In this video, Thomas Nunes and Ranissa Scott discuss the online Master of Science in Education Counseling programs offered at St. Bonaventure University. They provide an overview of the two tracks—clinical mental health counseling and school counseling—highlighting the flexibility, curriculum, and internship opportunities. The session also covers admissions requirements, financial aid options, and answers to frequently asked questions, making it an informative guide for prospective students interested in pursuing a career in counseling.

• St. Bonaventure University offers a 100% online Master of Science in Education Counseling program with tracks in clinical mental health counseling and school counseling.
• The program is CACREP-accredited and allows students to complete internships locally without needing to attend on-campus residencies.
• Students have flexibility in their coursework, with asynchronous learning and optional live sessions, enabling them to balance education with other commitments.

Full Transcript

SBU Online Master's in Counseling Information Session

00:06

Thomas Nunes

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us this Saturday morning for our information session on the online Master of Science in Education Counseling programs here at St. Bonaventure. We will be getting started here in just a moment.

00:19

Thomas Nunes

We want to give everybody an opportunity to get logged in from the waiting room and get all situated. So we will be kicking off here shortly, and we look forward to the presentation today. Thank you again to all who've joined us today for our information session on the online master's in counseling programs here at St.

01:08

Thomas Nunes

Bonaventure. As mentioned, we will be getting started shortly. We do just want to give everybody about another 30 seconds to a minute to get logged in from the waiting room, and we will be kicking off shortly. All right. Well, we will be getting started here.

01:58

Thomas Nunes

I'm sure people will continue to trickle in here as we get started. But again, thank you for joining us here today. As mentioned, we will be discussing the online Master of Science in Education Counseling programs.

02:10

Thomas Nunes

So that is for both our clinical mental health counseling track as well as our school counseling track. As we get started, we'll go over some quick housekeeping items. This event is being recorded for future viewing. All attendees are muted, so you can hear us, but we can't hear you.

02:26

Thomas Nunes

So that being said, if you do have questions throughout the presentation, please type them into the Q& A box at the bottom of your screen. We do have time allotted at the end of our presentation today to discuss any questions that come through, and we do hope you enjoy our presentation.

02:42

Thomas Nunes

My name is Thomas Nunes, and I am one of the lead enrollment advisors here at St. Bonaventure University for the online Master of Science in Education Counseling programs. We are joined today by my colleague, Ranissa Scott, who is also the co- lead advisor for the programs.

02:58

Thomas Nunes

So you have either probably already been talking to one of us potentially, or in the future, if the program's the right fit, you'll be working with us as your advisors, and we're, again, very happy to have you joining us today. On our agenda, excuse me, we will be discussing St.

03:13

Thomas Nunes

Bonaventure University and going through a brief background. We will be going through an overview of the online counseling programs. We will discuss the online experience. We will dive into the internship and the practicum.

03:26

Thomas Nunes

We will also discuss ways that you can finance your education, before finishing up here with our admissions requirements and next steps, and then our aforementioned Q& A session at the end. And with that, I will pass it over to Ranissa to get us started with some information about St.

03:42

Thomas Nunes

Bonaventure.

03:44

Ranissa Scott

Thank you, Tom, and thank you to everyone who carved out time today, on a weekend, and spend it with us here at St. Bona's. I'd like to share a little bit more about our mission and values.

03:58

Ranissa Scott

So at St. Bonaventure, our patron taught us that there is no knowledge without love. So in this spirit, we aim to educate the whole student, both mind and heart, preparing them to positively impact their communities.

04:13

Ranissa Scott

We are a nurturing community that values compassion for all, wisdom, and integrity in ourself and what we do. So these principles that are integral in our Master of Science in Education and our counseling programs.

04:27

Ranissa Scott

So this really reflects that transformative impact of a Catholic education in the Franciscan tradition at St. Bonaventure University. As you'll see in our next slide, we're a well-established institution that's dedicated to this mission.

04:43

Ranissa Scott

We were founded in 1858 in Olean, New York, and St. Bonaventure is the nation's first Catholic-Franciscan university. So we're accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

04:55

Ranissa Scott

So we prioritize academic integrity and excellence. And also, we are CACREP-accredited. So since 2013, we have been offering online graduate programs that cater to the needs of today's learners, really providing that flexibility and that supportive environment.

05:15

Ranissa Scott

Of course, our small class size promotes more opportunity to be close to that continuity of faculty interaction, enhancing the educational experience for you. With a network of over 31, 000 alumni worldwide, you can connect with professionals dedicated to making that positive impact.

05:38

Ranissa Scott

And as of 2024, we are recognized by the U. S. News& World Report in various categories that include best school value, most innovative school, and also best regional university in the North.

05:52

Ranissa Scott

So St. Bonaventure stands as a respected institution that really embodies the values of Franciscan education. So now, I'll hand it back to Tom for key insights about our counseling program.

06:05

Thomas Nunes

Thank you so much, Ranissa. And as Ranissa had mentioned, we are CACREP-accredited. So certainly very, very important distinction that we are very proud of there. We are a 100% online program, so we have no on-campus requirements.

06:21

Thomas Nunes

So there are no residencies. And we'll discuss more about the internship and practicum process here in just a bit, but we do not require students to come to our campus for the internship process. So you will be able to stay in your home area, local to you, for the internship hours that you'll be required to complete.

06:41

Thomas Nunes

All bachelor's degrees are welcome. So you do not need to have a bachelor's in psychology or a bachelor's in sociology or anything like that. We work with students that really do run the gamut. I mean, personally, I've worked with students that have business backgrounds, data science backgrounds, liberal arts, theater, education, healthcare, et cetera.

07:00

Thomas Nunes

So all bachelor's degrees are able to pursue this program as an option. The program will be two-and-a-half to three years. So for our school counseling students, you can complete the program in as few as two-and-a-half years.

