Master of Social Sciences in Youth Counselling
 

The Master of Social Sciences in Youth Counselling is a part-time taught postgraduate programme designed for professionals with at least two years of working experience preferably in educational, social work, or various other settings primarily working with young people. The programme aims to develop students' knowledge in understanding, analysing and researching the changing needs of young people and the social cultural contexts within which young people develop; and to equip students with selected youth counselling perspectives, methods and practice skills, with narrative therapy in particular. Upon completion of the programme, students are expected to be able to:

 
1. Become self-directed learners, recognizing personal needs, selecting preferred alternatives for themselves;
2. Become reflexive professionals in youth development, who are able to assess changing social needs, challenge the dominant discourse that is oppressing and disempowering people, particularly the powerless youth and their families;
3. Have a solid conceptual framework in understanding youth diversity and youth needs;
4. Analyse the social dynamics and policies which affect the counselling needs of young people;
5. Acquire knowledge of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of selected counselling perspectives, and that of narrative therapy in particular;
6. Apply the selected working approaches and practice skills in counselling with different groups of young people and in different work settings; and
7. To be "research literate" - to criticize, use and promote research relevant to advancing students' counselling capacity and professional sensitivity.
 
 
Structure
 
The programme is a two-year part-time programme with courses normally offered on weekday evenings or Saturday morning/afternoon. Students in this programme must complete a total of 30 units, which includes 6 units on youth counselling context courses, 9 units on core counselling courses, 9 units on research and practice courses and 6 units on elective courses.

In the first year, students have to take two counselling context courses plus two core counselling courses. In the second year, students are required to take the research course, through which they are enabled to utilize research as a tool to evaluate counselling services. Students are also required to take another two core counselling courses in narrative approach in youth counselling, to engage in a counselling practicum, and to complete a counselling project by the end of the programme.

 
Requirements
 
Youth Counselling Context Courses 6 units
  SOWK 7410 Human Diversity & Cultural Differences 3 units
  Either      
  SOWK 7120
Child & Adolescent Mental Health )
  
  Or   ) 3 units
  SOWK 7170
Youth at the Margins: Theory & Practice )
  
         
Core Counselling Courses 9 units
  SOWK 7420 Theories in Counselling & Therapy 3 units
  SOWK 7430 Narrative Approach to Counselling 3 units
  SOWK 7450 Counselling Young People: Processes & Issues 3 units
         
Research Course 3 units
  SOWK 7040 Research & Programme Evaluation 3 units
         
Practice Courses 12 units
  SOWK 7480 Counselling Practicum I 3 units
  SOWK 7490 Counselling Practicum II 3 units
  Two of the following courses:  
  SOWK 7440 Narrative Interventions for Specific Youth Groups 3 units
  SOWK 7470 Counselling Project 3 units
  SOWK 7500 Family Therapy 3 units
  SOWK 7510 Cognitive-behavioral Therapy 3 units
        ────
        30 units
 
Note: Students are required to take a non-credit bearing growth group.
 
 
©2011 Hong Kong Baptist University
Source: Calendar/Bulletin 2011-2012
Last modified: August 2011