Counseling

College of Health and Social Sciences

Dean: Dr. Andreana Clay

Department of Counseling

Burk Hall 524
Phone: (415) 338-2005
Fax: (415) 338-0594
Email: counsel@sfsu.edu
Website: counseling.sfsu.edu
Chair: Julie Chronister

Program Scope

The mission of the Department of Counseling at San Francisco State University is to train the next generation of counselor leaders who recognize that the liberation of all communities is only possible when an intersectional, participatory, community-driven approach to counseling is practiced. Our training program is grounded in the belief that counseling, as a field of practice, affords professionals the knowledge and skills needed to carry out social justice work via strengths-based healing and wellness, advocacy, critical consciousness development, and action-oriented scholarship and research.

Culturally competent, psychologically-minded, and emotionally grounded Professionally Licensed Counselors, Credentialed School Counselors, Mental Health Counselors, Career Counselors and College Counselors are needed in the field of human services and meet the significant behavioral health workforce demand. The department’s three Master's egree programs and its undergraduate Minor in Counseling, and our partnerships with community agencies collaboratively prepare students who are well-grounded to help meet the growing demands in the field. Our department’s faculty and the curriculum we have designed aspire to achieve excellence in three core areas:

• Multicultural Competence,
• Community Partnerships, and
• Action Research.

Our faculty are locally, nationally, and internationally recognized for their scholarly contributions to multicultural competence in counseling, social justice, and health equity. They work to provide an accessible learning environment for all students including student with disabilities, students from diverse ethnic and sexual orientations, as well as students from a range of socioeconomic groups.

By the end of graduate studies, our students should embody cultural competence, have grown deep connections to the local community, and embrace best practices in counseling. Combined, our students provide thousands of hours per year of counseling services to San Francisco Bay Area communities. Our graduates work in educational settings (K-12, 2 and 4-year higher education settings), community health and behavioral health agencies, hospitals, non-profit human service agencies, integrated care settings, careers centers, and hospitals, to name a few. Our students reflect the diversity of California and especially the San Francisco Bay Area.

All graduates are eligible to apply to the California Board of Behavioral Science to become a registered Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) either by completing the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program or by completing the M.S. in Counseling or the M.S. in Counseling with a concentration in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling degree programs with additional coursework. Graduates of the M.S. in Counseling with a concentration in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling are the only graduates eligible to apply to the California Board of Behavioral Science to become a registered Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). All graduates will have the necessary preparation to be eligible to sit for the National Board of Certified Counselors examination, known as the National Counselor Examination^®. Our M.S. in Counseling graduates who have a specialization in school counseling are positioned to receive their Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC).

The Department of Counseling offers three master's degrees:

• Master of Science in Counseling — There are three different specializations in this degree program—Career, College, and School Counseling. School counseling students are eligible for the State of California Pupil Personnel Services Credential with a specialization in School Counseling (PK-12). Students are also eligible for pursuing the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) license in California but must take additional coursework in psychopharmacology (3-units) outside of their 60-unit curriculum. This course may be taken within the department (if space is available) or outside of the department.
• Master of Science in Counseling: Concentration in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling. Students are eligible to sit for the State of California examination for the Marriage and Family Therapist license (LMFT) upon completion of all the Board of Behavioral Sciences requirements. Students who wish to be endorsed by the department as meeting the education requirements for the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor license (LPCC) in California in addition to the requirements for the LMFT must take additional coursework in psychopharmacology (3-unit) and crisis counseling (3-unit). These courses may be taken within the department (if space is available) or outside of the department.
• Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Students are eligible to sit for the State of California examination for the License Professional Clinical Counselor license (LPCC) upon completion of this degree program. Graduates of this program will be endorsed by the department as meeting all the education requirements for the LPCC with no additional coursework required outside of the degree program's 60-unit curriculum.

Students are admitted into a particular specialization area (i.e., career, college, school, clinical mental health, marriage, family and child counseling) in one of our three degree programs. For example, a student whose objective is to obtain their LMFT will complete the 60-unit curriculum for the M.S. in Counseling: Concentration in MFCC. A student whose objective is a master's degree in career, college, or school receive an M.S. in Counseling degree and complete a curriculum for their chosen specialization. Students whose objective is Clinical Mental Health Counseling and would like to complete a program that is fully aligned with the requirements for the LPCC would pursue an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In addition, students may apply to have an emphasis (in addition to their specialization) in another counseling area including adding an emphasis in career, college, school or clinical mental health counseling. Marriage, family and child counseling cannot be an added emphasis area. This with an added emphasis take additional coursework aligned with their emphasis curriculum.

