Program Objectives

Successful completion of the M.Ed. in clinical mental health counseling prepares students to:

• Become familiar with the requirements for a professional counselor, the body of literature and research that is central to the field, and professional preparation standards which impact the field as a whole.

• Become familiar with the typical characteristics of individuals and communities served by a variety of institutions and agencies that offer clinical mental health counseling services.

• Develop knowledge and understanding of models, methods, and principles of program development and service delivery for a clientele based on assumptions of human and organizational development, including prevention, implementation of support groups, peer facilitation training, parent education, career/occupational information and counseling, and encouragement of self-help.

• Learn to develop effective strategies for promoting client understanding of and access to community resources.

• Develop knowledge and application of principles and models of biopsychosocial assessment, case conceptualization, theories of human development and concepts of normalcy and psychopathology leading to diagnoses and appropriate counseling plans.

• Acquire knowledge of the principles of diagnosis and the use of current diagnostic tools, including the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

• Learn to develop effective strategies for client advocacy in public policy and other matters of equity and accessibility.

• Develop knowledge and application of appropriate individual, couple, family, group, and systems modalities for initiating, maintaining, and terminating counseling, including the use of crisis intervention, and brief, intermediate, and long-term approaches.

• Acquire an understanding of ethical and legal considerations related specifically to the practice of clinical mental health counseling.