Mental Health Counseling
Department Website: https://www.pcom.edu/academics/programs-and-degrees/mental-health-counseling/
Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling
The Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling program is offered at the Philadelphia PCOM campus only. Courses are offered on evenings, and the program takes two years to complete for full-time students. The program may also be completed on a part-time basis.
The mission of the Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling program is to prepare 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 program prepares master’s level graduates with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to obtain credentialing as a licensed professional counselor in many states, become advocacy-oriented practitioners, and/or pursue further doctoral training.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Hours | |
| Fall | ||
| COUN 501 | Theories of Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 510 | Professional, Legal, & Ethical Issues in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 505 | Counseling Skills | 3 |
| COUN 515A | Crisis & Trauma Counseling I | 1 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| Spring | ||
| COUN 507 | Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 506 | Fundamentals of CBT and Suicidology | 3 |
| COUN 503 | Psychodiagnosis & Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| COUN 515B | Crisis & Trauma Counseling II | 1 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| Summer | ||
| COUN 504 | Group Therapy | 3 |
| COUN 508 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| COUN 509 | Tests and Measurements | 3 |
| COUN 515C | Crisis & Trauma Counseling III | 1 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| COUN 561 | Practicum Seminar | 3 |
| COUN 552 | Research Methods, Statistics, & Program Evaluation | 3 |
| COUN 571 | Career and Vocational Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 527A | Advanced Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling I | 1 |
| COUN 593 | Comprehensive Exam (Standardized Patient Video) | 0 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Term 3 | ||
| Spring | ||
| COUN 562 | Internship I | 3 |
| COUN 520 | Assessing and Treating Addiction | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| COUN 527B | Advanced Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling II | 1 |
| COUN 590 | Objective Comprehensive Exam | 0 |
| COUN 591 | Case Conceptualization Comprehensive Exam | 0 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| COUN 563 | Internship II | 3 |
| COUN 512 | Intro to Marriage & Family Counseling | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| COUN 527C | Advanced Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling III | 1 |
| COUN 565 | Capstone Advocacy Project | 0 |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |