Interrupted education
Study may have been paused by displacement, relocation or unsafe conditions. The program is structured so that learners returning to formal study can rebuild academic footing.
Academic Programs
Refugee-Focused Counseling Psychology
For Afghan and Syrian refugee youth.
- Associate Diploma
- 2–3 years
- 9 semesters
- 60 credits
- 20 courses
- Online
Overview
Program at a glance
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Credential | Associate Diploma |
| Duration | 2–3 years |
| Semesters | 9 |
| Courses | 20 |
| Credits | 60 |
| Delivery | Online |
| Primary learners | Afghan & Syrian refugee and displaced youth |
About
About the program
This Associate Diploma in refugee-focused counseling psychology is designed for Afghan and Syrian refugee and displaced youth. It is delivered online across nine semesters and comprises 20 courses and 60 credits, and can be completed over two to three years.
The program builds foundations in counseling psychology, develops an understanding of trauma as refugees and displaced people experience it, and grounds that learning in culturally responsive approaches. Study is practical as well as theoretical, and progresses through four stages.
- Stage 1Theory
- Stage 2Assessment
- Stage 3Practicum
- Stage 4Capstone
Credential scope — please read
This is an academic Associate Diploma. ODU has not confirmed that it confers professional licensure, registration, or authority to practise clinically. Accordingly, this page describes the program as foundational preparation in counseling psychology, oriented toward community-based and psychosocial support contexts and toward further study. It does not describe graduates as licensed psychologists, licensed counselors, clinical psychologists, or therapists, and will not do so unless ODU provides explicit written confirmation of professional recognition.
Learner profile
Who is this program for?
The program is designed for learners whose education has been shaped by displacement. The curriculum document records the following realities, and the program structure responds to each of them.
Documentation gaps
Learners may not hold complete or retrievable academic records from previous institutions.
Language barriers
Learners arrive with varied levels of academic English alongside Arabic, Dari or Pashto as first languages.
Device & infrastructure constraints
Learning may take place on a shared or mobile device, on intermittent connections and with limited bandwidth.
Gender accessibility
Some learners need privacy and participation options in order to take part in study safely and comfortably.
Psychosocial burden
Displacement carries emotional and practical weight, and the program is designed with that reality in view.
Program features
Why this program is different
Eight features shape how the curriculum is taught and how learners experience it.
Trauma-informed education
Teaching and assessment are structured with an awareness of trauma and its effect on learning.
Multilingual support
Instruction in English with Arabic and Dari/Pashto support.
Cultural humility
Counseling is approached with attention to culture, language and community context rather than a single universal model.
Mobile-first learning
Materials and activities are designed for browser and mobile environments.
Flexible study
Asynchronous learning as the default, with flexible deadlines.
Refugee-specific counseling context
Content is situated in the circumstances of refugee and displaced communities.
Practical field preparation
Learning moves from theory and assessment into practicum and a capstone.
Community-oriented learning
Preparation is oriented toward supporting people within their own communities.
Curriculum
Curriculum structure
The curriculum is organised into six domains totalling 20 courses and 60 credits.
A
Language & Academic Foundations
B
Foundational Counseling Theory
C
Assessment & Trauma-Informed Practice
D
Cultural & Refugee-Specific Counseling
E
Practicum & Capstone
F
Humanities, Social Sciences & General Education
Total
Course catalog
Courses
Twenty courses at three credits each. Select a course to expand its description.
A. Language & Academic Foundations 3 courses · 9 credits
A1Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for A1 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
A2Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for A2 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
A3Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for A3 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
B. Foundational Counseling Theory 3 courses · 9 credits
B1Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for B1 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
B2Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for B2 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
B3Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for B3 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
C. Assessment & Trauma-Informed Practice 4 courses · 12 credits
C1Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for C1 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
C2Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for C2 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
C3Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for C3 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
C4Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for C4 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
D. Cultural & Refugee-Specific Counseling 4 courses · 12 credits
D1Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for D1 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
D2Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for D2 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
D3Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for D3 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
D4Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for D4 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
E. Practicum & Capstone 1 course · 3 credits
E1Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for E1 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
F. Humanities, Social Sciences & General Education 5 courses · 15 credits
F1Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for F1 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
F2Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for F2 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
F3Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for F3 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
F4Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for F4 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
F5Course title pending source document3 credits
The official course title and description for F5 are held in the ODU curriculum document and will be inserted verbatim. No placeholder academic content has been written for this course.
