The Graduate Certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling (AAT-C) provides specialized training and supervised practice in the ethical and humane inclusion of animals in the psychotherapeutic environment by credentialed mental health professionals.
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Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling (AAT-C) certificate provides specialized training and supervised practice in the ethical and humane inclusion of animals in the psychotherapeutic environment by credentialed mental health professionals.
Program Overview
The Graduate Certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling (AAT-C) provides specialized training and supervised practice in the ethical and humane inclusion of animals in the psychotherapeutic environment by credentialed mental health professionals. The curriculum is in alignment with the American Counseling Association (ACA) adopted AAT-C Competencies of Practice (2017). The AAT-C certificate may be completed by Clinical Mental Health Counseling students using the available 9 credits of elective coursework in the CMHC program of study, and is also open to School Counseling, Social Work, and Psychology graduate students pursuing a clinical learning track.
Students who complete the UNF Graduate Certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling will be able to:
- Interpret and apply the ACA AAT-C Competencies to practice in the CMHC setting.
- Articulate processes necessary to gain species-specific registrations needed for ethical practice.
- Classify animal welfare risks inherent in the utilization of animals in the counseling setting.
- Analyze attitudes, beliefs and acculturative experiences through experiential learning actives that foster student understanding of self, counselor identity and ethical practice especially with culturally diverse clients.
- Demonstrate ethical AAT-C practice congruent with identified evidence based theories of counseling for assessment and interventions for treatment, personal growth and wellness.
Special Note
Certificate programs are not eligible for financial aid. Please visit the Department of Financial Aid for more information regarding eligibility.
This certificate has priority admission for UNF Graduate Students pursuing Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and those in a clinical track in School Counseling, Social Work and Psychology. Current UNF graduate students should complete a Change of Major Form to add the certificate. Graduate Students in other university based clinical mental health training programs or post-master's licensed mental health professionals may also apply and will be admitted based upon space available. Enrollment is limited to 20 students per year.
Program Contact
Graduate Program DirectorBrooks College of Health
Program At-a-Glance
Credit hours: 9
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Directions
- Select the appropriate rate and residency classification. Please note:
- The exclusive tuition rate is only available to eligible students.
- Residency classification is not guaranteed. Supporting documentation is requested after students are admitted from applicants who indicated they would like to apply for Florida residency for tuition purposes on their admissions application.
- Type the number of credit hours you would like to calculate. Most graduate courses are 3 credit hours. The total number of program credits is listed above under Program At-a-Glance.
Admissions Requirements
The below Program Requirements, University Requirements, and International Applicant Requirements*, if applicable, must be submitted no later than the deadline posted above. Incomplete applications or those with required materials post-marked after the deadline are subject to cancellation. Once an application has been canceled, the decision cannot be reversed.
*International students must be fully admitted to a full-time, on-campus, in-person, degree-seeking program at the University of North Florida. Please contact the International Center for more information.
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University Requirements
University Requirements
Application and Fee
Prospective students are required to use our online system to create an account and submit an application. The application opens approximately one year in advance and is only good for the term and program in which it is submitted. Applicants who have submitted their application and wish to change their admission term or major/concentration may submit a new application and associated application fee. If you would like to cancel an open application, please contact us.
A $30 (USD) application fee is required regardless of previous enrollment. The application fee is non-refundable and cannot be waived. Undergraduate application fees cannot be used for a graduate application, and vise versa. The application fee must be submitted prior to the review of an application.
Current students who would like to add or change a major, concentration or certificate should submit the Change of Concentration or Major form.
College Transcripts
All applicants must provide transcripts from a U.S. institution accredited by an accepted institutional accreditor or its equivalent from a non-US institution that awarded the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, if applicable, and transcripts from institutions where any post-baccalaureate and/or graduate credits were earned.
All admits must provide official transcripts.
All international transcripts will require a course-by-course evaluation by an approved third-party credential evaluation agency unless a graduate program has established an alternative credential evaluation procedure that is approved by the graduate school. To be accepted, the evaluation must be:
- Translated to English and be the U.S. equivalent
- Evaluated course-by-course
- Include the overall academic GPA
- Be from an approved third-party accredited evaluation service. Recommended evaluation agencies:
- SpanTran. They have created a custom application for UNF that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application through the SpanTran Application - UNF Graduate School portal.
- Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
- World Education Services
Important Notes
- The UNF Graduate School cannot request transcripts on an applicants behalf.
- Unofficial transcript copies are accepted for admissions but must clearly state the institution name, student name, course information, terms, grades, and credits. Degree audits are not accepted. Admitted students will be prompted to provide official transcripts.
- If currently enrolled in courses, an incomplete transcript must be submitted before the posted deadline.
- Applicants who also have to apply through systems such as ATCAS or PTCAS, must submit separate transcripts to UNF.
- Official transcripts must:
- Must be less than one year old from the date of printing
- Must be submitted in a sealed envelope from your institution, or emailed through official electronic means.
- When requesting college transcripts, please verify with your institution(s) whether or not they are able to submit electronic transcripts in the proper EDI format. Institutions can submit transcripts via e-mail to graduateschool@unf.edu from an approved vendor such as ScriptSafe, Credentials, or Parchment.
- Former or current UNF students should not request UNF transcripts. After application submission, the UNF requirement will be updated to a "waived" status.
Where do I send transcripts and test scores?
Mail
UNF Graduate School
1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224Email
Test Score Institutional Codes
GRE: institutional code 5490
GMAT: institutional code CF3QB51 -
Program Specific Requirements
Program Requirements
Specific Requirements
- Application essay
- Title page with student name and date of submission
- 1-2 page double spaced, typed APA format
- Describe interest in the field of Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling
- Detail experience in working with animals, human-animal bond and/or the inclusion of animals and/or nature in healthcare or education
- Provide expectation for professional use of Animal Assisted Therapy Certificate if admitted to program of study and awarded
- Two letters of recommendation
- Professional sources
- Application essay