Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Master of Arts

Program and Student Learning Objectives for School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs

1. Our Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling Programs regularly gather and “reflect input from all persons involved in the conduct of the program, including counselor education program faculty, current and former students, and personnel in cooperating agencies.”
2. We seek to recruit and retain students who represent the diverse population of the Southwestern U.S.

1. Become familiar with the requirements for being a professional counselor, including the relevant research and literature pertinent to the discipline.
2. Become familiar with and knowledgeable about the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels.
3. Develop a thorough understanding of knowledge and competencies related to issues and trends in a multicultural and pluralistic society, and to effectively demonstrate multicultural counseling competencies.
4. Demonstrate effective counseling skills.
5. Become familiar with studies in group dynamics and to development and related life factors, and to demonstrate effective career counseling skills.
6. Understand major theories of career development and related life factors, and to demonstrate effective career counseling skills.
7. Develop an understanding of assessment processes, and to demonstrate skills in individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation.
8. Become familiar with research, statistics, and program evaluation as they apply to the practice of counseling.
9. Develop a clear sense of professional identity in counseling, which includes professional ethics, legal responsibilities, professional preparation standards, participating in professional organizations, and obtaining necessary credentials.
10. Acquire knowledge about counseling supervision, and to experience peer, site supervisor and faculty supervision that allow students to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills that they have acquired to practice.
11. Experience continuous course-related and overall program-related feedback to enhance their professional development as they become professional counselors.
12. Acquire knowledge and skills related to the ways that counselors use a variety of technologies designed to assist students, clients, and the systems they work within.
13. Acquire knowledge related to the professional identity, roles, and functions of professional counselors.
14. Practice ongoing assessment of one's own skills, strengths, weaknesses, professional and personal development as related to counseling professional identity, counseling ethics, and the principles of ethics of client autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity.

The MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Northern Arizona University is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).  Initially accredited by CACREP in November 1998, our program’s current accreditation runs through October 2030.  Students who wish to pursue licensure as a professional counselor have options to do so in a CACREP-accredited program or unaccredited program. If you wish to become better educated about these differences, we strongly encourage you to visit the FOR STUDENTS tab at http://www.cacrep.org.

• Number of graduates in the past year: 37
• Completion Rate:  88%
• Licensure or certification examination pass rate:  89%
• Job placement rate of students/graduates:  95%

• 2015-2017 Survey data: Site Supervisors, Employers and Recent Graduates
• Where are our students getting their internships?
• FAQ 2018-19

How do I apply, and when is the application due?

The primary application items we will evaluate include:

• The graduate school application
• GPA
• Application essay questions
• Three professional/academic recommendation forms
• Interview
• GRE General Test (ONLY if your undergraduate GPA was less than 3.0)

Application deadlines for Educational Psychology (EPS) programs

Please note:

• Completed application files are reviewed and admission decisions are made once each year.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that your application file is complete. Incomplete files will not be reviewed.
• In Flagstaff, many students apply for graduate assistantships (GA roles). If a student secures a GA role during grad school, they typically earn a full-tuition waiver in exchange for working 20 hours per week. For additional information, please visit the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies webpage.

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling

What classes do I need to take - and in what order?

• The MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is a 60-credit hour program that most students pursue on a full-time basis.  The vast majority of students who complete the program do so in about 2 years, although the program can take a bit longer for those who take fewer than 15 credits per term.
• Some of your courses may have prerequisites you must meet before enrolling. Find more information in the academic catalog.

Syllabi:

• EPS 520
• EPS 525
• EPS 590
• EPS 592
• EPS 594
• EPS 601
• EPS 615
• EPS 617
• EPS 620
• EPS 621
• EPS 622
• EPS 634
• EPS 640
• EPS 660
• EPS 661
• EPS 669
• EPS 670
• EPS 680
• EPS 681
• EPS 688
• EPS 690
• EPS 692
• EPS 694 - Clinical
• EPS 694 - School