Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.
Empower others to build—and sustain—happy and healthy lives. Make positive change as a clinical mental health counselor.
About Our Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
What makes Valpo one of the best master’s in counseling programs? Unlike other M.A. counseling and mental health counseling graduate programs, at Valpo you can complete your coursework in as little as two years, or you can pursue our graduate degree as a part-time student.
You’ll also be able to take the National Counseling Exam (NCE) during your final semester at Valpo—instead of waiting until after graduation—which helps you become a licensed clinical mental health counselor more quickly.
General Information
At Valpo, our clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) master’s program equips you with the knowledge and skills to make an impact on individuals from diverse populations across their lifespan. You’ll find that what makes our accredited degree one of the best CMHC counselor programs is:
- Highly experienced faculty: All our CMHC degree faculty members practice in the field and are actively engaged in research with our graduate students. Our faculty members specialize in areas such as animal behavior, cognitive psychology, forensic and legal psychology, organizational psychology, and much more.
- Hands-on practicums and internships: Graduate students complete a practicum and three supervised semesters of internships—totaling 1,000 hours—within Valpo’s mental health counseling graduate program. You’ll have ample opportunities to practice in a variety of settings with diverse populations. Some of our recent graduate students have gained expertise in hospitals, residential programs, and outpatient centers, or in couples therapy, family therapy, and with trauma and domestic violence victims.
- Opportunities to connect with classmates: Valpo students participate in professional organizations that help our CMHC degree students connect and network outside the classroom, including Counselors for Social Justice and Chi Sigma Lota, the national counseling honor society. Through these groups, our students have worked in the community with Habitat for Humanity, raised money and awareness for mental health efforts, and much more.
General Information
Valpo’s clinical mental health counseling master’s program provides you with a broad-based learning experience in the basics of counseling theories and practices, as well as social and cultural basis of counseling. You can expect to take core coursework in:
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Contextual Dimensions
- Foundations of Professional and Ethical Issues in Counseling
- Human Development: Biological and Learned Bases of Behavior
Our CMHC degree also allows students to take elective classes in areas such as couples counseling, counseling and addictions, LGBTQ+ issues in counseling, family counseling, and sibling abuse trauma. As part of your program, you will complete 1,000 hours of supervised training — preparing you for a rewarding career as a CMHC counselor.
Valpo’s accredited mental health counseling graduate program, one of the best master’s in clinical mental health counseling programs in Indiana, equips you with the knowledge and know-how to work with a variety of clients within diverse care settings.
You will find alumni of Valpo’s mental health counseling graduate program working in clinics as directors and supervisors; as family, couples, and child-focused clinicians; in hospitals and residential care treatment facilities, as well as in mental health clinics; working with veterans; and in private practice.
More about our CMHC counselor careers:
- 100% CMHC counselor job placement rate over the past five years
- 97% average pass rate on the National Counseling Exam over the past five years
- CMHC counselor career opportunities are expected to grow 23% through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Students enrolled in the CMHC program complete 1,000 clock hours of clinical experiences starting in the summer of their second year (or third year in the part-time program) and finishing the following summer. These placements give students real-world experience and help them deploy the skills and content they are learning in the classroom with a supervised caseload of their own. Our counselors-in-training are well-prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation and are sought after by the agencies in the Northwest Indiana region.
Within program and accreditation parameters, students are empowered to seek their own practicum and internship sites according to their interest areas and desired clinical populations/concerns. The CMHC program has close relationships with many sites in the region such as with incarcerated populations, addiction recovery facilities, inpatient/hospital settings, residential treatment centers, community agencies, college/university counseling centers, private practices, and more.
Mission Statement
Valparaiso University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is dedicated to facilitating the development of professional counselors ready to serve their community through promotion of mental health, autonomy, and general well-being across the lifespan. By fostering an inclusive learning community grounded in scholarship, leadership, and justice, our mission is to prepare ethical and dedicated counselors from diverse backgrounds to assist increasingly global communities and mental health organizations. The CMHC program advances this mission through the development of professional identity, cultural competency, and basic counseling skills. Strengthening, serving, and leading communities, we empower our students to pursue excellence, uphold ethical standards, and contribute meaningfully to society.
