MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Program Overview

The 60-credit Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares students to become skilled, ethical, and compassionate professional counselors. Through primarily in-person coursework, experiential learning,

supervised skills practice, practicum, and internship, students develop the knowledge and clinical skills needed to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and across a range of mental health needs.

Students learn to assess and diagnose mental health concerns, develop treatment plans, build effective therapeutic relationships, and provide evidence-informed counseling interventions. The program emphasizes the integration of counseling theory and practice, professional identity development, ethical practice, multicultural responsiveness, advocacy, and ongoing self-reflection.

The program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is registered with the New York State Education Department as meeting the educational requirements for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in New York State.

The program can be completed full-time in two years, including summer coursework. Students may also attend part-time; all degree requirements must be completed within the University’s established time limit.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Mission Statement

The mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is to produce graduates who:

• Function as highly skilled and ethical counselors in individual, couples, and group settings.
• Demonstrate mastery of major counseling theories and skills and show the ability to utilize them therapeutically in clinical settings.
• Have strong foundational knowledge in human growth and development and can use it to inform their therapeutic work with individuals, couples, and groups.
• Value and respect diversity and demonstrate multicultural competency working with therapy clients from diverse backgrounds.
• Show mastery of skills necessary to work therapeutically with clients who have experienced crises, disasters, and trauma.
• Possess an adjustment-oriented approach that emphasizes prevention, wellness, early intervention, and advocacy, along with diagnosis and remediation of pathology.

Admission Requirements

The Counselor Education Department’s Admissions Committee reviews all completed applications. Please prepare the following items for inclusion in your online application:

Required

• Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
• One official copy of transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
• 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 (e.g., psychology, sociology, education, philosophy, anthropology, political science, history, economics, geography, criminology, gender studies, communication).
• An updated resume.
• Response to the essay admissions questions.
• Completed dispositions self-assessment.
• Three professional letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your professional/academic activity, interpersonal skills, and overall qualifications.
• International students must meet these additional requirements for admission: International Graduate Admissions | SUNY New Paltz.

Preferred

• Coursework in any of the following: abnormal psychology, personality, counseling theories, lifespan development, culture/diversity, behavioral assessment, group behavior, inferential statistics, social science research methods.
• Applied human services experience - can be volunteer, paid, or an internship.

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

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 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

Practicum & Internship

Clinical training is an integral part of the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Students progress from experiential and skills-based coursework to supervised practicum and internship experiences in approved mental health settings.

Students complete a 100-hour practicum, including at least 40 hours of direct service, followed by 600 hours of internship, including at least 240 hours of direct service. During these experiences, students provide counseling services under supervision while developing increasing competence and professional responsibility.

Students are supported throughout the placement process by the Counselor Education Program’s Field Placement Coordinator, who matches students with appropriate sites from an established network of approved placements.

Practicum and internship require a significant time commitment outside of regularly scheduled classes. Students should plan ahead for the time needed to complete field-placement hours during the academic week.

Licensure

The M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is registered with the New York State Education Department as meeting the educational requirements for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in New York State. Additional requirements for licensure include supervised post-graduate experience, examination, and other requirements established by New York State.

Because the program is CACREP accredited, graduates may also benefit when pursuing professional licensure in other states. Licensure requirements vary by state, and students planning to practice outside New York should review the requirements of the state in which they intend to seek licensure.

Careers

Graduates of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program pursue careers in community mental health agencies, hospitals and healthcare settings, outpatient treatment programs, substance use treatment programs, college and university counseling centers, nonprofit organizations, residential programs, and other mental health settings. With appropriate licensure and experience, clinical mental health counselors may also practice independently.

Graduate Checklist

Academic Good Standing, Transfer Credits, and Degree Deadline

• Students must maintain an average grade of B in graduate-level courses.
• The Counselor Education Graduate Department 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 $7500 per year plus a six-credit tuition scholarship per semester. Assistantship duties involve assisting in faculty teaching. Inquiries should be addressed to the Chair of Counselor Education Graduate Program. Other means of financial support is available to selected students each year in positions such as:

• Assistant in the Counseling Education Department.
• Graduate Intern at the Career Resource Center, and
• Technical Assistant at the Disability Resource Center.

For further information, contact the Counselor Education Department office.

Program Learning Outcomes

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Objectives:

Professional Counseling Orientation & Ethical Practice 

Career Development 

• PO-07- Students understand career development across the lifespan for diverse clients, how to integrate career concerns with mental health concerns, and demonstrate ethical and culturally competent career counseling strategies. 

Counseling & Helping Relationships 

• PO-08- Students learn theories and models of counseling, including a systems approach to conceptualizing clients.
• PO-09- Students learn the foundational ingredients of effective counseling and psychotherapy, particularly development of an empathic, collaborative therapeutic alliance and therapeutic skills that foster movement toward clients’ goals and potentialities. Students demonstrate basic competence in utilizing psychotherapy skills fundamental to all theoretical approaches, conduct an intake interview with initial assessment and case conceptualization, and facilitate counseling sessions.. 

Group Counseling & Group Work 

• PO-10- Students learn the theory and practice of group counseling. Students demonstrate understanding of types of groups related to clients’ goals; ethical and professional concerns related to group work; leadership issues and skills; group dynamics; stages of group development; therapeutic factors evoked within groups; application of contemporary theoretical approaches; and standards of practice.

Assessment & Testing 

• PO-11- Students will gain knowledge needed to administer, interpret, and utilize psychological tests and other sources of assessment data in community, clinical, and other mental health settings.

Research & Program Evaluation 

• PO-12- Students will understand how to apply principles of effective research to evaluating counseling research to inform their counseling practice and to participate in practice-based research at their counseling site.

Crisis Counseling & Disaster Mental Health

• PO-13- Students learn theory, research, and practice in crisis counseling and disaster mental health 

Professional Dispositions 

• PO-14- Students demonstrate the interpersonal capacity to relate to others in the appropriate and professional manner expected of clinical mental health counselors. 

Clinical Mental Health Counseling 

• PO-CMHC-01- Students understand the theories and models of clinical mental health counseling and are able to effectively use client case conceptualizations to assess, diagnose, and identify and apply appropriate treatment modalities to a wide range of client situations.