MA in Psychology - Marriage and Family Therapy

The marriage and family therapy program provides collaborative learning and opportunities for academic, clinical and personal transformation. The goal of the program is to graduate students who are well-prepared for licensure and who exhibit relational responsibility within their respective personal and professional communities.

Coursework for this 48-unit degree program is taken once-weekly, with day-long classes; however, students spend an average of five additional hours a week in other learning activities. In semesters one and two, these learning activities are case conference and group dynamics; sections are offered at various times throughout the week and on the weekends. In semesters three and four, case conference and group dynamics are replaced by hours of experience gained at a clinical placement site. Occasional attendance at all-day, workshop-style classes is also required.

MA in Psychology - Marriage and Family Therapy/Art Therapy

The art therapy program emphasizes and recognizes the cognitive and emotional role of art, imagery and creativity in health and healing. Art therapy is a human service profession which provides clients with therapeutic art experiences and recognizes the important role that creative expression and symbolic association play in a person's development, growth and health.

This 60-unit degree program trains students to actively engage the healing power of the arts that is inherent in each of us and to work with individuals and groups of people in a broad variety of clinical settings. The program is approved by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and is closely integrated with the Master of Arts in Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy degree.

MA in School Counseling/PPS Credential

The School Counseling / Pupil Personnel Services Credential program integrates Phillips' commitment to systemic thinking and applies these theories to students in the school setting. The program's primary goal is to train capable and self-reliant students to become caring, effective and highly-skilled school counselors. The program provides an exploration of the differences between the ideal and the practical worlds of schools.

This 48-unit degree program fulfills the California state requirements for the Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential in School Counseling. The curriculum reflects the mission of the institution: to train experts in human relations who understand how to help others in a variety of contexts.

MA in School Psychology/PPS Credential

The major emphasis in the preparation of the school psychologist is to have highly competent problem solvers. Candidates are prepared to draw upon a personal foundation in psychology and education to effectively develop and implement strategies for preventing or resolving problems as they occur. They learn to collaborate with other helping professionals and with parents in serving the mental health and educational needs of all children.

This 61-unit degree program is rooted in systemic approaches to problem identification and solutions as well as individual assessment and treatment. Candidates understand how to access information and find answers to questions or problems. The program is approved by the state of California and fulfills the requirement for the Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) Credential in School Psychology. Training highly skilled practitioners capable of functioning in a diverse and demanding public school setting is a primary goal of this program.

PsyD in Organizational Consulting

Organizations, large and small, for-profit and non-profit, are increasingly using people with behavioral science education and training to address a wide range of human systems-related issues in the workplace. Phillips' Doctor of Psychology in Organizational Consulting program educates and trains consultants with an entrepreneurial spirit who are ready to meet the evolving challenges of organizations in the 21st century.

Our unique 96-unit degree program integrates human dynamics with contemporary business practice. Our faculty are sought-after consultants to leading organizations, adept at leading an executive classroom and experienced in organizational leadership and current management research. Through training in diversity, strategic change, communications, leadership and global business issues, graduates will make a significant impact at the individual, group and organizational level as expert agents of change.

The goals of the Phillips organizational consulting doctoral program are to:

• Teach the latest frameworks for making sound business decisions with a systemic focus;
• Encourage students to challenge personal and organizational paradigms, and train them to implement and sustain positive change;
• Explore emerging trends as they relate to students' professional practice, using the systematic process of action research as a mode of inquiry for seeking resolution and/or response to organizational challenges;
• Provide hands-on experience in team leadership and team membership and opportunities to integrate differing opinions and personalities for positive outcomes;
• Develop a management toolkit that can immediately be applied in the work setting;
• Foster networking across a variety of industries, functions and organizations, whose diverse experiences contribute to an atmosphere of vibrant information exchange; and
• Produce effective consultants or managers who are able to understand and coordinate diverse activities and perspectives within a multicultural, global society.