Counseling Psychology with Emphasis on Family and Communities: MA, Mexico City

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Master’s Level Practitioners

Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) with an emphasis on Families & Communities

The Counseling Psychology program is operated by the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University’s Mexico City Campus and provides an opportunity to earn a United States issued Masters Degree in Mexico. The primary aim of the program is to train students to be competent clinicians prepared to work in an increasing globalized and interconnected world. The program holds a libratory education philosophy, espoused by the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, which emphasizes the importance of dialogue in learning; student’s will be taught liberation psychology concepts that have evolved from the ideas of Ignacio Martin-Baro; and clinical training in the program emphasis a systems theory informed approach for working with individuals, couples and families. Students are expected to gain competencies in assessing and treating a broad spectrum of individual and relationship problems, including issues such as substance abuse, couple conflict, sexual dysfunction, anger, depression, and parenting. In addition, students will develop an awareness of indigenous psychologies and various applications of these approaches in clinical practice. Training also assists students in understanding and addressing contextual factors such as oppression, injustice, poverty and other social realities that impact the lives of clients.

Coursework

This innovative training program uses traditional face-to-face teaching methods, weeklong intensives, as well as occasional online distance learning instruction.

The program requires 53.5 semester credit units taught in English and in cohorts of students at the Alliant site in Mexico City, Mexico. All instruction occurs in English. Classes are typically taught in the evening with occasional weeklong intensives in the more applied areas of counseling and through online instruction. Additionally, masters students are required to complete a minimum of 50 professional development hours (such as workshops, in-service trainings, professional conferences and individual, family or group therapy experiences). 25 of the 50 hours are required to be some form of a personal therapy experience.

During the second year students complete a clinical practicum in appropriate and established agencies throughout Mexico City. Students must gain 500 hours of face to face clinical experience under the supervision of qualified supervisors. The practicum process culminates with the completion of Final Practicum Case Presentation (FPCP) in which he student writes a document about their theory of counseling and gives an oral presentation.

The unique location and nature of the program allows us to attract internationally known experts and published authors with established knowledge in the specific course content areas taught in the program. Students have the added enriching opportunity of taking classes with international immersion program participants from around the world and with students in the Marriage and Family Therapy Mexico Satellite program. Although it not a program requirement, non-Spanish speaking students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of Spanish language coursework that has been specifically designed for future mental health professionals that is available at the Mexico City site. In addition to earning the Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology, the program hopes to help address the language barrier that Latino clients often face when seeking competent mental health services.

Final Practicum Case Presentation

The Final Practicum Case Presentation (FPCP) is designed to enable second-year interns to demonstrate the ability to grasp and apply systems theory in clinical practice. Students are eligible to schedule their FPCP when they have accumulated 425 clinical hours. Complete information on the FPCP is provided during the practicum orientation.

Academic Course Requirements

PSY 6308 - Interviewing Techniques (2 units)
PSY 6309 - Interviewing Techniques Lab (.5 units)
PSY 6326 - Diversity and the Family (2.5 units)
PSY 6312 - MFT Theories (4 units)
PSY 6317 - Parent-Child Therapy (3 units)
PSY 6310 - MFT Law and Ethics (3 units)
PSY 6313 - MFT Techniques (3 units)
PSY 6323 - MFT Techniques Lab (1 unit)
PSY 6328 - Individual and Family Life Cycle (3 units)
PSY#### Career Counsling (3 units)
PSY 7360 - MFT Practicum (9 units)
PSY 6311 - Introduction to Psychopathology (3 units)
PSY 6303 - Group Therapy and Lab (3 units)
PSY 6643 - Cross-Cultural Topics : Critical Issues in Latin America (3 units)
PSY 6654 - Psychology of Ethnic Diversity : Latin American and Liberation Psychologies (3 units)
PSY 7302 - MFT Research Methods (3 units)
PSY 7311 - Couples Therapy (3 units)
PSY 7312 - Sex Therapy (1 units)
PSY 7314 - MFT Assessment (3 units)
PSY 7156 - Psychopharmacology (2 units)
PSY 7330 - Treatment with the Chemically Dependent Family (2 units)

Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MA) Teaching Faculty

Steve Brown, PhD

Laura Patricia Betancourt Arriaga, PhD, Clinical Training Coordinator

Darryl Freeland, PhD

Ann Lawson, PhD

Gary Lawson, PhD

Jason Platt, PhD, Program Director

Luis Vargas, PhD

Scott Woolley, PhD