07:13

Thomas Nunes

And then for our clinical mental health counseling students, it would be a three-year program. And we also do have a combination of 14-and 15-week semesters. So for our spring and our fall terms, it would be 15-week semesters, and then our summer term is just slightly shorter with that, being our 14-week semester.

07:32

Thomas Nunes

And I will pass it over to Ranissa again to dive into the clinical mental health counseling side of the world.

07:40

Ranissa Scott

Thank you, Tom. I'm happy to share a bit more about our clinical mental health counseling program. So this program is ideal for individuals who are passionate about providing counseling on various levels.

07:53

Ranissa Scott

Whether it's individual, family, couples, or even group work, you'll find opportunities in community-based agencies, such as private practices, group practice, group settings, hospitals, not-for-profit locations and sites, sorry, and also additional opportunities even with the state-run agencies as well.

08:20

Ranissa Scott

So our program does consist of a total of 60 credit hours, aligning with our national standards that's set by CACREP and most licensing boards. The majority of your coursework will be core courses that are shared with our school counseling students, and then it's going to be complemented by 21 credits focused specifically for mental health topics.

08:44

Ranissa Scott

So you'll still have that collegiality built in. Students will explore those crucial areas, such as crisis counseling, gaining skills in handling trauma situations effectively, as well as techniques for working with families and couples.

09:00

Ranissa Scott

We recently did introduce an engaging course on play therapy. So that's been quite a hit with our students. So we do prioritize practical skills in our training, ensuring that you graduate ready to support your future clients, and knowing that our faculty are dedicated practitioners who actively see clients and provide supervision.

09:27

Ranissa Scott

So they really do invest in building your counselor identity and have the current insights and experience that they share with you in that Zoom setting. They are very well-invested in the latest trends and theories in counseling, and are ever present in helping you.

09:44

Ranissa Scott

So they really want to be able to provide an enriching and transformative learning experience for you in this program. I'll now pass it back to Tom to discuss the school counseling track.

09:56

Thomas Nunes

Excellent. Excellent. So similarly, as you'll see here on the right, it is a 60-credit hour program. So that does go hand in hand with the clinical mental health counseling. They are the same amount of credit hours there. The school counseling program would be for students who desire to have careers as counselors in elementary, middle, and high school settings.

10:14

Thomas Nunes

So every now and then, I'll speak with some students that are looking into both options. They like working with children, and that's very much an interest for them, but they also do not necessarily want to work at a school setting.

10:27

Thomas Nunes

So that would kind of be the line that I would draw in the sand, that if you do envision yourself or you do feel passionate about working in a school environment, then school counseling is certainly the right fit for you. So within the school counseling track, students are going to be learning the essential knowledge and skills required to support the academic, career, social, and emotional development of diverse students.

10:49

Thomas Nunes

So I think that's important too, is that it's a very versatile degree in that you are not just being trained to do career planning. You are not just doing academic program mapping. You are supporting the student through all aspects of their mental health, of their social health, of their careers, of their academic progress.

11:09

Thomas Nunes

So, again, it is a very versatile degree, where you are supporting the whole student. We do have an 86% job placement rate as well, so certainly something we're very excited about. So as a student, that's one thing that is a great resource here, as we do have career services, and your professors are also licensed counselors as well.

11:28

Thomas Nunes

So some students know exactly the route they want to take when they do graduate, which is fantastic. But for students that do need that guidance in terms of next steps or what roles are available or, "What should my career trajectory look like?"

11:42

Thomas Nunes

you certainly do have that support through faculty and your professors. And then jumping back over to the program specifics, as I mentioned, it's a 60-credit hour program. Similarly to clinical mental health counseling, you'll do 39 credits of your core coursework before transitioning over to 21 credits of your school counseling specialty courses.

12:01

Thomas Nunes

Here are some that are listed right there. I won't read them all, but you can see some standout ones, ethical and legal issues in school counseling, child and adolescent counseling. So certainly some great elective options there for our school counseling students.

12:16

Thomas Nunes

And then to discuss our practicum and our internship. So to be quite honest, this is probably the biggest thing students want to initially speak about when they connect with Ranissa and myself. So we kind of split the total number of hours that you'll need, which is 700 hours.

12:32

Thomas Nunes

We split that into two distinct phases of the program. Your first 100 hours is called your practicum, and it would take place after your first year in the program. So you certainly have that first full year to complete your online coursework, learn about the role of a counselor, get those foundational skills in place, and really feel confident in not only your role, but your expectations within that role before you do go out into the field after that first year.

13:01

Thomas Nunes

The practicum is an opportunity for skill development through direct service to clients or students in individual and group formats. And then the internships will be 600 hours, split into two semesters of 300 hours.

13:17

Thomas Nunes

This takes place during your last year. And for most students, these are your final two terms in the program. And this internship is an opportunity to practice advanced skills and gain hands-on experience working with clients or students in track-specific settings, but with the supervision of skills by professionals within these settings.

13:37

Thomas Nunes

So it's very similar. It's almost like student teaching, sort of, what that process would look like. And I tell students, too, this is a great opportunity to really identify, when you graduate, what areas do you want to work with?

13:50

Thomas Nunes

What types of clients or students do you want to work with? Once you've kind of decided that, here's a great opportunity to customize the internship experience to reflect just that, meaning if you're a clinical mental health student and you do find yourself very much drawn to marriage and family counseling, let's try to see what the internship options look like to work with clients in that specific demographic, or for the school counseling students, if you do feel that elementary school is the area you'd like to work in, let's focus on getting you placed for your internships in an elementary school setting so you're getting some real-time exposure to that environment and getting those hands-on skill sets during that process.

