The program responds to the needs of schools throughout the country while also preparing school counselors to meet the particular needs of Arizona schools. The Educational Psychology Department is the proud home of a unique school-based mental health partnership called "Talk it Out" where students are able to receive specialized training in addition to K-12 practicum and internship. It prepares graduates to be skillful in all components of school counseling, emphasizing collaboration with teachers, parents, and the larger educational community. The school counseling program is committed to the integration of teaching, research on school counseling, and active involvement with the schools and community agencies of southern Arizona. This School Counseling program is unique in that all courses are geared to preparing school counselors. Most programs train counselors for a variety of settings; the U of A program is designed specifically and exclusively for school counselors.