Mental Health Counseling

Full-Time Sequence

First Year

Fall Semester

• COUN 602 Professional & Ethical Foundations of Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 606 Human Development 3 credits
• COUN 636 Principles of Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 642 Multicultural Counseling 3 credits

Spring Semester

• COUN 603 Foundations of Mental Health Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 615 Psychopathology & Differential Diagnosis 3 credits
• COUN 638 Advanced Counseling Theory & Practice 3 credits
• COUN 639 Group Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 659 Practicum in Mental Health Counseling 3 credits

Summer Semester

• COUN 652 Techniques of Family Therapy 3 credits
• COUN 605 Career Development and Life Planning 3 credits

Second Year

Fall Semester

• COUN 663 Internship in Mental Health Counseling I 6 credits
• COUN 641 Counseling Special Populations 3 credits
• COUN 671 Research & Statistics 3 credits
• COUN 626 Assessment in Counseling 3 credits

Spring Semester

• COUN 664 Internship in Mental Health Counseling II 6 credits
• COUN 628 Assessment in Mental Health Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 695 Topics in Counseling 3 credits

Part-Time Sequence

First Year

Fall Semester

• COUN 602 Professional & Ethical Foundations of Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 606 Human Development 3 credits
• COUN 636 Principles of Counseling 3 credits

Spring Semester

• COUN 615 Psychopathology & Differential Diagnosis 3 credits
• COUN 638 Advanced Counseling Theory & Practice 3 credits
• COUN 639 Group Counseling 3 credits

Summer Semester

• COUN 605 Career Development and Life Planning 3 credits
• COUN 652 Techniques of Family Therapy 3 credits

Second Year

Fall Semester

• COUN 626 Assessment in Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 642 Multicultural Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 671 Research & Statistics 3 credits

Spring Semester

• COUN 603 Foundations of Mental Health Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 659 Practicum in Mental Health Counseling 3 credits
• COUN 695 Topics in Counseling 3 credits

Third Year

Fall Semester

• COUN 663 Internship in Mental Health Counseling I 6 credits
• COUN 641 Counseling Special Populations 3 credits

Spring Semester

• COUN 664 Internship in Mental Health Counseling II 6 credits
• COUN 628 Assessment in Mental Health Counseling 3 credits

Program Total: 60 credits

Students in the Mental Health Counseling Program will complete 100 total hours (40 of which are direct service hours) in Practicum in Mental Health Counseling, at an approved mental health setting working with clients under the supervision of a licensed mental health clinician. During Internship in Mental Health Counseling I and Internship in Mental Health Counseling II, students continue to spend time at an approved mental health setting working with clients under the supervision of a licensed mental health clinician. Students also spend time providing clinical experience at the Child & Family Services Center under the supervision of program faculty. Over the course of a minimum of two internship semesters, students must accumulate at least 600 total hours and 240 direct service hours, distributed equivalently across both semesters.

Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling 2020 Student Handbook

Annual Assessment Report

Applying

To apply, students should select AU Campus MSEd Counseling as their degree program on the graduate application form. Students do not have to choose their counseling specialty (School Counseling or Mental Health Counseling) until the second semester, as this is when the specialization courses begin.

Students should submit the following to the Graduate Admissions Office:

• the completed application form and fee;
• three letters of recommendation;
• official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework;
• scores from the GRE general test if undergraduate GPA is less than a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• a brief personal statement of your program interest.

In addition, because of the high level of maturity, sensitivity, independence and flexibility necessary in the program, an on-campus interview is required. You'll be contacted for an interview once all application materials have been received.

Apply for This Program Today

Financial Support

There are three types of assistantships that all full-time graduate students may choose to acquire: 1) General graduate assistantships; 2) Enhanced graduate assistantships; 3) Athletic graduate assistantships.

All full-time students entering graduate programs in School Psychology, Counseling, College Student Development and Education are awarded a general graduate assistantship – there is no application for this type of assistantship. The award provides a $3,000 reduction in tuition and requires the student to work 5 hours per week for a professor or university division. Students are responsible to the faculty or staff member to whom they are assigned.

Full-time students may instead choose to apply for an enhanced graduate assistantship through the Division of Student Experience, as a Residence Hall Director, Weekend Supervisor or Assistant Coordinator of Leadership Programming. In exchange for working 20 hours per week, this assistantship covers 50% of tuition costs and provides the graduate student with a stipend of $3,000 to $5,000, depending on the specific assistantship. Some enhanced assistantships provide a furnished on-campus apartment and full meal plan when the University is in session. For more information please contact the directors of Residence Life, Center for Student Involvement and/or the Judson Leadership Center.

Students interested in the part-time program may apply for an athletic graduate assistantship, which fully covers a maximum of 18 credits of tuition per academic year (see the part-time sequence) and provides a stipend in exchange for working 20 hours per week as an assistant coach, athletic trainer, or facilities manager. For more information please contact the Assistant VP for Athletics & Recreation.

Additional financial support may be available through grants and other external sources obtained through the Lea R. Powell Institute for Children and Families. The Financial Aid Office assists graduate students in obtaining additional forms of assistance whenever possible.

Alfred University’s Master's of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling consists of 60 credit hours of coursework and supervised practicum and internship experiences. As a CACREP accredited program, Alfred’s coursework addresses the eight common core curricular experiences as well as several specialization areas including:

• Foundations of mental health counseling
• Psychopathology and differential diagnosis
• Counseling special populations/evidence-based practices
• Mental health assessment
• Substance use disorders
• Trauma-informed care

The practicum and internship courses, which occur across three semesters of training, provide students with over 700 hours of applied experiences in area community mental health agencies and college and university counseling centers.

Alfred’s mental health counseling program is registered with New York State as a Licensure Qualified Program. Thus, graduates of the program will have completed all of the educational requirements necessary to obtain their limited permit as a Mental Health Counselor. Graduates are eligible to pursue full licensure (LMHC) by accumulating the required post-graduate contact hours and passing the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination.

Graduates can gain meaningful employment in a variety of New York State Office of Mental Health programs, exempt settings, and even as private practitioners, as most of the major insurance companies in New York accept LMHC’s as providers. And, given our CACREP accreditation, graduates have found it easy to gain licensure and employment in other states throughout the country.

American Counseling Association

American Mental Health Counselors Association

New York State Office of the Professions