Counselor Education and Supervision, (Ph.D.)

Program Mission

The mission of the Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision program is to provide advanced training and education for practicing counselors to achieve advanced professional and personal development in becoming scholars, counselor educators, supervisors, leaders, and advocates in the field of counseling. The clinical and academic focus is on freedom and liberation rather than mere adjustment and adaptation for clients. It furthers the mission of Adler University through the infusion and understanding of the themes of social justice, diversity, multiculturalism, empowerment, oppression, freedom, and liberation. We emphasize scholarship and socially responsible practice.

Program Overview

The program consists of a total of 60 credit hours, including 46 credit hours of core courses and electives, six credit hours of dissertation, and eight credit hours of practicum and internship experiences. Students are expected to complete the curriculum in three years, or longer for part-time students. Program requirements include:

• Completion of core courses and electives (46 credit hours)
• Completion of field training, 100 field hours of practicum (2 credit hours), and 600 field hours of internship (6 credit hours)
• Completion of dissertation (6 credit hours)
• Passage of DCES Comprehensive Examination
• Completion of Social Justice Internship I and II for students who did not have Social Justice Practicum at Adler prior to the admission to the program

Program Learning Outcomes

The DCES program learning objectives were developed based on the 2016 Doctoral Accreditation Standards of Counselor Education and Supervision, Section 6, Doctoral Standards, set forth for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs, as well as the institutional learning objective at Adler University.

Program Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate an in-depth understanding and identification of the various roles of counselor educators in the training and supervision of counselors; teaching, advancing the standards, knowledge, and skills based on the profession of counseling, research and scholarly work; advocating for the welfare of those whom they serve; and advocating for, and leadership within, the profession.

Program Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of, and ability to, apply various theories and models in the supervision of counselors with reference to the characteristics of the counselor supervisees, clinical settings, and relevant therapeutic issues.

Program Learning Outcome 3: Demonstrate the ability to apply, evaluate, and integrate theories from both individual and systems perspectives in the provision of interventions in different practice areas in counseling and in serving diverse populations.

Program Learning Outcome 4: Demonstrate competencies in applying teaching strategies, instructional theories, and evaluative measures in the development of curriculum and teaching modules pertaining to counselor education and the training of counselors.

Program Learning Outcome 5: Demonstrate an in-depth understanding and ability to design and implement sound scholarly research from both quantitative and qualitative paradigms and methodologies. This involves displaying an awareness and understanding of the importance of research and the ability to conceive of research as a researcher. An additional ability is to have the capability to ask proper research questions that lead to proper research designs capable of producing substantial scholarly contributions to the profession.

Program Learning Outcome 6: Demonstrate an advanced understanding of social change theories and a keen awareness of social justice issues and their respective causes from social, cultural, and systemic perspectives.

Program Learning Outcome 7: Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the role of counselor educators in social changes and advancement of the counseling profession, and the ability to utilize leadership and advocacy models in order to initiate changes with reference to topical and political conditions.

Program Learning Outcome 8: Demonstrate a high level of awareness and aptitude in assessment and evaluation, as well as evidence-informed practices in areas of counseling, teaching, supervision, advocacy, and program development.

Program Learning Outcome 9: Integrate Adlerian principles and counseling approach in areas of counseling, teaching, supervision, and advocacy.

Program Learning Outcome 10: Demonstrate a commitment to socially responsible practice and adherence to ethical standards established by the profession, and to regulations set up by local, regional, and national authorities.

Program Learning Outcome 11: Demonstrate multicultural competencies in all aspects of practice as a counselor educator, with advanced understanding of the impact and management of diverse factors in the preparation of counselors, provision of treatment and intervention for clients, promotion of client welfare, development of programs and services, observation of ethical and legal standards, and initiation of social change through political venues and strategies.

Program Learning Outcome 12: Form an identity and function of a scholar capable of actively contributing to the knowledge base of the profession, as well as to the knowledge base of the mental health professions in general, through scholarly publications. This can be done conceptually through scholarly writing in the form of analysis of the literature, designing research-based models, or constructively writing articles analyzing the profession itself with the intention of improving it. This also involves not only the ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative research, but also the ability to logically conceive and put in writing both the results and the implications of those results in the venue of scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles and books.

Licensure and Credentials

The aim of the program is to provide advanced training for licensed counselors or mental health professionals who are eligible for master’s-level licensure in Illinois or other states.

Although the goal of the program is not the preparation of its students for counselor licensure that only requires a master’s degree, students without a counseling license may be able to attain such a credential through this Ph.D. program in the following manner:

• If students graduated from a 48 or more credit hour-program in counseling or a related field and completed the practicum and internship requirements, they can make up the licensure course requirements through the program admission prerequisites or courses in the Ph.D. program.
• If students came from a master’s level program with fewer than 48 credit hours, they will need to use this doctoral program as the primary degree when applying for licensure. Besides taking the necessary admission prerequisites, students may also need to have additional clinical internship hours in order to fulfill the state pre-licensure clinical training requirements.
• If students want to use this degree for licensure requirements of other states, they will need to work with their Faculty Advisor to see what additional courses and clinical practicum and internship hours are needed.

