Mission & Objectives

Our program trains effective, ethical, and culturally-competent counselors who hold a strong identity as professional mental health counselors. Our students develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to:

  • Significantly contribute to the profession of mental health counseling through active participation in professional organizations and continued professional development.
  • Exhibit the essential counseling skills and processes in order to provide effective, collaborative and culturally-competent services to diverse clients in a variety of settings through a strengths-based approach to personal development and wellness.
  • Engage in ethical practices that provide evidence-based counseling and evaluation services.
  • Cultivate a relevant area of practice/specialization while incorporating the latest advances in communication and technology.

We expect our graduates to demonstrate proficiency in the above competencies shown in bold type.

Program objectives

This program will help you become a well-trained, fully-licensed mental health counselor who is an active participant in your profession and your community. As a mental health counseling student, you can expect to:

  • Expand your knowledge in subjects like human development, interpersonal relationships, evidenced-based practices, psychopathology, and psychopharmacology.
  • Gain expertise in assessment, treatment, service coordination, interprofessional collaboration, referral, and prevention related to clinical behavioral health issues in individuals, groups, and families
  • Read and critique the scholarly literature to apply and evaluate evidenced-based practices
  • Integrate theory and practice within the context of various theoretical perspectives
  • Understand the role of mental health counseling within the contexts of the community, individuals and cultural/ethnic diversity, and relevant ethical and legal issues

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