14:33

Thomas Nunes

And we do have an internship placement support team. So what's really nice here is that you will have the support of this team who will be assisting you in reaching out to your preferred internship locations, coordinating the site agreements, assisting you with the paperwork, as well as supporting you throughout your internship experience.

14:52

Thomas Nunes

Maybe you would like to do your internship at a site nearby, but you're not sure if it would qualify. A great question for them is they'll be able to assist you with all the whys of if they are qualified, as well as walking through of maybe why they wouldn't be qualified, or if you don't even kind of know where to start, they're going to be a great support system for you there too.

15:12

Thomas Nunes

So I think one thing that students can be confident in is, when you do get to that internship or even the practicum portion of the program, again, you do have the support for the whole team there, and you certainly have the appropriate time to very much ramp up and prepare for that stage of the program here.

15:29

Thomas Nunes

And I will kick it back over to Ranissa to discuss counseling as a whole to see if this is the right fit for you.

15:37

Ranissa Scott

Thank you, Tom. So counseling dispositions are the unique personality traits that can lead for you in order to thrive as a counseling student and future professional in the field.

15:51

Ranissa Scott

So our faculty, what they look for are qualities that indicate your overall commitment to personal and professional growth and congruence. So these key areas that we value are commitment, openness, respect, integrity, and self-awareness.

16:10

Ranissa Scott

I want to delve in a little bit more on each area, because these are going to be the categories that they're going to continually evaluate on throughout the program, evaluate you on.

16:22

Ranissa Scott

So commitment. So this is really dedicating yourself to learning and developing your counselor identity, especially in advocacy for marginalized communities.

16:34

Ranissa Scott

Civic engagement. So being involved in your community enhances your advocacy skills. Also, scholar-practitioner mindset. You're embracing evidence-based practices that can apply in real-world settings.

16:49

Ranissa Scott

Also, interpersonal competence. So cultivating that ability to connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds. You're fostering a healing counseling experience. Openness.

17:00

Ranissa Scott

So being ready to embrace new ideas, reflect on your experiences, and you should be self-aware of the areas in your life where you want to enhance and address. your strengths and your weaknesses.

17:17

Ranissa Scott

Many counselors are wounded healers. So they're recognizing their own wounds so that they can provide healing for their clients, and they've addressed those wounds. So this openness to self-development and feedback is also crucial.

17:32

Ranissa Scott

So feedback and growth. That's an important one, because what sets the professional counselor apart from other mental health professions and professionals is the emphasis on growth through feedback.

17:46

Ranissa Scott

So you'll actually receive insights not only from faculty, but also supervisors and classmates, and you'll also provide feedback to help others grow. So this is really a reciprocal process, and it helps you to learn and foster that self-development, creating a unique environment that many other fields may lack.

18:08

Ranissa Scott

So that's openness. Respect. So you value and you honor diversity. There's self-care and ethics involved. So you're prioritizing your well-being to provide ethical and compassionate services.

18:21

Ranissa Scott

Understanding that correlation between self-care and professional integrity is crucial. Integrity. So you will take and make a concerted effort in personal responsibility.

18:34

Ranissa Scott

I mean, you're upholding the ethical standards that guide our profession, respecting client autonomy and diversity. And then self-awareness. So really reflecting on your honesty, your courage, your maturity.

18:48

Ranissa Scott

So this program encourages deep self-examination, and essential for becoming that competent counselor. So if you feel that you have these qualities, and these qualities truly resonate with you, then you're ready to engage in self-examination and address multicultural issues, then our counseling program may be the perfect fit for you.

19:13

Ranissa Scott

So we'd love for you to embrace this journey with us of growth, and just challenging that opportunity to make that difference together. As far as financing your education, we do understand that that is very important.

19:30

Ranissa Scott

So I do want to discuss that. Here's what we see our students utilize, is they fund their tuition at 825 per credit hour, a total of 60 credits, plus minimal fees.

19:46

Ranissa Scott

It's going to be all seven-week courses, and there are three credit hours each for those terms. So you have at least six credit hours total per term. Now, that program does align with the ability to apply for FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, from the Department of Education.

20:06

Ranissa Scott

So what we see other students also explore are private loans. Even if you are paying out of pocket, there's payment plans of up to five installments if needed. I would also ask your employers if they offer any tuition reimbursement or benefits.

20:22

Ranissa Scott

Also, if you belong to an organization, see if they have any grants or scholarships. And then, of course, for individuals that can benefit from military programs such as 9/ 11 GI Bill, even the Yellow Ribbon Program, we do have amazing financial aid teams that can assist you with that.

20:42

Ranissa Scott

But otherwise, you'll have a team that will really just personalize that option for you and give you a little bit more insight once you are in the program. But for now, I'll hand it back to Tom to go over additional admissions requirements, frequently asked questions, and next steps.

21:00

Thomas Nunes

Excellent. Excellent. And before we dive into the requirements here, one thing I did want to note is, on the right-hand side, you'll see both myself as well as Ranissa's pictures. We, again, are the lead advisors for the program.

21:13

Thomas Nunes

So at the conclusion of this information session, if you do feel that this program is the right step for you, certainly reach out to us. We can discuss the program and how it applies to you on an individual perspective, as today, we're very much discussing things in a general manner for the benefit of the larger audience.

21:30

Thomas Nunes

And if you do have any other specific questions we're not able to assist you with here today on this call, we'll certainly be able to hear for you to discuss those next steps. So looking at our admissions requirements here, you will see a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

21:45

Thomas Nunes

Again, to highlight, we do not require a specific degree background. So as long as your bachelor's degree has been awarded, it is from an accredited institution, that will make you a qualified student on that perspective.

