Graduate Certificate in Counseling and Life Transitions
The graduate certificate in Counseling & Life Transitions equips students with a range of skills that can be used to assist the community in coping with the different transitions that may occur in their lives. Students may choose to focus in one of three concentrations: Career & Workforce Development, Grief, Loss & Life Transition, and Counseling Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Persons.
Career & Workforce Development: This certificate prepares career practitioners to assist students, workers, employers, and retirees navigate the challenges that are inherent in a global workplace.
Grief, Loss & Life Transition: This certificate prepares counselors with the knowledge to effectively and compassionately counsel the chronically ill, dying, their caregivers, bereaved loved ones, or to work with others facing difficult life transitions such as unemployment. This specialized program is ideal for counselors, social workers, clergy, and other professionals who work with those facing loss and life transitions.
Counseling Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Persons: This certificate expands the skills of counselors, teachers, and other professionals’ to better understand cultural and linguistic diversity within the workplace, school, and community settings, and, in the process, enhance their understanding of their own psycho-social identity.
Curriculum
Core Required Course
HDEV 6108: Lifespan Development
Career and Workforce Development Concentration
Three elective courses should be selected in collaboration with the faculty advisor from the following:
CNSL 6155 Career Counseling
CNSL 6190 Advanced Career Counseling
CNSL 6188 Systems in Career Counseling Development
CNSL 6189 Career Development and the Contemporary Workforce
CNSL 6100 Special Topics (Career Development Focus)
HDEV 8253 Work, Identity, and Adult Development
Grief, Loss, and Life Transitions Concentration
Three elective courses should be selected in collaboration with the faculty advisor from the following:
CNSL 6175 Living and Dying: A Counseling Perspective
CNSL 6177 Spirituality and Loss
CNSL 6179 Children and Loss
CNSL 6170 Grief and Loss
CNSL 6100 Special Topics (Grief, Loss, and Life Transitions Focus)
Counseling Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Persons Concentration
Three elective courses should be selected in collaboration with the faculty advisor from the following:
CNSL 6161 Group Counseling
CNSL 6163 Social and Cultural Dimensions of Counseling
CNSL 6151 Professional and Ethical Orientation to Counseling
CNSL 6154 Theories and Techniques of Counseling
CNSL 6100 Special Topics (Counseling Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Persons Focus)
Faculty
| Beveridge, Scott | Associate Professor, Counseling |
| Hergenrather, Kenneth | Professor, Counseling |
| McGuire-Kuletz, Maureen | Associate Professor, Counseling |
Admissions
- Program Entry: Spring, Summer, Fall
- Prerequisites: Bachelors Degree
- Campus: Main Campus
Application Requirements
- Online Application
- Resume
- Statement of Purpose
- 2 Letters of Recommendation
- Transcripts (unofficial)
For more information on any of these requirements, please visit our Admissions FAQ page.
Apply Now
Applications are now being accepted for Fall 2023. We encourage you to apply as early as possible.
| Application Timeline | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Deadline | Nov 1 | Nov 1 |
| Round 1 Deadline | Dec 15 | Dec 15 |
| Round 2 Deadline | Jan 16 | Jan 16 |
| Round 3 Deadline | March 1 | March 1 |
| Round 4 Deadline | May 1 | May 1 |
| Round 5 Deadline | N/A | June 15 |
We encourage you to apply as early as possible. For more information or to inquire about the next admissions cycle, contact the GSEHD Admissions Team at education@gwu.edu or 202-994-9283.
Transformation Begins Here
Learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Counseling and Life Transitions program.