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Student handbook (Table of contents) (On-line forms) |
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology ("MAC") The
MAC student handbook:
In an interesting national study, a social scientist gave 100 typed copies and 100 hand-written copies of the same student term paper to faculty members all over North America to grade. The average grade for the hand-written term papers was "C+" while the average grade for the typewritten papers was "A-." That's quite a difference. Professional appearance is important. The SMU Academic Computing Center (shown above) offers no-cost and low-cost resources to help you type and print professional looking papers. A second example of professionalism occurred a few years ago. A MAC student was terminated from an internship for wearing inappropriate and unprofessional clothing while interacting with clients. This was a decision of the internship agency, not the MAC Program, and the pros and cons of this decision could be debated. However, it illustrates how strongly professionals in the field feel about personal appearance. Neither Saint Martin's University nor the MAC Program has a dress code, per se. However, we do encourage you to present yourself appropriately, especially as you interact professionally with clients. Our expectation of professionalism in our students implies a lot. It is based on an evaluation of the following behavioral and attitudinal expectations: 1. Ability to work with abstractions & theory as demonstrated by willingness to learn and openness to new ideas. 2. Ability to move fluidly between theory and practice as demonstrated by written work and in class participation. 3. Capacity for compassion and ability to be warm, enthusiastic, and nurturing. 4. Acceptance of others and appropriate social skills. 5. A tendency toward, and desire for, personal, as well as professional, growth and enrichment. 6. Psychological self-awareness and emotional "groundedness". 7. Clarity of purpose and ability to be self-directed and self-motivated. 8. Non-discriminatory and non-ethnocentric attitudes and behavior. 9. Emotional maturity (this is not the same as "age"). 10. Ability to resolve personal issues and interpersonal conflicts rather than projecting those issues onto clients co-workers, fellow students, or faculty. This are minimal standards expected of all students in the Program. In addition, the following criteria have a definite and significant impact on how well you will do in the MAC Program:: o Whether work is submitted in a timely manner. o Degree of professionalism in demeanor and self-presentation. o Attendance at all class sessions – especially extent of “non-excused” absences. o Involvement in out-of-class events (such as dyad meetings and group participation). o Degree of promptness to class either at the beginning of class or in coming back from breaks, etc. o Extent of enthusiastic and positive exchange with fellow students and the teacher. o Ability to ask questions and offer comments that further class discussions. o Degree to which work is edited, proofread, free of style errors, and fully meets the standards of a graduate program. On the last point, please understand that it is not our intent or desire to be overly "picky" about details. We much prefer to be open, loose, and flexible. However, we know that our students wish to present themselves as professionals and that such a presentation will be crucial in their futures. After handing back papers, we sometimes overhear students in the hallways complaining, "This isn't an English class." That's true. It isn't. However, we have an obligation to insist on students having a professional presentation of their ideas and that includes grammar, spelling, and clear and logical ideas. So, yes, we do mark off for English errors, typos, and awkward sentences. We believe that is our obligation. |
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Email contact: (MAC@stmartin.edu) |
As
a MAC student, you are a professional in training.
Consequently, you should think about how you act, look,
and behave. There is a maxim that says,
"Presentation is two-thirds of everything you
do." This is very true. Perhaps a few examples of the
professionalism expected of MAC students will make the
point.