22:01

Thomas Nunes

We do look for a minimum of a 3. 0 GPA. However, you will see the 2. 75. We will review going down to that level. So certainly, if you have any concerns or questions about your GPA, a really, really good opportunity, again, to connect with Ranissa and myself, and we can kind of talk through your situation, ways to strengthen your file, and things like that as well.

22:24

Thomas Nunes

We do require official transcripts from all institutions attended. So that would certainly include your bachelor's degree. That would include if you did an associate's degree anywhere. If you have a master's degree, it will include that as well.

22:40

Thomas Nunes

And then if you did do any kind of coursework, whether it's summer school classes to knock out some foundation courses, prerequisites from a community college. So we would need all of your collegiate-level transcripts in place.

22:56

Thomas Nunes

The nice thing is, is nowadays, the vast, overwhelming majority of schools do electronic transcripts. So certainly, it's a pretty expedited process from what it used to be in the past. Another area, again, we can assist you with there.

23:10

Thomas Nunes

We do have a personal statement or a writing sample, which can also be known as an admissions essay or a statement of intent. They're kind of referred to by a couple of different names, but they are all one and the same. We certainly can provide you with the talking points for that personal statement.

23:26

Thomas Nunes

Essentially, it's going to be a combination of you discussing your interest and motivation in the counseling profession, as well as in our program here at St. Bonaventure, and it'll also have you answer a couple of behavioral-based questions.

23:41

Thomas Nunes

Just to kind of get an idea, what does your critical thinking skill set look there? We do require two letters of recommendation. These can come from either an academic background or a professional background.

23:55

Thomas Nunes

So, again, Ranissa and myself are here if you have any questions about, "Would this person be appropriate? What are the types of people I should be reaching out to?" and things like that as well. And then as you'll see at the bottom, the final step in the process is the faculty interview.

24:12

Thomas Nunes

So the way that the admissions process works is, once your application is in place and all of your required documentation has been received, you will be submitted over to be reviewed for faculty interview eligibility.

24:26

Thomas Nunes

That process usually takes about two to three business days, if not a little bit quicker than that. And then the minute that we are notified that you have been approved for a faculty interview, our next step will then be to get you scheduled for that interview.

24:40

Thomas Nunes

Once that interview is complete, that is the final step, and your admissions decision will follow in about 10 to 14 business days. Again, we have seen those a little bit quicker than that, but that's a pretty accurate window of that time frame.

24:56

Thomas Nunes

And one thing I wanted to touch on here as we're getting closer and closer to our Q& A section is, if you are a student that is interested in both pathways, you do see value in becoming licensed as a clinical mental health counselor, but you also see value as being licensed as a school counselor, a question that we get a lot is," Can I do both at once?

25:22

Thomas Nunes

"So unfortunately, you can't do both at once, but what you can do is, as you're progressing towards the end of your program, let your student services advisor or a faculty member or your professor know that you are interested in the other option.

25:38

Thomas Nunes

And what you can do is, after you graduate, you can enter what's called our Advanced Certificate program, where you're not doing a full-fledged second master's degree, but essentially, what you're doing is you're taking total of 27 credit hours that essentially fills in the gaps of the core courses for the specialization that you didn't pursue.

26:01

Thomas Nunes

So, for example, if you're a clinical mental health counseling student, you would pursue the Advanced Certificate in School Counseling, where you would then take all the school counseling core courses and complete the school counseling internship hours within that environment, and vice versa.

26:18

Thomas Nunes

If you're a school counseling student and you want to also get licensed to be a clinical mental health counselor, you would then pursue, post-graduation, the Advanced Certificate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, where you would then complete the core coursework that you didn't complete in clinical mental health counseling, as well as completing those 600 internship hours in that clinical mental health setting.

26:43

Thomas Nunes

Students do not need to know whether they want to do this or not on day one. So if this is something that you're unsure of, you have all of the time in the world to make this decision in the program. You also have the benefit of being able to use faculty and your professors as mentors and guides to see, based on your career trajectory, based on what roles you want to hold, if this would be a valuable step for you.

27:06

Thomas Nunes

So you will certainly get a lot of support and guidance in regard to that process, if it might be something that you're interested in pursuing. All right. Well, we are at the Q& A section of our information session.

27:21

Thomas Nunes

As mentioned, go ahead and type any questions you have in the Q& A box, and we will be sure to get those questions addressed for you. And we'll kind of dive in here. So our first question is," Have past students transferred credits in from undergraduate programs?

27:40

Thomas Nunes

"The answer to that would be no, and the main reason is because undergraduate courses are at a different level than graduate-level courses. If you had any graduate-level coursework that was from a CACREP-accredited counseling program, we could certainly look at those options.

27:56

Thomas Nunes

But for undergraduate students, what's nice is, there are no prerequisite courses that you need to complete for the program. So you don't need to worry about transferring anything in. There's no foundational course requirements.

28:08

Thomas Nunes

So you don't need to worry about opting out of those or testing out, or anything like that, and there's no standardized testing course requirements as well. So it's a very accessible program in that if you are, in fact, accepted, you will start straight away with the graduate-level portion of the program.

28:29

Thomas Nunes

And then another question. So, Ranissa," What is the faculty interview process like?"

28:39

Ranissa Scott

Thank you for asking that question. So the faculty interview is really showing that there's congruence. What that means is that the person that they're excited to meet, what they've read about, all of the raves from your letters of recommendation, what you have added in your statement of intent, and, of course, your grade speaks for itself, is who they meet in that faculty interview.

29:04

Ranissa Scott

You could have up to four individuals that will also interview with you, and also faculty, and they're going to ask you more thought-provoking questions, meaningful questions that give them a better insight to seeing those quality traits come out, that they're looking for, that we discussed earlier, in your answers and in the way that you describe your experiences.

