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Master of Science in Counseling Psychology

Chaminade Launches Online MSCP in School Counseling Program for Neighbor Island Cohort

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Chaminade University is pleased to announce the launch of a new fully online School Counseling graduate cohort program for Neighbor Island students, with the first classes scheduled to begin in April.

A group of elementary school girls of different ethnicity are indoors in their school library. They are sitting together at a table and reading together.

This first-of-its-kind program in Hawaii is designed to meet a significant need for licensed school counselors at public schools across the Neighbor Islands. Participants will attend classes remotely and be able to take advantage of a robust system of supports, mentorship and career development resources.

Dr. Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Chaminade, said the inaugural cohort will be open to approximately 20 students. Participants will be able to earn their Master of Science in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in School Counseling in as few as 30 months.

Chaminade offers the only School Counseling program in Hawaii and has identified outreach to the Neighbor Islands as a priority. Fryxell said the newly-launched cohort is geared toward Neighbor Island residents, including current educators in the public or private school system, who can “live and work in their communities and understand the unique situations families and kids face in those areas.”

“There’s such a great need for licensed school counselors on the Neighbor Islands.”

Dr. Darren Iwamoto, clinical director of Chaminade’s School Counseling program, said the pandemic helped the university illustrate how quality clinical courses can be offered remotely. He added that the cohort program will feature a combination of synchronous and asynchronous online learning, offering working professionals the flexibility they need while also ensuring clinical discussions are possible.

“We are excited about this new program,” Iwamoto said. “Our professors have embraced the technology required to deliver the School Counseling degree to Neighbor Island students fully online, giving them all the rigor of the in-person program without having to come to Oahu.”

Chaminade’s School Counseling program offers a clear academic pathway to Hawaii licensure for graduate students, preparing them for counseling in educational environments with a strong focus on holistic approaches, exceptional children and working with a diversity of community stakeholders.

The School Counseling program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and features an emphasis on hands-on learning in addition to a strong core of knowledge.

Iwamoto said that in the future Chaminade hopes to also offer the online cohort to students elsewhere in the Pacific, including American Samoa and Guam. the School is looking at the feasibility of launching separate online cohorts in Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling.

“We are starting with School Counseling because of the immediate need and the ability to reach students with a stated interest in pursuing licensure,” Fryxell said. “But we foresee further growth in our online Counseling Psychology offerings. Initiatives like this are crucial to helping our Neighbor Island communities meet the demand for mental health services, especially at this time.”

For more information on the School Counseling program or to apply, click here.

Chaminade Adjunct Receives Compassion Award

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On August 18, 2020 Chaminade Adjunct Rev. Dr. Gary C. Augustin was awarded a Ho’omenemene (Compassion) Award by the Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii. The Ho’omenemene Awards are presented every other year to individuals and organizations that exemplify the benefits of interfaith advocacy and promote hope and healing within Hawaii communities. Augustin was one of two individuals recognized for his compassion and service.

“The service, passion, and compassion of our Ho’omenemene honorees is truly inspiring,” said Rev. Dr. George Clifford, President of the Board of Directors of the Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii. “They have worked tirelessly to enhance the quality of life of others by nurturing peace, community resilience, and social justice.”

Augustin is an adjunct professor in the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Chaminade University and also serves on the advisory board for the Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology Marriage and Family Therapy program. He is a therapist with Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii and specializes in pastoral counseling and critical incident stress management. He is also an ordained minister and works as a military family and life counselor.  In 2017, after Hurricane Maria, he deployed as a volunteer to Puerto Rico with the Hawaii Disaster Medical Assistance Team, and he deployed again to Saipan in 2018 after Typhoon Yutu.

“We are thrilled that Augustin was one of this year’s recipients,” says Dr. Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Chaminade University. “He is a tremendous and selfless individual who regularly dedicates himself to serving others. This award is very much deserved.”

Welcoming our Master of Science in Counseling Psychology Students

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Incoming graduate students in Chaminade’s counseling psychology program gathered in October to develop personalized road maps for how they’ll pursue their degrees – and go onto successful careers.

Master of Science in Counseling Psychology students and faculty pose for a group picture during new student orientation

It was the first time the program has held an orientation for new graduate students. Organizers of the October 5 event say it was aimed at answering students’ questions, inspiring them as they learn more about the professional pathways they’re setting out on, and ensuring they feel supported and welcomed.

The orientation also gave faculty and staff a chance to introduce themselves to new students.

Some 27 students attended the event, coming from across the three concentrations offered in Chaminade’s Master of Science in Counseling Psychology: Marriage and Family Counseling; Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling. The orientation touched on the program’s overall goals along with the core competencies required in each of the program’s three focus areas.

