Counseling

The Master of Arts in Counseling degree prepares students to become professional counselors with a strong ethical foundation and social justice orientation. Program Director Melissa Alvarado explains how this St. Edward’s program gives students an edge as they enter a strong and vibrant alumni community of MA in Counseling graduates. Check out this helpful Q&A with Alvarado.

Learning Goals

Upon completion of the MA in Counseling program, graduates will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Knowledge and skills associated with professional orientation and ethics in counseling. 
• Knowledge of social and cultural diversity understanding through theories of multicultural counseling and the promotion of diversity among different communities and mental health settings.
• Knowledge of systemic and environmental factors that affect human development, functioning and behavior.
• Counseling skills and dispositions necessary to establish therapeutic relationships with clients. 
• Knowledge of various theories and models of counseling and begin to formulate their own theoretical orientation. 
• Knowledge of group counseling processes and competency in preparing and facilitating group counseling
• Understanding of career development, including theories, assessments, career resources, and the interrelationship between career and other life roles.
• Gaining and applying knowledge in the use of assessment in counseling.
• Understanding and applying quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as program evaluation to inform evidence-based practice.
• Knowledge necessary to address a wide variety of circumstances within the context of clinical mental health counseling (CMHC).
• Development of treatment plans, clinical documentation and conceptualization skills (CMHC).
• Knowledge necessary to address a wide variety of circumstances within the context of marriage, couple and family counseling (MCFC).
• Development of treatment plans, clinical documentation and conceptualization skills within the context of marriage, couple and family counseling (MCFC).
• Appropriate counseling dispositions and behaviors expected of professional counselors.
• Academic requirements to apply for a provisional license from the Texas State Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, the Texas State Board of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, or both. 

Students who meet the above requirements will receive a Master of Arts in Counseling degree from St. Edward’s.
 

Career Outcomes

The MA in Counseling prepares students to become professional counselors or marriage and family therapists. Graduates of the program may choose to focus on working with children, adolescents, adults, families and/or couples, with the primary goal of helping clients address personal, social, educational or career challenges and improve their overall well-being.

To become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), graduates must:

• Pass the National Counselor Exam (NCE) to fulfill the Texas state board requirement to become Licensed Professional Counselors and
• Complete 3,000 hours of supervised field experience with a temporary license (LPC Associate) under a board-approved supervisor (LPC-S)

Our master’s in Counseling program has a 95% passing rate for the National Counselor Exam (NCE).

To become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), graduates must:

• Pass the state AMFRTB examination to fulfill the Texas state board requirement and
• Complete 3,000 hours of postgraduate supervised field experience with a temporary license (LMFT Associate) and a board-approved LMFT supervisor (LMFT-S)

The following documents represent an assessment of student learning within the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program:

• CACREP Vital Stats Summary 2022–2023
• 2022–2023 Annual Report
• Archived Reports

The professional counseling programs at St. Edward’s University educate, train and prepare highly skilled, ethical, compassionate mental health professionals grounded in humanistic values that focus on prevention, wellness, personal growth, and a commitment to respecting and promoting human dignity.

Our programs emphasize the client-counselor relationship, and creative and experiential modalities Our curriculum reflects multiple and varied theoretical perspectives with guidance to support students in developing their own framework for community and clinical practice.

Our programs create a transformative environment that allows students to enter their field with an understanding of their own social locations and the role of power, privilege, and difference within institutional, social, intimate, and therapeutic relationships. 

St. Edward’s University has a commitment to social justice which is embodied and embraced across the curriculum in content such as counseling with diverse populations, pro-social autonomy across the lifespan, and community/professional advocacy for the populations we serve. These ideals and many more are fostered within a dynamic, multi-modal learning setting in which critical thinking and the creation and integration of knowledge and experience are celebrated. 

The Master of Arts in Counseling program at St. Edward’s takes pride in creating life-long learners.

