Clinical Mental
Health Counseling, M.A.

Our Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's program will help you apply theory and research to counsel individuals through serious issues.

Note: Students may take 30 credit hours online.

Students will develop as counselors, scholars and ethical professionals throughout the program. You will acquire:

• Knowledge of relevant areas of psychology and counseling, including personality, psychopathology, therapy, evaluation and assessment
• Skills in interviewing, assessment and therapy techniques
• Awareness of client’s individuality, multicultural sensitivity, and importance of flexibility in working with clients
• Appropriate ethical behavior and professional identity

Choose a concentration to focus your curriculum on your specific career goals:

Note: Both concentrations prepare students to take the examinations for Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor designations.

Adult Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration:
This traditional counseling degree will prepare you to work with adult clients in a wide variety of mental health settings.

Child and Adolescent Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration:
This counseling psychology curriculum will prepare you to work with children, adolescents and families in both public and private settings.

Child and Adolescent Distinction
The Child and Adolescent distinction is embedded within the Child and Adolescent concentration in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Students will receive a notation on their transcript upon graduation denoting a concentration in child and adolescent counseling.

Optional Course of Study
Addiction Studies
Students enrolled in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program can add an Addiction Studies component to their degree by taking the following additional courses:

• Introduction to Addictions
• Special Populations in Addictions
• Internship in Addictions (Replaces 26-590 Internship in Counseling)

Lewis is the first in Will County to offer this advanced training program. Through these courses, students will be prepared to take the examination for Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor or both. The required supervision and work experience is embedded in this accredited advanced training program.

Real-World Faculty. Flexible Formats.

Our faculty are real-world practitioners who bring their counseling experiences from a wide range of medical settings to the classroom, teaching from their successes as well as their mistakes. With 700 practicum and internship hours, you will receive the hands-on experience necessary to prepare you for this challenging career.

Based on State of Illinois guidelines, you can take up to 50 % of your coursework online. Face-to-face classes meet one night weekly at our main Romeoville campus.

PREPARED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

You will be prepared to help people as a counselor in clinical mental health, substance abuse, rehabilitation, crisis, grief, marriage and family, or military veterans’ settings. Graduates are working in a variety of clinical mental health settings, hospitals and private practice.

School Guidance Counselor Option: Type 73 Certification

By adding additional coursework to your Counseling Psychology degree, you can work toward your Type 73 Certification without completing a full second master's degree.

VIEW THE PROGRAM CURRICULUM

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