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blue background - That was fast - Master of Science clinical mental health counseling now accepting express applications details below

Master of Science, Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs accredited -logo

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program (CMHC) is a 60 credit hour program that meets the educational requirements for licensure in the state of Florida as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). This program is practitioner-oriented in the sense that students are required to complete 1,000 hours of field-based experience before graduation. The counseling curriculum offers a unique blend of courses to provide the skills and knowledge necessary for becoming a competent counseling professional. Solid academic performance and experiential mastery are required.

Mission

The mission of the UNF Master's Program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is to provide comprehensive training for individuals who wish to counsel diverse populations in a variety of mental health settings. This program provides students with an intellectually stimulating and supportive environment which encompasses academic rigor and promotes excellence, ethical and professional integrity, and effective interpersonal communication and therapeutic skills. Curricular experiences include opportunities to explore the life-span, social, and cultural foundations of behavior; practice psychotherapeutic and diagnostic skills; and complete extensive field experiences in order to apply knowledge and skills in professional settings. 

Highlights

Osprey PERCH Program

The OSPREY PERCH Program is a campus-wide mental health initiative organized out of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. PERCH stands for Prevention, Early Intervention, and Resiliency through Counseling and Holistic Health. This initiative places counselors-in-training in key offices across campus, overcoming barriers to access and meeting students where they live, study, and play. For more information, visit the PERCH website.  

Admissions Requirements

University Requirements

  • A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or its equivalent from a foreign institution with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all work attempted in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate study. No specific degree or other pre-requisites are required.

Additional Program Requirements

  • Official transcripts from all attended institutions
  • Competitive GRE General test scores (300 and above on the combined verbal and quantitative scales, taken within the past 5 years - Institutional Code: 5490).
    • If you have completed a masters or higher degree from an accredited institution, the GRE may not be required. Please email the program director (r.zeglin@unf.edu) to request a GRE waiver. 
  • Letter of intent describing:
    • Reasons for seeking admission to the CMHC program
    • Short and long-term educational, research, and professional goals 
  • Three recommendations, preferably with at least one from a current or former faculty member. Recommenders are required to complete a rating form that is provided through the online application system and they may also submit a letter if they choose.
  • Resume
  • A personal interview will be required for the top competitive candidates. Applicants will be contacted by the CMHC program if selected to participate in the interview process.

Express Application Requirements

UNF undergraduates in Psychology, Sociology, and Public Health are eligible to apply through the Express Application process on the Graduate School Website. Express applicants should then submit the below documents into the CMHC Express Application File Upload Portal before the application deadline. Questions should be directed to the graduate program director (r.zeglin@unf.edu).

  • Resume
  • Letter of intent
  • Two recommendation letters

The program prepares mental health counselors to fulfill the following roles: 

  • Provide direct counseling services to individuals, groups, and families
  • Assist clients in making responsible decisions and in developing skills of self determination
  • Provide resources, referrals, and information to assist clients in coping with societal, economic, and other barriers
  • Serve as models and mentors to clients as they pursue optimum levels of mental health
  • Advocate for clients' rights through participation in community, state, and national organizational efforts
  • Become leaders in community agencies in efforts to facilitate delivery of optimum mental health services

The CMHC curriculum is focused on preparing counseling professionals for employment in various settings including:

  • Community mental health centers
  • Psychiatric hospitals
  • Residential treatment facilities
  • Outpatient mental health clinics
  • Rehabilitation agencies
  • Social service agencies
  • Employee assistance programs
  • Treatment centers
  • Correctional institutions
  • Crisis centers
  • College counseling centers
  • Private practice

Program Objectives

  • Career Development: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Career Abilities, Interests, and Values
    • Clients with Disabilities or Diverse Needs
    • Role of Work
  • Group Counseling & Group Work: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Therapeutic Factors in Group Counseling
    • Stages of Group Counseling
    • Role of Group Counseling
  • Counseling & Helping Relationships:  Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Foundational Counseling Skills
    • Case Conceptualization Skills
    • Proper Case Documentation
  •  Human Growth & Development:  Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Domains of Development
    • Role of Systems
    • Trauma-Informed Care
  • Professional Counseling Orientation & Ethics: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Ethical Decision Making
    • Counselor Identity
    • Advocacy     
  • Research & Program Evaluation: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Consuming Research
    • Research Methods
    • Organizational Needs Assessments
  •  Social & Cultural Diversity: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Cultural Competency
    • Advocacy and Social Justice
    • Role of Client Identity
  •  Assessment & Testing: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:
    • Role of Assessment
    • Test Scoring Procedures
    • Intake Interviews

Clinical Mental Health Couns (Master of Science)

Program Description for Clinical Mental Health Couns

Major: Clinical Mental Health Couns Degree: Master of Science

Informational Text

Please note the following:

  • Refer to the UNF graduate catalog for prerequisites to individual courses.
  • Unless a course is identified as repeatable for credit, you may receive credit for a course only once. However, your GPA will reflect all repeated courses.
  • Program Director approval is required prior to registering for course work at another institution.
  • With Program Director approval, graduate level course work may be transferred from another regionally accredited institution.
  • All students in the Brooks College of Health programs will be held accountable to the most recent Code of Ethics, Guides for Professional Conduct and/or Position Statements as developed by their respective disciplines. Refer to your program handbook.
  • It is mandatory to follow the program course sequence. You must contact the program director for any changes in course sequence to be considered.
  • To qualify for the Thesis option student must:
    - have satisfactorily passed MHS6876 Clinical Research and Outcome Evaluation with a grade of B or better.
    - have a GPA of 3.3 or higher in their first 2 semesters of the program, and
    - identify and receive written approval from their Thesis Advisor, Second Reader, and Program Director.

Major Requirements (51 credits)

MHS6430 Intro to Family Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6486 Human Dev Across Lifespan (3 Credits)

MHS6404 Theories in Clinical MHC (3 Credits)

MHS6700 Legal, Prof, Eth in Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6941 Clinical Counseling Skills (3 Credits)

MHS6876 Clinical Research Evaluation (3 Credits)

MHS6405 Advanced Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6428 Counseling Diverse Populations (3 Credits)

MHS6510 Group Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6205 Clin. Assessment and Diagnosis (3 Credits)

MHS6305 Career Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6800 Prac:Mental Health Counseling (3-6 Credits)

MHS6401 CMHC in Community Settings (3 Credits)

MHS6450 Addictions Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6470 Sexual Issue in Counseling (3 Credits)

MHS6830 Intern in Mental Health Counse (3 Credits)

Electives or Thesis (9 credits)

ELECTIVES Select 3 courses

  • MHS6402 Overview of Brief Counseling (3 credits)
  • MHS6431 Advanced Seminar in Family Counseling(3 credits)
  • MHS6436 Counseling Military Families (3 credits)
  • MHS6500 Advanced Practice in Group Counseling(3 credits)
  • MHS6610 Clinical Supervision in Counseling (3 credits)
  • MHS6916 Conceptual/Research Independent Study in CMHC (3 credits)
  • MHS6930 ST: Special Topics in Counseling (3 credits)
  • MHS6423 Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
  • MHS6444 Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
  • MHS6448 Grief and Loss in Counseling (3 credits)
  • HSC6601 Animal Assisted Interventions and Therapies in Healthcare (3 credits)

THESIS take 9 credits

  • MHS6970 Thesis A (3-6 credits)
  • MHS6971 Thesis B (3-6 credits)
    Even though each individual thesis course could be taken for 6 credits, the total credit hours for both courses cannot exceed 9 credits.