Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.

The mission of the Masters programs is to develop counselors with a strong professional identity and demonstrated specialized knowledge, skills, and dispositions to serve diverse populations

Masters Programs Overview

Through its Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC)and Addiction Counseling (AC) programs, University of the Cumberlands offers a graduate program for those students aspiring to become Licensed Professional Counselors. These programs are designed to serve both recent baccalaureate graduates and other professionals who desire to broaden their expertise as mental health counselors and addiction counselors in community settings. The aim of these degree programs is to provide students with the academic background and requirements that enable one to become a Licensed Professional Counselor or Licensed Addiction Counselor. These programs are 60-hour master’s degree programs. The majority of the coursework is offered in an online format in 8week sessions (bi-terms). Two bi-terms make up a semester. Students may enter the program at the beginning of each bi-term during the fall, spring, or summer semesters.

Masters Program Goals Objectives

Program goals for the Counseling programs include the following:

Goal 1: Facilitate professional counselor identity development aligned with the ACA Code of Ethics.

• Participation in the MA program will increase knowledge of the ACA code of ethics.
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.1.i, j, k, l, m; F.5.d)
• The program makes continuous and systematic efforts to provide opportunities to develop counselor identity.
  (CACREP 2016 I.F, I.I, I.M, I.N, I.P, I.S, I.W, I.X, II.1.a-h)
•  Participation in the M.A. program will increase student knowledge of and involvement in counseling organizations and professional development.
  (CACREP 2016 II C, F.1.f)

Goal 2: Prepare culturally competent counselors to serve diverse populations.

• The program makes continuous and systematic efforts to hire/enroll and retain diverse faculty and students
  (CACREP 2016 I.K, I.Q)
• Participation in the M.A. program will increase student knowledge of theories, models, and competencies related multicultural counseling, cultural identity development, social justice, and advocacy.
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.2.b, c.)
• Participation in the M.A. program will increase student skill in addressing cultural factors relevant to clinical mental health, including heritage, beliefs, help-seeking behaviors, and the impact of power and privilege on counselors and clients.
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.2.d, e, f; AC 3.j; CMHC 2.j)

Goal 3: Develop an understanding of developmental theory and persons in context across the lifespan.

• Participation in the MA program will increase student knowledge in developmental theory across the lifespan, theories of learning, as well as normal and abnormal personality development.
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.3.a, F.3.b, F.3.c)
• Participation in the MA program will increase student knowledge of effects of crises on persons of all ages and strategies for optimal development and wellness over the lifespan. (CACREP 2016 II. F.3.g, F.3.i)

Goal 4: Prepare students to effectively apply career development theory, acknowledging related life-work roles and factors.

• Participation in the MA program will increase student knowledge in career development theory, resources, and interventions.
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.4.a, c, j)
• Participation in the MA program will increase student skill in assessing abilities, interests, values, personality, work environment, and other factors that contribute to career development, planning, and decision making.
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.4.d, e, i)

Goal 5: Prepare counselors who demonstrate effective counseling skills and techniques.

• Participation in the MA program will increase student knowledge of theories, skills, and differentiated approaches to client conceptualization and treatment in clinical mental health counseling.
  (CACREP 2016 II F.3.h, F.5.a, F.5.b, F.5.g, MAC 1.b, 1.d)
• Participation in the MA program fieldwork courses will increase student effectiveness in developing relevant outcomes, treatment plans, and culturally relevant strategies for establishing and maintaining counseling relationships.
  (CACREP 2016 II F.5.d, F.5.h, F.5.i, CMHC 3.b)
• The MA program will provide opportunity for students to receive formative and summative evaluations of counseling performance from site and university supervisors during fieldwork courses.
  (CACREP 2016 III B, C, H, I, L, M)

Goal 6: Prepare counselors who demonstrate effective group counseling skills and techniques.

• Participation in the MA program will increase student knowledge of ethical and culturally relevant strategies for designing and facilitating groups, including theoretical foundations and therapeutic factors
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.6.a, c, g)
• The MA program will provide an opportunity for students to participate as a member of a counseling group
  (CACREP 2016 II. F.6.h)
• Participation in the fieldwork component of the MA program will increase student skill in leading or coleading psychoeducational or counseling groups.
  (CACREP 2016 III.E)

Goal 7: Develop counselors who are effective with assessment, diagnosis, and intervention planning.

• Participation in the M.A. program will increase student knowledge in using assessments for diagnostic and intervention planning, including identifying trauma or risk for harm.
  (CACREP 2016 II F.7.c, F.7.d, F.7.e, CMHC 2.d)
• Participation in the fieldwork component of the M.A. program will increase student skill in using assessment results in an ethical and culturally relevant way to diagnose developmental, behavioral, and mental disorders.
  (CACREP 2016 II F.7.l, F.7.m)

Goal 8: Prepare counselors to effectively utilize research in clinical practice and program evaluation.

• Participation in the program will increase students’ knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research and program evaluation.
  (CACREP 2016 II, F.8.f, g, h)
• Participation in the program will increase students’ understanding of the ethical and legal considerations of research.
  (CACREP 2016 II, F.8.j)
• Participation in the program will prepare counselors to analyze and use peer-reviewed research data to inform assessment, interventions, and treatment planning.
  (CACREP 2016 II, F.8.a, b, e, i)

Goal 9: Promote the attitudes and dispositions that facilitate academic success and effective counseling.

• The program will evaluate students on their professional dispositions and performance consistent with institutional due process policies and the counseling profession’s ethical codes and standards of practice
  (CACREP 2016 I.O)
• The M.A. program faculty will systematically assess student dispositions and provide referrals for student remediation as needed.
  (CACREP 2016 I O)
• The M.A. program will increase student knowledge about counselor characteristics that influence the counseling process.
  (CACREP 2016 II F.5.f)

Goal 10: Equip students with the foundational knowledge and skills that prepare them to seek licensure as a professional counselor.

• The M.A. program will provide information regarding eligibility for licensure as a professional counselor in multiple formats throughout the duration of the program.
  (CACREP 2016 I M, N, II F.1.g)
• The M.A. program fieldwork courses will provide opportunities to develop the individual and group counseling skills to prepare for licensure as a professional counselor.
  (CACREP 2016 III E, F, G, J, K)

Clinical Experiences

Clinical experiences provide students the opportunity to do therapy under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional. Through the field placement experience, practicum and internship, students will apply what has been learned in class and grow in their counseling skills, knowledge, and confidence. Finding a good site/experience along with a good on-site supervisor is important to maximize the experience.

Students will normally begin their clinical experiences in their second year of full-time study. The first clinical experience is a practicum, which requires 100 hours of which 40 are direct client-contact hours and 60 are indirect hours. After the Practicum has been successfully completed, a student will participate in two (2) Internship experiences. An Internship experience requires a minimum of 300 hours, 120 of which must be direct client-contact hours and 180 indirect hours. State requirements for the minimum number of internship hours vary, so students need to review the requirements for the state in which they will seek licensure to make sure they complete the minimum.

Students may begin the Practicum semester after a minimum of 21 semester hours, depending on their individual Plan of Study (POS). Students will be able to begin the Practicum after the following steps have been successfully completed:

• Promotion to Good Standing Status within the department
  1. Good standing status - a student must complete a minimum of 21 hours, successfully pass a least two Student Performance Reviews and be in Good Standing with the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and University with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• Submit Practicum/Internship Application and related paperwork. Note a new application is required for each semester of practicum and internship respectively.
• Successful completion of prerequisites:
  • COUN 530 - Introduction to the Counseling Profession  
  • COUN 533 - Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling   
  • COUN 536 - Human Growth and Development  
  • COUN 537 - Etiology and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders  
  • COUN 539 - Theories in Counseling   
  • COUN 630 - Process and Techniques in Counseling  or COUN 639 - Theories & Techniques for Treatment of Process Addictions & Substance Abuse  for Addictions Counseling program.
  • COUN 637 - Group Counseling 
    Students may begin the Internship (COUN 646 - Counseling Internship /COUN 648 - Addiction Counseling Internship ) after successful completion of the following:
  • COUN 534 - Lifestyle and Career Development  
  • COUN 632 - Advanced Clinical Assessment  
  • COUN 636 - Theory and Practice of Multicultural Counseling  
  • COUN 638 - Research Methods and Program Evaluation   
  • COUN 645 - Counseling Practicum   

Complete information about clinical experiences can be found in the Practicum and Internship Handbook. Some of the information will include how to find a site/experience, what satisfies the requirements for a site/experience, and who can be an on-site supervisor. In the semester prior to beginning practicum, the student needs to complete all the work necessary to be ready to begin the practicum experience on the day that the course starts.

For more information about clinical experiences, please consult the Practicum and Internship Handbook.

Licensure Information

The CACREP-accredited Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling are designed to lead to professional licensure as outlined by individual state boards of counseling. Before enrolling in a counseling program, students are encouraged to consult the rules and regulations regarding Professional Counseling in their particular state. Graduation in these programs do not guarantee licensure as a professional counselor in all states or other jurisdictions. Students are responsible for meeting all academic and professional requirements for graduation.

Further information regarding these academic and professional requirements is outlined in this handbook. Students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Addiction Counseling programs are responsible for knowing the material outlined in this handbook. Further, it is the sole responsibility of the student, not the program, to obtain information regarding prerequisites for licensure as outlined by their particular state counseling licensure board.

Specifically, students should make note of the following:

• State regulations regarding licensure opportunities if an applicant has a previous felony conviction.
• State regulations regarding the type and number of academic courses and practicum/internship hours.
• The state accreditation requirements for educational institutions.
• The state regulations and requirements for online graduate education programs.

*To obtain a state’s web address, view State Licensure Boards