School Counseling M.Ed.

Required courses (45 hours)

• COUN 6305 - Theories of Counseling 3
• COUN 6306 - Introduction to School Counseling 3
• COUN 6308 - Ethical Standards and Practices in Counseling 3
• COUN 6327 - Career Counseling 3
• COUN 6328 - Group Counseling 3
• COUN 6330 - Cross-cultural Counseling 3
• COUN 6372 - Assessment and Testing in Counseling 3
• COUN 6375 - Essential Helping Skills of Counseling 3
• EDPD 6303 - Educational Research 3
• EDPD 6329 - Human Development 3
• COUN 6399 - Practicum in Counseling 3
• COUN 6324 - Counseling Interventions with Children and Adolescents 3
• COUN 6365 - Diagnosis and Treatment in Counseling 3
• COUN 6374 - Introduction to Addictions Counseling 3
• COUN 6334 - Crisis Counseling 3

Electives (3 hours)

• COUN 6326 - Introduction to Play Therapy 3
• COUN 6376 - Sexuality Across the Lifespan 3
• COUN 6392 - Special Topics in Counseling 3
• COUN 6309 - Advanced Ethics and Legal Aspects of Counseling 3
• COUN 6371 - Introduction to Psychopharmacology 3

All classes are offered in an online format, except 6399 which is offered online with a practicum experience completed in person in a school setting.

Please browse the Counselor Education’s Course Descriptions within the counselor education program for further information.

For individuals interested in a school counseling certificate and a professional counselor license

Required courses (57 hours)

• EDPD 6303 - Education Research 3
• COUN 6305 - Theories of Counseling 3
• COUN 6306 - Introduction to School Counseling 3
• COUN 6308 - Ethical Standards and Practices in Counseling 3
• COUN 6309 - Advanced Ethics and Legal Aspects of Counseling 3
• COUN 6324 - Counseling Interventions with Children and Adolescents 3
• COUN 6327 - Career Counseling 3
• COUN 6328 - Group Counseling 3
• COUN 6330 - Cross-cultural Counseling 3
• COUN 6334 - Crisis Counseling 3
• COUN 6365 - Diagnosis and Treatment in Counseling 3
• COUN 6371 - Introduction to Psychopharmacology 3
• COUN 6372 - Assessment and Testing in Counseling 3
• COUN 6373 - Couples and Family Counseling 3
• COUN 6374 - Introduction to Addictions Counseling 3
• COUN 6375 - Essential Helping Skills of Counseling 3
• EDPD 6329 - Human Development 3
• COUN 6399 - Practicum in Counseling (School Counseling) 3
• COUN 6398 - Internship in Counseling 3

Electives (3 hours)

• COUN 6326 - Introduction to Play Therapy 3
• COUN 6376 - Sexuality Across the Lifespan 3
• COUN 6392 - Special Topics in Counseling 3

All classes are offered in an online format, except 6399 which is offered online with a practicum experience completed in person in a school setting. Internship will need to be completed in a community setting.

Please browse the Counselor Education’s Course Descriptions within the counselor education program for further information.

MEd. School Counseling Practicum handbook: For students enrolled in the MEd. School Counseling Program that is a total of 48 credit hours. This is for students who only want to be school counselors

MEd. School Counseling + LPC Program Practicum/Internship handbook: For students enrolled in the MEd. School Counseling + LPC Program Program that is a total of 60 credit hours. This is for students who want to be school counselors and LPC's

School Counseling practicum 

MEd. + LPC Internship 

Please email the applications to counseloredprogram@wtamu.edu

Spring 2024: https://forms.office.com/r/WNrTqwCEeS  - Last day to sign up is January 10th, 2024
Summer 2024: https://forms.office.com/r/EQmqQ2gMk8 - Last day to sign up is March 10th, 2024

Please sign in using your WTAMU email address to sign up for COMPS

Link to the Practice COMPS sign-up form - Link

Please email the form to counseloredprogram@wtamu.edu

Student 1: 

"From the beginning, I knew this was a requirement, and I was nervous about it. So in all of my classes, I wrote down notes or really researched and studied the books as I went because I am a nervous test-taker. So before I started studying I wanted to see where I was at. I took a practice CPCE Exam and got 84 out of 160 correct prior to studying because of the way I think I approached my classes. That exam was out of the Study Guide written by Helwig. Then I read through that book and studied/took notes on that. After I read through that, I took the test again. Any questions I missed I went back and found the correct answer and why. Then I also purchased the Encyclopedia of Counseling by Howard Rosenthal and read through that twice. I also downloaded the Quizlet app and found CPCE preps already made. I studied those anytime I would catch myself mindlessly scrolling on social media. Or if we went on a trip in the car, I was swiping through those. 

