Current Online Students

UND's counseling programs are comprised of knowledgeable, caring, and compassionate members of society who seek to make a valuable contribution to the lives of others and to the world at large. Given that you have applied and were accepted into our programs, please allow me to thank you with my deepest appreciation for your commitment and passion for helping others. While many people seek counseling services to enhance their relationships, lives, and self-awareness, many people are also struggling with concerns that markedly impair their functioning and cause immense intrapersonal and interpersonal distress, and you have taken a great step towards helping these individuals, while also contributing to the enhancement of your own knowledge, awareness, and success!

Our online master’s programs have been designed for part-time students who may be working, have family responsibilities, volunteer commitments, and other important roles and duties to attend to. As such, our programs have been created and sequenced to offer a primarily asynchronous course structure, wherein you will be able to complete course requirements and watch pre-recorded class lectures at a convenient time for your schedule each week. Instructors will still expect that students complete course readings, activities, and assignments as per set weekly deadlines; however, our program flexibly allows for you to choose when you would like to attend to course lecture materials as per your own schedule.

As the program progresses, you will also engage in structured practicum and internship field experiences where you will have the opportunity to engage in counseling at a site that corresponds with your specialty emphasis area. We will arrange for you to meet with a field experience coordinator who will work with you to find a counseling site and an appropriately credentialed supervisor in your local or regional area to meet your learning and experiential needs. You will also engage in weekly synchronous zoom classes during practicum and internship terms where you will meet with counseling student peers and UND small group supervisors who oversee this process. Our programs uniquely offer education and clinical field experiences congruent with four specialty emphasis areas:

• Addictions Counseling
• Community Mental Health Counseling
• Rehabilitation Counseling
• School Counseling

Our Graduate Certificates also offer education and training to allow for those with Education and Counseling Degrees to re-specialize to become K-12 School Counselors. As such, students will engage in practical work and unique course offerings which are congruent with their specialization area, while also taking core courses that are fundamental for all student counselors to complete.

Coursework throughout the program will require you to be self-sufficient and self-motivated, and will require a keen attention to detail, instructions, and deadlines. We ask that you therefore be careful in your planning process, and reach out for help if needed prior to any academic concerns arising. It is the responsibility of students to complete all assignments, and review all readings and materials assigned for each course to ensure that you are sufficiently prepared to become competent counselors. Our faculty also engage in responsible gatekeeping processes which includes recurrent evaluations of a formative and summative nature to ensure that our students meet the standards of the profession, thereby also protecting the public. One of the most salient aspects of counselor competence includes multicultural competence, whereby students must possess the skills, knowledge, and self-awareness to work effectively with diverse clients across all identity statuses, including age, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, ability status, legal history, and religious/spiritual identification. As such, our program aims to integrate multicultural topics throughout all coursework and field experiences, and we encourage students to be self-reflective, open, and willing to learn and challenge their own perspectives to better understand how their own socialization impacts their beliefs, values, and perceptions of themselves, others, and the world at large, thereby also enhancing their empathetic attunement.

Counselors represent individuals who others can typically rely on for safety, support, and consultation. Throughout this program it is also important to know that you are not alone, and that you can count on the UND faculty, staff, and your peers to be there when you need support or consultation to help you prosper in the program. I strongly encourage you to get to know your student peers who are in your courses, and network with one another, while also encouraging one another and celebrating successes as they come. I also strongly encourage you all to learn from your mistakes throughout this program; as human beings, each and every one of us is fallible and prone to make errors, miscalculations, and oversights, as such, it is important that we intentionally exercise empathy, forgiveness, and compassion throughout our time together to allow for personal and professional growth. Graduate school can be a cumbersome voyage, and it is important to embrace the feedback you receive along the way which is meant to assist and refine your knowledge, skills, and future interactions with colleagues and clients alike to make you the best counselor you can be. In your graduate journey both you and your future clients will take from this program what you choose to put in; as such, I strongly encourage all students to submit their best work, and commit to their studies. It is also imperative that students embrace the notion that learning is a lifelong process which never stops, as such, I am hopeful that you will gain much from your graduate program, whilst knowing that an abundance of learning will continue thereafter throughout your career. I am looking forward to each of you commencing your program of study and I wish you all the best on your path ahead!

Thanks kindly, and welcome!