Master of Arts
Counseling and Psychology
Adventure-Based Psychotherapy Concentration

Counseling and Psychology Note on Licensure

The M.A. in Counseling Psychology is designed to allow students to prepare to sit for state licensing exams. Students are required to design their study plans to meet the academic licensure requirements for specific state or provincial licensing boards.  The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools is a regional accreditation body that has accredited the Master of Arts Program at Prescott College since 1991. Because no graduate counseling program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate agency in your state or province to determine specific requirements. Although the counseling psychology faculty is familiar with the Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners requirements for licensure, all students whether living in Arizona or another state are ultimately responsible for researching and incorporating appropriate licensing requirements (in their state) into their study plans.  Please note that some states require applicants for professional licenses to submit to a formal background check including fingerprinting.  Students should take this into consideration when determining future eligibility for licensure.

Overview

This concentration is designed to incorporate state/provincial licensure requirements for the Professional Counselor, as these are considered essential to the clinical practitioner.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this emerging field and state/provincial licensure requirements, this concentration is a five-term (minimum) program of study. Students not already comfortable and confident with the self-directed learning process, or who have minimal experience within the outdoor adventure/therapeutic realm may want to consider a sixth term in MAP.

For further specialization (such as Marriage and Family Therapy, Program Design and Administration, etc.), students should seriously consider a sixth term in MAP.

Graduates of the Adventure-Based Psychotherapy (ABP) Concentration will receive a one-page Concentration Endorsement to be included in their official transcript. The endorsement is a detailed summary of the training standards set forth by Prescott College and achieved by the graduate. As the graduate applies for professional positions and the field of therapeutic adventure becomes increasingly standardized and regulated, we fully anticipate this achievement to distinguish our graduates from other practitioners with less intentional training.

Theory

Course titles, descriptions, and credit amounts will vary according to state/provincial licensure requirements. Students should obtain a current copy of these requirements, from their respective Licensure Board, early in the first term of MAP (if not before) and plan to consult them regularly.

The ABP student may choose to take four courses during their theory terms (rather than five), but would then be choosing to sacrifice the elective for that term. This option is recommended, especially to the newer MAP student, as it affords more time per course and for becoming accustomed to the MAP process.

Below is a list of required courses for licensure in the state of Arizona. This list is followed by a second set of courses for a concentration in Adventure-based Psychotherapy.

Some states allow imbedding of specialized ABP material into licensure courses. It is the student’s responsibility to research if that is the case in his or her state. The state of Arizona does not allow imbedding.

Practicum

The total number of practicum hours required varies from state to state (e.g.. the least amount we’ve seen is 300; the highest is 1000). For this concentration, part of this total required for your state, a minimum of 400, must occur in a qualified ABP practicum setting. Furthermore, a minimum of 300 must occur in a “traditional” counseling setting. Thus, regardless of your state/provincial requirements for practicum, in order to complete the Counseling Psychology degree with the ABP concentration, you will need to complete a minimum of 700 hours total practicum. You will receive a fixed 12 academic credits for your entire practicum. If your state requires more than 700 hours, you are eligible for more than 12 credits, which needs to be discussed with your Graduate Advisor and Associate Faculty.

Of the 400 hours required for the ABP practicum, no less than 250 of these hours must be direct client contact; no more than 150 may be spent on other clinical duties.

Of the 300 hours required in the traditional setting, no less than 200 of these hours must be direct client contact; no more than 100 may be spent on other clinical duties.

Depending on individual situations, practicum may begin in the 2nd or 3rd term, and may continue into the 4th or even 5th term. Students are strongly encouraged to begin considering and exploring sties and arrangements for practicum from the earliest possible stage in their program. It is highly unlikely that one’s entire practicum (especially the 450 direct contact hours) will be achievable in the time span of only one term. More reasonable is to expect to accumulate your practicum hours over the span of at least two terms, and possibly to include time during the summer. Another excellent reason to begin deciphering practicum options early is that many sites, especially colleges/universities and well-known adventure programs, will have established and competitive internship programs which require application 6 months to 1 year in advance.

A practicum must consist of praxis – work in which the student is applying the previously learned theory in actual counseling with clients. Practicum is not theoretical learning, nor is it skills training.

A qualified ABP practicum is one recognized in the professional community as delivering clinical psychotherapeutic treatment primarily (or at least partially) from a philosophical and methodological base that is well-grounded in adventure and experiential learning.

A qualified ABP practicum will, ideally, offer an on-site supervisor who is a master or doctoral-level, licensed clinician with an extensive background in ABP. If such a combination is not available in one such supervisor, the MAP honorarium may be used to pay for a second off-site supervisor (to be arranged with support from Core/Associate Faculty).

If, for any reason, the student’s state/province does not accept ABP practice for practicum credit, the MAP student would need to meet the state/province hours in a “traditional” counseling setting in addition to completing the 400 ABP hours. This scenario may result in the need to consider a sixth term in MAP.

Adventure Skills Training

It is expected by graduation, that the ABP student will possess at least minimal competencies in backcountry travel/living as well as at least one area of skill specialization (e.g., rock-climbing, paddling, challenge course, skiing, etc.). The Wilderness First Responder training in first aid is also required (see below). Furthermore, the student’s chosen practicum site may expect a specific level of prerequisite training in one or more areas.

Some students may have already or nearly met these competencies upon entering MAP; these students should submit documentation (expedition résumé, certificates of completion, etc.) to the MAP office to be included in their file.

For those needing to develop skill competency, Adventure Skills Training (AST) should be obtained, during summer or winter breaks from MAP. In coordination with the Graduate Advisor, documentation of this learning will be due and MAP credit will be assigned the term immediately following summer or winter break training experiences. Some shorter-length trainings can also be taken during the regular term and can be interwoven as part of the learning for a related course that term.

Students have the option of receiving academic credit for their Adventure Skills Training; this credit would qualify as ‘theory’ in MAP (not practicum). Some may elect to decline credit for this training since they will have more than enough credits given the theory requirements. In order to obtain this credit, the student and advisor will agree upon a plan to incorporate scholarly literature, reflection, and writing along with the training experience, to be submitted within a regular study packet.

The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the expected standard of first aid training for the MAP ABP graduate. If not already obtained, the student should plan to take the 80-hour course (through one of the nationally established training schools) prior to or during their practicum experience. Students can receive up to three ‘theory’ credits for documented completion of the WFR course. This learning, as with any skills training, should also be documented within a study packet, as agreed upon with the Graduate Advisor.

Suggested (though not endorsed) sources for specific Adventure Skills Training include, but are not limited to:  National Outdoor Leadership School, Outward Bound, Project Adventure, American Mountain Guides Association, American Canoeing Association, Wilderness Education Association, Tom Brown Jr. Trackers School, Animus Valley Institute, School of Lost Borders, Wilderness Awareness School, Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Outdoor Leadership & Training Seminars, and many others.

Recommended Study Plan for Arizona Licensure & CACREP aligned degree (semester credits)

Complete course syllabi and course descriptions   CP Course Syllabi 07

If the student has already taken some of these courses at the graduate level, he or she is not required to take them again. The student may transfer in up to 15 prior graduate semester credits of the state-required courses. If the course has a different title, it can be reviewed to see if it qualifies as comparable.

Required Courses for the Adventure-Based Psychotherapy Concentration

Course syllabi and course descriptions   ABP Required Courses