The Master of Arts in Counseling is typically completed in about two and a half to three years. Students can elect to take classes part-time or full-time. Most students complete the program in eight semesters and attend year-round (fall, spring, summer). For more information, review the suggested Course Sequencing Guide included below with each concentration.

Face-to-face classes meet once per week each week of the semester. Blended classes are typically taught at a ratio of 75% face-to-face with the remaining instruction online. 

For detailed degree requirements, please view and download the Graduate Bulletin PDF or request more information.
 

Experiential Training

During the last three semesters of the program, students complete field experience hours at the St. Edward’s Community Counseling Clinic and field sites in the Austin area. At the end of the program, students will accrue at least 700 total practice hours. Experiential courses include the Counseling Practicum and two internships.

Our highly accomplished faculty in the MA in Counseling program are working mental health professionals with extensive expertise and research in the field.

Melissa Alvarado, PhD
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling

Melissa Alvarado earned her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (CACREP-Accredited). Alvarado is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Board Approved Supervisor (LPC-S) in Texas. Most of her clinical work has been with adolescent and adult survivors of trauma. She is an active member of many professional counseling associations and regularly presents at national, regional and state conferences. Her research interests include positive youth development, supervision best practices, yoga and mental health, and counselor self-care.

In 2017, Alvarado was awarded the Humanistic Clinician Award by the Association for Humanistic Counseling. This award recognizes a clinician who holds a notable humanistic philosophy of counseling that resulted in an impact on their community or clients. 

Alvarado has taught a variety of classes in the counseling curriculum. Her favorite courses to teach are professional orientation, ethics and practicum.

Bill McHenry, PhD
Associate Professor of Counseling

Bill McHenry is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas as well as a National Certified Counselor (NCC). He has worked with clients across the spectrum ranging in age from 3 to 96. He has provided professional counseling in a variety of settings including schools, mental health agencies, community counseling clinics, rehabilitation agencies and college counseling centers. 

McHenry is the co-author of six books on counseling and 18 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has presented at the international, national, regional and state levels on numerous counseling topics.

Currently, he is working on his next book in the area of human growth and development along with an article on the neurobiological implications of music therapy on clients’ brains and clinical implications.

Throughout McHenry’s career, he has taught nearly every course in a standard counseling program. Among his favorites are addiction counseling, play therapy, skills and techniques, and counseling theories. 

Kerrie Taylor, PhD
Associate Professor of Counseling 

Kerrie Taylor is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She received her MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Central Florida and her PhD in Counselor Education from Idaho State University. She has worked with clients across the lifespan while specializing in counseling adults with severe and persistent mental illness who are involved with the criminal justice system and adults with co-occurring disorders. 

Taylor also enjoys collaborating with interdisciplinary professionals for research, education and advocacy efforts. She has presented at several national, state and local conferences on topics including neuroscience, pedagogy and integrating technology with clinical supervision, and she frequently facilitates professional trainings.  

Taylor currently has articles in submission to national journals and is drafting an article regarding ethical gatekeeping practices in counselor education. She is an enthusiastic researcher and is particularly interested in qualitative methodologies and mixed-method studies. Her current research interests include critical pedagogical interventions, gatekeeping practices in counselor education, technology in the classroom and supervision, and ethical decision-making. 

Taylor has experience teaching classes across the mental health core curriculum and particularly enjoys teaching diagnosis, ethics and techniques.

Tiffany Bordonada, PhD
Associate Professor of Counseling 

Tiffany Bordonada earned her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of South Carolina (CACREP-Accredited) and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Most of her clinical experience includes working with adolescent offenders in a residential treatment program, young adults in an outpatient setting, and group work with parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 

Bordonada is an active member of many professional counseling associations and regularly presents at national, regional and state conferences. Her research interests include caregiver identity, grief and loss, autism, adolescent mental health, and chronic sorrow. She has taught across the counseling curriculum. Her favorite classes to teach include counseling diverse populations, group counseling, grief and loss, theories, and field experience courses. 

