Counseling Skills Graduate Certificate

Program Information

The Graduate Certificate in Counseling Skills is designed for students who wish to develop counseling skills without pursuing licensure as a psychotherapist. Counseling skill is a critical asset in many professions, especially those that involve working with people.

See Certificate Program Admission Policies for more information.

All courses must be completed at Golden Gate University with a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 (“B” average) or better in courses taken at Golden Gate University that are applicable to the program’s requirements. See Graduate Student Academic Standing Standards for more information.

Course prerequisites are indicated in the course description for each course and must be satisfied prior to enrolling in a given course. Prerequisites may be satisfied through transfer of equivalent coursework from external institutions or by taking the courses at GGU.

Undergraduate Psychology Pathway Programs

As a pathway to the graduate-level counseling programs, students who complete certain undergraduate-level courses with grades of “B” or better at Golden Gate University as a part of completing the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology or a Psychology Minor with another Bachelor’s degree may receive internal transfer credit for the corresponding graduate-level courses for the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology or the Graduate Certificate in Counseling Skills programs. Internal transfer credit will be recorded after students’ Bachelor’s degrees have been conferred. Note: Students who complete the courses below but who do not earn Bachelor’s degrees at GGU with Psychology majors or minors (formerly concentrations) are not eligible for this incentive.

Students who complete the following undergraduate courses may receive internal transfer credit as shown below:

PSYCH 102 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications corresponds to PSYCH 302 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications for Therapists .
PSYCH 120 Principles and Methods of Counseling corresponds to PSYCH 320 Therapeutic Communication and Counseling Skills .

Required Courses - 12 units

PSYCH 320 Therapeutic Communication and Counseling Skills 3 unit(s)

Select three of the following:

PSYCH 302 Lifespan Development: Theories and Applications for Therapists 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 304 Cross-Cultural Aspects of Psychology 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 306 Group Models of Counseling 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 308 Applied Psychological Research 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 321 Psychopathology 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 322 Psychological Assessment 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 323 Psychodynamic Models of Counseling 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 324 Child/Adolescent Psychology, Assessment and Treatment 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 325 Principles of Couple and Family Counseling 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 326 Legal and Ethical Responsibility for Counselors 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 329 The Neuroscience of Counseling and Psychopharmacology 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 331 Human Sexuality 1 unit(s)
PSYCH 333 Substance Use, Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction 1 unit(s)
PSYCH 334 Relational Abuse: Assessment, Treatment and Reporting 1 unit(s)
PSYCH 335 Special Issues in the Treatment of Families 2 unit(s)
PSYCH 337 Community Mental Health 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 339 Cognitive-Behavioral and Short-Term Models of Counseling 3 unit(s)
PSYCH 351 Career Counseling and Development 3 unit(s)
Other courses, such as those in the MA in Industrial-Organizational Psychology program, may be selected instead of the elective courses listed above, in consultation with the program director.