Advanced Study in Parent/Child Specialization/Consultation

The Parent-Child Specialist/Consultant Certificate Program is designed for educators and human services professionals who want to:

1. Expand their knowledge of child development and parent-child interaction; and
2. Gain skills in intervention and consultation with parents, teachers, and child care providers to enhance the quality of adult-child interaction and prevent serious problems from developing in children.

The certificated parent-child specialist will be qualified to assist and support parents (including adoptive and foster parents) in effectively applying problem solving strategies to reduce stress on child and sibling relationships.

Requirements for Admission:

Applicants for the Certificate Program must hold a master’s degree in early childhood education, child development, child mental health, counseling, psychology, family environmental sciences (emphasis on child development/family relations), social work, clinical pediatric nursing, or other relevant disciplines.

Applicants must have had at least one course in child development in the last 7 years and a minimum of two years of experience in working with children, parents or families.

Applicants must meet the University criteria for acceptance into master’s programs.

Applicants may be reviewed by the Program Committee especially set up for this certificate program.

Certificate Program Requirements

The program consists of 24 units of coursework, laboratory and field experiences. Six of the 24 units may be transferred from applicable units earned prior to acceptance into the Certificate Program, subject to approval by the coordinator.

Before students are allowed to take any of the required courses, they are required to have taken at least one of the following two courses:

EPC 638 Infant Development, Care and Education: Issues, Programs, Directions (3)
(FCS 635 Theories of Infant Development may be substituted for EPC 638)
EPC 631 Family, Culture and Ecological Influences on Early Childhood Mental Health Development (3)
These courses may be counted as part of the 24 required units.

Certificates candidates will develop a learning plan jointly with the Certificate coordinator to assure that they will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.

A limited number of applicants will be accepted. Evaluation and selection will be made by the Certificate Committee on the basis of academic background and experience.

The 15 units in the Required Courses (below), the core of the Certificate program, are required. The student may select the remainder of the courses from other courses with the approval of the coordinator.

Required Courses (15 units)

Applied Development, Assessment, and Consultation

EPC 646 Applied Child Development for Parent and Child Educators (3)
EPC 647 Assessment and Intervention with Child and Family in Various Settings (3)
EPC 647L Lab in Parent-Child Assessment and Intervention (1) (to be taken concurrently with EPC 647)
EPC 648 Consultation with Parents, Teachers and other Human Services Professionals (3)
EPC 648L Lab in Consulting with Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals (1) (to be taken concurrently with EPC 648)
EPC 649 Practicum in Parent-Child Consultation (4) (each unit requires 40 hours of work in the field)

Electives

Electives are to be selected in consultation with the coordinator.

Development and Education Theory and Application

EPC 606 Seminar in Adult Development (3)
EPC 607 Motivation in Learning and Development: Theories and Application in Educational Psychology (3)
EPC 630 The Infant-Parent Dyad and the Social/Emotional Development of the Infant-Toddler (3)
EPC 633 Neurobiological Development, Sensory Issues and Challenges in Early Childhood (3)
EPC 634 Language and Concept Development in the Early School Years (3)
EPC 638 Infant Development, Care and Education: Issues, Programs, Directions (3 Units)
FCS 436 Parental Development (3)
CD 462 Language Disorders I (3)
PSY 612 Advanced Developmental Psychology (3)
CADV 451 Alternative Approaches to Discipline (3)
CADV 452 Child Advocacy (3)
FCS 635 Theories of Infant Development (3)

Counseling, Guidance and Consulting

EPC 643 Diversity in Counseling (3)
EPC 631 Family, Culture and Ecological Influences on Early Childhood Mental Health Development (3)
EPC 655 Seminar in Counseling Theory and Practice (3)
EPC 656 Counseling Children, Adolescents and Their Families (3)
EPC 658/L Seminar in Group Counseling and Lab (3/1)
EPC 670 Family Counseling (3)
SPED 635 Consultation Processes in Education (2)
SPED 635L Consultation and Communication Lab (1)
CD 469A Diagnostic Methods in Communication Disorders (3)
CD 469O Observation in Communication Disorders (1)
CD 662 Seminar in Developmental Language Disorders (3)
PSY 660 Seminar in Counseling (3)

Suggested Sequence of Courses*

Semester 1: EPC 638 or 3 unit Elective, 646
Semester 2: EPC 631 or 3 unit Elective, 647 and 647L
Semester 3: EPC 648 and 648L, Elective (3 units)
Semester 4: EPC 649

*All programs must be approved by the program coordinator. This listing is providing for information purposes only, is subject to change without notice, and is not guaranteed to be correct or up-to-date. The student should consult the University Catalog and program coordinator for further details and course descriptions.

If you would like more information about this program, please contact janet.fish@csun.edu.