The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling offers 60 credit hours of training and instruction in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC). The program curriculum is informed by national standards for counseling and counselor education and prepares graduates who value diversity, inclusion, and social justice in their work with clients, colleagues, faculty, and supervisors from diverse populations.
Coursework areas include foundations of counseling, theory and techniques, social and cultural diversity, family counseling, ethics, career counseling, assessment, lifespan development, research, and group counseling. Additional coursework may include youth counseling, addiction counseling, adult counseling, and other electives and advanced courses selected around students' interests. All students complete a supervised practicum and internship experience in the counseling field. Students are assigned CMHC advisors upon admission to assist with course planning and identifying fieldwork placements.
Our graduates frequently pursue national and state-specific professional counseling credentials and certifications and are employed in clinical and non-clinical settings including counseling centers, residential treatment facilities, hospitals, non-profits, community mental health agencies, educational settings, and private counseling practices.
SRU's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program offers students:
- Small class sizes which allow faculty to work intensively with students
- Full and part-time options
- Fall and Spring start dates
- Attentive advising and assistance with finding fieldwork (internship) placement
- Active and applied learning emphasized
- Full-time, PhD level faculty with counseling experience and expertise
- Opportunities and funding provided for professional development/conferences
- Flexibility to plan personal path of study in areas of interest and/or to meet national and state-specific requirements for certifications and licensure.
Our Mission:
The mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is to prepare competent counseling professionals who respect human dignity and diversity, demonstrate the dispositions of a helping professional, and are grounded in their identity as a professional counselor.
Program Objectives
- Students will be able to show competence as a counselor in the following areas:
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Dispositions
- Students will promote respect for human dignity and diversity.
- Students will demonstrate a professional identity in the counseling field.
For more information about our CMHC Program, including course syllabi, please contact the CMHC Program Coordinator or Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Development at 724.738.2035 or by emailing the Dept. of Counseling & Development.