No additional clinical courses have been created, and none of the documented courses has been removed.
Study plan
Nine-semester study plan
The program runs across nine semesters grouped into three years of study.
Year 1
Semesters 1–3
Semester 1
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Semester 2
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Semester 3
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Year 2
Semesters 4–6
Semester 4
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Semester 5
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Semester 6
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Year 3
Semesters 7–9
Semester 7
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Semester 8
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Semester 9
- Courses
- Pending source roadmap
- Credits
- Pending source roadmap
- Focus / remarks
- Pending source roadmap
Pace is not fixed at three years. The credential is documented as a two-to-three-year program. Students are not required to complete the diploma in exactly three years.
Student support
Designed around student realities
These are design features of the curriculum. Each is marked as a program design feature rather than a service ODU has confirmed as operational.
Program design feature
Multilingual glossaries
Key terminology made available across the languages learners use.
Program design feature
Technical and clinical English support
Support with the specialised English vocabulary the discipline requires.
Program design feature
Low-bandwidth learning
Lightweight materials suited to intermittent or limited connections.
Program design feature
Cloud-based learning
Coursework accessible through cloud environments rather than installed software.
Program design feature
Flexible deadlines
Submission timelines that accommodate disruption.
Program design feature
Peer learning
Structured opportunities for learners to study together.
Program design feature
Privacy and safety
Options that allow learners to participate without exposure.
Program design feature
Gender accessibility
Participation arrangements that make study workable for all learners.
Program design feature
Portfolio admissions
An admission route based on portfolio evidence.
Program design feature
Academic continuity
Support for learners whose studies have been interrupted.
Why these are labelled design features
Each item above is drawn from the curriculum proposal. ODU has not yet confirmed which of them are operational student services today. Until that confirmation is given, none is presented as a currently available service.
Comparison
What makes this program different?
The curriculum compares a conventional counseling psychology program with the refugee-focused model ODU proposes, across eight dimensions.
| Dimension | Conventional model | ODU refugee-focused model |
|---|---|---|
| Academic background | Pending source wording | Alternative and portfolio-based admission routes accommodate interrupted schooling and incomplete records. |
| Trauma approach | Pending source wording | Trauma-informed teaching situated in the experience of refugee and displaced communities. |
| Language | Pending source wording | English with Arabic and Dari/Pashto support. |
| Learning format | Pending source wording | Asynchronous online learning as the default, with flexible deadlines. |
| Hardware requirements | Pending source wording | Browser and mobile-compatible, designed for lower-bandwidth conditions. |
| Gender accessibility | Pending source wording | Documented privacy and participation options. |
| Academic continuity | Pending source wording | Alternative admission pathways and support for study interrupted by displacement. |
| Target talent | Pending source wording | Foundational counseling capability oriented toward community-based and psychosocial support contexts and further study. |
Outcomes
Career and community pathways
The curriculum documents the following potential areas for graduates.
- Community support roles
- Refugee support organisations
- NGO-related psychosocial support
- Community-based counseling support
- Further education
What this program does not claim
Completion does not confer professional licensure or registration and does not guarantee employment. Graduates are not described as clinical psychologists or licensed practitioners. Whether any practicum hours carry formal recognition has not been confirmed by ODU. No employer, agency or placement partnership is named on this page.
Academic calendar
Academic calendar
A three-year, nine-semester structure commencing 1 September 2026.
| Year & semester | Term | Start date | End date | Duration | Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 · Semester 1 | Term 1 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 1 · Semester 2 | Term 2 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 1 · Semester 3 | Term 3 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 2 · Semester 4 | Term 1 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 2 · Semester 5 | Term 2 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 2 · Semester 6 | Term 3 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 3 · Semester 7 | Term 1 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 3 · Semester 8 | Term 2 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
| Year 3 · Semester 9 | Term 3 | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending |
Curriculum document
Download the full curriculum
The complete Refugee-Focused Counseling Psychology curriculum will be published here as a downloadable document once ODU approves a version for public release.
Admissions
Ready to begin?
Open Door University welcomes applications from Afghan and Syrian refugee and displaced youth. Speak with the admissions team about entry routes into this program.
Note for ODU: the official application destination, admission requirements, required documents, deadlines, tuition and scholarship details have not yet been confirmed. The primary button is a temporary placeholder pointing to the contact page and is tagged data-odu-pending="application-url" for replacement.
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