How to Apply

What is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor?

• Professionals who treat cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of mental health & substance abuse conditions
• Combines traditional psychotherapy with a practical, problem-solving approach that creates a dynamic and efficient path for change and problem resolution.
• Provides psychotherapy to help clients:
  • Understand their behaviors, emotions and thoughts.
  • Identify stressors
  • Teach them healthy coping & problem-solving techniques 

How Mental Health Counselors Serve Their Patients

• Assessment and diagnosis
• Brief & long-term therapeutic services
• Treatment planning & progress monitoring
• Focused counseling services for specific populations & needs:
  • Couples/families
  • Substance use/abuse
  • Children & adolescents
• Psychoeducational and prevention programs
• Crisis Management 

Career Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth in need for licensed mental health counselors is 22%, which is much faster than the national average at 5% for all occupations.

Where is this growth coming from?

• The national recognition for mental health services has led to federal & state policies expanding access to such services, especially through insurance
• The number of specific populations such as military veterans seeking mental health treatment is expected to increase over the next decade
• Acknowledging the importance of mental health has led to an increase in those willing and eager to seek treatment
• The demand for mental health professionals has increased job openings in treatment facilities 

Our Program Highlights

• Our program provides our graduates with academically rigorous courses, incorporating clinical skills training with evidence-based counseling principles.  
• A program designed for working students with classes exclusively in the evenings
• Dedication to the highest standards of accreditation, being CACREP accredited
• Committed to equitable and inclusive education in a culturally diverse environment with a value for social justice advocacy. 
• Faculty that is highly versed in numerous counseling theories and interventions
• Best practices and ethical standards embedded throughout the program
• Highly experiential coursework and hands-on practice
• Small class sizes and one-on-one mentorship throughout the program 

Program Structure

60-Credit Program, which fulfills the education requirements for NYS licensure in Mental Health Counseling. Classes are offered in-person at our off-site campus at 30 Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre, New York.

• Offered as a 3-year cohort model
• Classes run throughout the year so that you can complete the program quickly.

Clinical experience is completed in the final year of the program:

• 100-hour Practicum in Summer semester (approximately 7 hours per week at a clinical site);
• 600-hour Internship in Fall and Spring (300 hours each semester with approximately 21 hours per week at a clinical site)

How to Apply

• Application fee, $65.00 non-refundable
• A Baccalaureate degree, with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, from an accredited college or university, or successful completion of another master's degree, demonstrating prerequisite coursework
• Official copies of undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts from any colleges or universities attended
• A current resume
• A personal statement of not more than 500 words addressing the applicant's background, experiences, personal qualities and academic and career goals related to the field of mental health counseling.
• Three academic or professional letters of recommendation from former faculty members or employment supervisors, attesting to the applicant's ability to be successful in graduate school and in the field of mental health counseling.
• Prerequisite coursework: an undergraduate major in counseling or psychology or a related mental health field is preferred. However, students with another major who have completed three of the six following courses and obtained a 3.0 or higher GPA will be considered:- introduction to counseling or psychology- life-span development- evaluation/assessment in counseling or psychology - psychopathology or abnormal psychology- statistics in the behavioral sciences- experimental design in counseling or psychology.
• If accepted to the program, the CMHC department remains the right to request additional course work to be completed beyond the three courses above. This request might occur in the event that a student is deemed in need of more coursework to be successful in our program.
• A personal interview with the Program Director and/or other faculty member from the department
• Experience in working with others in a volunteer or employment capacity.
• A spontaneous writing sample at the time of interview that the applicant will have to pass.