Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is committed to educating counselors who will provide leadership in serving the mental health needs of individuals across the lifespan. This program offers an education that is holistic, reflecting an integration of mind, body and spirit. The purpose of a clinical mental health counselor’s intervention is seen as facilitating individual growth towards fulfilling one’s human potential. This program focuses on helping counselors design interventions that attend to the wide span of personal problems that emerge from handling the stresses and strains of modern life. Counselors are prepared to work in community mental health centers, private practice, social service agencies, health service organizations, businesses and educational or pastoral settings.

Learning outcomes

The student will develop:

• Clinical skills: This domain focuses on the skills necessary for engaging in the helping process. Students will demonstrate culturally appropriate skills and techniques necessary for successful pre-session, in-session and post-session counseling behaviors.
• Conceptualization of client need(s): This domain focuses on the skills needed to formulate a clear understanding of the client’s struggle within the framework of intrapersonal as well as a broader social context and the ability to construct an intervention plan that reflects a theoretical orientation and that is respectful of the individual or the larger group
• Counseling process: This domain focuses on the ability to recognize any aspect of counselor-client interaction, total or in part, that can be understood to directly or indirectly affect the counselor, the client, the direction of sessions, and movement toward the resulting outcome of counseling
• Professional role skills: This domain focuses on an awareness of the aspects of the candidate’s character that serve to enhance work as a clinical mental health counselor, as well as those aspects that serve as obstacles to working in a clinical mental health setting

Matriculation

A student seeking to matriculate into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is required to submit the following to the Office of Admissions:

1. A completed admission application along with a nonrefundable application fee
2. Official college transcript(s) mailed directly to the Office of Admissions. These must be from accredited institutions and must show at least a baccalaureate degree. Transcripts are required prior to registration
3. Two letters of professional reference mailed directly to the Office of Admissions recommending the candidate for graduate work in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at University of Saint Joseph. Recommendation forms are available in the Office of Admissions
4. All immunization records as required by the university

In addition, Clinical Mental Health Counseling applicants are required to:

5. Submit a personal entrance essay (essay guidelines available through the Office of Admissions)
6. Sign up for a group interview/information session once the application and an official transcript are submitted and received
7. Submit a professional resume listing education credentials and experience

Plan of study

During the interview, a planned Program of Study will be prepared based on the number of credits the student wishes to carry each semester. The plan will be emailed to you with instructions for registration and final matriculation.