This degree is an opportunity to hone your counseling skills and discover effective ways to engage youth, their families and communities of support to help young people in school, juvenile probation, drug and alcohol treatment and social service settings.
This program can be completed through an intensive year-long fast-track option or taken through a series of professional development and graduate course studies designed to first introduce you to core concepts, explore your own styles and skills in professional learning groups, and choose electives in special education and counseling.
What you will learn
As a Master of Science in Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling student, you will be able to:
- Analyze and evaluate restorative practices history, philosophy, theory and research.
- Learn tools necessary for self-evaluation and professional growth.
- Employ the approaches and strategies you have learned to counsel young people and empower them to take responsibility for their choices.
- Evaluate and apply contemporary counseling practices and theories.
- Identify the problems experienced by young people and their families and determine effective and efficient counseling approaches.
Program curriculum
The core curriculum consists of:
- Basic Restorative Practices
- Restorative Leadership Development: Authority with Grace
- Restorative Practices in Action
- Restorative Responses to Grief, Trauma and Adversity
Youth counseling courses include:
- Evaluation of Research
- Restorative Practice in Communication and Intervention
- Individual Counseling: Practices for Empowering Youth
- Restorative Practices with Families and Communities
- Alcohol and Other Drugs: Working with Abuse and Addiction
- Final Professional Learning Group
Electives
You may also optionally choose elective courses from the Education master’s degree program or create electives from diverse experiences (supplemented by online coursework) such as:
- Symposia with restorative practices experts specializing in education, criminal justice, social work, counseling and leadership.
- Conferences that bring together restorative practitioners from around the world.
- Visitation programs that immerse you in specialized settings using restorative practices in their daily work.
- Projects that you implement in your own setting.
View the course catalog for course descriptions.