29:28

Ranissa Scott

So it's really just about having that opportunity to get to know you more on a deeper level, and seeing that congruence, and being able to also ask those questions that you may have that are more detailed that they can answer for you in that experience.

29:48

Thomas Nunes

Yeah. And to piggyback on that, what Ranissa and myself also do is we'll also do a little bit of a prep call and some preparation work with you before your interview. Certainly kind of talking you through, "Here's what the process is going to look like.

30:00

Thomas Nunes

Here's what to expect. Here's what the timelines are." But to Ranissa's point, one thing that's great about the faculty interview is, it is an opportunity for you as a student to really showcase who you are as more than just grades on a transcript and more than just words on a Word document.

30:17

Thomas Nunes

So it's a great opportunity to really showcase what makes you you, what makes you passionate, what makes you excited, what drives you, what makes you motivated. So I think a lot of students really enjoy the opportunity to speak with fellow faculty members.

30:32

Thomas Nunes

And again, certainly, we'll make sure, on both Ranissa and myself's end, that we do prepare you appropriately for that step when it is time to move forward there. All right. So our next question is, "Are the courses asynchronous or synchronous?"

30:48

Thomas Nunes

So I can dive in here and give some feedback. So the program is going to be about 95% asynchronous. So what asynchronous really means is there are no scheduled log-on days or times.

31:01

Thomas Nunes

So that is the way that our program would be structured. So what our program would really look like on a day-to-day basis is, we are not telling you what times of the day to log in. We're not telling you what days of the week to log in.

31:14

Thomas Nunes

We are essentially, on your syllabus, walking you through on a week-by-week basis, "Here is what this week looks like. Here are the chapters that are going to be covered. Here are the assignments that are going to be required to be submitted.

31:28

Thomas Nunes

Here are the due dates. Here are the expectations. And more importantly, here are the learning outcomes for students. So by the end of this week, here are the skill sets that you've not only been exposed to, but you should have a level of familiarity and comfortability with."

31:44

Thomas Nunes

What is nice, though, that your professors will do is they will also schedule optional live sessions in the evenings one day per week. We kind of affectionately refer to these as fireside chats as advisors, and what these times are there for are for you and your fellow students and your professor to come together to discuss the class, and to really kind of build that community within the classroom.

32:09

Thomas Nunes

So they're not doing live lectures during these sessions. It's very much, "How is this week going? How is everybody feeling? Is everything making sense? What does the class have questions about?

32:22

Thomas Nunes

Do you need guidance, clarification, support, et cetera?" And what's also really nice is that if you would like to attend these sessions, but you're unable to make it due to a scheduling conflict, they are recorded and posted for you to view at a later date and time.

32:41

Thomas Nunes

Certainly, the internship process, though. I mean, it's not asynchronous or synchronous, but that's you going out into the field to complete those hours. But again, there's a high level of flexibility in terms of when you're scheduling those hours with your site supervisor, what fits your schedule, what fits their schedule, and things like that as well.

33:06

Thomas Nunes

Ranissa, anything to add to that?

33:11

Ranissa Scott

I would say that as far as having that asynchronous opportunity, that they really do give you the autonomy to either go live so that you can participate and get your questions answered, just like Tom had mentioned.

33:28

Ranissa Scott

But you'll have other opportunities and choices to be able to participate, whether it's watching the recording and then responding back and writing just a summary of what your reflection was, or even participating in a discussion board where you're answering a main posting and then responding back to two others.

33:50

Ranissa Scott

So I think that it really lends itself to knowing that you can still have your commitments and know that school is not going to make you feel guilty if you have other things on your plates.

34:04

Ranissa Scott

The only other thing that I want to bring up is also, when you have your workshops, those are going to be dates and times that you'll register for. So you'll actually know when that'll happen.

34:19

Ranissa Scott

Obviously, when you're in your clinicals, that's going to be in person at the site. I know we've got individuals who are interested in school counseling. So I just wanted to give an idea as far as a timeline.

34:32

Ranissa Scott

When are these clinicals going to happen? So, for example, school counseling in particular, when you start spring of '25, you're looking at your practicum to start spring of '26.

34:47

Ranissa Scott

So it'll be in the first half that it'll start for that practicum in spring of '26. You're going to have the introduction to the workshop summer of '25. So you're going to have a lot of support beforehand.

35:02

Ranissa Scott

And then you'll begin your internship during school sessions, so fall of '26, and then spring of '27 is when you'll start your 600 hour each for your internship.

35:16

Ranissa Scott

A lot of the questions that Tom and I get for clinicals are, "Okay. How does this really fit into my routine?" So I would say that practicum, you want to set aside at least eight to 10 hours a week that you're logging in to get to that 100 hours.

35:35

Ranissa Scott

As Tom shared, it's the 100 clinical hours out of the 700. It is going to be split 40/60. 40 of those are going to be shadowing a licensed counselor.

35:49

Ranissa Scott

The other 60, you're shadowing for more of the administrative side. And so, for clinicals and internship, you're going to log in about 25 to 30 hours a week to get to that 300 by the end of the week. It's going to vary as far as assignment mix. I know that came up in a question.

36:10

Ranissa Scott

So assignment mix can be reading. You could have some videos that you're going to look at, but you'll also have projects. There are going to be papers, obviously. This is more of a research- based program as well.

36:24

Ranissa Scott

There are quizzes. But otherwise, a week before classes start, you'll have access to your syllabus to be able to see what that looks like, and incorporate that into your calendar.

36:37

Thomas Nunes

Yeah. And to add onto that, I think one thing that's nice about the mix of assignments is, it's going to vary class by class. It's going to vary week by week, depending on what you're doing. I know that there are some programs out there that are very cut-and-dry.

