Mar 29, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Dispute Resolution and Counseling


www.smu.edu/resolution

Clinical Professor B. Harold Barkley, Jr., Department Chair

Clinical Professors: B. Harold Barkley, Jr., Thomas Hartsell, Gay McAlister
Clinical Associate Professors: Betty Gilmore, Margaret Keeling, John Potter, Edita Ruzgyte, Brandy Schumann, Misty Solt
Clinical Assistant Professors: Greta Davis, Mario De La Garza, Sarah Feuerbacher, Angela Mitakidis
Lecturer: Robert Barner

Department Information

The Department of Dispute Resolution and Counseling comprises programs that share a focus on the resolution of problems, from personal conflicts that could benefit from the guidance of professional counselors to interpersonal conflicts that require the intervention of professional mediators. These programs – which include a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution, a graduate certificate in dispute resolution and a Master of Science in Counseling – offer the education and tools that allow practitioners to resolve problems. Dispute resolution and counseling classes are delivered over 10-week terms offered during the fall and spring and a five-week term offered during the summer. Typically, as well, several study abroad programs are offered.

Study Abroad

During the five-week summer term, students may earn credit toward the certificate or master’s program by completing coursework at off-site venues such as Italy, Dublin, Geneva and Croatia. 

Client Services: SMU-in-Plano Mediation and Conflict Resolution Services

www.smu.edu/ADRservices

Mediation and arbitration services are available to parties involved in a dispute. Dispute Resolution Program alumni, faculty, current students with at least 200 hours of training, as well as alternative dispute resolution professionals within the community serve as volunteer mediators.

Parties may use SMU conflict resolution services whether or not a lawsuit is filed, either by contacting SMU directly or in compliance with an order from the court. Mediation is a process that helps disputants resolve a problem and reach a solution that is mutually agreeable. Those in dispute remain in control of the outcome by crafting an agreement with the help of a mediator. In arbitration, the disputants control the process by presenting their case informally under rules of procedure they determine, but the arbitrator determines the outcome. Both mediation and arbitration are confidential.

Contact Information

Dispute Resolution, Master’s Degree and Graduate Certificate
5228 Tennyson Pkwy., Suite 118
Plano TX 75024
972-473-3435
www.smu.edu/resolution

SMU-in-Plano Mediation and Conflict Resolution Services
5228 Tennyson Pkwy., Suite 213
Plano TX 75024
972-473-3486
www.smu.edu/adrservices

Client Services: Center for Family Counseling

www.smu.edu/FamilyCounseling

The Center for Family Counseling offers a variety of counseling services to individuals (e.g., geriatric/adult, adolescents and children); groups; couples; and families struggling with personal, social or career-related issues, while providing SMU graduate counseling students with meaningful training experiences via supervised therapeutic interactions. Some of the general issues that counseling can address include (but are not limited to) grief and loss, depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, self-concept, relationships, stress, trauma, parent education and career exploration. The clinic offers counseling services that are tailored to the developmental needs of clients, such as play therapy for children ages 2–8 and activity therapy for children ages 9–12. The clinic also has a satellite branch housed in the Resource Center that offers both personal and group counseling, specializing in the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community. A second satellite branch housed within the nearby Frisco Independent School District offers counseling services to students in the school system and to their parents.

Contact Information

Counseling, Master’s Degree Program Office
5228 Tennyson Pkwy., Suite 234
Plano TX 75024
972-473-3402
www.smu.edu/mastercounseling

Counseling, Professional Workshops
5228 Tennyson Pkwy., Suite 234
Plano TX 75024
972-473-3402
www.smu.edu/LP

Center for Family Counseling
5228 Tennyson Pkwy., Suite 102
Plano TX 75024
972-473-3456
www.smu.edu/FamilyCounseling

Resource Center
5750 Cedar Springs Rd.
Dallas TX 75235
214-528-0144
www.rcdallas.org

Programs

    Master
    Certificate

    Courses

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