Alexis L. Croffie, PhD
Assistant Professor of Counseling

Alexis L. Croffie earned his PhD in Counselor Education from Texas Tech University (CACREP-Accredited). He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas. Most of his clinical experience includes working with survivors of crime, individuals with chronic pain, and LGBTQ+ communities. Additionally, he is a Certified Therapeutic Game Master and incorporates Table-top Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) such as Dungeons and Dragons in his clinical work.

Croffie is an active member in many professional organizations including, but not limited to, the Texas Counseling Association; Texas Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors; and the Texas Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities.

Croffie has a strong enthusiasm for the growth of research in the field of counseling. His current research interests include international populations (ex: immigrants, international students, etc.) and their children; ethics in counseling; individuals with invisible disabilities (ex: chronic and terminal illnesses, neurodivergent populations, etc.); pop-culture interventions in counseling; and LGBTQ+ populations. He specializes in qualitative research and enjoys hearing the stories of his research participants.

Croffie has taught a variety of core courses within the counseling profession. His favorite courses to teach include ethics, intro to family systems, counseling theories, and field experience courses. Through a blend of small group discussions and class lectures, he hopes to foster connections between his students to help them grow into strong professional colleagues.

Marcus Folkes, PhD
Assistant Professor of Counseling 

Marcus Folkes is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Internship Coordinator and Qualified Supervisor. He received his MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bethune Cookman University and his PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision with a specialization in advanced counseling from the University of the Cumberlands. He has worked with clients across the lifespan while focusing and specializing in counseling adolescents and young adults with adjustment or traumatic stress who are involved in the child welfare system. 

Folkes enjoys advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion in collaboration with other professionals. He has presented at many state conferences and local conferences on topics such as mental health basics, resiliency in youth, trauma-informed care, self-care, intergenerational and transgenerational trauma, and mental health stigma. He has contributed to scholarly book chapters and newsletters, relating to the counseling field. 

Folkes’s current research interest includes creative interventions/modalities in psychotherapy; historical, racial, and generational trauma; and utilizing technology and gaming in andragogical and pedagogical educational practice. He is an enthusiastic practitioner, who finds joy in adding new knowledge and research to develop and enhance the field of counseling. He is particularly interested in quantitative research modalities. 

Folkes has experience teaching classes across mental health core courses and particularly enjoys courses focused on diagnosing and treatment planning, legal and ethical issues, human sexuality, and psychopharmacology.

Dynetta Clark, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Counseling and Director of the St. Edward’s Community Counseling Clinic

Dynetta Clark is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). Clark has provided individual, group, and crisis counseling services to individuals and families across the lifespan in various settings, including schools, home-based services, residential services, college counseling centers and community mental health settings. She also has nearly 15 years of providing clinical and administrative supervision. 

Clark is a member of several professional counseling associations. Her research interests include supervision, counselor preparation and trauma. She enjoys teaching experiential courses like skills, practicum and internship. 

Jessenia Garcia, PhD
Assistant Professor of Counseling

Jessenia Garcia is a first-generation college graduate and the daughter of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants. She is a proud roadrunner as she completed her master’s and doctoral degrees from The University of Texas at San Antonio. 

Garcia is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, where she specializes in working with adult children of immigrants and high-achieving BIPOC professionals, and conducts forensic mental health evaluations for immigration cases. Garcia’s clinical experiences also include working in eating disorder treatment centers, college counseling centers, adolescent transitional living, and in the school system. 

Garcia enjoys working on research projects with students. Her research interests include bilingual counseling, Latine mental health concerns, first-generation wellness and ethnic/racial identity development. She was named a 2022–2023 American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Faculty Fellow and a graduate fellow of Texas Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE). 

Garcia holds several leadership positions with professional counseling organizations. Her favorite classes to teach are counseling diverse populations, group counseling, assessment techniques and practicum.