36:49

Thomas Nunes

Week one, paper and a quiz. Week two, paper and a quiz. And what's nice here is it will vary throughout the week. So as Ranissa mentioned, you'll get access to your syllabus the weekend before every new class gets started.

37:01

Thomas Nunes

So I'm a student here myself. So always, what I do is I kind of take that weekend to look through my syllabus, get a lay of the land, what's going to be expectations, what are the heavy weeks, what are the assignments. So that way, you would be able to kind of get an idea of when those heavier assignment weeks would be.

37:20

Thomas Nunes

And then kind of going hand in hand with that, somebody asked," Is group work included in the program? "So there is an element of group work, but what I can say is that it is not a big focus.

37:33

Thomas Nunes

So it's not the kind of thing where you're doing a group project every week, every class, every semester, or anything like that. It is very much spaced out, because working within the group environment is a skill set that, as counselors, you need to have the ability to be successful in doing so.

37:50

Thomas Nunes

But we also understand that everybody is a full-time working professional. Everybody has different schedules. So that creates sometimes a unique environment in the online space. As a student here in the online MBA program, I've probably, in my year in the program, I've had a total of two group projects that actually were quite smooth.

38:09

Thomas Nunes

So the nice thing is, is you're not only going to get a group grade, you'll get an individual grade as well. Certainly, if you have any questions or you feel as though that there's something that's not working right in your group, you'll have a student support advisor that you can certainly reach out to, and you also do have your professors as well.

38:27

Thomas Nunes

But what's nice is, at the graduate level, everybody is, again, a professional, and motivated and excited to be a part of the program. So the group work process does move a lot smoother and work a lot smoother than one might think, because I do know there are some students that have a little bit of nervousness in terms of what that process would really look like.

38:48

Thomas Nunes

Ranissa, I will pass this one to you." Can you provide an example of what to expect in terms of amount of workload?" So about time per week they'd want to have allotted as the student is working full-time and would be juggling coursework with full-time work schedule.

39:07

Ranissa Scott

Okay. I'm happy to answer that. So it's going to depend. The biggest takeaway, I think, that's going to put you guys at ease is that it's a 7-1-7 model. What that means is that your courses are seven weeks, and you're only taking one class at a time.

39:25

Ranissa Scott

So you've got seven weeks for your fall and your spring, where you're taking the first seven-week course, a week break, and then your second seven weeks. Summers are back-to-back, but you're still taking one class at a time.

39:38

Ranissa Scott

So it really gives you that focus to give your best toward each class. But as far as the amount of hours, I would say anywhere from 10 to 20 hours, depending on if you have a project.

39:50

Ranissa Scott

What that looks like in your first term in regards to a homework assignment mix is that your first week is going to really expose you to the majority of the assignment mix.

40:03

Ranissa Scott

So you want to be very intentional in making sure that you're reviewing that syllabus that week ahead or that Thursday ahead. So you're looking at mostly knowing that it's going to be a little bit more involved the first week.

40:22

Ranissa Scott

Your second week is going to be lighter, only because they know that that first week is more of a heavier homework assignment week, and then your third week is going to be heavier as well, because your second assignment, your second week was lighter.

40:37

Ranissa Scott

And then as you get into your fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh week, it really evens out. So as long as you're intentional and adding the time frames in your calendar, I mean, whether it's just the morning or evening, you should be fine.

40:55

Ranissa Scott

It's really just being intentional with seeing how the week really does lend itself to giving you that latitude to plan, and knowing that the lighter weeks are because you have a heavier homework assignment that previous week.

41:14

Ranissa Scott

So it really does offer a symbiotic progression in your weeks as they unfold for your seven weeks.

41:22

Thomas Nunes

And I would add to that, what I always tell students is, for your first class, for your first semester, build some extra time in. It's a lot of new. It's a new program. Potentially, you may have been out of school for quite some time.

41:34

Thomas Nunes

So it's getting your day-to-day set, getting your processes set, getting comfortable and familiar with where to navigate and access everything. So give yourself some grace and understanding that that first semester is going to be probably more difficult than the other semesters, because it's also brand new.

41:50

Thomas Nunes

But certainly, what's nice is we do have a new student orientation that will allow you to practice using the online platform before getting started. So you'll walk into week one with a little bit of that familiarity in place. All right.

42:03

Thomas Nunes

So we have a question here." I am looking to potentially get started in spring of 2026. How early should I start the application process? "Well, kudos to you for doing some early research and getting some early information.

42:17

Thomas Nunes

What I would say that a really good time frame for you would be, I would say spring of 2025. March, April, May would be a really good time to get that started for you. At that point, you're probably getting closer to the end of your program.

42:29

Thomas Nunes

Your GPA is probably settling into more of what's going to be the end result. You've completed the majority of your courses. And the most important things are that your letters of recommendation and your personal statement are all going to be current, meaning you don't want to submit all that documentation now and have it be a year old when you go to apply in spring of 2026.

42:54

Thomas Nunes

What I would also say, too, is our faculty interviews are only scheduled for the next upcoming term. So looking at where we're at here, our next upcoming term would be our spring 2025 term in January.

43:07

Thomas Nunes

So we are only currently doing faculty interviews specific to the spring term. So for a spring 2026 student, even if you submitted all your documentation, you could get approved for your interview, but you wouldn't actually be able to complete that interview until we got a little bit closer there.

43:23

Thomas Nunes

Certainly, though, connect with myself or Ranissa, because what we will want to do is we'll want to connect and kind of get that point of contact established with you. So that way, as you're getting closer and closer to getting ready to get started, we can reconnect with you and kind of assist you in getting that application process started.

43:40

Thomas Nunes

But again, I want to give you some kudos for doing some early research. I think that is super important and is a great indicator of, hopefully, your future success. So best of luck in finishing up your current program. All right.

