Professional Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration, Ed.S.
Program Overview
Professional Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration, Ed.S.
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration in the Specialist in Education in Professional Counseling degree program is offered through the College of Education at MTSU. This 61-hour degree program trains students to work with children, adolescents, and/or adults in mental health settings. Students who complete the concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling will have met the educational requirements for licensure as professional counselors with mental health service provider (MHSP) designation.
Program Mission
The mission of the Professional Counseling program is to help students develop essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions to function successfully as professional counselors working in mental health agencies, private practice, or elementary, middle, and high schools. Professional Counseling Faculty strive to attract a diverse group of students who have an allegiance to social justice and to advocacy for equal opportunity for all members of society, and who will make a strong commitment to their own academic achievement, professional development, and personal self-awareness and growth across the lifespan.
About MTSU's Professional Counseling Program
Professional Counseling faculty train highly skilled counselors to assist individuals with social, emotional and/or academic challenges. The curriculum emphasizes and infuses information pertaining to diversity and trauma. Learning by doing provides students with valuable experience and builds their confidence as aspiring counselors.
Professional Experience
Students majoring in Professional Counseling are provided with this opportunity at the MTSU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCPS) and through internship experiences at mental health agencies and schools. CCPS is a high-tech training facility where students provide counseling services to MTSU students, faculty, and staff as well as residents of the Murfreesboro community under the supervision of faculty during their practicum experience.
Careers
Most graduates of the Professional Counseling program obtain jobs in Murfreesboro and the middle Tennessee area. Clinical mental health counseling graduates find employment with mental health agencies as counselors and eventually complete the requirements for licensure as professional counselors (LPCs). School counseling graduates find employment with school districts in which they provide services to students, school personnel, and parents in elementary, middle, and high school settings.
Employers
- Branches Counseling Center
- Cedar Grove Residential Treatment Center
- Centerstone
- Cumberland Heights
- JourneyPure
- Integrative Life Center
- Mental Health Cooperative
- MTSU Counseling Services
- Murfreesboro Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center
- Nashville Center for Trauma and Psychotherapy
- Rutherford County Recovery Court
- The Next Door
- Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System
- Youth Villages
- Bedford County Schools
- Cannon County Schools
- Coffee County Schools
- Franklin County Schools
- Franklin Special School District
- Knox County Schools
- Maury County Schools
- Metro Nashville Public Schools
- Murfreesboro City Schools
- Rutherford County Schools
- Sumner County Schools
- Warren County Schools
- Williamson County Schools
- Wilson County Schools
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Professional Counseling program is not automatic for students meeting minimum admission requirements. Admissions decisions for the Professional Counseling program will be made after reviewing all materials and determining the applicant's capacity, suitability, and preparation for graduate study in this area.
Successful applicants typically have demonstrated the following:
- 3.00 or higher undergraduate GPA (If an applicant's GPA is lower than 3.00, Professional Counseling faculty will consider applicant's academic performance during the last 60 hours of the undergraduate program);
- Completion of an undergraduate course in abnormal psychology with a minimum grade of B;
- A score of 146 or higher on the verbal section of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or 385 or higher on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) for applicants whose overall undergraduate grade point averages are below 3.0. A graduate admissions test score is not required for applicants with overall undergraduate grade point averages of 3.0 or above (on a 4.00 scale).
- Three (3) positive recommendations. Endorsers should use the recommender link provided by the College of Graduate Studies.
- A written essay/statement of purpose on the supplemental application form in which the applicant's reason for pursing a graduate degree in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is congruent with the focus/emphasis of the program;
- A resume/vita that includes name, address, and phone number of applicant; school applicant attended and applicant's major, minor, and grade point average; honors and awards; and employment and volunteer experiences;
- If invited, participate in a half-day interview within the first six (6) hours of coursework (invitation based on how the applicant compares to other applicants in relation to the previous six requirements). The interview is conducted by Professional Counseling faculty, a practicing mental health professional, and school counselor. An invited applicant must review the Professional Counseling handbook and the most current version of the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics prior to the interview day and agree in writing to abide by the contents of those documents-should they be admitted into the program-on the day of the interview. Applicant must receive a positive recommendation from the faculty and counselors for program admission.
Application Procedures
All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.
The deadlines for completed applications follow:
- February 1 for Summer/Fall admission
- September 1 for Spring admission.
Applicant must
- submit an application with the appropriate application fee;
- submit official transcripts of all previous college work (i.e., undergraduate and graduate transcripts);
- submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Only current test scores (i.e., taken within the past five years) will be accepted.
- submit a current resume/vita;
- complete and submit an online Supplemental Professional Counseling Program Application.
- arrange for three (3) professional recommendations using the MTSU College of Graduate Studies recommendation link provided. Two of the recommendations should come from faculty or other academic officials who can attest to the applicant's academic abilities. The third can come from someone who has either supervised the applicant's work, has been a colleague, or has known him/her for at least three years (other than family).
Degree Requirements
The Specialist in Education in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling requires completion of 61 semester hours.
Candidates must successfully complete the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (may be taken no more than twice).
Curriculum
Prerequisites
- PSY 3230 - Abnormal Psychology with a minimum grade of B (or an equivalent undergraduate abnormal psychology course taken at another accredited educational institution)
Required Courses (61 hours)
- COUN 5655 - Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- COUN 6110 - Introduction to Professional Counseling
- COUN 6150 - Career Counseling
- COUN 6170 - Group Counseling and Psychotherapy
- COUN 6180 - Laboratory in Group Counseling and Psychotherapy
- COUN 6210 - Multicultural Counseling
- COUN 6230 - Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling
- COUN 6260 - Pre-Practicum in Counseling
- COUN 6270 - Practicum in Counseling
- COUN 6410 - Development Across the Lifespan
- COUN 6540 - Internship: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (two semesters, 6 credit hours)
- COUN 6610 - Introduction to Counseling Research
- COUN 6750 - Foundations of Trauma and Crisis in Counseling
- COUN 6765 - Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Counseling
- COUN 6810 - Adult Counseling
- COUN 6830 - Theories and Techniques of Counseling
- COUN 6840 - Measurement and Appraisal in Counseling
- COUN 6850 - Couples and Family Counseling: Assessment and Treatment
- COUN 6886 - Trauma-Focused Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents
- COUN 7520 - Trauma-Informed Assessment and Treatment of Addictions
Program Notes
A 100-hour practicum and 600-hour internship in a mental health setting is required.
Faculty
- Dr. Robin Lee, Coordinator
- Dr. Andrea Jenkins, Associate Professor
- Dr. Michelle Camile Stevens, Professor
Information
MTSU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
Learning by doing gives participants valuable experience and confidence. Students majoring in Professional Counseling are provided with this opportunity at the MTSU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services. This is a high-tech training facility where students provide counseling services to MTSU students, faculty, and staff as well as residents of the Murfreesboro community under the supervision of faculty. Included in the off-campus facility are three individual/family counseling rooms, a child therapy room, and two classrooms. The counseling offices and child therapy room are equipped with a state-of-the-art audio/video recording system. All sessions are recorded for supervision purposes.
Professional Licensure Disclosure
MTSU discloses that the Education Specialist (EDS) in Professional Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Admission to the program does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or certification. Successful program completion meets the educational requirements for licensure as a professional counselor with mental health service provider (LPC-MHSP) designation in Tennessee.