Clinical Mental Health Counseling FAQs

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Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS) Program FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Please click the arrows below to expand the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

What is the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program?

The CMHC program is a 60 credit degree program; graduates receive the Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

How long will it take to complete this program?

Students complete this program at their own pace. Taking two courses per semester, which qualifies for financial aid, allows students to complete the 60 credit degree program in 3 years plus 2 semesters. Taking 4 courses per semester allows for degree completion in 2 years. How many courses a student takes is entirely their preference. Students who are working full time and/or raising a family might choose to take only 2 courses; students with fewer commitments might commonly take 3 or even 4 courses per term.

When are classes offered?

Graduate Psychology is currently only offering programs in an online format for the foreseeable future. Our online format is predominately asynchronous. However, to meet state LMHC eligibility requirements, we have a few courses requiring synchronous meetings for experiences such as group supervision. Voluntary synchronous Zoom meetings may also be scheduled by your faculty members in each course for the opportunity to get to know each other and your faculty member and to ask questions.

Courses run for twelve weeks in each of the three semesters per year: Fall, Spring, and Summer, beginning in September, January, and June.

How is the CMHC program related to licensure?

The CMHC program meets all degree program criteria of the Massachusetts Board of Licensure regarding eligibility to apply for the Licensed Mental Health Counselor license in Massachusetts. This program also meets eligibility criteria for the equivalent LPC license in Connecticut. For licensure in other states, contact the program director.

What else is required for licensure?

There are three components to licensure. The first component is completing your 60-credit master’s degree. The second component is passing the National Board of Certified Counselor’s (NBCC’s) National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). The final component is completing 2 years (3360 hours) of supervised work in the field after you finish your degree. Once all three of these components are completed, you will be eligible to apply for the license.

What are the Practicum requirements within the CMHC program?

PSY680, the 3-credit Practicum course, is completed entirely ‘in-house;’ there is no need to find a field placement for this course. This exciting and intensive course involves practicing your counseling skills and techniques with your fellow students in supervised video-taped practice counseling interviews. The Practicum course can be taken as soon as you have completed at least 24 credits in the program. This course requires approximately 8 hours weekly. At the end of this course, students will have logged 100 total hours, of which 40 hours are spent in practice counseling sessions, 25 hours are spent in individual or group supervision, and 35 hours are spent in additional ‘homework’ activities.

What are the Internship requirements within the CMHC program?

Once PSY680 Practicum is completed, and you have completed at least 30 credits in the CMHC program, and an affiliation agreement with the site is on file here at 黑料视频 University, the 600-hour Internship can be started. The Internship experience is chosen by the student, in conjunction with approval from the Program Director. The Internship experience spans three courses: PSY696, PSY697 and PSY698, providing ongoing group supervision during the Internship. Your course faculty member will also be providing site visits and coordination of 黑料视频 University support for both your Internship as well as your site’s experience of your work there. For each 200-hour segment of the internship, a learning agreement is required at the beginning, and a supervisor’s evaluation is required at the end, for a total of 3 learning agreements and 3 supervisor’s evaluations. The student is also required to maintain daily log entries of all internship-related activities.