CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, M.A.

Contact: Mike Harris | Program Coordinator & Designated School Official (DSO)

301-891-4086 | mharris1@wau.edu

 

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (L.C.P.C.) program | 60 credits

Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (L.C.A.D.C.) program | 60 credits

 

The School of Graduate and Professional Studies, in conjunction with WAU’s Department of Psychology and Counseling, offers two Master of Arts degree programs, one in COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY, M.A.  and the other in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is a licensure track that can lead to L.C.P.C. or L.C.A.D.C. certifications in the state of Maryland. 

The Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares the student to become a licensed mental health counselor and to operate an independent practice. It is identical to the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with an additional 21 hours completed after field experience.

Completion of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program provides eligibility to sit for the National Counselor Exam (NCE) that assesses a counselor’s knowledge, skills and abilities for providing effective counseling services. The NCE is also a requirement for counselor licensure in many states.

The student will also be eligible to take the state of Maryland licensure exam for the L.C.P.C. or L.C.A.D.C. upon completion of the Master of Arts degree and 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

Note: Once a student has earned the M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, he/she cannot retroactively request to earn the M.A. in Counseling Psychology.

Admission

Admission to the Master of Arts degree program requires that a student have a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field (social work, mental health, etc.) Applicants who do not meet the minimum 2.75 GPA requirement, but whose grade-point averages fall between 2.60 and 2.74, may be granted probationary admission with the expectation that they will maintain a GPA of 2.75 for the first two semesters of study. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or its equivalent may be required if English is not the applicant’s primary language. 

M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Objectives

The student will be able to demonstrate:

1. Theoretical knowledge and analytical skills necessary to become licensed clinical mental health counselors
2. Ethical and professional conduct as counselors
3. Proficiency in counseling techniques required by the ACA Code of Professional Conduct
4. The ability to incorporate feedback into their counseling practice
5. An understanding of how a faith perspective can inform the practice of counseling