Rollins College Hamilton Holt School Graduate Counseling

CURRENT STUDENTS

The current Masters in Counseling program includes students with a variety of undergraduate majors, ages, as well as significant life experiences. Although the majority of students come from the Central Florida area, many other states and several foreign countries are also represented. Diversity among students also exists in the areas of race, ethnicity, religion, and physical ability. We welcome applicants from all types of diverse backgrounds.

Information for Current Students

The websites that contain important information for current students include:

Forms and Publications which contains the current Graduate Studies Catalog and the Counseling Student Handbook. Both documents contain important procedure and policy information. Other important forms can be found on the same site as well.

Each year in the early summer, all current students are expected to update their Program of Study and complete a Student Progress Self-Report the forms, which are updated every Spring, can be found on the Student Progress website.

Financial Assistance

Students admitted to a graduate program are eligible for financial aid. All students seeking financial aid, either assistantships, scholarships, or loans, must complete the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) at least two months prior to the beginning of the intended term of study. The Financial Aid/Scholarship website features additional details and links.

Graduate Assistantships

The Graduate Studies in Counseling program offers assistantships in exchange for tuition remission for courses taken during the fall and spring semesters. Assistantships are appointments held in various positions on campus. For first-year students, one assistantship is available. Application instructions are included on the position description. One graduate assistantship is available to a first year student and five assistantships are open to upper-level Graduate Counseling students (usually second year in the program). Students who are in the internship phase of their program are not eligible. Assistantships may require some training in the area of counseling in order to effectively meet position requirements. Solicitation of applications for graduate assistantships for upper-level students are announced in classes early each spring term. Occasionally, other departments make graduate assistantships available to counseling students and are advertised via e-mail message to students' Rollins email accounts.

Graduate assistant position descriptions can be found on the Financial Aid/Scholarship web page.

General Expectations for Graduate Students in Counseling

Academic Expectations
Graduate students in counseling are expected to:

Abide by the Ethical Guidelines of the American Counseling Association.

Attend all classes.

Abide by the academic policies, including the honor code, of Rollins College.

Participate in learning experiences designed in the curriculum of the Program.

Turn in assignments according to designated deadlines.

Use the style manual of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual to format all papers.

Submit written work that reflects excellent grammar, spelling, and writing ability.

Clinical Expectations
Graduate students in counseling are expected to:

Attend all supervision sessions as scheduled.

Bring taped counseling sessions to supervision.

Participate in individual and group supervision interactions, including taking responsibility for the initiation of discussions in areas in which the supervisee would like to expand skills and/or understanding.

Consider and respond thoughtfully to feedback from peers, faculty and supervisors.

Effectively counsel members of the same or other sex, heterosexual, lesbian/gay, and bisexual clients.

Show an understanding of the differences in cultural characteristics of the various ethnic groups represented among their clients and effectively relate to individuals of a different racial/cultural/ethnic background.

Maintain psychological fitness (see section on Probation and Dismissal for Non-Academic Factors).

Seek professional consultation with regard to recognized personal areas of growth as it relates to counseling.

Present a professional appearance and exhibits professional behavior as a counselor.

Initiate independent study of specific issues or concerns that arise in working with clients (ex: if working with a client with a specific anxiety disorder, student will research information about the etiology and treatments of the disorder that are consistent with best standards of practice).

Professional Expectations
Apart from academic knowledge and specific service delivery skills, responsible and effective counseling students possess a sense of professionalism and behave accordingly. Graduate students in counseling are expected to:

Understand and maintains the ethical guidelines for counselors as outlined by the Ethical Guidelines of the American Counseling Association.

Demonstrate an ability to establish good working relationships with a majority of their student peers as well as with faculty and staff.

Consider and respond thoughtfully to feedback from colleagues and faculty.

Resolve conflict with others in a professional and forthright manner.

Read and expand knowledge independently as it relates to clinical work and client cases.

Understand how gender role socialization affects psychological development.

Be respectful of the individual differences of others.

Demonstrate the ability to examine personal reactions, values, and world view as they relate to professional functioning (self evaluation).

Seek professional consultation with regard to recognized personal areas of growth.

Present a professional appearance and exhibits professional behavior.

Prevent personal/emotional issues from interfering with professional functioning.

Follows the procedures and policies of the Graduate Studies in Counseling program and Rollins College.

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Information posted on the Rollins College Hamilton Holt School Web site is intended as general information only. It is subject to change and does not reflect a contract between students and the College. Contact the Hamilton Holt School office to confirm any information.