(60 credits)
Program Description
The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is an intensive two-year, 60-credit degree program designed to provide students with the educational, experiential, and dispositional components required for state licensure as an independently practicing clinical mental health counselor. The program is delivered over a minimum of nine (9) academic terms (i.e. two academic years) and culminates with a clinical field experience (i.e. practicum and internship) that is a minimum of 700-hours. Under the close guidance and supervision of program faculty and on-site clinical supervisors during their clinical field experience. The CMHC program is carefully curated to connect students with the world of clinical mental health counseling through coursework infused with research, scientifically-based best practices, hands-on, supervised clinical learning, and the application of professional ethics embedded in social justice.
The CMHC program at NEC recognizes that educating clinical mental health counselors demands a deep understanding of oneself in relation to others. It is essential for developing the self-awareness, empathy, resilience, and ethical grounding necessary to navigate the cognitive complexities of therapeutic work with competence, compassion, and integrity. As such, the program faculty are commited to cultivating an atmosphere of acceptance for the students’ deliberate, in-depth, self-exploratory qualities, attitudes, and behaviors that influence the formation of effective therapeutic relationships.
Program Learning Outcomes
The Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) reflect a combination of current scholarly literature on the assessment of clinical mental health counseling competencies, professional disposition assessments, ethical codes, and prevailing accreditation standards.
Students that successfully complete the CMHC Program will demonstrate the ability to:
- Create professional, interdisciplinary, and therapeutic relationships.
- Assess the clinically relevant social determinants of health for individuals, groups, and systems.
- Integrate ethical, socially just, and culturally relevant decision-making to the clinical practice.
- Synthesize developmental, biopsychosocial-spiritual research into clinical practice.
- Create comprehensive clinical assessments, diagnostic evaluations, treatment plans and case conceptualizations.
- Develop and identity and theoretical orientation as a clinical mental health counselor.
Program Delivery and Residency Requirements
The CMHC program is offered fully online, except for the clinical field experiences (i.e., practicum and internship). There are no requirements for students to attend classes at a physical campus location. The program uses asynchronous (via Blackboard) and synchronous (via Zoom) course delivery methods, and each course runs for 10-weeks. Regardless of delivery method, each course may have a Microsoft Teams companion site to enhance student-faculty interaction and collaboration. There are nine (9) courses totaling 36 credit hours that are designated as Residency. Residency courses are integral, skills-based courses in which students develop core clinical competencies, integrate research into practice, and foster cultural competence with the goal of readying students to practice as independent, licensed clinical mental health counselors.
Residency courses require intensive, live, synchronous interaction (usually weekly) through Zoom with faculty and other students in the course. Students can expect to have ample opportunity to engage in supervised clinical practice, in-depth interpersonal and emotional processing, and reflective faculty/student interaction during the residency courses. The remaining nine (9) courses (24 credit hours) are offered asynchronously via Blackboard Learning Management System. The non-Residency courses are essential to the holistic development of competent, ethical, and culturally responsive counselors who are prepared to meet the challenges of the profession, make a meaningful impact on the lives of those served, and to pass state licensure examinations.
Program Length
The CMHC Program is designed to be a full-time program, with the option to start in any one of four (4) terms. Each term is 10-weeks long and typically has a two-week break before the start of the next term. When attending full-time (i.e., 6-9 credits per term), the program typically takes two (2) academic years, or nine (9) academic terms, to complete. Students may also take fewer courses per term to help balance their work/life/academic commitments.
Although everyone has different learning styles, students should expect to engage in 13-15 hours of academically related activities per week on each 3-credit course and 27-30 hours for each 6-credit course. Additionally, during the Clinical Field Experiences (i.e., practicum and internship), students will be onsite at a clinical setting of their choosing in their geographic area. Students can expect to be onsite for Practicum for approximately 10-15 hours per week, and 25-30 hours per week during Internships 1 and 2.
Application Requirements
All Applicants to the MS CMHC Program
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Must have an earned bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, human services, or related field from a regionally accredited institution of higher education recognized by the Department of Education (majors other than those listed may receive, upon request, individual consideration by the CMHC Program Director, or designee).
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Must have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 (cumulative GPA of 2.75/4.0 may receive, upon request, an individual interview with the CMHC Program Director, or designee).
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Must submit three professional and/or academic letters of reference - at least one must be from a current supervisor or current faculty member.
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Must submit one essay between 500-750 words that addresses EACH of the following prompts :
a. Articulate your career goals and interest in clinical mental health counseling. Then, describe how the CMHC graduate program will assist you in attaining them.
b. Describe your academic achievements and work experiences relevant to your interests in clinical mental health counseling and your readiness for graduate study
5. Prior to starting their Field Experiences (i.e., Practicum and Internship) students must:
a. Complete a criminal background check to be sent to their respective clinical training sites(s).
b. Purchase and maintain student liability insurance to be sent to their respective clinical training site(s).
Course Map
Students are encouraged to use the following program map to guide their degree completion in 2 years at full time status. The final term is typically completed under part-time status.
