Global Experiences in the School of Counseling

At Marymount University, we believe very strongly in developing students’ understanding of their place in the larger global community and of how the global context in which we live and work affects our day-to-day existence at the local level. All of our departments have created innovative study-abroad programs in a variety of formats that allow students to explore the world, develop cultural awareness, learn more about themselves, and apply their course content in a very different environment. Additionally, through the Center for Global Education, students can apply for study-abroad programs that are run through other institutions; the opportunities are endless! Click here for more information about our global initiatives.

A Sample of Our Offerings Abroad for Counseling

Counseling students have the opportunity to expand their learning in a global community in various countries. These faculty-led study abroad programs are typically seven to ten days in duration, with classroom meetings held before and after the international experience. Clinical Mental Health and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with a concentration in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health) students learn about multicultural influences and comparative mental health counseling issues in various countries. For school counseling, site visits included a comparison of educational systems. Some recent study abroad courses included:

Budapest, Hungary (2023): Students attended and presented at the Mediterranean Counselor Association Conference. Site visits focused on current refugee concerns at the Cordelia Torture Center from Ukraine and applied sessions of animal-assisted therapy hosted by the University of Summelweis.

Naples Italy (2021): 17 students and 7 faculty attended and presented at the Mediterranean Region Counselors Association (MR-CA) Conference. Three days of site visits included meetings with faculty from the School of Medicine and Psychology at the University de Federico II (topics: psychological counseling in medical settings [psychodynamic counseling, couples counseling, counseling chronic illness, COVID-19, and breastfeeding counseling]) and a visit to the U.S. Naval Support (topics: military children and families, child & youth programs, Fleet support, and family life support activities).

Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland (2019): Attended the International Convention of Suicide Prevention hosted by the University of Ulster, Derry. Site visits focused on current suicide and prevention efforts, rehabilitation programs for substance use, and speakers on the cultural influences of the Troubles on suicide (including meetings with the trauma response team responding to the Bombing of Omagh and survivors)

Athens, Greece (2018): Students attended and presented at the Mediterranean Counselor Association Conference. Site visits focused on the current mental health of refugees.

Rome, Italy (2018) (for School Counseling students): Students attended site visits that focused on similarities and differences between U.S. and Italian (international) educational systems and counseling support for students.

Budapest, Hungary (2017): Students attended and presented at the Mediterranean Counselor Association Conference. Site visits focused on current refugee concerns, adolescent suicide, and eating disorders.

Geneva, Switzerland (2016): Students attended and presented at the European Branch of the American Counseling Association Conference. Site visits included attending visits to the WHO, ICRC, UNHCR.

Rome and Milan, Italy (2015): Students attended and presented at the European Branch of the American Counseling Association Conference. Focus focused on integrating spirituality and faith into counseling with talks by the Lay Center.

Landstuhl, Ramstein, Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, Germany (2012-2014): Students attended and presented at the European Branch of the American Counseling Association Conference. The focus of all site visits was on deployed military and their dependent’s mental health.