43:54

Thomas Nunes

Ranissa, good question for you." Is there additional coursework needed to act as an individual clinical mental health counselor in private practice, or does completing this program allow for graduates to become independent therapists and opening their own practice?

44:11

Ranissa Scott

"So there aren't any additional courses that would be needed, because this is aligned with CACREP accreditation. It really does provide you that overall encompassing coursework, whether you go with your own practice or you're affiliated with other practices.

44:29

Ranissa Scott

So it does give you that latitude and ability to expand your ambitions or even pivot.

44:37

Thomas Nunes

Excellent. Excellent. We've got time for just a couple more questions. So I just want to give one final reminder here to go ahead and enter in any remaining questions you have into the question and answer section.

44:50

Thomas Nunes

We've gotten some great ones so far. So definitely looking forward to anything else that we can assist with here. Let's see. This is a great question. So I'll dive in on this one. So, "What is the difference between a Master of Science in Education in Counseling versus a Master of Science in Counseling?"

45:08

Thomas Nunes

It is one and the same. The only difference there is, at the university level, where within the university the programs are housed. So at our school, the programs are housed in the School of Education.

45:22

Thomas Nunes

That's why it's a Master of Science in Education, whereas in other schools, they may be housed within the School of Sciences, the School of Arts, which is where you might see a Master of Arts or a Master of Science.

45:35

Thomas Nunes

For our degree, teaching is not an outcome of this degree. So you are not going to leave this degree with a teaching certification of any kind. The outcome of this degree is to become eligible to sit for licensing in your home state, and to become eligible to work within your role as a clinical mental health counselor or as a school counselor.

45:58

Thomas Nunes

So if you're looking into other options or even doing other research and you see a Master of Science in Counseling, a Master of Arts in Counseling, ours is a Master of Science in Education in Counseling. Those degrees are all one and the same, and to be honest with you, probably all have the same accreditation as well.

46:14

Thomas Nunes

So, again, great, great question, as that does come up quite frequently for students. Ranissa, "Are internships paid, or can they be done while maintaining a current full-time job?"

46:29

Ranissa Scott

Okay. I'm also going to answer the other question, too, about internship, about the 15-week semester. So thank you for asking that. Internships are... So you can do it while you are working full-time.

46:46

Ranissa Scott

So I did want to share that with you, but I'm going to be very transparent, because we did get feedback from students. So internships are not paid. So unless you have a situation with the selected site, if you have an affiliation with them, if that's something that you negotiate on your own, that's great.

47:09

Ranissa Scott

But otherwise, I would expect internships for those 600 hours to be unpaid. And for students that are working full-time, they find that in their practicum, when they're clocking in eight to 10 hours, that it's doable.

47:24

Ranissa Scott

It's a little bit uncomfortable, but it's doable. When they are in their clinicals and they're clocking in those 25 to 30 hours a week to get to that 300, those two separate times, they are finding it's more of a challenge, especially for individuals who are in school counseling, because that can't be done in the summer.

47:45

Ranissa Scott

You have to be in a school setting. The reason why is that your first 300 hours are going to be K-8, and the other 300 hours are going to be high school. Because we are CACREP-accredited, we have to align with the 300 hours each for those two internships and not combine it in one 15-week semester.

48:10

Ranissa Scott

But you can. I mean, you can certainly work full-time. I think that if you are in the clinical mental health counseling program, that's certainly doable if you find a site that is 24 hours, like a hospital or a private practice that caters more towards professionals, and they have extended hours, but it can be done.

48:30

Ranissa Scott

Although feedback has been from our students that in the clinicals, you do have to really be intentional with your time and just have open communication at work if you're working full-time.

48:45

Thomas Nunes

Yeah. I would piggyback on that, and I would say it'll vary from student to student, depending on what your current work schedule is, depending on what other commitments that you have in place. I would say, though, kind of as a blanket statement, for somebody that's working full-time, the only part of the program that you would ever even need to really think about maybe making any alterations would be those final two semesters of the internship, as, again, your practicum, eight to 10 hours a week.

49:15

Thomas Nunes

That's pretty doable for most students. And in terms of your online coursework, flexible and very doable there. So then that's one big reason why we house the internship hours towards the very back end of the program, is you have ample time to get acclimated, prepare, ramp up.

49:31

Thomas Nunes

And if you do see there's opportunities to make those changes or revisions to your schedule to accommodate, you certainly are able to kind of prepare to get to that point. Great question. I'll kind of chime in. And Ranissa, definitely chime in as well here when I'm done to get your feedback here too.

49:49

Thomas Nunes

"Are there opportunities for individuals to work in school settings as a clinical mental health graduate?" So I would say maybe. I would say it's going to depend on school by school, because it really depends on what the school is looking for.

50:03

Thomas Nunes

If a school is looking for somebody to be able to have more of that background, with the academic, the career mapping, or career planning component, then potentially, a clinical mental health graduate may not have those skill sets in place.

50:16

Thomas Nunes

They might, but they might not. But sometimes schools will bring in clinical mental health counselors on one-off basises or for instances, or things like that. So what I would do is, if you are kind of looking at both pathways, on the one hand, remember, the certificate option is available for you to be able to get both of those competencies.

50:37

Thomas Nunes

But what I would do on your end is I would probably look in your local area. Do a little bit of research. Maybe reach out to a couple of schools and say, "Is this something that you would be interested in doing?" or "Do you have experience with this?

50:51

Thomas Nunes

"Because it will be different, depending on institution by institution and location by location, kind of what their individual needs are there. Ranissa, thoughts.

51:02

Ranissa Scott

I agree. Check with the school and also your local licensing board, because that is going to vary. Specifically here in New York, it's determined by NYSED. And for any schools who have official titles as school counselors, they do want that school counselor licensing.

