Counseling, MA Program Handbook 2025-2027
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Counseling, MA Program Handbook 2025-2027
General Information
PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION
Mailing Address:
Director, Master of Arts in Counseling
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
30 Front Street
Hammonton, NJ 08037
Program Director:
Sara M. Martino, Ph.D., LPC, NCC - Professor, Director of Counseling
(609) 626- 5504
Faculty and Staff
The Counseling program at Stockton University is housed in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SOBL). The Counseling faculty have sole responsibility for the preparation of all Counseling students.
Terrilyn Battle, Ph.D., LCMHC (NC), LPC (NJ), NCC, CRC, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Impostor Phenomenon, mentorship, rehabilitation counseling, vocational counseling, underrepresented populations, cultural immersion and multiculturalism.
Sara Martino, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, Temple University, Professor, Director of Counseling, psychology, illness-related stress disorders, female aggression, gender group identity, psychology of women, marriage and family therapy.
Erin Sappio, Ph.D., Temple University, Assistant Professor of Counseling, mindset and mindfulness, assessment, school counseling.
Kate Worley, Ph.D. Trevecca Nazarene University, LPC (PA), LPC-MHSP (TN), RPT, Assistant Professor of Counseling, play therapy, first-generation counseling students, mental health needs of the LGBTQ+ population.
Dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences:
Marissa P. Levy, Ph.D.
H-201
(609) 652-4512
Director of Graduate Enrollment Management:
Tara Williams, M.A.
CC-104e
609-626-3482
Faculty Preceptors
In order for students in entry-level programs to have an assigned advisor at all times during the program who helps them develop a planned program of study, each student will be assigned a faculty preceptor (or advisor) during which the student is enrolled in the counseling program. It is the student’s responsibility to know who is serving as her/his faculty preceptor. This information may be found on the Stockton Portal Student Services tab. If a student wishes to change preceptors at any time, fill out a change of preceptor form and submit the form to Academic Advising for approval.
Your faculty preceptor is your primary source of contact and communication with the program. Therefore, the program encourages the formation of effective, professional relationships between students and their faculty preceptors. Please note that a large portion of the responsibility for the formation of such a relationship with your preceptor falls upon you. The program encourages you to show initiative in getting to know your preceptor.
Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty members assist the program through the provision of instructional services, supervision of students in Practicum and Internship, or other activities necessary for the effective conduct of the program. Persons who hold this status in the program must be approved by the Director and faculty, as well as the Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SOBL) and are appointed on an annual or academic term basis.
Statement on Professionalism
The Counseling program is established to prepare graduates of the programs to enter “professions.” The term professions in this context means (a) an occupation/career for which there is a known body of knowledge (both theoretical and research), (b) an identified set of appropriate skills, and (c) a set of behavioral standards adhered to by members of the profession. As a student admitted to the program, you are engaged in a professional preparation curriculum. Therefore, upon admission, the program accepts you as a professional and expects you to act in accordance with the highest professional standards. See also the section on professional dispositions for how professionalism will be measured throughout the program.
The most common manifestation of professionalism is adherence to professional ethical standards such as those of the (a) American Counseling Association (ACA), (b) the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, (c) American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), (d) American School Counseling Association (ASCA), and (e) the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). A link has been provided for the ACA code of ethics. Ethical codes for the other professional associations can also be found on their respective websites.
Students are required to read and understand several different sets of ethical standards as part of the coursework. The faculty expects students to be knowledgeable of these standards and to act in accordance with them. However, professionalism encompasses much more than just adherence to ethical and/or other written standards. It includes appropriate and effective ways of interaction with people, matters of personal conduct and self-presentation, and respect for people, property and processes.
If you have any concerns regarding professionalism, you should speak directly with your preceptor immediately. If you do not feel that your preceptor is the appropriate person to contact, then you should contact the Director of the program.
Chi Sigma Iota
Chi Sigma Iota is an Academic and Professional Counseling International Honor Society. CSI is an honor society of counseling professionals and counseling professionals-in-training dedicated to excellence in scholarship, research, and clinical practice in counseling. The primary purpose of CSI is to promote and recognize exemplary attainment in the study and practice of counseling. The Counseling program will establish a Chi Sigma Iota chapter once CACREP accreditation is complete.
Students in the program who anticipate becoming counselors may be eligible for membership in Sigma Upsilon Eata chapter of CSI. The eligibility criteria include completion of at least one semester of full-time graduate course work, a graduate grade point average of at least 3.5, and recommendation and approval by the CSI faculty advisors. Additionally, eligibility for membership requires that students demonstrate a capacity for professional behavior, ethical judgment, and emotional maturity.
Financial Aid and Graduate Assistantships
Financial Aid Office (for all questions related to tuition, scholarships, and loans) https://stockton.edu/financial-aid/index.html
Phone: 609-652-4203
Email: Finaid@stockton.edu
Graduate assistantships are available on a semester basis. The number of credits awarded will be determined by the program faculty in conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies. A graduate assistantship requires 1.5 hours of service per week for each credit of waived tuition.
The tuition waiver is granted for graduate courses in which a student is enrolled during the semester that an assistantship is held. Only students who have been formally accepted into the COUN program will be eligible to apply for graduate assistantships. Applications and supporting information, including requirements, may be found on the graduate studies website. Applications are due by March 31st for the fall semester and October 31st for the spring semester.
A panel of four COUN faculty will review applications and nominate qualified applicants for funding to the graduate studies office. Students will be notified of decisions by December for spring and by April for the fall.
