IPS Master's Students excited to learn of degree options“People in the Catholic world really want to hire IPS graduates! I can’t tell you how many job offers I’ve had since I started working,” said Kate Ebeler, M.S., L.G.P.C., to a roomful of IPS master’s students interested in learning more about the M.S.-Plus Practicum Option.
A 2010 graduate of IPS, Ms. Ebeler is now employed in the counseling center at Mt. St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, and will be teaching a Pastoral Counseling course in the spring at their seminary. She explained the steps she took to find an externship site and then to pursue cross-guild licensure.
The panel also included Dr. Stephen Hamel, Ph.D., ABPP, Director of the Master’s of Clinical Psychology Program and the M.S.-Plus Practicum Option; Dr. Gladys Sweeney, Ph.D., IPS Academic Dean, and Dr. William Nordling, Ph.D., Chair of the Psychology Department, as well as current participants in the M.S.-Plus Option.
“The M.S.-Plus option builds on the capacities and experience you’ve acquired in the master’s program and makes you eligible to apply for licensure as a mental health practitioner,” explained Dr. Hamel. He then rigorously emphasized that since licensure requirements vary from state to state the students should investigate the states where they’re interested in practicing.
He pointed out that the M.S.-Plus includes supervised clinical experience, clinical supervision, and case conceptualization from a Catholic psychotherapeutic perspective. Students can also elect additional coursework as needed for the state(s) in which they intend to apply for licensure.
Other current M.S.-Plus students offered very helpful and practical advice to those considering following in their footsteps: a list of interview questions to prepare for; sample cover letters; and a reminder to be open in accepting supervision.
Ebeler finished by encouraging students to take advantage of the M.S.-Plus option. “This is the only time you’re going to get this kind of training in your whole career! It made me process information much differently because the situations were much more concrete: what does integration look like for
this particular client?” she said.
The evening concluded with an explanation of the application process and deadlines, as students stayed on to talk with presenters.
For more information about the MS-Plus Practicum Option, click here.