Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling a new Program/Degree Proposal

Program goals

The overarching goal of the proposed MS in CHMC program is to prepare students to function independently and successfully as clinical mental health counselors in a variety of professional settings. Upon graduation, students will possess well-developed identities as professional counselors and will have mastered the knowledge and skills to practice effectively and ethically. Program graduates will attain desirable and satisfying positions in their areas of expertise or will pursue further graduate education. Program graduates will report satisfaction with their experience in the program and employers will report satisfaction with the preparation and performance of the graduates that they hire.
Other goals of the program are to: a) enroll sufficient students annually to support the viability of the program; b) achieve and maintain CACREP accreditation; and c) engage in regular, ongoing assessment to improve student learning and program effectiveness.
Table 4. Summary of Program Goals

Program-Initiated Goal or Objective	Where, When, and How Monitored	Expectation for Satisfactory Performance	Results Analyzed When and By Whom
Enroll sufficient students to support program viability	Data collected annually from fall reports on entering and enrolled majors	Recruit 20 full time students into the program annually Recruit 10 part time students into the program annually	Annual review of data by CHMC program administrator.
Placement of graduates in desirable positions or successful enrollment in further graduate study	Surveys sent to program graduates at 12 months post-graduation.	90% of students will secure full-time employment in a position of choice or enroll in further graduate studies within 1 year of graduation	Annual review of survey data by CHMC assessment committee.
Assess and improve student learning outcomes and program effectiveness	Regular review of data gathered from assessment instruments, including final comprehensive assessment preparing students for National Counselor Certification exam	Program faculty evaluate whether assessment process yields information that is helpful in ensuring quality and improving programs	Regular review of data by CHMC assessment committee
Students will report satisfaction with experiences within the program	Course evaluations completed by student at completion of each graduate course Program evaluations completed by student at the end of each academic year Graduate survey sent by CHMC faculty 12 months post-graduation	Each course will be rated as satisfactory by 80% of students. Data will be used to improve course offerings 80% of students will evaluate the program as satisfactory Data will be gathered for ways to improve program	Course evaluation data will be collected by faculty from the university administration. Annual review of data by CHMC assessment committee
Employers will report satisfaction with the preparation and performance of program graduates	Employer survey sent by CHMC faculty 12 months post-graduation	80% of employers will rate the performance of program graduates as above average to excellent in all areas surveyed	Annual review of survey data by CHMC assessment committee.
Achieve and maintain CACREP accreditation	CMHC faculty to form an accreditation committee upon program start-up to track progress toward the requirements of accreditation.	Application for CACREP accreditation to be submitted by end of the second year, with any necessary programmatic changes acted upon in a time frame dictated by CACREP reviewers	CHMC faculty accreditation committee will regularly report progress towards accreditation requirements at departmental meetings.

3. Curriculum overview

As noted in the introductory section, the proposed program is designed to fulfill the accreditation requirements of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP; Tables 5 & 6), the primary accrediting body in the professional counseling field. Additionally, the curriculum will prepare graduates to be eligible for licensure as a professional counselor in Pennsylvania (049 PA Code § 49.13).
This is a 60 credit MS in CMHC that would allow students to elect to complete a specialization in rural (RUR) or military/veteran (MIL) counseling. All students, regardless of concentration, would be required to complete a shared core experience consisting of 45 credits of coursework along with a 3 credit practicum placement and a 9 credit interns. The tracks consist of 9 credits of specialized focus.

Shared Core (45 credits)

CMHC 6xx Orientation to Mental Health Counseling as a Profession (3)

CMHC 6xx Theories and Models of Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Psychopathology and Differential Diagnosis (3)

CMHC 6xx Lifespan Development: Implications for Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Skills and Techniques in Mental Health Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Multicultural Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Career Development and Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Methods and Principles of Group Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Research and Evaluation (3)

CMHC 6xx Assessment and Testing in Mental Health Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx Family and Social Systems (3)

CMHC 6xx Psychopharmacology and Biological Bases of Behavior (3)

CMHC 6xx Practicum (3)

CMHC 6xx Internship (9)
Rural Concentration – Required (9 credits)

CMHC 6xx Clinical Mental Health Counseling with Rural Populations (3)

CMHC 6xx Professional and Practice Issues in Rural Counseling (3)

CMHC 6xx The Use of Technology in Mental Health Counseling (3)

Military/Veteran Concentration – Required (9 credits)

CMHC 6xx Diagnosis and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (3)

CMHC 6xx Counseling Veterans: Reintegration and Recovery (3)

CMHC 6xx Counseling Women Veterans (3)

A course sequence is proposed that will allow full-time students to complete the degree within two academic years and part-time students in 4 years. The sequencing allows for a balance of online/distance education and ITV, with supervised experience in the clinical sites through Skype, ITV or face-to-face visits by faculty. This will enhance the ability of the program to draw from non-traditional students who may have work or parenting demands. The course sequence is as follows: Proposed Course Sequence for Full-Time Students

Fall - First Year		Spring - First Year		Summer - First Year
Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits
Orientation to Mental Health Counseling as a Profession	3	Skills and Techniques in Mental Health Counseling	3	Multicultural Counseling	3
Theories and Models of Counseling	3	Psychopathology and Differential Diagnosis	3	Career Development and Counseling	3
Lifespan Development: Implications for Counseling	3	Psychopharmacology and Biological Bases of Behavior	3	Specialty Track Course	3
Assessment and Testing in Mental Health Counseling	3	Research and Evaluation	3	Practicum (100 hours distributed over 10 weeks)	3
Total Credits	12	Total Credits	12	Total Credits	12

Fall - Second Year		Spring - Second Year
Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits
Substance Abuse Counseling	3	Specialty Track Course	3
Principles and Methods of Group Counseling	3
Family and Social Systems	3	Internship (600 on-site hours distributed over 15 weeks)	9
Specialty Track Course	3
Total Credits	12	Total Credits	12

Proposed Course Sequence for Part-Time Students

Fall - First Year		Spring - First Year		Summer - First Year
Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits
Orientation to Mental Health Counseling as a Profession	3	Skills and Techniques in Mental Health Counseling	3	Multicultural Counseling	3
Theories and Models of Counseling	3	Psychopathology and Differential Diagnosis	3	Career Development and Counseling	3
Total Credits	6	Total Credits	6	Total Credits	6

Fall - Second Year		Spring - Second Year		Summer - Second Year
Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits
Lifespan Development: Implications for Counseling	3	Psychopharmacology and Biological Bases of Behavior	3	Practicum (100 hours distributed over 10 weeks)	3
Assessment and Testing in Mental Health Counseling	3	Research and Evaluation	3	(Fall-4^th year elective)	(3)
Total Credits	6	Total Credits	6	Total Credits	3 (6)

Fall - Third Year		Spring - Third Year		Summer - Third Year
Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits
Substance Abuse Counseling	3	Specialty Track Course	3	Specialty Track Course	3
Principles and Methods of Group Counseling	3	Specialty Track Course	3	(Begin Internship)	(3)
Total Credits	6	Total Credits	6	Total Credits	3 (6)

Fall - Fourth Year		Spring - Fourth Year
Course Title	Credits	Course Title	Credits
Family and Social Systems	3	Internship (600 on-site hours distributed over 15 weeks)	9 (3)
Elective/ (Internship)	3 (3)
Total Credits	6	Total Credits	Average of 6

The part-time sequence in regard to electives and internship will be designed for a specific student through the advisement process.

4.