Program Overview

Program Coordinator Melanie Hill, (845) 257-3475, hillm@newpaltz.edu
Program ID 293
Credits 60
Program Length MS can be completed in 2 years if enrolled full-time, but students must complete degree within 5 years
Modality In-person
Full-time/Part-time Full-time or Part-time
Transfer Credits 9
Capstone Internship
Licensure/Certification NYS Mental Health Counseling Licensure

Program Description

The 60-credit Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling serves both students looking to become licensed as mental health counselors and those seeking to eventually proceed into doctoral programs. The curriculum covers mental health counseling practice and research, in addition to necessary coursework in human growth and development, social and cultural foundations, helping relationships, group work, career and lifestyle development, appraisal, research and program development, and professional orientation. Practicum and internship experiences provide unique, varied, and intense hands-on mental health counseling training experiences under the supervision of licensed professionals.

The degree is registered with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) as meeting the educational requirements for mental health counseling licensure in New York.

The M.S. in mental health counseling degree can be completed full-time in two years, including summer classes. Students may attend part-time, but all degree requirements must be completed within five years after admission to degree candidacy.

Apply to a SUNY New Paltz graduate programAdmission Requirements

The Counseling Graduate Programs’ Admissions Committee reviews applications. Please prepare the following items for inclusion in the online application process:

  • Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
  • Minimum grade point average of 3.0 for all undergraduate work or strong evidence of recent academic achievement.
  • Successful completion of 9 undergraduate credits in the social sciences, including courses in inferential statistics and research methods.
  • One official copy of transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
  • Statement of professional goals.
  • Three professional letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your professional/academic activity and qualifications.
  • International students must meet these additional requirements for admission: International Graduate Admissions | SUNY New Paltz
  • Please send OFFICIAL transcripts to:

    Office of Graduate Admission
    100 Hawk Drive
    New Paltz, New York 12561-2442 

Application Deadline

The M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree only admits students for the fall semester. Application review begins February 1 and continues until the class is filled.

This program leads to NYS licensure as a mental health counselor and can be completed full-time in two years, including summer classes:

Two Year Study Plan

Eight-Semester Plan
Year 1
FallCredits
COU501 Ethics and Professional Identity in Mental Health Counseling 3
COU510 Counseling Theories 3
COU515 Counseling Skills 3
COU520 Career Development, Counseling, and Assessment 3
 Credits12
Spring
COU505 Professional Roles in Mental Health Counseling 3
COU540 Psychopathology 3
COU545 Group Dynamics and Counseling 3
Plus, one of the following:
COU530
Practicum in Mental Health Counseling
or Disaster Counseling and Crisis Intervention
3
 Credits12
Summer
COU570 Substance Use and Addictions Counseling 3
Plus, one of the following:
COU530
Practicum in Mental Health Counseling
or Disaster Counseling and Crisis Intervention
3
 Credits6
Year 2
Fall
COU525 Multicultural Counseling 3
COU575 Human Growth and Development 3
COU771 Internship in Mental Health Counseling 1 3
COU555 Assessment 3
 Credits12
Spring
COU550 Couple and Family Counseling 3
COU610 Research Methods and Program Evaluation 3
COU772 Internship in Mental Health Counseling 2 3
Elective Course 3
 Credits12
Summer
COU585 Contemporary Issues in Counseling 1 3
COU585 Contemporary Issues in Counseling 1 3
 Credits6
 Total Credits60
1

 Repeatable course.

This program leads to NYS licensure as a mental health counselor and can be completed on a part-time basis in three years, including summer classes:

Three Year Study Plan

Eight-Semester Plan
Year 1
FallCredits
COU501 Ethics and Professional Identity in Mental Health Counseling 3
COU510 Counseling Theories 3
COU515 Counseling Skills 3
 Credits9
Spring
COU505 Professional Roles in Mental Health Counseling 3
COU540 Psychopathology 3
COU545 Group Dynamics and Counseling 3
 Credits9
Summer
COU565 Disaster Counseling and Crisis Intervention 3
COU570 Substance Use and Addictions Counseling 3
 Credits6
Year 2
Fall
COU525 Multicultural Counseling 3
COU575 Human Growth and Development 3
COU520 Career Development, Counseling, and Assessment 3
 Credits9
Spring
COU530 Practicum in Mental Health Counseling 3
COU550 Couple and Family Counseling 3
COU610 Research Methods and Program Evaluation 3
 Credits9
Summer
COU585 Contemporary Issues in Counseling 1 3
COU585 Contemporary Issues in Counseling 1 3
 Credits6
Year 3
Fall
COU771 Internship in Mental Health Counseling 1 3
COU555 Assessment 3
 Credits6
Spring
COU772 Internship in Mental Health Counseling 2 3
Elective Course 3
 Credits6
 Total Credits60

Graduate Checklist

  • Apply for graduation via my.newpaltz.edu under “Graduation” tab according to the schedule in the academic calendar.   

  • Resolve any pending admission conditions (outlined in your acceptance letter) and/or missing documents if applicable. 

  • Review your progress report via my.newpaltz.edu to ensure that you have completed all program requirements.  

  • Remember that only two grades below a B- may be applied to your plan of study 

  • Contact your advisor if you need to amend your plan or process transfer credit. 

  • Ensure that you are in good academic standing with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.0 or higher. 

  • Pass your capstone or culminating assessment. 

  • Complete your degree within the specified time limit outlined in the Program Overview. 

Academic Good Standing, Transfer Credits, and Degree Deadline

  • Students must maintain an average grade of B in graduate-level courses.
  • The Counselor Education Graduate Program may accept up to nine credits of graduate work taken elsewhere in which a grade of B or better was earned.
  • All degree requirements must be completed within five years after admission to degree candidacy.

Assistantships

Teaching assistantships are available to selected students each year. Current stipends are $5,000 per year plus a six-credit tuition scholarship per semester. Assistantship duties involve assisting in faculty teaching. Inquiries should be addressed to the Director of the Counselor Education Graduate Program. Other means of financial support is available to selected students each year in positions such as:

  • Assistant in the Office of Psychology and Counseling Graduate Programs,
  • Academic Advisor to undergraduate psychology students,
  • Graduate Intern at the Career Advising and Development Center, and
  • Technical Assistant at the Disability Resource Center.

For further information, contact the Office for Psychology and Counselor Education Graduate Programs.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a commitment to continually expanding their counseling knowledge and proficiency. 
  • Understand and model the professional standards and ethics of their profession. 
  • Attend to their own personal growth, as well as that of their clients, through utilizing supervision, valuing interpersonal feedback, and engaging in ongoing self-evaluation. 
  • Show mastery of the research process and understand its central role in counseling practice and conducting program evaluation. 
  • Are open-minded and respectful of multicultural and intellectual diversity. 
  • Use their counseling knowledge to function as compassionate and caring practitioners, advocates, and leaders within their profession and within the communities they serve.