Online Education (master Of Science In Counseling/clinical Mental Health Counseling)

By Author: John Srob
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The Master of Science (M.S.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a 60 semester hour program, prepares professional counselors to work in community agencies, educational settings, as well as private practice. As a CACREP accredited program, CED students are eligible to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE) leading to certification as a National Certified Counselors (NCC). The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program also prepares students to seek licensure as a Clinical Professional Counselor.

The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is a 60-credit program that prepares students for employment in a variety of human service venues including community mental health counseling, counseling people with disabilities, career counseling, substance abuse services, counseling with youth, crisis counseling, and counseling persons who have experienced domestic violence. The program of study consists of core counseling courses, specialized courses appropriate to prepare the students to work in community agencies and clinical experiences in community counseling settings. Clinical mental health counseling ...
... (CMHC) students complete a broad based and comprehensive clinical training specialization.

Licensed professional clinical counselors practice independently in a variety of settings such as hospitals, community mental health agencies, and colleges and universities, treating clients who struggle with everything from adjusting to life to serious mental illnesses. The CMHC specialization uses an evidence based clinical practice approach with an emphasis on addressing the mental health needs of underserved and culturally diverse populations in San Diego County.
Each student engages in further study of specific clinical issues and populations through practical, research and professional development, and completes a minimum of 725 hours of supervised clinical experience during his or her graduate program.
This program prepares students to become professional counselors. Professional counselors prevent, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional or behavioral disorders and provide services when clients experience life stresses that interfere with mental health. Professional counselors serve at all levels of schools and universities, in hospitals, mental health agencies, rehabilitation facilities, business and industry, correctional institutions, religious organizations, community centers and private practice.

Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares you for a career as mental health counselor. You will learn individual and group counseling techniques to help youths, adults, couples, parents and families work through their problems and issues. As a mental health counselor, you can have a positive and meaningful impact on people. The M.S. in Mental Health Counseling will provide counselors with the preparation and support they need to help others experience healthy, fulfilled lives.

Leader in preparing students for careers in counseling and development. We provide an educational environment that fosters the personal and professional growth of future counselors and related professionals while upholding the highest ethical standards and respect for individual differences. Our faculty members are actively engaged in mental health counseling and frequently contribute to publications and conferences.
The program integrates mental health counseling theories and approaches with carefully supervised practical experiences in state-of-the-art appropriate field settings. The training comprises individual counseling as well as group and other systemic modalities within the developmental model and brief therapy framework. This is an individualized program emphasizing self-development and the integration of individual and group counseling theories and techniques, with a strong emphasis on carefully supervised clinical experiences.

This program consists of a minimum of 61 credit hours of courses that provide students with a thorough background in the areas of individual and group counseling theories and skills; clinical practice; ethical, professional, and legal issues in counseling; social and cultural factors in counseling; human development across the lifespan; work, leisure, and career development theories and interventions; appraisal and assessment issues in counseling; and the application of research for licensure and national certification and for careers in mental health agencies, hospital programs, private practices, ministry-related counseling centers, and other public and private facilities.

The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program combines preparation for certification and licensure in mental health counseling with rich practice experiences. The courses and programs required and suggested in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program were designed to reflect what the faculty believe represent necessary and appropriate educational experiences for Professional Counselors seeking national certification and state licensure as a clinical Professional Counselor (Maine: LCPC) or Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC). The content and sequence of courses are guided by the Standards the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and the licensing requirements.

Upon graduation from the program, you will have completed the educational requirements for licensure and be ready to fulfill the remainder of the licensure as a counselor. The program is consistent with other state licensure codes and student may be license eligible in another state as a counselor. Licensed professional counselors and licensed mental health counselors have limitless career opportunities. Whether you work with children, adolescents, families, adults through individual or group work you have a variety of settings to choose. With third party payment available through insurance agencies, medical aid and veterans affairs, clinical mental health counselors can work in private practice or in one of the many mental health institutions, social service agencies, schools, veterans outreach centers and/or hospitals.

Skill Development:
Graduates of the program will demonstrate advanced knowledge and appropriate skills in the following areas:

Foundations of Counseling
Intervention and Prevention
Diversity and Advocacy
Human Development
Assessment
Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
Research and Evaluation

CU's Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is approved by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists, and is equivalent to the curriculum standards of CACREP (Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs). Together with a Christian frame of reference and Christian faculty, our program is distinctive in several important ways.

First, you’ll gain a solid foundation of counseling skills, procedures, and theories based on current research. Building upon that base, you’ll be encouraged to develop a theoretical orientation to counseling that matches your own personality and value system. Students implement and refine this personal approach to counseling in their second year, seeing clients and undergoing clinical supervision in the campus counseling training center.

Additionally, you’ll individualize your own program through choices of electives and internship site. By the end of the first year, you’ll focus on a special population, clinical issue, or effective treatment modality. In other words, you’ll have developed your own area of specialization.
Graduates of the program meet the academic standards leading to Oregon licensure as a professional counselor. Counseling services to individuals, groups, organizations and the general public in private or other settings. These services may be in the areas of personal-social concerns, educational programs, and career decisions. Counseling services include the use of recognized counseling techniques, appraisal and assessment methods, and research activities.

You May Qualify For Financial Aid.