California University of Pennsylvania is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The University has been accredited for more than 40 years and was founded in 1852.

The graduate certificate in sports counseling is fully delivered online and is designed for practicing counselors, counselors in training (post-48 credits), educators and/or other helping professionals’ needs for an advanced or specialty area of training and development with the athlete population. This program will provide counselor training competencies in three core areas of study: (1) foundations of sports counseling; (2) contextual dimensions of sports counseling; and (3) knowledge and skills for the practice of sports counseling. Students will be prepared to work with youth, adolescent, young adult or adult athletes across a variety of settings.

100 percent online

Applicants must complete both Steps 1 and 2*:

Step 1:  This process requires the applicant to submit the following materials directly to the School of Graduate Studies and Research:

• Minimum overall undergraduate 3.00 GPA
• Graduate School Application plus $25 nonrefundable application fee
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities. (Transcripts from California University of Pennsylvania are not required.)
  
• Either a master's or a baccalaureate degree

Step 2: This process requires the applicant to submit the following materials directly to the Counselor Education Department:

• Documentation of a minimum 3.00 undergraduate GPA.
• A one-page typed resume of employment and education history
• A 1,000-word typed psychobiography. The applicant’s psychobiography serves a different purpose than does a resume. Life is a process of maturing, learning and becoming. It is sometimes joyful, sometimes painful. The psychobiography is the applicant's own story. It should describe the psychosocial development of the writer. Applicants should examine their early influences, including family, significant others, economic, cultural and ethnic influences, athletics/sports, health and wellness, and important personal events. They should reflect on the course of their emotional, intellectual and personal development during the school years and as it relates to athletics/sports. It might deal with questions such as: How did I cope with problems and stress? What values were instilled, accepted and rejected? How did I become the person I am? What are my strengths and weaknesses? What do I hope for the future? In addition, how one has made the decision to seek advanced training in sports counseling should be discussed.
• Three current letters of recommendation on letterhead from professional, academic and/or business sources who can attest to the applicant's potential as a helping professional with the athlete population.
• An admissions interview may be required in person or via telephone.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities.
  

Sports counseling is a process that assists individuals in maximizing their personal, academic and athletic potential. Sports counseling is accomplished through a proactive, growth-oriented approach that incorporates the principles of counseling, career development, movement science, psychology and lifespan human development. Counselors, educators and other helping professionals should have specialized awareness, knowledge and skills beyond the basic counselor preparation as well as the ability to develop effective therapeutic relationships.

The sports counseling certificate program meets the particular interests and needs of a significant sub-sector of counselors, educators and other helping professionals who work with the athlete population in a variety of settings, including youth sports programs, interscholastic programs, colleges and universities, community and social agencies, and professional sporting agencies, as well as recreational settings.

Note: The graduate certificate in sports counseling will not certify you as a professional counselor. You may want to check your state’s licensure laws for more information. However, the courses may be utilized for additional credits toward licensure or for continuing education credits/units (CEUs).

Taunya Tinsley, Ph.D., NCC, LPC
tinsley@calu.edu
724-938-4123

http://www.calu.edu/academics/online-programs/sports-counseling/index.htm

For more information about Global Online, contact the Office of Web-Based Programs at 724-938-5958 or toll-free at 1-866-595-6348 or e-mail us at sportcounseling@calu.edu or calugo@calu.edu.

Jacqueline A. Walsh, Ph.D., NCC, ACS, Chair; Licensed Professional Counselor, Professor
Taunya Tinsley, Ph.D., NCC, LPC, Program Coordinator; Licensed Professional Counselor, Associate Professor
Gloria Cataldo Brusoski, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Professor
Grafton Eliason, Ed.D., LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor, Professor
Elizabeth Gruber, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, Licensed Professional Counselor, Professor
John Patrick, D.Ed., CRC, NCC, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor, Professor
Jeffrey L. Samide, Ed.D., LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor, Associate Professor