SHREVEPORT – LSU Shreveport will offer two new master’s degrees in psychology beginning in the fall semester of 2024.
Students and professionals can register for a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling or a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis.
The programs were approved earlier this year by the LSU Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents, the governing higher education bodies of which LSUS is a part.
“These programs respond to a need in the community for credentialed professionals to work with a wide variety of mental health challenges and disorders,” said LSUS Provost Dr. Helen Taylor. “These two graduate programs will develop workforce-ready professionals to meet statewide demand.”
Both graduate programs will largely focus on assisting clients with disabilities, although different organizational settings and career fields do exist.
Nearly 50 million people have a disability in the U.S., and Louisiana has an acute shortage of licensed rehabilitation counselors (193 statewide), according to the LSUS program proposals.
Nearly 17 percent of children are diagnosed with a developmental disability, and the diagnosis rate for people on the autism spectrum has risen to 1 in 54, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The need is extremely high, and there’s a significant and increasing prevalence of disability in the nation, especially pronounced in the South,” said Dr. Michael Becerra, an assistant professor of psychology at LSUS who is involved with the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling program. “The professional demand is urgent, and this is compounded by projected job growth rates for rehabilitation counselors that exceed the national average, indicating a critical need for more trained professionals in this field.”
The Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling program trains students to become culturally competent counselors who are skilled in addressing the needs of individuals with physical, developmental, cognitive, psychological, and neurological disabilities.
The program consists of 60 credit hours that includes hands-on clinical experience in the form of supervised fieldwork.
Common career fields to pursue include a vocational rehabilitation counselor, disability services manager, independent living specialist, case manager, substance abuse counselor, and community rehabilitation program counselor.
The Applied Behavior Analysis program assists students in obtaining national certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
The 45-credit hour program consists of seven core classes (21 credit hours) along with a host of electives, internships, and theses/research projects.
LSUS’s program is the first standalone master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis in Louisiana.
“Training in applied behavior analysis will allow practitioners to utilize the science of behavior to better understand and effectively change behavior in a wide variety of settings and clinical populations,” said Dr. Seth Whiting, an LSUS assistant professor of psychology involved with the ABA program. “Examples include individuals with autism or other disabilities, individuals with cognitive or physical challenges, or settings such as organizational staff and management.”
The seven core classes at the beginning of the program can also allow professionals who already hold a master’s degree to sit for the BCBA national certification exam without completing the full program.
The national explosion in the demand for Board Certified Behavior Analysts – job postings have jumped nearly 10-fold to 34,000 between 2015 and 2020 – means degree holders should have ample job opportunities.
“The discipline of applied behavior analysis has shown growth over the last seven years, but the number of analysts continues to represent a critical shortage in terms of meeting the needs of the many seeking treatment,” Whiting said. “The demand is growing exponentially at the local and national levels.”
LSUS’s new programs mesh with its current offerings, which include an undergraduate concentration in applied behavior analysis and a master’s program in counseling.
The two new master’s programs offering specialization for counselors already practicing or a direct pathway for undergraduates to obtain specialized graduate degrees.
The on-campus Community Counseling and Psychology Clinic, which Whiting directs, also provides experiential learning for students of all degree levels.
