |
|
Spring/Summer | Specialization Option II (online) | If not taken in Year II GCAP 696: Thesis I* |
|
IV | Fall | GCAP 695: Specialization Seminar – Knowledge Transfer | GCAP 697: Thesis II* |
Winter | GCAP 697: Thesis II* |
Please Note:
Students in the School Counselling specialization will complete the following courses in the order noted below:
GCAP Courses | ||
---|---|---|
GCAP 660 | Roles, Strategies and Interventions | |
GCAP 631 | Models of Counselling and Client Change (online) | |
GCAP 633 | Infusing Culture into Counselling (online) | |
GCAP 671 | Developing a Working Alliance (online + Summer Institute) | |
GCAP 635 | Intervening to Facilitate Client Change (online + Summer Institute) | |
GCAP 691 | Methods of Inquiry (online) | |
GCAP 632 | Professional Ethics (online) | |
GCAP 634 | Assessment Processes (online) | |
GCAP 685 | Advanced Counselling Practicum (online + field placement + intensive seminar | |
GCAP 695 | Specialization Seminar – Knowledge Transfer (online) | |
Plus one additional elective course chosen from any of: | ||
GCAP 643 | Health Psychology (online) | |
GCAP 648 | Counselling Children and Adolescents from a Developmental Perspective (online) | |
GCAP 654 | Family Therapy: Theory and Practice (online) | |
GCAP 672 | Group Counselling and Process Skills (online + Summer Institute) | |
Students in the MC: School Counselling specialization are not eligible for the Thesis route.
Under exceptional circumstances, you may be permitted to complete the program over a longer period of time (taking up to a maximum of seven years). However, you must still complete the first year courses as part of your cohort. Be prepared to plan ahead to ensure course availability once you stray from the standard program plan.
Information effective November 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016.
Updated March 24 2016 by laurab
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