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Be the Support Others Need
With an online program fully aligned with our on-campus, CACREP-accredited curriculum, Walsh University offers the best of both worlds. Our Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Development program prepares knowledgeable, compassionate professionals for a career supporting those in need. Best of all, you cancomplete the entire program in your own community, no campus visits required.
- Application Deadline: July 26, 2024
- Start Date: Aug 19, 2024
Program Fast Facts
Engage in a flexible program that teaches core competencies, counseling in practice, ethical, legal, and professional foundations to serve diverse cultures and communities.
Guided by Catholic values with an emphasis on human dignity, Walsh provides you with 1:1 faculty guidance to prepare you to become a licensed counselor ready to serve.
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialization focuses on the skills required to become a licensed practitioner, including lifespan development, addictions counseling, counseling in diverse communities and interviewing skills.
* Please note: While the program’s coursework does not require any on-campus visits, students in the program attend their internships and practicum in person.
Experience 1:1 guidance from our dedicated and experienced faculty as you develop the core skills needed to excel as a licensed counselor and make a positive impact in your community.
Choose from five convenient starts per year and complete your coursework 100% online, with no on-campus visits required.
- 20 courses / 60 credits
- 100 Practicum hours / 600 Internship hours completed in your community
- 20 terms / just over 3 years to complete
- 8-week terms
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale preferred (No GRE required with a 3.0 GPA)
- Completion of online application and supporting materials
In-person practicums and internships are a key component of the program. They provide intensive counseling experiences, allowing students to work within their community with individual and group supervision.
Walsh is committed to your academic success and as such, provides field experience support resources at no additional cost. Our field experience team works with you directly to help guide you through the process, providing you with the tools and strategies needed to help secure an approved internship and practicum sites in your area. In addition, we assign you a dedicated Student Support Advisor who assists and guides you in your educational journey from enrollment to graduation.
The cost per credit hour is $775 for this program, with 60 credits required for this program. We also award aid based on need, and our Financial Aid Office is committed to working with you
To calculate tuition for your degree program or to discuss your financial aid options, schedule an appointment.
Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Curriculum
Below is a sample list of courses you will take while enrolled in the online Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. After finishing 60 credit hours of coursework, you will complete 100 practicum hours and 600 internship hours within your community. For a full list of courses, please download a brochure.
Join the growing, compassionate workforce striving to heal our world. Careers in counseling are growing faster than the national average. Specifically, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors are among the top 20 fastest growing occupations in the US.*
- Projected 10-year job growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is 25.2%.
- There were 85,566 Mental Health Counseling job postings in 2020.
- There are 784,000 counselors employed nationally.
*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Online Counseling Programs:
Internship/Practicum Site and Support
Walsh is committed to your academic success and as such, provides field experience support resources at no additional cost. Our field experience team works with you directly to help guide you through the field experience process, providing you with the tools and strategies needed to help secure an approved internship and practicum sites in your area. In addition, we assign you a dedicated Student Support Advisor who assists and guides you in your educational journey from enrollment to graduation.
Orientation to the counseling profession through an examination of the history and philosophy of the counseling profession; professional roles of counselors; professional issues in professional counseling. Introduction to stages and strategies in the counseling process. Development of attending skills and case conceptual-ization abilities. Includes an intensive laboratory focused on developing interviewing skills and mastering counseling procedures. This is a fundamental course.
Overview of human development processes and stages. Analysis of predictable conflicts and crises associated with progression throughout lifespan, as well as the impact of cultural and environmental factors upon development. Overview of developmental theories (physical, psychosexual, cognitive, emotional, and social development) that describe development from conception to death. Concentration upon applying theoretical concepts to counseling various populations across the lifespan. This is a beginning level course.
Exploration of social and cultural diversity in counseling, including diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural heritages and sexual identities and socioeconomic statuses. Study of historical and current issues of equality as applied to socially marginalized groups. Personal reflection on the impact of one's own attitudes, beliefs, world view, and racial and cultural identity on the counseling process. Strategies for employing culturally competent counseling in individual, group, and family modalities, including specific behavioral skills and application of various theories of racial and cultural identity development. The role of the counselor as an advocate for members of marginalized groups and for the pursuit of social justice. Ethical and legal obligations of counselors in dealing with social and cultural diversity.
Course presents the biopsychosocial approach to the etiology, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders and addictive behaviors. Includes application of counseling theories and techniques in chemical dependency counseling as well as an overview of treatment stages and environments. Examines the impact of addiction on the family and the role of self-help groups in the recovery process. This is an intermediate level course.
Orientation to the professional specialty of clinical mental health counseling, including professional roles, identity and functions, the history and philosophy of the profession, scope of practice, ethical and professional practice issues (such as managed care), credentialing, and clinical supervision, models and processes. Exploration of the models and programs used in the prevention and treatment of mental health across diverse populations, and the design of mental health service delivery systems across levels of care. Investigation of the organization (including emergency management systems), financing, public policy, and regulatory processes of mental health service delivery systems. Consideration of advocacy for mental health service needs across diverse populations and for the advancement of the profession.