Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology

Education Building, Room 4037
T: 512-245-2575 F: 512-245-8872
http://www.txst.edu/clas

The Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology (CLAS) is comprised primarily of graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. Our department engages a multidisciplinary team of professors and highly qualified staff committed to the educational and professional success of our students. Our students and graduates provide leadership and professional service to schools, agencies, communities, colleges and universities, and professions across Texas as well as nationally and internationally. Pursuing the dreams and possibilities of a graduate education, our students come from many distinct fields, diverse backgrounds, and bring a wide range of professional and personal experiences that enrich our work together. Our faculty are deeply involved in innovative and clinically relevant research projects generating knowledge oriented toward the flourishing of communities, individuals, and the social institutions that support them. Eager to share the work of research, scholarship, and learning with their students, the faculty also supports and advances Texas State as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The department consists of approximately 36 full-time faculty, 20 part-time faculty with practitioner and leadership expertise, 5 staff, 465 graduate students, and an additional 135 doctoral students. The department employs 25 doctoral and graduate assistants and operates community counseling clinics at both the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses. 

Certification and Licensure Programs

Academic preparation for certification and licensure is available in addition to majors and emphases associated with several CLAS Department degree programs. These include certification in school counseling, principal and superintendent certification, and licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, or Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. Inquiries regarding any of these certification or licensure programs should be directed to the appropriate program advisor. To be considered for admission to a certification or licensure program, students must meet the same admission and deadline requirements as the degree-seeking students, which are detailed on The Graduate College's website. Other conditions and professional tests are required by the state of Texas to be certified or licensed. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of and meet these conditions.

Professional Counseling

The Professional Counseling program prepares graduates to pursue different post-graduate clinical licensure and certification opportunities, depending on their degree track. Students on the Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree track can pursue post-graduate licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Students on the Marriage Couple and Family Counseling degree track can pursue post-graduate licensure as both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a LPC. Students on the School Counseling degree track can pursue certification as a Certified School Counselor (CSC) as well as licensure as an LPC.

The Professional Counseling program is also an Approved Center for Play Therapy. This program offers three play therapy courses that allow students to complete training hours to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) through the Association for Play Therapy. Another certification opportunity through the Professional Counseling program is the Texas State University Animal-Assisted Counseling (AAC) Academy. The AAC Academy is a professional training program that promotes the human-animal bond through the study and practice of animal-assisted counseling and play therapy. The mission of the AAC Academy is to provide quality training and certification in animal-assisted counseling that improves the wellbeing of children, teens, adults, and families through positive human-animal interactions.

Educational Leadership

The Educational Leadership program offers two distinct certifications as Texas public school administrators: a principal/assistant principal certification and a superintendent certification, which requires 15 additional hours above the principal certification. These programs fulfill academic requirements for leadership positions in elementary, middle, or high school principal, assistant principal, superintendent, and school district level positions.

School Psychology

The School Psychology program meets the academic and supervised practice standards of the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists for providing psychological services in the public schools as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). This program also meets the standards of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) for the National Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential. Applicants must have graduated from a master’s, specialist, or doctoral program in psychology to be eligible for re-specialization and licensure in school psychology.

Student Fitness and Performance

Program Standards

Students enrolled in all academic programs in The Graduate College must maintain high scholastic standards and develop a mastery of the knowledge and methods of their respective discipline. Students are expected to demonstrate emotional and mental fitness in their interactions with others, use skills and methods that are generally accepted by others in the profession, and conform to the code of ethics of their respective discipline, and the university’s honor code. A student’s acceptance in any program does not guarantee the student’s fitness to remain in that program. The faculty is responsible for verifying that only those students who continue to meet program standards are allowed to continue in any program.

Evaluation of Student Fitness and Performance

Members of the faculty, using their professional judgments, evaluate student fitness and performance continuously. The criteria used by the faculty to make such judgments include instructors’ observations of student performance in class or in activities related to courses; evaluations of student performance on theses, dissertations, and practica; site supervisors’ evaluations of student performance in practica and internships, and the codes of ethics for the student's field of study. Students who are not making satisfactory progress or who are not meeting program standards will need to participate in a student review process described below.

Student Review Process

If a faculty member believes that a student is not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards, the faculty member should discuss the situation with the student. If the faculty member believes that the student’s performance is not on track to improve to acceptable standards, the faculty member should refer the student to the Program Standards Committee (PSC) of the appropriate academic program. The PSC consists of three faculty members appointed by the department chair in consultation with the department’s senior faculty.

The PSC will notify the student of the reasons that they are not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards and will give the student an opportunity to meet with the PSC to respond and present information. The PSC will also meet with the faculty member who referred the student and review any pertinent student records or evaluations. After considering the matter, and within ten working days of meeting with the student, the PSC will report its decision to the student and the department chair. The decision may include a statement of whether the student should either remain in or leave the program. The PSC may make other decisions, such as placing restrictions or conditions on the student’s continuing in the program, and/or specific recommendations for improvement in meeting program standards. Within ten working days of receiving the PSC’s decision, the student will notify the PSC of their acceptance or rejection of the PSC’s decision. If the student rejects the PSC’s decision, they may appeal to the department chair.

Appeal Process

Within ten working days of receiving the student’s appeal, the chair will review the student’s appeal and all documentation provided by the PSC. The chair will make a decision as to the student’s continued enrollment in the program. The chair may or may not choose to meet with the student, based on the documentation provided by both the student and the PSC. The chair will notify the student of the decision.

If the student is dissatisfied with the chair’s decision, they may appeal to the dean of the college. However, in order for the dean to consider an appeal, the student must submit a written notice of appeal to the chair and the dean within ten working days of receiving the chair’s decision. The dean will consider the matter based on information and documentation compiled by the chair and notify the student of the decision within ten working days of the dean’s receipt of the appeal from the chair. The dean may meet with the student and give the student an opportunity to address the issues. The dean’s decision is final.

Financial Assistance

There are several options for receiving financial assistance in the CLAS Department. For information on scholarships, loans, tuition, veteran’s benefits and more please visit Financial Aid and Scholarships and also visit The Graduate College’s Funding site.

Graduate and Doctoral Assistants are employed to work in research, instruction, or program administration. They are supervised by a faculty member and work for either 10 or 20 hours per week. Appointments may be made for one semester, an academic year, or a summer. Assistants are required to be available for the assigned work schedule and locations. General requirements and campus wide postings are available at the link above.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Specialist in School Psychology (S.S.P.)

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Minors

Certificate

Fisher, Diane C, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ed.D., Baylor University

Guevara, Yolanda Reyes, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas State University

Hendrix, April Natalie, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas State University

Klose, Laurie, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Univ of California, Berkeley

Villers, Lance C, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas A&M University