Trauma, Crisis, Grief and Loss, Certificate
Program Director: Erik Messinger, Ph.D.; messinger@hood.edu; 301-696-3760
The 12-credit certificate program in Trauma, Crisis, Grief and Loss (TCGL) is designed for students and professionals in mental health counseling, school counseling, or related fields (such as education or clergy) who wish to specialize--or simply hone their knowledge and skills--in trauma, crisis, and/or grief work. Certificate students are required to take six credits of core coursework in Trauma & Crisis Intervention (COUN 507) and Grief, Mourning, and Bereavement (COUN/THAN 521). The remaining coursework is comprised of a contextual course of the student's choosing (COUN/THAN 528 or 529) and three credits of electives tailored to the student's primary interest (e.g. disaster mental health counseling, EMDR, creativity in counseling, etc). Many courses include experiential activities, including role plays and expressive exercises. Counseling M.S. students may apply the TCGL courses as their 12 elective credits of their master's degree. Some courses are offered hybrid or online; depending on course selection, students may take 50-75% of their courses online. Please note, Counseling M.S. students may only enroll in and apply coursework from one certificate, Thanatology or TCGL towards their master's degree.
Application Requirements
Applicants who have already been admitted to the Counseling M.S. program may declare their intention to enroll in the TCGL certificate with the Graduate Registrar, and do not need to submit any additional application materials. Counseling students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA and will not be admitted to the TCGL certificate if their GPA is below this threshold.
External applicants are invited to apply by submitting official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, as well as a 1-2 page personal statement describing their interest in the TCGL certificate, as well as how it relates to their professional goals. Some applicants may be invited to a virtual interview with the certificate director to further discuss their fit for the program.
Requirements for the Certificate
Core Courses - 6 credits
Contextual Dimensions Option (Choose one)
| COUN 528/THAN 528 | Developmental Perspectives in Thanatology | 3.0 |
| | or | |
| COUN 529/THAN 529 | Historical and Multicultural Perspectives in Thanatology | 3.0 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3.0 |
Intervention and Issue-based Electives - 3 Credits
| COUN 560 | Affirmative Therapy w/ LGBTQIA+ Client | 1.0 |
| COUN 562 | Attachment Theory in Clinical Practice | 1.0 |
| COUN 563 | Foundations in EMDR Therapy | 1.0 |
| COUN 565 | Introduction to Creativity in Counseling | 1.0 |
| COUN 566 | Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Approaches | 1.0 |
| COUN 567 | Foundations in Disaster Mental Health | 1.0 |
| COUN 568 | Crisis Response & Prevention in Schools | 1.0 |
| COUN 570 | Contemporary Issues in Veterans' Health | 3.0 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3.0 |
Some
COUN 599 Special Topics coursework may also be completed to fulfill elective credits with director approval.