Are you driven to support and inspire others? Do you want to help them overcome challenges and become stronger individuals? When you enroll in the online Master’s in Counseling program from PennWest, you’ll be ready for a lifetime of service to others.
This 100% online program not only prepares you to make a difference, but to build a career doing it.
The mission of the Counseling Department at PennWest University is to prepare professional counselors who embody ethical and culturally responsive behavior, advocacy and social justice, and a professional identity as a counselor. Students will use these attributes to enhance the well-being of families, groups, couples, and individuals and advocate on behalf of both the counseling profession and those who are served. The faculty at PennWest are a diverse community of counselor educators and art therapists who facilitate students’ development, model appropriate professional behavior, and engage in dynamic teaching, service, leadership, and scholarship. Our students are expected to develop self-awareness, a strong knowledge base, effective counseling skills, and cultural humility to practice ethically and professionally within a diverse society. Consistent with these expectations is the emphasis placed upon graduate student interpersonal effectiveness. This effectiveness includes growth in the dimensions of warmth, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness with others.
CACREP Vital Stats Report - California
Rated a Top Program in the Northeast by Best Counseling Degrees and ranked #4 among the 10 Best Deals in Online Master’s in School Counseling.
The Master of Science in Counseling with a concentration in Art Therapy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of The Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education.
PennWest Edinboro was the first art therapy program in the United States to receive CAAHEP accreditation.
Although California University and Edinboro University were CACREP accredited before the integration on July 1, 2022, we must apply for CACREP accreditation as a new university. We plan to apply to CACREP in January 2023 and hope to have a site visit during the spring semester of 2024.
Only the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling concentrations are CACREP accredited.
Number of concentrations in PennWest’s M.S. in Counseling program. Choose the one that suits your interests.
Varies by concentration
100% online
Graduate Admissions
gradadmissions@pennwest.edu
724-938-4187
The Art Therapy concentration prepares counselors to meet the academic, career, and social/emotional needs of diverse student populations. The Art Therapy program recognizes that Art Therapists work with a variety of clients in a variety of settings in a variety of ways including: individual and small group counseling/art therapy. Students in the art therapy concentration experience a variety of educational and practicum opportunities to learn and practice skills in counseling/art therapy. The mission of the Art Therapy concentration is to prepare competent entry-level Art Therapists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
Master’s in Counseling with a Concentration in Art Therapy Goals and Student Learning Outcomes:
The graduate school experience is one that should reach beyond academic learning. Students will participate in activities that will help them become more aware of themselves in counseling relationships and in relationships with others.
Program Goal 1: Graduate students will be intellectually prepared with the knowledge and skill necessary for the Art Therapy profession.
Program Goal 2: Students demonstrate competency in case conceptualization and clinical practice.
Program Goals 3: Students will exhibit competent Art Therapy counseling behaviors across diverse cultural and social situations.•
Program Goals 4: Students will exhibit ethical behavior in the field and be able to integrate theory and research with professional skills and techniques.
Program Goals 5: Students pursue a professional identity as an Art Therapist and be self-directed and responsible professionals
Credits: 60
Start Terms: Fall, Spring
Admission Requirements:
The students and faculty of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at PennWest University are a diverse community of learners collaboratively engaged in scholarship, leadership, and service. Faculty are committed to providing didactic and experiential learning opportunities to educate counselors to be effective clinical practitioners in a pluralistic community. Collectively, our mission is to prepare professional counselors who embody ethical behavior, provide services to enhance the mental health and well-being of families, groups, couples, and individuals, and advocate on behalf of both the counseling profession and those we serve.
Program Goals
Program Objectives
Credits: 60
Start Terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Admission Requirements: 3.0/2LOR/Essay/Resume/Interview/GRE-MAT if GPA is under 3.0
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PennWest University’s master’s degree in Counseling (School Counseling Concentration) trains students to be prepared to function as dynamic and highly effective school counselors on the elementary and secondary levels in Pennsylvania public schools. This program satisfies all requirements for PK-12 school counseling certification eligibility. The requirements include a 60-credit master’s degree and 720 hours of supervised field experience. In addition, students graduating with the school counseling concentration will also be eligible to become licensed as a Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania (LPC) and other states. They will be able to serve in that capacity in a variety of settings including mental health, human services, working with adults and children, and many others including private practice. Students will need two or more additional years of supervised work experience after graduation to complete the requirements for LPC in Pennsylvania. This program is taught by highly experienced professionals who have experience working in public schools and in community mental health.
Program Goals
It is expected that graduates of the PennWest University school counseling concentration will:
Program Objectives
Credits: 60
Start Terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Admission Requirements: 3.0/2LOR/Essay/Resume/Interview/GRE-MAT if GPA is under 3.0
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Dr. Kevon Bruce
Assistant Professor
204D Butterfield @ Edinboro
814-732-1640
kbruce@pennwest.edu
Dr. Adrienne Dixon-McCullum
Assistant Professor
127 Butterfield @ Edinboro
814-732-1932
amdixon@pennwest.edu
Dr. Grafton Eliason
Professor
312 Building B @ California
724-938-4464
eliason@pennwest.edu
Dr. Julaine E. Field
Department Chair, CACREP Liaison, and Associate Professor
204A Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-2794
jfield@pennwest.edu
Dr. Elizabeth Gruber
Campus Lead, Program Coordinator for College Counseling and Student Services and Professor
313 Building B @ California
724-938-1567
gruber@pennwest.edu
Dr. Sheila Lorenzo de la Peña
Undergraduate Coordinator for Art Therapy and Assistant Professor
204B Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-1237
slorenzo@pennwest.edu
Dr. Mark Lepore
Program Coordinator for School
Counseling and Professor 128 Harvey @ Clarion
814-393-2474
mlepore@pennwest.edu
Dr. Gabriella Locke
Program Coordinator for Clinical
Rehabilitation and Assistant Professor
Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-2421
glocke@pennwest.edu
Dr. Penelope P. Orr
Professor
125 Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-1684
porr@pennwest.edu
Dr. Everett Painter
Fieldwork Coordinator and Assistant Professor
126 Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-1567
epainter@pennwest.edu
Dr. Carolyn Brown Treadon
Program Coordinator for Art Therapy and Assistant Professor Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-1104
ctreadon@pennwest.edu
Dr. Jacqueline A. Walsh
Professor
311 Building B @ California
724-938-4123
walsh@pennwest.edu
Dr. Katherine Wardi-Zonna
Graduate Certificate Coordinator and Associate Professor
120 Butterfield Hall @ Edinboro
814-732-1256
kwardizonna@pennwest.edu
Dr. Jake Wheatley
Program Coordinator for Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Assessment Coordinator, and Assistant Professor
311 Building B @ California
724-938-4874
wheatley@pennwest.edu
Art Therapy Admission Requirements
PennWest’s three campuses, California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, have been delivering award-winning online programs for more than 20 years. You’ll graduate with a degree from Pennsylvania Western University, completely supported by the expertise and community of learners on our brick-and-mortar campuses.