Clinical Mental Health Counseling
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Gain the theoretical, technical and experiential training to possess the knowledge and skills for a successful counseling career in diverse public and private mental health settings.
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is CACREP-accredited and will prepare you for Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensure.
Through classroom and diverse clinical mental health field experiences, students will obtain and apply the knowledge for integrating counseling theory and practice, diagnosis and treatment planning, and professional collaboration and consultation for ethical and legal clinical practice. Graduates will be prepared to work with diverse clients within multiple professional settings.
CMHC-SLO 1a: Identify and develop professional and ethical behaviors consistent with those defined and demonstrated within professional counseling associations (i.e. ACA, AAMFT, ASCA, AMCD).
CMHC-SLO 1b: Examine the cultural contexts of relationships, issues, and trends in a multicultural society and generate therapeutic conceptualizations and interventions.
CMHC-SLO 1c: Examine the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels and generate appropriate therapeutic conceptualizations and interventions.
CMHC-SLO 1d: Evaluate career development and related life factors as part of clinical assessment of clients’ therapeutic needs.
CMHC-SLO 1e: Evaluate the counseling process for diverse client populations and demonstrate counseling skills needed for effective professional practice.
CMHC-SLO 1f: Examine and apply theoretical and experiential understandings of group process as a means of promoting therapeutic change.
CMHC-SLO 1g: Examine and apply individual and group approaches to assessment.
CMHC-SLO 1h: Examine and apply research methods, statistical analysis, needs assessment, and program evaluation.
CMHC-SLO 2a: Demonstrate understanding of the history and development of the clinical mental health counseling profession and current models of case conceptualization and treatment planning, including attention to assessment as well as school-community-college collaboration and consultation.
CMHC-SLO 2b: Construct effective and ethical treatment plans to serve the mental health needs of client populations using appropriate diagnostic principles and tools while considering multicultural factors.
CMHC-SLO 2c: Assemble research and conclude learned knowledge of necessary elements for clinical mental health counseling to provide competent and ethical clinical services for diverse client populations and presenting problems, for self-care, and for advocacy of clients and the counseling profession.
CMHC-SLO 3: Demonstrate the professional knowledge, skills, and ethical practices necessary to address presenting problems and promote holistic wellbeing while working with diverse client populations.
The Accelerated Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program allows undergraduate students to begin work in the MA CMHC degree program while completing their undergraduate degree in psychology at GWU.
Qualified students may apply for admission to the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) in CMHC upon registration for a cumulative 90 hours.
Students enrolled in this program can take up to four graduate courses (12 hours) toward the CMHC degree while completing their final fall and spring semesters of an undergraduate degree in psychology at GWU. If they earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in each graduate course, twelve hours of graduate courses will count in both the undergraduate and the graduate programs.
For a more in-depth look at program requirements, visit our Academic Catalog.
Seamless admission requirements for acceptance into the CMHC Graduate Program
Students admitted to AMP-CMHC program who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in their graduate-level courses, maintain at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, and meet year-end evaluation criteria will be granted admission to the SC program upon receiving their Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree and completion of the following additional admission requirements.
The requirements for the role of counselor are both personal and intellectual. Thus, program faculty review completed application materials and consider applicants’ readiness for counseling training based on these criteria. Applicants who meet both the personal and academic requirements of the program will be admitted.
By obtaining the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, students are prepared to gain licensure as a professional counselor, opening a wide range of career opportunities that include counseling in:
Take the next step towards professional excellence. Once you've found the program that's right for you, learn about admission requirements and opportunities for financial aid.
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