The Practice of Healing. The Science of Understanding.
Guided by Catholic values with an emphasis on human dignity, Walsh University’s online Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Development program will help you to apply advanced methods and techniques to address mental health concerns among diverse populations. Become a compassionate, skilled clinical mental health counselor equipped to support communities, or a school counselor who can respond to unique mental health challenges among youth in a complex world. In addition, Walsh offers a Chemical Dependency Certificate.
Choose from These Available Specializations
With our specialized practice options, professionals who possess a bachelor’s degree can choose:
Complete your coursework 100% online, with no on-campus visits required. Engage in a flexible program that teaches core competencies, focuses on counseling in practice, informs on ethical, legal, and professional foundations, and explores diverse cultures and communities. Practicum and internship field experiences within your own community helps you build experiential hours to gain licensure and enter the field ready to support others.
Fast Facts
Prepare for Licensure
100% of our 2022 students passed their NCE on first attempt and landed jobs within six months of graduation.
Flexibility
Choose from five convenient starts per year and complete your coursework 100% online, with no on-campus visits required.
Core Knowledge
Engage in a flexible program that teaches core competencies, counseling in practice, ethical, legal, and professional foundations to serve diverse cultures and communities.
No GRE or MAT Required
When entering the program with a 2.75 GPA or higher, you will not be required to take a GRE or MAT exam prior to enrolling.
Field Experience
Practicum and internship sites within your community helps you build experiential hours to gain licensure and enter the field ready to support others
Compassionate Faculty
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.
Online Counseling Programs: Internship/Practicum Support
Walsh is committed to your academic success and as such, provides field experience support resources at no additional cost. Realize the impact you can make within your own community as you work with our field experience team to help secure 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students in our online counseling programs take one course at a time so that the programs can be balanced with your current job or other responsibilities. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling online programs can be completed in just over 3 years at this pace, and the Dual Mental Health and School counseling online program can be completed in 4.3 years.
With 100% online coursework and no on-campus visits required, our counseling program is designed for working professionals. While the online coursework remains flexible, it is important to note that to complete your field experience hours, you may need to adjust your work schedule to accommodate your practicum and internship hour requirements.
Students should plan to devote a minimum of 20 hours per week to internship and practicum hours. If you plan to work full-time while in the program, your schedule must accommodate these requirements. The internship and practicum courses take place towards the end of the programs, so you’ll have time to figure out what would work best for your situation.
Throughout this program, you will connect with your classmates and faculty through group work, discussion boards and peer feedback sessions to ensure an online program centered around collaboration and interactivity. Instructors also host one-on-one office hour opportunities to help you remain connected with your coursework and engaged with the Walsh community.
In addition to your in-class studies, the practicum and internship portions of this program allow for hands-on, practical experience within students' own communities, with both individual and group supervision. These interactive portions of the program emphasize developing therapeutic relationships, counseling procedures, ethical practice and the application of counseling theories to various client concerns.
Online MA Counseling and Human Development: Choose your Specialization
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
A Commitment to Care, Respect and Respond
Walsh’s Clinical Mental Health specialization will fulfill your need to connect with others and serve the greater good. Apply research methods, statistics, and psychological evaluations to promote the wellness and full development of individuals and families.
School Counseling
Give Expert Guidance and Support to Children and Adolescents
Walsh’s School Counseling specialization prepares you for a rewarding career as a school counselor where you’ll influence children, adolescents, parents, and families.
Program Mission and Philosophy Statement
The Counseling and Human Development (CHD) program mission and philosophy statement extends to professional counselor education following the mission of Walsh University: "The University provides its students a higher education that fosters critical thinking, effective communication, spiritual growth, and personal, professional, and cultural development. Walsh University encourages the individuals to act in accordance with reason guided by the example and teachings of Jesus Christ." The CHD program mission is centered around the core values of leadership, service, justice, and educational excellence; it describes the priorities, expectations and goals of CHD education.
Program Goals
- Develop students’ core knowledge and competencies necessary to function as professional counselors in school and clinical mental
- health counseling
- Prepare students for specialized professional roles as clinical mental health counselors and school counselors
- Assist students to develop a sense of their identity as counselors and the professional orientation needed to work for the welfare of diverse clients and students.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Graduates will demonstrate core knowledge competencies in counseling (8 core CACREP areas).
- Graduates will combine core counseling skills in practice and in practicum/field experiences.
- Graduates will integrate the core and the specialty knowledge and competencies required to practice as Mental Health Counselors and/or School Counselors.
- Graduates will demonstrate the specialized counseling skills competencies required to practice as Mental Health Counselors and/or School Counselors.
- Graduates will comply with their ethical, legal, and professional responsibilities in their roles as Mental Health Counselors and/or School Counselors.
- Graduates will select the knowledge competencies, attitudes and skills necessary to work effectively with diverse populations in their respective settings (clinical mental health and/or school).
