New Program Name & Curricular Changes
As we start our transition into a new season and get ready for the new academic year, we are excited to announce some changes coming to our Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling concentration beginning in Fall 2024. A core Buddhist teaching is impermanence, and this of course holds true for the Naropa Graduate School of Counseling concentrations over time. Before we delve into the upcoming changes, we would like to emphasize what will be continuing throughout the concentration curriculum:
What Will Stay the Same
- Contemplative and experiential education—Drawing inspiration from Buddhism and the dynamic pairing of Eastern meditation practices and Western psychology, the foundation of any Naropa education rests on a commitment to personal practice and experience. In this concentration, we augment the traditional counseling curriculum with additional Buddhist teachings and practices that enhance the Counselor Identity with qualities of clarity, humility, and compassion to oneself and others. The experiential and contemplative aspects of the program contribute to the training of highly skilled and relationally advanced counselors.
- Emphasis on self-awareness and cultural/ethical responsibility— Another Buddhist teaching that contributes to the concentration’s vision and pedagogical philosophy is interdependent arising which highlights that all phenomena manifest in relation to each other. Becoming increasingly aware of one’s personal and systemic impact on others is an ethical necessity for any counselor. Our concentration guides its students to increased relational awareness and responsibility through intra- and interpersonal practices and learning in classes, retreats, and, Interpersonal and Community Dynamics Awareness Labs, formerly known as group process classes.
- Development of counseling skills that are grounded in counselor self-awareness and radical relationship—In the classroom and beyond, students have repeated opportunities to practice their counseling skills grounded in spaciousness, clarity, and compassion with an ability to meet their clients’ concerns and experiences with discernment. Through these training experiences, students gain the experience, tools, and confidence to lead innovative and effective counseling sessions in diverse settings.
What Will Change
In the Fall of 2024, we rolled out two changes:
- A new name for the concentration: As of next fall, our students will be working toward a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with a concentration in Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling. This name change reflects our continued commitment to Naropa’s 50-year-old foundations of Buddhism-based Contemplative Theory and Practice.
- A redesigned curriculum that provides a more effective sequencing of clinical courses toward student success and added flexibility with summer classes offered online. This new curriculum aligns us more fully with CACREP guidelines and ensures that our students receive the highest quality of education in the counseling field.