I started studying around September/October, and my test was on January 4th. I also used my Christmas break to really cram anything else in and took studying up a notch. I also utilized Dr. Behl's Practice COMPS and would research the questions if I struggled with them. 

Overall, I think how thoroughly I worked through my classes gave me a good base. Then I studied randomly as I had time for a few months and then really focused in about two weeks before."

Student 2:

 "As far as my study plan, I studied for about 21 days, an average of two hours per weekday and three to four hours each weekend day. Having been in education a long time, three weeks may not be long enough for some, but three months is probably too long. Abstract facts that you aren't using every day don't hang out that long. I think the biggest thing that I did was draw from my teaching days, and I took notes. Writing notes with pen and paper creates new neural pathways to the information, as opposed to just seeing or hearing the information. I have so many pages of notes. If I did not know it, I took notes on it. For some of the more difficult concepts, I rewrote the notes a few days before the test.  I used the paid version of Pocket Prep (behavioral health app). When I didn't know the answer, I used the expanded explanation and took notes. I also used the purple book, as well as the Dr. Pam Turner videos on YouTube. Concepts that I felt I had down pretty well, such as ethics and the counseling relationship, I did a brief overview once and left it alone. In the areas where I really struggled, I made sure that I consumed the information in more than one format.  However, I think just as important as studying was the approach to the test. I had read in several places that it is a reading test. You have to be sure that you are answering what the question is asking. Read every available answer before choosing one. There were many that there was more than one "right" answer, but one was better than another. Also, on ones that I did not know, there were always two answers that had nothing to do with the topic being questioned. A fifty/fifty shot is better than one in four. Lastly, for flagged questions, re-read them to make sure you understood the question, but if you read it the same way during the review as you did during the initial test, do not change your answer. Gut reactions are always more likely to be right. There is definitely a lot of knowledge and information needed to do well on this test, but good test-taking and reading skills went a long way toward passing this test, as well."

• Hold a master's degree from an accredited institution of higher education
• Successfully complete the school counselor program
• Per Texas Education agency requirements, starting July 20th, 2021, all candidates will be required to pass the school counselor certification examination, TExES #252 School Counselor. The TExES #152 was redeveloped and changed to TExES #252.  

More information about Texas Certification can be located at the Texas Education Agency Website (www.tea.texas.gov)

The TExES exam #152 is no longer available to testers, but a passing score on the TExES #152 exam can be used for certification purposes until September 6, 2022. If you have completed and passed the TExES 152 within the past couple of years, this is your last chance to apply for certification. TEA will only accept the TExES 152 results up until September 6th, 2022 for standard school counselor certification. If you have not completed and passed the TExES 152, you would be required to complete the TExES 252 for certification. If you have completed and passed your TExES 152, please send your results to mbehl@wtamu.edu before August 1^st, 2022 or as soon as possible. If you are already certified, you do not have to do anything.

Field experiences, clinical teaching, practicums, and internships required for Texas Certification must be completed in a school accredited by the Texas Education Agency and approved by WTAMU. A non-certification option that does not require field experiences, clinical teaching, practicums, and internships in Texas is available for students whose residency is outside the state of Texas.

If a student is seeking a counseling position in a school district before graduating and there is a strong demand in addition to district support, a student may be considered for a school counseling temporary position after successfully being accepted into the program and program approval.

School counseling students wishing to continue their education towards licensure as a professional counselor may do so by either first completing their M.Ed. degree and returning for the remaining courses or taking the course requirements in conjunction with their school counseling courses.

Requirements for licensure or certification vary from state to state. Our program prepares students for licensure or certification in the State of Texas. We do not represent that our programs prepare students for licensure or certification in other states. 

An applicant for certification in Texas must be able to communicate, listen, read, write, and comprehend the English language sufficiently to use it easily and readily in daily communication and teaching. English language proficiency shall be evidenced by ONE of the following:

1. completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States; OR
2. verification of minimum scaled scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading, and 21 for writing; (TOEFL scores must not be older than 2 years from date of application) OR
3. if an undergraduate or graduate degree was earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States listed in TAC 230.11

• A criminal background check including fingerprinting will be performed by the Texas Education Agency before a candidate will be allowed to certify or gain employment on a non-teacher certificate. TAC 227.1(b)(1)(2).
• Items on a candidate’s criminal history report may render the candidate ineligible for 
• Candidates may request a preliminary TEA background check for an evaluation of the criminal history.
• Please note that applicants may request a preliminary TEA background check for an opinion of charge prior to starting a program https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/investigations/preliminary-criminal-history-evaluation-faqs)