Sarah Agarwal, PhD
Assistant Professor of Counseling

Sarah Agarwal earned her PhD in Counseling from the University of North Texas and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas, a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Registered Play Therapist. She is also a Certified Sandtray Therapist and certified Child-Parent Relationship Therapist Supervisor. Most of her clinical experience includes working with children, teens, parents and families across various settings including community agencies, residential treatment centers and private practice. She is also a member of many professional counseling associations and regularly presents at national, regional and state conferences.

Agarwal is active in research scholarship. Her research interests include working with children through play therapy, providing training to parents and teachers, integrating sandtray therapy into practice, and the effectiveness of counseling interventions. She has research experience utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methods but enjoys quantitative research paradigms to investigate the effectiveness of various counseling approaches.

Agarwal has taught courses across the counseling curriculum. Her favorite classes to teach are play therapy, ethics, counseling theories and experiential courses including practicum and internships.

Quinn Smelser, PhD
Assistant Professor of Counseling 

Quinn Smelser earned her PhD in Counseling from The George Washington University (CACREP- Accredited). She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Board Approved Supervisor (LPC-S). 

Smelser’s clinical work is primarily focused on helping children and adolescents experiencing trauma and gender identity exploration as well as working to empower caregivers and parents to better understand themselves in order to care for their children. She has worked in urban, rural and suburban communities, under government-funded grants, and in homes, schools, and residential treatment.

Smelser is an active member of many professional counseling and play therapy associations and regularly presents at national, regional and state conferences. Her research interests include attachment in child-caregiver dyads and the counseling process; trauma-informed care in play therapy; grief and loss; and gender identity in children and adolescents. She has published many scholarly book chapters and peer-reviewed research articles on grief and loss, spirituality, play therapy, family therapy, trauma-informed best practices and LGBTQ issues such as gender identity exploration.

Smelser has taught courses across the counseling curriculum. Her favorite classes to teach are counseling children and adolescents, grief and loss, and field experience courses.

Crystal Morris, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor of Counseling

Crystal Morris is an educator, counselor and mentor, inspiring youth and people of all ages. She has been in the education field for over 12 years, working with at-risk youth, young adults, military service members, veterans and families. She is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S), National Certified Counselor (NCC), Certified School Counselor (CSC), and owner and clinical director at Butterflies Prospering Wellness Company.

Morris has worked as a professional school counselor, educator, graduate research assistant, military family life counselor and private practice therapist. In addition, she is the author of The Butterfly Effect: Living the Single Life Through God's Eyes, 21 Days of Positive Living, and the upcoming book in the series, The Butterfly Effect: Establishing Healthy Relationships. 

Morris graduated with her PhD in Counselor, Education, and Supervision from The University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research interests focus on mindfulness-based strengths practices, character strengths, and positive psychology as interventions to explore relationship satisfaction in female survivors of military sexual trauma. Her research also explores holistic wellness; mental health in the Black, African American communities; multicultural competent and social justice advocacy in counseling; ethics in counseling; relationships (couples); sexual abuse/trauma in women; and PTSD/trauma.

At $1,610 per credit hour, our 60-hour, Master of Arts in Counseling degree is a smart investment. The skills acquired in this program position you for a career as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Texas. Tuition* includes all course fees but does not include books, comprehensive fees or other course materials. Once accepted to the program, you are required to submit a $500 non-refundable tuition deposit. Deposits are applied toward tuition and secure your place in the upcoming class.

*Tuition is subject to change at the discretion of the St. Edward’s University Board of Trustees.
 

Financial Aid

The St. Edward’s University Financial Aid Office provides information about financial aid opportunities available to graduate students. Call us at 512-387-3110 if you are interested in additional details.

To apply for the Master of Arts in Counseling program, students are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Review a complete checklist, including application steps, requirements for the program and key dates.

Need more information? Please contact an Enrollment Counselor at 512-326-7333.