Graduate Certificate: Military Counseling

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Learn more about the graduate certificate in Military Counseling.

About the Certificate

Offered by the School of Social Work within the College of Public Health, the post-master's certificate in Military Counseling is designed to help practitioners meet the public health challenge that exists as a result of U.S. service members returning to their communities and facing a number of issues following deployment, such as the effects of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), family relationship strain, substance abuse, mental health issues, and readjustment difficulties. The certificate program allows practitioners to improve their clinical versatility and skills by providing students with the theory, skills, and knowledge necessary for clinical practice with military service members, veterans, and families. Clinical practice with the military, not unlike other facets of clinical practice, must keep in mind the unique culture of the individual within the context of their unique environment and history.

Learning modules for the certificate program include military culture, the signature (invisible) wounds of contemporary conflicts, the military family, military children, female warriors and veterans, military health care, and contemporary community response. Students learn to:

• describe military culture, including guard and reserve branches of the military;
• enumerate issues unique to the military family, military health, and mental health care;
• refine critical thinking about the interface among military culture, military policy, developmental issues, human biology/neuroscience, and social work and human service practice at the micro and macro levels so students can analyze the interacting aspects of a practice issue in order to consider them in making practice decisions;
• distinguish among sources of knowledge to synthesize and apply appropriate evidence needed to do an assessment, create an intervention plan, design a program/delivery system, or develop policy for various military subpopulations;
• develop skills needed to provide prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services to service members, veterans, their families, and their communities;
• develop specialized advanced clinical practice skills applicable to individuals, families, and groups within the military population; and
• identify ways to develop and implement programs, policies, and procedures to improve the quality of life for service members, veterans, their families, and their communities.

Time Limit for Certificate Completion: 2 years

Campus Location: Online

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The graduate certificate may be completed on a part-time basis.

Job Prospects: The certificate program develops in practitioners, such as social workers, counselors, pastoral counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists, a practice specialization with military populations within U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) settings and/or the larger community. Graduates attain the knowledge and skills necessary to practice with all branches of armed forces at the DOD and with veterans of all eras and their families in VA and non-VA settings.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: The certificate program is not open to non-matriculated graduate students.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:
Fall and Spring admissions are on a rolling basis. Interested students need to apply for admission to the certificate program. To submit an application, forward a statement of interest, three letters of reference, and graduate transcript(s) to the School of Social Work.

Master's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: Applicants must hold a master's or doctoral degree from an accredited university in a related field of study, including but not limited to social work, counseling, pastoral counseling, psychiatry, or psychology.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree.

Certificate Requirements

Number of Credits or CEUs Required to Complete the Certificate: 12 credits or 140 CEUs¹

Required Courses in Sequence:

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
SSWG 8503	Military Culture: The Service Member, Veteran and Family in the Social Environment 2	3
or SWMC 0003 (35 CEUS)
SSWG 8507	Military Health Care, Policy and Community Response 3	3
or SWMC 0007 (35 CEUS)
Elective selected from these courses:		3
SSWG 8811	Alcohol and Drug Use
or SWMC 0011 (35 CEUS)
SSWG 8814	Loss and Grief
or SWMC 0014 (35 CEUS)
SSWG 8824	Assessment and the DSM
or SWMC 0024 (35 CEUS)
SSWG 9817	Clinical Military Practice and the Invisible Wounds of War 4	3
or SWMC 0017 (35 CEUS)
Total Credit Hours		12

1	Courses may be taken for graduate credit or for continuing education (non-credit) units. Before enrolling in their first course, students must decide if they are taking coursework for credit or non-credit. They are then required to complete all coursework similarly for credit or non-credit; switching from one option to the other is not permitted. Registration for credit-bearing courses is managed through Banner. All courses earn 3 credits. Registration for non-credit courses is managed through the Destiny One platform. Each course affords 35 CEUs (non-credit) for licensed social workers (LSW, LCSW, LCSW-C) or licensed professional counselors (LPC). CEUs earned in Temple University's Military Counseling certificate program can also be used toward the Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families — Clinical Social Worker (MVF-CSW) credential offered by the National Association of Social Workers. While CEU certificates are issued at the conclusion of each course, a separate certificate is issued upon completion of the certificate program.
2	M.S.W. student can take SSWG 8503 and apply the credits as a human behavior and social environment (HBSE) specialization requirement or as an elective.
3	M.S.W. students can take SSWG 8507 and apply the credits as a policy specialization requirement or elective.
4	M.S.W. students can only take SSWG 9817 after completing the M.S.W. program and applying to the certificate program.

GPA Required to be Awarded the Certificate: 3.0 minimum

Contacts

Department Contacts: