Clinical Mental Health Counseling Track

As a clinical mental health counselor, you will focus on promoting the mental health of individuals, families, groups and organizations in a diverse society. Our program will prepare you for professional and ethical practice through a comprehensive understanding of social justice, advocacy and diversity, as well as human growth and development, career development, assessment and research, and program evaluation.

 

Stephens College Counseling Center

The Stephens College Counseling Center (SCCC) offers a unique on-campus training clinic for students in the clinical mental health counseling concentration area.

At the SCCC, counseling students provide counseling services to Stephens' full-time undergraduate and graduate students under the supervision of counseling faculty and licensed site supervisors from Burrell Behavioral Health as part of a larger campus focus on wellness.

 

Career Outlook

Completing the CMHC track will prepare you to counsel in a wide range of settings including mental health agencies, family counseling centers, private practices, hospitals, residential treatment centers, correctional settings, employee assistance programs, and even private practice. In general, employment opportunities for counselors in all areas are expected to grow 23 percent from 2016 to 2026. Some areas, like addictions counseling, are expected to grow at an even faster rate.

Read more about the job outlook.

Please note completion of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track automatically satisfies Missouri’s educational requirements for LPC licensure.

 

Coursework Overview

Concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC)

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) concentration meets the educational requirements set forth by the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors to qualify for the Professional Counselor license (PLMHP/LPC).  The program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours of coursework, including three semesters/nine (9) credit hours of practicum and internship coursework/field experience. CMHC concentration requirements are subject to change based on revisions to state license requirements and/or accreditation.

Required Core Counseling Courses (36 credit hours):  

X = Classroom based | OS=Online/Synchronous | OA=Online/Asynchronous 

COUN 500 Core Counseling Skills 

COUN 505 Theories of Counseling

COUN 515 Diagnosis & Treatment Planning

COUN 520 Group Counseling 

COUN 525 Ethics and Legal Issues (OS)

COUN 540 Assessment (OS)

COUN 545 Advanced Human Development (OS)

COUN 550 Career Counseling and Development (OS)

COUN 555 Multicultural Counseling 

COUN 560 Research Methods (OS)

COUN 590 Introduction to Substance Abuse & Process Addictions

COUN 603 Crisis and Trauma Counseling 

 

Required Clinical Mental Health Counseling Courses (15 credit hours):

COUN 502 Foundations of Professional Counseling (OS)

COUN 503 Human Sexuality (OS)

COUN 535 Introduction to Marriage & Family Counseling

COUN 600 Child & Adolescent Counseling

COUN 635 Counseling Theory & Methods 

 

Required Field Experience Courses (9 credit hours):

COUN 601 Counseling Practicum (100 hrs)

COUN 607 Clinical Mental Health Internship I (300 hrs)

COUN 608 Clinical Mental Health Internship II (300 hrs)

 

Three -Year Course Rotation