The department also offers an undergraduate minor in counseling. The minor is designed for students who want training in direct care in human services and counseling-related fields. In addition, the minor in counseling may supplement majors that have some involvement with the helping professions or for students considering graduate study in a human services-related field such as professional counseling, social work or psychology.

Accreditation

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), has granted accreditation to the following programs in the Department of Counseling at SF State through October 2027:

Career Counseling (M.S.); Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S.); College Counseling and Student Affairs (M.S.); Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling (M.S.) and School Counseling (M.S.). The Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) program in School Counseling is also accredited by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

Career Outlook

Students graduating with a master’s degree in counseling are eligible for a variety of professional counseling career options. Professional counselors help people gain personal insights, develop strategies and come up with real-life solutions to the problems and challenges they face in every area of life. As trained and credentialed professionals, they accomplish this by getting to know clients, by building safe, positive relationships and suggesting tools and techniques they believe will benefit clients (American Counseling Association, 2025). The role of the professional counselor calls for skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to help people make personal life decisions.

M.S. in Counseling

Career Counselors. Jobs for career counselors are predicted to increase 8% between 2018-2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Career counselors work in high school, college and university career centers, student support services and advising offices. Demand for career counselors is projected to increase as a growing number of colleges and universities open career centers that focus on helping students prepare to enter the workforce. Some graduates use this training to establish private career counseling and consultation practices while others enter career development centers in private industry and public agencies. Career counselors and advisors also will be needed to assist job-seekers, such as those changing careers, laid-off workers looking for jobs, and military veterans transitioning into the civilian labor market. Many counselors combine expertise in career counseling with another specialty. Program Coordinator: Elif Balin, Ph.D.; email: ebalin@sfsu.edu.

College Counselors. The demand for college counselors continues to increase in community colleges, universities, and in the private section. Most college counselors work in two- and four-year colleges and universities providing academic counseling in a range of college student personnel positions in programs such as student retention, EOP or EOPS, financial aid, CalWorks, multicultural student services, residential life, college outreach, transfer services, general counseling, and other student services. Program Coordinator: Rebecca Toporek, Ph.D. (email: rtoporek@sfsu.edu) & Alvin Alvarez, Ph.D. (email: aalvarez@sfsu.edu).

School Counselors. Upon graduation and after passing the California CBEST examination receive their State of California Pupil Personnel Services Credential with a specialization in School Counseling (PK–12) and work in public and private school settings. They do personal and academic counseling and work in an integrated services team approach with other behavioral health and education professionals. Program Coordinator: Molly Strear, Ph.D.; email: mstrear@sfsu.edu

M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC)

Clinical Mental Health Counselors. The career outlook for clinical mental health counselors is projected to grow to 22% from 2018 – 2028, which is much faster than the average for all occupations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Clinical Mental Health Counselors work in an array of community-based behavioral health agencies, hospital-based inpatient and outpatient programs, integrated behavioral health settings, federally qualified health centers, school and college settings, rehabilitation programs, youth wellness centers, and programs/services for underserved and disadvantaged communities. Graduates of this program are able to apply for their California LPCC upon graduation obtain their LPCC and may choose to work in private practice. Program Coordinator: Sandra Fitzgerald, Ph.D.; email: sfitz@sfsu.edu.

M.S. in Counseling: Concentration in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC).

Marriage, Family and Child Counselors. Demand for marriage, family and child counselors in the State of California is projected to grow 24% by 2026 according to the US Department of Labor. MFCCs specialize in providing assessment, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions to individuals, couples, and families across the lifespan with mild, moderate, and severe mental health concerns from a systemic-familial-relational perspective. MFCCs work in school, college, community mental health agency, hospital, business, and industrial settings. In addition to working in private/non-profit agencies, they may also open a private therapy practice upon obtaining their LMFT. Program Coordinator: Tiffany O’Shaughnessy, Ph.D.; email: taosh@sfsu.edu.

• Minor in Counseling

Masters

• Master of Science in Counseling
• Master of Science in Counseling: Concentration in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling
• Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Credential

• Pupil Personnel Services Credential: School Counseling Designation