saybrook-university

Counseling and Psychology Programs at Saybrook University

Saybrook University appears in our ranking of the Top 5 Best Online Ph.D. in Psychology Degree Programs

The counseling and psychology programs offered at Saybrook University are suitable for graduate and doctoral students. Saybrook offers a Master of Arts in Psychology with concentrations in creativity studies and existential, humanistic and transpersonal psychology. Another concentration is available in consciousness, spirituality and integrative health. These programs go beyond the simple practice of psychology and look at how environmental and other factors can affect a person’s mental health. Each concentration has internship options available for students too.

A Master of Arts in Counseling program includes three concentrations also. The concentration in mental health focuses on helping people struggling with mental disorders, while the clinical counseling concentration prepares students for working as counselors in clinical facilities. There is also a concentration in marriage and family therapy for students who want to help families, individuals and couples. These programs can help students become licensed counselors in California and other states. Students will take specific required counseling courses and then take electives and other classes based on their concentrations. Those who want to obtain their licenses can expect to do fieldwork too.

Also available are three online doctoral programs in psychology and counseling. One is the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology program, which includes the same concentration as the graduate program. The university’s online Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology includes more research courses and prepares students for doing research projects. Students will take classes in clinical psychology, developmental psychology, data analysis, and psychotherapy. Saybrook University also offers a doctoral program in counselor education and supervision. Designed for those who want to teach psychology or lead and train other counselors, it teaches students how to advocate for their clients and supervise the work of others.

About Saybrook University

Saybrook University is a university in California that offers both graduate and post-graduate programs. Eleanor Camp Criswell and a small group of other professionals came together to establish a new graduate institute in 1971. Called the Humanistic Psychology Institute, it was affiliated with the California State University, Sonoma and offered classes for humanistic psychology majors. It later became the Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center and then Saybrook University. The university chose the Saybrook name after a city in Connecticut that was home to one of the first research conferences that discussed humanistic psychology. After breaking apart from California State University, Saybrook University moved to a new campus in Oakland.

Also called Saybrook and SU, the university now specializes in psychology programs. Students can earn both doctoral and graduate programs in different fields of psychology, but they can also enroll in a small number of counseling programs. Most programs are available through the university’s virtual campus and require little offline work from students, though some ask that students either attend conferences in California or do some residential work on the SU campus. Some certificate programs allow students to study humanistic and other unique fields of psychology once they complete a graduate or a doctoral degree. SU is quite selective in regards to its acceptance rates, which helps keep its enrollment to around 600 students.

Saybrook University Accreditation Details

SU has accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for its M.A. in Counseling program. The Department of Education granted approval to the university for its programs, and it has accreditation from the Western Association of Colleges and Schools (WACS). Five different states granted approval to the university for its online programs too, including Texas, California, and Pennsylvania. Those accreditation and approvals give the university the right to create financial aid packages as new students apply and to use federal funds for those packages. SU can also provide students with credits when they transfer from a different school.

Saybrook University Application Requirements

Admissions events make it easy for students to see some of the advantages of attending Saybrook and to decide whether they prefer residential or online programs. These events take place on the SU campus and online. Virtual events allow students to learn more about specific programs and view the requirements of those programs. SU encourages students to fill out an information request form before they look at the application. This form asks students to pick the program that interests them and share some background/biographical information. Reps from the university will contact them to talk about those programs.

To apply to SU, students must use an account, which they can create on the application portal. They only need an email address and a full name to create an account, and they can log in with their passwords and email addresses. The application asks students where they went to college, what type of degree(s) they have, if they have any psychology or counseling experience and which programs they will study at SU. It takes students 30 minutes or less to finish the application. The university will then contact them with a list of requirements, which can include transcripts, letters of recommendation and essays or personal statements.

Tuition and Financial Aid

All psychology and counseling graduate students pay the university a $550 orientation fee at the start of the semester. They then pay $1,150 per credit hour for their courses. Students in the clinical psychology program pay $1,170 per credit hour. The university charges a tuition rate of $1,470 for students enrolled in a doctoral program and those who enroll in a program that helps them transition from their graduate to their doctoral studies. Students will also pay $1,500 each semester to cover the cost of attending a psychology conference in Monterey.

The Presidential Scholarship is just one of the financial aid awards given to students by the university. It awards students $500 to $5,000 each year based on both their merit and need. To show their need, students will use the FAFSA. There is another program that awards students $2,500. It goes to those who are the first in their families to enroll in graduate school and immigrants in the US. Many psychology and counseling majors will also use one of the federal loan programs to pay for college. Those who submit the FAFSA can qualify for jobs working for the university too. Scholarships and work-study are just some of the ways students can pay for the counseling and psychology programs offered by Saybrook University.