Instructional Modality

This program is designed to accommodate the multiple life demands of working professionals. Classes are offered mostly in weekend, evening, blended, or fully online formats. Students can complete the program in three years on a full-time basis or up to seven years part-time.

Minimum Admission Requirements

• A master’s degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution.
•  Applicants who did not graduate from CACREP-accredited or equivalent programs will be required to complete the equivalency requirements in addition to the doctoral curriculum. (See prerequisites of the program below).
• An academic record that demonstrates ability to fulfill the academic demands of the program. Successful applicants typically have a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale for graduate-level coursework.
• Completion of clinical training, a practicum, and/or internship as part of a master’s program.
• Approved applicants will be invited to complete an interview as part of the application process

Application Requirements

• Application for admission
• Application fee
• Statement of intent
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate school attended
• International transcripts must be evaluated by a transcript evaluation service (wes.org or ece.org). Please contact us for specific transcript translation requirements
• Three letters of recommendation accompanying the Adler University recommendation form

Appropriate recommendations are from professors and/or supervisors from significant work or volunteer experiences who can appraise your academic or professional performance.

Field Training: DCES Practicum and Internship

The DCES practicum and internship provide students a forum to enrich their professional portfolios and strengthen their career possibilities and potential as expert clinicians, supervisors, researchers, scholars, and counselor educators. Students will work with their Faculty Advisor to tailor their individual practicum and internship experiences in order to enhance their professional goals. As a result, students will be responsible for developing their practicum and internship training sites and opportunities with assistance and support from their Faculty Advisor.

The Advanced Clinical Counseling Practicum and Seminar provides students a forum to be expert clinicians and advance their clinical counseling skills and experiences in their preferred areas. It consists of a minimum of 100 hours of clinical work, including 40 direct hours. Students are expected to complete these requirements in the timeline with the approval of their Faculty Advisor.

The DCES Internship and Seminar provides students venues to be trained in supervision, teaching, research, and other advanced professional experiences. Students are required to complete 600 hours of internship.

Students can complete these elements of internship in sequence or simultaneously. Students can register for various internships and seminars concurrently with the approval of the Faculty Advisor. However, students must take their supervision internship hours in a fall semester. When formulating internship plans, students should consider using the experience to enhance their career profile and, where possible, specialty areas. In addition to the field hours and site supervision, students are required to register for seminars for group supervision and support.

Mandatory Internship Experiences

• Supervision (minimum of 100 hours)
• Teaching (minimum of 100 hours)
• Research (minimum of 100 hours). Students are to participate and assist with either current research projects or initiate research projects with faculty members or the community at large.
• DCES 857 - DCES Social Justice Internship I  and DCES 858 - DCES Social Justice Internship II  

Students who did not have Social Justice Practicum at Adler in their master’s degree program prior to their admission to the doctoral CES program are expected to complete 200 hours of internship in the area of community services, leadership, or advocacy in the fall and spring semester of their third year.

Optional Experiences

In addition to the mandatory experiences, students may choose to complete their internship hours with one or a combination of the following:

• New area of clinical counseling
• Program development
• Consultation
• Professional leadership
• Other (approved by Faculty Advisor or the doctoral Training Director)

DCES Comprehensive Examination

Each student must take and pass a written comprehensive essay examination prior to candidacy for the doctoral degree. The exam assesses competence in the five CACREP core areas (counseling, leadership and advocacy, supervision, teaching, and research). The comprehensive examination typically takes place in the summer I term every year. Passing the comprehensive exam is one of several prerequisites to initiating dissertation coursework. Students must have completed the DCES core courses with the exception of internship hours and elective courses and have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be eligible to take the comprehensive examination. Students must inform their Faculty Advisor of their intent to take the examination by the end of the February prior to the summer in which the comprehensive examination takes place. The entire comprehensive examination must be completed during the semester in which it is begun. For further details regarding the comprehensive examination, refer to the DCES Doctoral Handbook.

DCES Dissertation

Students are expected to apply one or more of the major research models or theories to conduct a research project in a dissertation format. The research needs to be structured and oriented toward adding to the knowledge base of counselor education in one or more of the five core competencies in the field (teaching, supervision, advocacy, research, and counseling practice). Students start to formulate their research area during first-year courses, such as Professional Orientation and Scholarly Endeavors, and will refine their research topic as they are taking their research courses. Faculty Advisors will assist students during the process of establishing a dissertation committee, which will guide students to complete their dissertations in compliance with the required format and standards. 

Graduation Requirements

1. Satisfactory completion of all core courses (39 credit hours) and electives (6 credit hours)
2. Satisfactory completion of 100 practicum hours at an approved practicum site
3. Satisfactory completion of 600 internship hours at an approved internship site
4. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
5. Successful completion of the DCES Comprehensive Examination
6. Successful completion of a doctoral dissertation and oral defense
7. Submission of completed Graduation Application and full payment of all outstanding tuition and fees
8. Satisfactory completion of Social Justice Internship I and II (if appropriate)