Dr. Dale Fryxell, School of Education and Behavioral Sciences dean, was on hand at the half-day orientation along with Counseling Psychology Program Director Dr. Robert Santee, and a number of full-time and adjunct faculty. Time was also set aside for new and current students to network.

Students rounded out the orientation by breaking up into groups and meeting with their advisers. Attendees also got valuable information on student organizations and internship opportunities. And before the event wrapped up, attendees all gathered around for – what else? – a group picture!

Chaminade Alumna Named Hawaii School Counselor of the Year

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Raemie Pagaduan ’06 found her calling during an internship at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School while she was getting her master’s at Chaminade.

Raemie Pagaduan '07 and family

“What drew me to school counseling was being able to be an advocate for students, being that voice for some students who might not have one,” Pagaduan said.

The Master of Science in Counseling Psychology alumna began her career at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School 13 years ago as a 7-12th grade counselor and is now the school’s college and career counselor. 

Pagaduan’s passion for counseling, commitment to helping students thrive and her instrumental role in Nanakuli High and Intermediate School’s Early College program made her an ideal candidate for the 2019 Hawaii School Counselor of the Year, awarded by the Hawaii School Counselor Association.

Since Pagaduan started counseling at Nanakuli, the number of students participating in Early College has increased from one percent in 2010 to 18 percent in 2018. The rate of student enrollment at a four-year college has been the highest in more than a decade, at 24 percent.

The Early College program, which allows high school students to take college classes on their campus for high school and college credit, has been an important initiative to Pagaduan because many of her students will be the first in their families to attend college.

“I am a very strong proponent of putting minorities in places of power so that they can affect change,” Pagaduan said. “I think [getting an education] opens doors.”

The Chaminade alumna found out she won the award at an assembly held before the school year ended in front of all her students and the principal who nominated her. She said the students’ reaction, their clapping and cheering, was the best part and that she is humbled to receive this recognition. In January, Pagaduan will travel to Washington, D.C. to be recognized by the American School Counselor Association.

“[Nanakuli is] such a great place and that’s where you really see change and that’s where you really understand what hope is when you’re working with these amazing, amazing students,” Pagaduan said. “I just want to highlight Nanakuli and the people of Nanakuli who’ve taught me so much and made me the counselor that I am.”

The Master’s of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) program is part of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. The program includes three concentrations: School Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, and Marriage and Family Counseling. MSCP prepares graduates for careers in community and school settings. Graduates assist children, youth and adults in adapting to various educational, family, organizational and societal demands. The program includes the foundational use of standards established by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

For Checinski ‘14, Flexibility, Creativity are Key to Problem Solving as Damien Dean of Students

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In her role as Dean of Students at Damien Memorial, a Catholic middle and high school in Kalihi, Chaminade University alumna Daniela Checinski ‘14 takes a “more creative and holistic” approach to discipline.

Checinski, who graduated from Chaminade’s Master of Science in Counseling Psychology program, emphasizes that the overwhelming majority of Damien boys and girls don’t get into trouble. So why do the same 30 or so students repeatedly violate campus rules?

Usually, there are two explanations.

“One, the strategy the Dean’s Office is using isn’t relevant to this generation anymore,” Checinski says. “Or two, the students need help beyond the reach of what our school can do. They need something different,” such as more one-on-one attention.

That’s why Checinski favors a forward-thinking strategy that mixes fairness with lots of flexibility.

“I feel like I’m definitely a chameleon,” she says, “because I’ll get to know a student and I’ll realize they do not respond to that warm-and-fuzzy conversation, that holistic approach. They just want to be told straight up. So that’s what I do.

“And then literally an hour later, a different student walks in and now I’m having a very different approach and a different conversation,” Checinski continues. “Even my body language is different. Everything I do shifts around. It involves a lot of critical thinking.”

Checinski’s efforts on behalf of Damien students drew the attention of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, which presented her with the 2017 “Educator of the Future Award.”

“Your leadership and approach to the deanship promote advocacy, equity and justice in our students, particularly our young women,” Damien President and CEO Wes Reber Porter said in presenting the award to Checinski.

“No one visiting Damien today would imagine that young women are new to our campus (the first coed class graduated in 2016),” Porter continued, “because you have carefully guided their integration and unique place in our history.”

Becoming a dean wasn’t a career goal for Checinski during her undergraduate days at the University of San Diego and later at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her dual interests were psychology and ecology.

“I was so torn between whether I was going to be a humanitarian or an environmentalist,” Checinski recalls. “Because both mattered and I just couldn’t decide.”

Checinski eventually opted for an environmental science major, which led to a job with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. That meant she was “literally hiking for a living” while tending to native vegetation in Waimea Valley and leading an outdoor education program for school children.

