The low-residency MA in Psychology & Counseling program offers a unique concentration in sexual orientation, developed in 2000 in response to society’s need for counselors and other mental health professionals to have a specialized knowledge of the issues of sexual orientation.

The Sexual Orientation Concentration also informs the entire program’s curriculum and community through support for all students in your learning and cultural competency.  You are welcome to contact the Concentration Coordinator or your Academic Advisor to explore this interest.

To fulfill the requirements of this concentration, you must also complete the requirements for the MA PSY Program.  Participation in this concentration does not necessarily affect the amount of time needed to complete the program, although you may opt for an additional semester(s) to complete the program and concentration requirements.  

Purpose

The purpose of the Sexual Orientation Concentration is to better prepare you to research and analyze issues pertaining to sexual orientation, and to work on them in clinical settings. The concentration addresses the expanding need for specialized education in the principles and concepts related to all sexual orientations and identities and offers training in the counseling skills related to such issues. 

The Sexual Orientation Concentration is influenced by and adheres to professional resolutions, competencies, and guidelines of the ACA and APA.  These include:

1. Competencies for Counseling Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Clients, by the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling, a division of the American Counseling Association;
2. Guidelines for Psychotherapy with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients, by the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, a division of the American Psychological Association.   

Invitation to Innovation

Although the current movement to understand sexual orientation has been influenced by gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, and feminism, the Goddard concentration has been designed to encompass the broadest scope of sexuality.  Sexual orientation is viewed through the lenses of race, class, culture, ability, age, and gender.  Heterosexuality and bisexuality, as well as the perspectives of people who identify as Trans, intersexed, celibate or asexual, androgynous, and queer are integral parts of the concentration’s respectful inclusiveness.  Attention to the issues relevant to the sexual orientation of all people, including the influences of oppressive traditions, leads you to study and work on the cutting edges of these emerging intellectual fields.

The Sexual Orientation Concentration also serves as a method for indicating that the MA in Psychology and Counseling Program is a safe learning environment for students of all orientations and identities who are interested in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender, sexual orientation, and sexuality studies.  You are always welcome to participate in any aspect of the concentration even if you ultimately decide not to fulfill the requirements.  

Sexual Orientation Concentration Requirements:

• Four core courses
• Five elective courses
• Thesis or Capstone Project focus on Sexual Orientation issues
• Internship that involves client work related to the Concentration purpose (600 hours).

Core Courses

Four core courses are required.  They promote a wide range of explorations designed to provide a fundamental understanding of sexual orientation from various perspectives of the human experience.  These become the foundation from which you build your own individualized studies within the concentration, tailored to explore the questions, issues, and populations of primary interest to you. Core courses include:

• Constructs of Sexual Orientation
  Encompasses the historic, philosophic, psychological, and political foundations and ramifications of concepts such as gender, sex, and love.  Courses that include a focus on The History of Sexual Orientations; Development and Expression of Sexualities and Orientation; and The Philosophies of Sexual Orientations are examples of what would fulfill this requirement.

• Etiologies of Sexual Orientations
  Encompasses the biological, developmental, and social influences on sexual orientations across the lifespan.  Courses that include a focus on Development of Sexual Orientation; Youth and Sexual Identities; and Psychological Understandings of Sexual Expression are examples of what would fulfill this requirement.

• Cultural Contexts of Sexual Orientations
  Encompasses the impact of cultural opportunities and pressures on the development and expression of sexual orientations.  Courses that include a focus on Culture and Sexual Orientation; Same Sex Relationships and Ethnicity; and Religion and Sexual Orientation are examples of what would fulfill this requirement.

• Applied Issues in Sexual Orientation Counseling
  Encompasses the sexual orientation issues relevant to counseling, practice, research, and consulting.  Courses that include a focus on Polyamory and Relationship Counseling; Counseling Treatments of Sexual Trauma; and Career Issues for Transgendered Persons are examples of what would fulfill this requirement.

• Related Area Courses
  Five additional courses that include a primary focus on topics related to the goals and purpose of the Concentration are also required.  You may design your own related courses specific to the focus of your study within the concentration.  This requirement may be fulfilled through the focus given to standard CMHC core course, an elective course, or a Capstone course.  

• Concentration Supervised Internship
  You will meet the same internship requirements as all MA in Psychology Program students.  In addition, the internship work is required to have a substantial component that is relevant to the purpose and goals of the Sexual Orientation Concentration.  You will work in internships where the population and content of the work are appropriate to the Concentration.  You can work with the Concentration Coordinator as well as the Internship Coordinator to explore possible internships and to integrate Sexual Orientation Concentration learning goals.

• Concentration Final Product
  You will complete either a Thesis or Capstone project that meets the same requirements as all MA in Psychology Program students.  In addition, the thesis or capstone work will have a substantial component that is relevant to the purposes and goals of the Sexual Orientation Concentration and are expected to be a culmination of your focus through your previous work.