WEb-Based Academic Support For Winthrop Psychology Majors

Other Human Service Careers

Counseling. Professional Counselors are graduate level (either master’s or doctoral degree) mental health service providers, trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders. Professional counselors typically specialize in Addiction, Career, Clinical Mental Health, Community Agency, Marriage, Couple and Family, School, Student Affairs and College, or Gerontological Counseling.

• The American Counseling Association offers career information for prospective professional counselors.

• The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) maintains an online directory of nationally accredited graduate programs.

• Winthrop University offers the Master of Education in Counseling and Development degree with specializations in both School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Courseling. This graduate program is CACREP accredited; more information is available here.

Social Work. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW): "Social work practice helping people obtain tangible services; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; and participating in legislative processes. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior; of social and economic, and cultural institutions; and of the interaction of all these factors." Psychology majors are often interested in clinical social work which is described by NASW as: "a specialty practice area of social work which focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral disturbances. Individual, group and family therapy are common treatment modalities. Social workers who provide these services are required to be licensed or certified at the clinical level in their state of practice. Clinical social workers perform services in a variety of settings including private practice, hospitals, community mental health, primary care, and agencies."

• Winthrop University offers the Master of Social Work degree through two-year full time and three-year part time graduate programs. Advanced Standing programs are available to those with a Bachelors degree in social work.

Marriage and Family Therapy. Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) are mental health professionals trained in psychotherapy and family systems, and licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples and family systems. MFTs have graduate training (a Master's or Doctoral degree) in marriage and family therapy and at least two years of clinical experience. Marriage and family therapists are recognized as a "core" mental health profession, along with psychiatry, psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing.

• The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy web site provides more information about this professional.

• The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education accredits graduate programs and provides a directory here.

Applied Behavior Analysis. According to the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB): "behavior analysis is the scientific study of principles of learning and behavior. Two primary areas of study include the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis. The experimental analysis of behavior is the basic science of the discipline and has, over many decades, accumulated a substantial and well-respected body of research literature on how behavior is learned and changes over time. The experimental analysis of behavior is the scientific foundation of applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA is a systematic approach for influencing socially important behavior through the identification of reliably related environmental variables and the production of behavior change techniques that make use of those findings. Practitioners of behavior analysis provide services consistent with the dimensions of ABA. Common services may include, but are not limited to, conducting behavioral assessments, analyzing data, writing and revising behavior-analytic treatment plans, training others to implement components of treatment plans, and overseeing the implementation of treatment plans. Behavior analysts are qualified to provide services to clients with a variety of needs, including improvements in organizational functioning (e.g., staff performance, management and pay structure interventions), skill deficits (e.g., communication, adaptive behavior), and problem behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior), among others. The BACB credentials practitioners at various levels of training.