After she discovered that working with students was “pretty awesome,” Checinski earned a teaching license and got hired by the Education Laboratory School, a K-12 public charter campus in Manoa.

A love of psychology, however, attracted Checinski to Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Upon earning a master’s degree in School Counseling, she applied for positions at four Oahu campuses. Three responded, including Damien.

“I had such a good feeling about Damien,” Checinski recalls. “It was warm and welcoming. I said, ‘OK, I’m in.’”

Damien hired Checinski in 2014 as a grade-level counselor for more than 100 students in the Class of 2017. About eight months later, the administration promoted her to Dean of Students. Serving as a dean involves an expanded set of responsibilities, of course, but there’s still quite a bit of overlap with her psychology training.

“If you’re going to be a good dean, you have to figure out why these kids are doing what they’re doing,” Checinski points out. “Happy and well-adjusted children are not getting in trouble. So, my counseling skill set is extremely relevant.”

What’s the favorite part of Checinski’s job?

“When progress is made and we find a solution, then you can go into another day knowing you’ve made a difference because the student is better off,” she says. “And hopefully their family is better off, also.”

The key, she says, is coming together as a team.

“I only know what’s happening at school,” Checinski says. “The parents know what’s happening at home. So together, we can fill in the blanks for each other and get the full picture. And with those parents who are onboard and constantly working with me, it’s amazing how quickly their children progress.”

Chaminade University’s Master of Science in Counseling Psychology program prepares graduates for work in the community and schools, assisting children, youth and adults in adapting to various educational, family, organizational and societal demands. The program offers three emphases: School Counseling, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Counseling.

What Do Psychotherapy and Yoga Have in Common?

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Combining modern psychotherapy techniques with ancient yoga practices isn’t a stretch for Chaminade graduate Christina Soo Hoo ’18. In fact, it’s as natural as breathing.

Christina Soo Hoo, MSCP '18

Soo Hoo was earning her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology while serving as an instructor with CorePower Yoga, which operates three studios on Oahu. She says lessons learned at Chaminade make her a better yoga teacher, and wisdom gleaned from yoga will make her a better therapist.

“I find similarities between yoga and counseling all the time,” Soo Hoo says. “The skills that I learn from both will be great for people who need help.”

It’s all about becoming more mindful, she explains. And skills for achieving this self-awareness can be developed in various ways, including psychotherapy sessions, yoga classes and meditation.

“Those are skills, depending on the type of client you have, that you try to inspire within them,” Soo Hoo says. “Because if they have that awareness, that ability, they typically will have more ingredients to find a path toward healing.”

Obviously, there are many differences between psychotherapy principles and yoga philosophy. But Soo Hoo also encounters a remarkable number of similarities – both on campus and on her mat.

For instance, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed the human psyche consists of the id, ego and superego. Yogic philosophers also divide the psyche into three parts: the conscious mind, unconscious mind and intuitive mind.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs progresses from physiological necessities to self-actualization. Yogis believe in a similar path, beginning with body awareness and culminating in a blissful state of spiritual enlightenment.

Moreover, certain therapists treat victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder using techniques that calm the body and mind. That’s a lot like yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, which produces a deep state of physical relaxation without a loss of consciousness.

Soo Hoo’s group therapy classmates know all about yoga nidra. With Chaminade’s encouragement, Soo Hoo guided them through this meditative exercise with the goal of increasing mindfulness. Most students remained awake during the session but a few dozed off.

“The ones who fell asleep had dreams and visions,” Soo Hoo says. “One of them actually drew me a picture of what he saw. Then one or two of them talked about seeing lights. It was really interesting.”

Soo Hoo, an Arizona native, seems well suited for blending East and West, ancient and modern. Her father is a physician specializing in occupational medicine. And her mother is a traditional healer focusing on spiritual growth.

After graduating from Chaminade and becoming a licensed psychologist, Soo Hoo wants to take her holistic therapy approach to the next level. She hopes to open a wellness center that unites a wide range of health practitioners, including Western medical doctors, Native Hawaiian healers, Ayurvedic professionals, acupuncturists and, of course, yoga therapists.

After all, Hawaii is a melting pot of cultures. And a treatment that helps one client may be inappropriate or off-putting for someone else.

“The ultimate goal is to empower the person and provide them with a safe environment where they can grow,” Soo Hoo says.

“You are your best teacher,” she adds. “Other teachers push you in the right direction, but they know this is your journey.”

The Master’s of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) program is part of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. The program includes three concentrations: School Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, and Marriage and Family Counseling. MSCP prepares graduates for careers in community and school settings. Graduates assist children, youth and adults in adapting to various educational, family, organizational and societal demands. The program includes the foundational use of standards established by the National Board for Certified Counselors and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.