- Graduate Program Home PageMA in Clinical Mental Health CounselingMA in Community CounselingJoint Law/MA in Clinical Mental Health CounselingJoint Law/MA in PsychologyGraduate Course DescriptionsGraduate Student HandbookGraduate Catalog - Counseling and PsychologyBA/MA Early Entry OptionProspective StudentsCounseling Related Links
- MA IN CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
The counseling programs provide coursework and experiential training designed to prepare individuals as professional counselors. Specifically, the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program provides students with training in the prevention, assessment, and treatment of individuals dealing with mental health problems. Individual, group, and family therapy are focused upon in this specialization. The curriculum is based upon the academic requirements for licensure in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the State of Indiana.
In addition to the above broad goals, the clinical mental health program has four further objectives.
- to provide a broad background in fields specifically connected with clinical mental health counseling;
- to encourage ethical application of scientific knowledge and an investigative approach to the understanding of psychopathology and the practice of clinical assessment and intervention;
- to prepare students for clinical practice through extensive course work in counseling theory and process and through intensive involvement in supervised practice; and
- to develop a professional counseling identity through pursuit of appropriate certification, licensure, organizational affiliation, and ethical conduct
The 60 credit CMHC program is specifically designed for students who plan to meet licensure requirements in the State of Indiana (or states having similar requirements) as a Mental Health Counselor.
VU's CMHC program is the only such program of its kind in the region housed within a psychology department, and the CMHC degree is the only counseling specialty that leads to licensure.
Curriculum Overview
Core Courses 15 creditsCOUN 635 Introduction to Psychopathology 3 crCOUN 640 Advanced Psychopathology 3 crCOUN 660 Helping Relationships: Counseling Theories 3 crCOUN 662 Helping Relationships: Counseling Processes 3 crCOUN 693 Foundations of Professional & Ethical Issues in Counseling
3 crCOUN 694 Counseling Proseminar (4 semesters) 0 crAdvanced Courses 21 creditsPSY 602 Research Methods in Psychology 3 crCOUN 545 Community & Health Counseling 3 crCOUN 570 Assessment in Counseling Testing & Appraisal 3 crCOUN 620 Human Development: Biological & Learned Bases of Behavior 3 crCOUN 625 Social & Cultural Bases of Behavior 3 crCOUN 664 Career Counseling: Appraisal & Intervention 3 crCOUN 668 Group Counseling 3 crExperiential Training 12 creditsCOUN 685 Counseling Practicum 3 crCOUN 687 Counseling Internship (2 semesters) 6 crCOUN 688 Advanced Counseling Internship 3 crSpecialty Electives 12 creditsTwelve credits of specialty electives are required. It is recommended that students choose a minimum of 6 credits of their specialty electives from the list of applied courses. Family Counseling and Dynamics (COUN 665) and Substance Abuse Counseling (COUN 667) are especially recommended for those seeking licensure as a clinical mental health counselor. Students completing either the Business Management or Gerontology certificates should select their remaining 6 credits from the appropriate category below. Students interested in pursuing doctoral work are advised to select some of the research courses listed below.
A master’s thesis or research project is not required for the CMHC degree, but may be elected as part of the program.Applied Courses (6 credits minimum recommended) COUN 665 Family Counseling & Dynamics 3 crCOUN 667 Substance Abuse Counseling 3 crCOUN 671 Intellectual Assessment 3 crCOUN 674 Assessment of Social & Emotional Functioning 3 crCOUN 691 Advanced Topics in Counseling 3 crCOUN 695 Independent Study 1-3 crPSY 565 Psychology & Law 3 crPSY 590 Special Topics in Psychology (with departmental approval) 1-3 crPSY 690 Special Topics in Psychology (with departmental approval) 3 crBusiness Management Courses COUN 550 Psychological Foundations of Management 2 crCOUN 651 Leadership & Team Development 2 crCOUN 652 Developing People 2 crGerontology Courses COUN 532 Adulthood & Aging 3 crCOUN 691 Topics: Psychosocial Interventions for the Aging 3 crResearch Courses COUN 692 Research Project 3-6 crCOUN 698 Masters Research Proposal 3 crCOUN 699 Masters Research Thesis 3 crSupporting Courses COUN 535 Psychology of Personality 3 crPSY 550 Human Cognition 3 crMore information on the program can be found in the Graduate Catalog and Student Handbook.
Click on the "Prospective Students" link to learn more about applying for a degree program.
If you have any questions you may email the Director of Counseling and Psychology Graduate Programs, Dr. Jim Nelson.