51:22

Ranissa Scott

So it's going to vary from state to state. So first, reach out to your schools or sites, and then your local licensing boards.

51:32

Thomas Nunes

And one thing to add, too, as a clinical mental health counseling graduate, you are prepared to work with childs and adolescents, just not within the school setting. So if that's the kind of demographic and the client base you're really looking to work with, that will prepare you to do that on the clinical mental health counseling side.

51:49

Thomas Nunes

The differentiation there, again, would just be that school environment would be more so geared to our school counseling students. All right. Well, two more questions, and then I think we will be wrapping up a very productive and very successful information session today.

52:05

Thomas Nunes

So, again, thank you to all for joining. One question that I will dive in is, "My GPA is below a 3 .0. I can't remember if it's above or below a 2. 75. Can I still apply?" Here is a wonderful opportunity to connect with myself or Ranissa, because what we want to do is get an idea of what your academic journey looked like, what does your professional journey look like, and kind of talk through.

52:33

Thomas Nunes

Students that are below a 3. 0, they are all reviewed on a student-by-student basis. So there's no blanket yes or no in terms of you being eligible or approved for a faculty interview.

52:46

Thomas Nunes

You'll also have opportunities to strengthen your file, meaning we don't require a résumé or a CV, but if you have a significant work background that you think would add a lot of value and a lot of strength to your application, you can certainly include it.

53:01

Thomas Nunes

If you want to include additional letters of recommendation, you can certainly do that. If you wanted to write something called a GPA addendum, where you speak to what was going on during your time in that program, and the challenges you potentially faced, and also identifying what's different.

53:19

Thomas Nunes

Why now are you confident you'll be successful? Do you have different processes? Do you study differently? Do you approach school differently? Is it an issue of just being older and wiser and growing? There's a lot of options there.

53:33

Thomas Nunes

I would absolutely say, though, connect with myself or Ranissa, because we want to get a better idea of your specific situation, and then we'll certainly assist you and help you out any way we can there.

53:46

Thomas Nunes

And then my last question that I will shoot over to Ranissa, and this comes up a lot. I know we've touched on it a couple of times, but I think it is certainly worth ending our information session with this topic.

54:01

Thomas Nunes

"This is a newer interest for me and would be a career change. I have no background in counseling. Would I be a qualified student, and am I eligible?" So, Ranissa, your thoughts.

54:13

Ranissa Scott

Absolutely. There are so many individuals out there that have different backgrounds. And if you bring a background that's different from counseling or psychology or social work, people tend to gravitate and instantly connect when they know that there's that commonality.

54:33

Ranissa Scott

I have students that are retired military, or they were in the financial industry before, and they just didn't find it meaningful. So I feel that...

54:45

Ranissa Scott

Absolutely. I think that what Tom and I really are proud of with the program is that the diversity of background, and also students, whether it's students that have experience within the field.

54:58

Ranissa Scott

They're a newly graduate, or individuals that have a lot of experience from their first or second careers. This is really valuable for them to know that their experience and their different background and field is going to be needed in the industry, because there are various individuals that may not necessarily connect with someone that already has a similar background.

55:26

Ranissa Scott

Maybe it's someone that they feel can understand them better if they are a veteran, or someone that is more business-minded, because they'll understand what's going on in their particular situation. So yes, I agree with Tom.

55:39

Ranissa Scott

Every industry is welcome, and you don't necessarily have to have a related field.

55:45

Thomas Nunes

Yeah. And I'll kind of piggyback on that too, and I'll say that counseling lends itself to career changers, to people looking for second careers. I think as the years have progressed here, mental health has become such a focus that you're seeing a lot of individuals that didn't necessarily have that interest when they were getting their undergraduate degree.

56:06

Thomas Nunes

But things have changed, and people's outlooks have changed, and the way they look at mental health and the way they approach it has changed. And I think one thing that is really great about the program is that, as Ranissa mentioned, the diversity of student backgrounds.

56:21

Thomas Nunes

I think that's what makes for the most interesting discussions, having so many backgrounds, so many viewpoints, everybody coming from so many different walks of life. Yeah. To Ranissa's point, I've had students that work at JPMorgan and the big financing companies.

56:36

Thomas Nunes

I've had students that work retail. I've had students that work as a bartender or a waitress, and they're just putting themselves through school. I have students that are working in counseling-esque type roles that do have a little bit more experience.

56:52

Thomas Nunes

So regardless of what your background is, you are more than welcome, and we certainly invite you to join us here at St. Bonaventure. So, certainly. Well, I want to thank everybody for taking some time out of their Saturday mornings to spend with us.

57:07

Thomas Nunes

As you can see, the sun's coming up behind me. But I think today was a very, very informational, very productive call. I really thank you all for joining. Our next term that is coming up is our spring 2025 term.

57:21

Thomas Nunes

It starts on January 20th. I know Ranissa shared some information in our chat about deadlines and things like that. It is not too late to apply. So if you're looking at the spring start date, we certainly have time to get started and get moving along here.

57:35

Thomas Nunes

So let myself and Ranissa know. And then for our students that are doing a bit of earlier research and looking at a later term, when the time is right and the term is kind of right for you, let us know, and we're more than happy to help any way we can here.

57:49

Thomas Nunes

Certainly want to thank you again for joining. Ranissa, final thoughts.

57:53

Ranissa Scott

Yeah. We're just excited to have a more meaningful conversation with everyone, if you haven't already done so, and we would love to welcome you here at St. Bona's.

58:03

Thomas Nunes

Excellent. Well, thank you again, everybody, for joining. Let us know if you have any future questions or if there's any additional information that would be helpful, and you have a fantastic rest of your Saturday. Bye, everybody.

58:14

Ranissa Scott

Bye, everyone.