Objective 1: Professional Identity
Students will develop personal identification with and commitment to a professional counseling identity grounded in ethics and guided by best practice. Students will demonstrate their professional identity, emphasizing leadership and service, by becoming active in professional counseling organizations. Additionally, graduates are prepared to meet all academic licensure requirements within the state of Indiana. Growth of professional identity is developed through successful completion of program curricula as well as through student projects such as professional goals/self-reflection papers and intentional familiarity with local and regional counseling agencies. Upon graduation students will demonstrate…
- a) Ethical and legal proficiencies in professional counseling.
- b) Utilization of strategies for conceptualizing the interrelationships between their work, mental well-being, relationships, and other life roles.
- c) Service to the counseling profession through membership, leadership, or participation in professional or student organizations and proseminar activities.
Objective 2: Cultural Competency
Consistent with the Multicultural and Social Justice Competencies, students will develop keen awareness of themselves and others through learning and incorporating individual cognitive, emotional, and spiritual factors, social, familial, and community influences, and societal and institutional impacts on one’s development, utilizing respectful clinical skills consistent with the cultural contexts of their clients. Further, students will have the skills to demonstrate their self-awareness through assessment of personal strengths and challenges related to working with diverse client populations. These skills will be introduced and practiced within a variety of learning opportunities both in the classroom and the community. Upon graduation, students will be able to…
- a) Apply cultural and developmental factors that impact clients’ and counselors’ worldview to assessment, diagnostic, and treatment considerations.
- b) Advocate on behalf of individuals receiving counseling services.
- c) Develop culturally sustaining and responsive strategies for establishing and maintaining effective counseling relationships with a diverse population.
Objective 3: Counselor Competencies
Students will demonstrate skills aligned with the counseling profession in a counseling context as they relate to clinical skills, converting counseling knowledge/theories into best professional practice, advocacy, and social justice. Students will develop counselor competencies as evidenced through scholarship and knowledge as shown through multiple projects at determined milestones throughout the program. Students will demonstrate the successful acquisition of these competencies through completion of practicum and internships that include case presentations and faculty review of recorded sessions. Students must demonstrate their ability to…
- a) Apply relevant research findings to inform their practice
- b) Develop effective interviewing and case conceptualization skills
- c) Develop theoretical and practical foundations of developing and leading therapeutic groups
- d) Utilize assessment results for diagnostic and clinical intervention planning purposes
- e) Utilize evidenced-based counseling strategies and techniques for prevention and intervention
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) provides a set of standards by which a counseling program is built and maintained. CACREP is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Programs are routinely and systematically evaluated by faculty on an annual basis, in addition to a thorough and extensive review every several years by CACREP. Program faculty conduct an extensive self-study in preparation for a CACREP site visit, where representatives from CACREP conduct a comprehensive review of program offerings and determine whether the program is meeting expectations.
Valpo’s CMHC program has consistently met or exceeded these expectations since first seeking accreditation when the program was created. Prospective and current students can be assured that they are earning a degree not only from a highly reputable university, but also from a program vetted by rigorous standards.
Below you will find links to the CACREP outcome data for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Valparaiso University:
Psychological Sciences and Counseling
Program Rankings & Highlights
Hear From Our Students
“I decided to apply after talking to a professional about potential career paths related to psychology, and this seemed like a great opportunity. The process was simple, and faculty were more than happy to help when I had questions. I’m really looking forward to taking the rest of the classes and being exposed to the numerous connections this program in the surrounding area.”
— Alanna Pelz ’23, M.A. CMHC
Psychological Sciences and Counseling
Meet Our Faculty
Professors. Mentors. Friends. At Valparaiso University, you will work on real-life problems alongside faculty leaders with decades of experience and a true desire to do what’s best for you.
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