Modality: Hybrid
The Mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program at Concordia University Chicago prepares graduates with the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for counselors to address complex human issues and to empower optimal wellness and growth working with diverse populations. The CMHC core curriculum and clinical activities highlight excellence in the vocation of counseling and emphasize the Christian beliefs of integrity, truth, and freedom. The Counselor Education & Supervision faculty promote the personal and professional growth of students through feedback and correction as well as encourage the art of self-reflection, clarification of values, technique development, and engagement in the field of counseling.
The primary responsibility for the preparation of students in the CACREP-accredited counseling program falls within the CMHC program under the direction of the full-time counselor education and supervision faculty. However, students are allowed to take a Master-level course from another discipline, if desired, to meet the elective requirement of the CMHC program. This course must be approved by CMHC faculty prior to taking the course and it should enhance the work of a counselor in the field.
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program maintains a special and unique accreditation by the Council of Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP). CACREP standards also reflect the current educational components required for students to pass the National Counselor Exam in pursuit of the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Illinois. Graduates of CMHC go on to practice in a variety of settings including community agencies, in-patient and out-patient programs, and private practice. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to meet the following Program Objectives:
- Provide candidates with a core academic array of courses in compliance with national standards of counseling programs.
- Training through the utilization of various techniques and approaches to assist graduates in building therapeutic counselor/client relationships and effecting change.
- Advance opportunities for student personal and professional growth in appropriate counselor dispositions through timely and effective feedback throughout the program.
- Enhance student professional identity by encouraging involvement in professional counseling organizations and offering more opportunities to work with core faculty in professional presentations and workshops.
- Provide counselor education training for a wide-ranging student body with quality clinical experiences and supervision.
- Prepare students to serve and collaborate with integrity as professional counselors with the varieties of populations in the U.S. and abroad.
- Timely review and update course content and delivery approaches based on best practice and changing needs.
- Create and support a diverse faculty instructional environment.
- Encourage greater use of technology and key program data collection by students and faculty in the instructional process.
General Graduate Admission Requirements
All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for Concordia University Chicago graduate programs as published in the Concordia University Chicago academic catalog.
New students are accepted into most graduate degree-seeking, certificate, endorsement and/or post-graduate programs for online and on-campus study in the fall, spring, or summer semesters. Students seeking to change programs may do so by submitting a Change-of-Program quick app. Applicants must be in good academic standing according to Concordia University Chicago’s satisfactory academic progress standards and meet published program admission requirements at the time of requesting a program change. Program changes will be processed and recorded for the subsequent semester.
Program-Specific Admission Requirements
Documented evidence of 12 semester hours of prior coursework in sociology or psychology or related field with a grade of “C” or higher and departmental approval.
Applicants will submit responses to four essay questions as part of the admission process for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program. These essays will be reviewed by core CMHC faculty. Entry-level admission decision recommendations are made by the counselor education program and include consideration of each applicant's
- Career goals,
- Aptitude for graduate-level study consistent with program delivery type,
- Potential success in forming effective counseling relationships with diverse populations, and
- Personal values and work with future clients.
Please note: Students are admitted to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program for the Fall and Spring terms only. Students are not admitted for the Summer session.
Modality: Hybrid
Completion of 60 semester hours, including successful completion of the capstone experience, and the clinical experiences practicum (100 clinical hours) and internship (600 clinical hours total).
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| CMHC-6000 | Introduction to the Counseling Profession | 3 |
| CMHC-6010 | Counseling Theory and Practice | 3 |
| CMHC-6015 | Counseling Intervention and Techniques | 3 |
| CMHC-6020 | Career Counseling and Education | 3 |
| CMHC-6025 | Assessment Techniques | 3 |
| CMHC-6030 | Research in Counseling | 3 |
| CMHC-6035 | Counseling and Human Development | 3 |
| CMHC-6040 | Applied Diagnosis for Counselors | 3 |
| CMHC-6055 | Multicultural Counseling | 3 |
| CMHC-6310 | Clinical Mental Health Counseling Profession | 3 |
| CMHC-6330 | Transforming Crisis into Wellness and Prevention | 3 |
| CMHC-6340 | Clinical Group Counseling | 3 |
| CMHC-6355 | Cognitive Behavior Theory and Therapy | 3 |
| CMHC-6420 | Substance/Alcohol Use and Treatment | 3 |
| CMHC-6550 | Family Systems Theory and Therapy | 3 |
| CMHC-6610 | Advanced Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| Elective | ||
| CMHC-6500 | Counseling and Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| or CMHC-6060 | Child and Adolescent Counseling | |
| or select another 3-credit 6000-level course from CMHC or another graduate specialty in consultation with your Graduate Program Specialist (GPS) | ||
| Clinical Experience | ||
| CMHC-6930 | Practicum: Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| CMHC-6935 | Internship I: Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| CMHC-6940 | Internship II: Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Capstone Experience
Capstone is a comprehensive multiple-choice exam taken during the practicum semester.
Graduation Requirements
- Have on file an application for this master's degree program.
- Have on file one official transcript from EACH college/university attended of all previous coursework taken.
- Complete, for the degree being sought:
- the credit hours and levels as designated,
- within the specified time limit,
- with grades of C- or higher (grades of C or higher required for MAT programs),
- with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Students completing multiple advanced programs or degrees at CUC must have a 3.0 GPA in each academic program in addition to a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Have on file approved “Graduate Transfer Credit Approval” form(s), "Course Substitution" form(s), or evaluation(s), if applicable.
- Have on file the Intent to Graduate/Complete form with the Office of the Registrar by the published deadline.
- Have on file, if applicable, necessary copies of a project, portfolio, thesis or dissertation.
- Approval of the faculty.
- All administrative obligations to CUC must be cleared in order to prompt the release of CUC transcripts and diploma(s).
Every attempt has been made to include information to aid the student with information about his/her program, degree and graduation/completion requirements. It is, however, the student’s responsibility to complete all steps and meet all deadlines relevant to graduation requirements.