• It has always been held off campus in the heart of a San Diego multi-ethnic neighborhood
• It creates a learning community in which a diverse team of faculty and a carefully selected group of students "partner" in the learning process, each cohort of students helping to structure its learning experience.
• It is a "block" program because all classes are required of all students, who stay together as a group for the entire year.

The Community Based Block program seeks to develop the counseling skills of diagnosis, process, and therapeutic intervention; the academic skills of critical thinking, program evaluation, and effective written and oral communication; and the personal growth experiences necessary to enable graduates to use their skills for the benefit of clients. The CBB also seeks to adapt counseling skills to the needs of different populations so as to train truly competent multicultural counselors. The responsibility students assume for their own education helps them to develop proficiencies needed by effective change agents in schools, colleges and/or social service agencies.

The CBB is a nine-month intensive counselor preparation program. It is one route to several programs offered by the Department of Counseling & School Psychology. The two-semester block program can be used to meet all of the requirements for the 30-unit MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION with a concentration in counseling or it can be used as a base educational experience for the 60-unit MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COUNSELING.

The M.A. degree is designed to provide the students with the education and experience necessary to prepare for doctoral studies in counseling. It is intended also for persons who want to increase their understanding of human behavior and their interpersonal skills, especially those working or planning to work in counseling positions which may not require specific licensure or state credentials. Many of our graduates have also used this degree to qualify for student services positions in community colleges.

The M.S. degree prepares students for counseling in a variety of specific settings. Specializations are offered leading to the School Counseling and School Psychology credentials and to the Marriage, Family and Child Counseling license. (Students seeking admission to licensure or credential programs must make a separate application to the appropriate program as early as possible).

Student Profile

The CBB Program seeks applicants who have several significant characteristics:

1. Demonstrated interest in serving communities that tend to be underserved by the education and mental health professions.

2. Ability and willingness to take responsibility for their own learning.

3. Commitment to work on their own personal issues that could interfere in their work with clients, both in the program and outside the program by seeking counseling from a trained therapist.

4. Availability and willingness to commit to the weekly time requirement of the program; over 20 hours in the classroom, 12 hours of fieldwork and sufficient time to study and engage in academic projects.

5. Interest in taking classes off-campus in an ethnically diverse neighborhood.

6. Interest in becoming change agents.

7. Commitment to participating in a group in which many decisions are made by consensus and which can, therefore, be frustrating.

8. Graduate level oral and written communication skills.

9. Interest in working with real clients who may have serious personal issues.

10. Willingness to contribute to the learning of others.

The CBB is a very high stress program, both time and labor intensive. It is designed to foster intrapsychic development for each student. This growth is triggered by the emphasis placed on self-awareness and personal growth. It is also the result of the mental and emotional impact of the extremely sensitive subject matter (i.e. racism, sexism, homophobia, class bias, and various other oppressions) with which the CBB deals. Students often find themselves questioning their fundamental values and perspectives, which is an uncomfortable process, at best.

Because of the rigid requirement of 22 hours of class time weekly the minimum of 12 hours weekly approved field placement, study time and the time required for academic projects and preparation for the comprehensive examinations, few students in CBB work part time.

Many CBBers, however, are able to find part-time hourly employment in a position that is also acceptable as an appropriate field placement. There are also on-campus resources such as Financial Aid for students.