The 60-credit Master of Science Program in Mental Health Counseling prepares highly skilled, self-aware, compassionate counselors who provide evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and collaborative treatment using a whole person approach. Grounded in the cognitive-behavioral tradition, this program trains practitioner-scholars to offer assessment, therapeutic interventions, consultation, program evaluation, and follow-up services using a collaborative integrative approach. Incorporating knowledge of the biopsychosocial model, the program provides a foundation for ethical practice and advocacy that facilitates the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. The program also trains students to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary settings as health service professionals and to engage in self-care and self-reflection. The addictions and correctional counseling concentration prepares students for the Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CADC) credential. Students who graduate with this concentration are equipped to work in a variety of addictions and correctional counseling settings such as inpatient, eating disorder clinics, or correctional facilities. The program prepares master’s level graduates with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to pursue credentialing as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in many states and/or to pursue a doctoral degree in counseling, psychology, or a related field.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Term 1		Hours
COUN 501	Theories of Counseling	3
COUN 505	Counseling Skills	3
COUN 510	Professional, Legal, & Ethical Issues in Counseling	3
	Hours	9
Term 2
COUN 506	Foundations of Psychotherapy	3
COUN 508	Lifespan Development	3
COUN 552	Program Evaluation Research Methods and Statistics	3
	Hours	9
Term 3
COUN 503	Counseling Perspectives on Psychopathology	3
COUN 507	Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling	3
COUN 509	Tests and Measurements	3
	Hours	9
Second Year
Term 1
COUN 504	Group Therapy	3
COUN 590	Objective Comprehensive Exam	0
Note: Students whose Practicum/Internship placement begins during the summer term following year one will register for the Practicum/Internship course sequence (COUN 561, 562, 563) in the summer, fall and winter terms, as well as COUN 585: Clinical Field Placement in the spring term. These students will not register for COUN 525: Child, Adol., and Family Issues in Substance Use Disorders in the summer following year two as they will have fulfilled the program credit requirements with the addition of COUN 585.
	Hours	3
Term 2
COUN 520	Assessment and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders	3
COUN 521	Biopsychosocial Basis of Addiction	3
COUN 561	Practicum Seminar	2
COUN 581	Professional Development I	1
	Hours	9
Term 3
COUN 523	Advanced Interventions in Addiction Counseling	3
COUN 571	Career & Lifestyle Development	3
COUN 562	Internship Seminar I	2
COUN 582	Professional Development II	1
COUN 591	Case Conceptualization Comprehensive Exam	0
	Hours	9
Term 4
COUN 522	Counseling in Correctional Settings	3
COUN 524	Addiction and Correctional Counseling Intervention Seminar	3
COUN 563	Internship Seminar II	2
COUN 583	Professional Development III	1
COUN 593	STEPPS VI Comprehensive Exam	0
	Hours	9
Third Year
Term 1
COUN 525	Child, Adolescent, and Family Issues in Substance Misuse	3
Note: Students whose Practicum/Internship placement begins during the summer term following year one will register for the Practicum/Internship course sequence (COUN 561, 562, 563) in the summer, fall and winter terms, as well as COUN 585: Clinical Field Placement in the spring term. These students will not register for COUN 525: Child, Adol., and Family Issues in Substance Use Disorders in the summer following year two as they will have fulfilled the program credit requirements with the addition of COUN 585.
	Hours	3
	Total Hours	60