Student Handbook

The Master of Arts in Counseling program at EMU strives to achieve the highest standards of professional excellence in providing psychologically and spiritually grounded training for counselors. We seek to create a community atmosphere within the program, a community bold with creative ideas and open with honesty, partnering in the inner work counselor training requires.

Advising

Each student enrolled in the program is assigned an academic advisor. The primary goals of advising are to help the student with career planning, to choose appropriate coursework, to help plan for practicum and internship experiences, to monitor progress through the program, and to serve as an advocate for the student to the faculty. A formal advisor conference is scheduled each semester.

The objectives of the formal conferences are to provide feedback to the student; review the student's portfolio (containing selected papers and professor evaluations from each class, evaluations from supervisors, and résumé material); help the student integrate their various experiences; during the first half of the program assess progress toward admission to candidacy, and during the second half assess progress toward graduation.

The first conference is held shortly after the third week of the fall semester, and the second around the fourth week of the spring semester. During each formal conference the advisor fills out an Advisory Conference Feedback Form, which serves as one objective data point for assessing the student's ongoing progress in the program.

An advising file (the advisor's property) and a student portfolio file (student's property kept in departmental office) will be kept for each student. Copies of the records of each formal advising conference are given to the student and are kept in the advisor's files. The student is encouraged to place in the portfolio any records of significant progress or achievements in the program, such as term papers, etc. In addition, faculty may request the filing of significant papers. Students may gain access to their portfolio through the program administrative assistant.