Mental Health Counseling, M.A.

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Professor Johnson, Graduate Program Director (516) 463-5754, Laurie.Johnson@hofstra.edu

The master of arts degree in mental health counseling is designed to provide students with the educational preparation to qualify as a licensed mental health counselor in the state of New York. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a critical knowledge base comprised of 11 content areas (which ultimately are assessed in the licensure examination) that has been identified by the New York State Education Department in compliance with Article 163 of the Education Law which established mental health counseling as a licensed profession in New York state. As part of this 48-credit program of study, the student will engage in a two-semester supervised internship in a mental health setting. Graduates of this program will stand academically prepared to take the qualifying examination for mental health counselor licensure utilized in the state for license application.

The mental health counseling program is designed as an application-oriented experience aimed at building the knowledge, skills and dispositions/attitudes essential for mental health counseling practice in an increasingly diverse society. The counseling program has a state-of-the-art training lab to develop practitioner skills. The sequenced curriculum is designed to be undertaken over the course of six (6) semesters (which for full-time students would entail two calendar years, including summer study); the last two (2) semesters of graduate study will be devoted to the clinical internship.

Upon completion of the master’s degree, students will qualify to meet the examination requirement for licensure and apply for a limited permit to practice for a period of not more than 24 months, with potential for a 12-month extension request, while completing the 3,000 hours of post-master’s supervised clinical experience that are required for full licensure.

Mental health counselors practice in a variety of settings, including private practice, community agencies, managed behavioral health care organizations, integrated delivery systems, hospitals, employee assistance programs and substance abuse and rehabilitative centers.

Admission Requirements

Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admissions Office. Application review and admission decision is made by program faculty and is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria including the following:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, preferably with a major concentration in the behavioral sciences and/or human services.
Minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
GRE General Test: minimum Verbal score of 500 and Quantitative score of 500.
Minimum score of 4.0 on the Analytical Writing component of the GRE or writing competency as determined by a writing sample at time of personal interview.
Writing sample (to be completed at time of personal interview).
Three letters of recommendation from academic and character references.
Personal essay describing professional intent and pertinent background.
Personal Interview with the Program Director and/or faculty.
Experience with personal counseling or growth-oriented experience.

The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate’s potential for success in a graduate program. As such, candidates who do not fully satisfy one of the quantified criteria, but believe that other aspects of their experience may compensate, are welcome to apply.

Note: Preferred application deadline for fall semester is June 1 and for spring semester December 1; all others reviewed on a space-available basis.

Continuation Criteria

In accordance with university policy, students are required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 in order to maintain matriculation in the program.

Prerequisite Requirements

Prior to registering for Mental Health Counseling courses, students must demonstrate successful completion of a minimum of 18 credits of prerequisite course work in psychology and/or related areas including courses in developmental psychology (child, adolescent and adult), personality theory, abnormal psychology, statistics for the social sciences or research methods. These courses can be part of the student’s undergraduate record or achieved post-bachelor’s degree.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 48

A. Required Courses - Semester Hours: 42

COUN 202 - Professional Orientation and Ethics Semester Hours: 3
COUN 223 - Theories and Principles of Counseling Semester Hours: 6
COUN 227 - Counseling for Career and Life Planning Semester Hours: 3
COUN 253 - Counseling Practicum Semester Hours: 3
COUN 261 - Understanding Psychopathology in Counseling Semester Hours: 3
COUN 270 - Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling Semester Hours: 3
COUN 275 - Issues in Mental Health and Consultation Semester Hours: 3
COUN 277 - Group Counseling Semester Hours: 3
COUN 298 - Internship in Mental Health Counseling I Semester Hours: 3
COUN 299 - Internship in Mental Health Counseling II Semester Hours: 3
CRSR 246 - Appraisal and Assessment in Counseling and the Helping Professions Semester Hours: 3
MFT 204 - Individual and Family Life Cycle Development Semester Hours: 3
RES 258 - Understanding Research Methodology Semester Hours: 3

B. Electives - Semester Hours: 6

Selected counseling electives taken under advisement and after completing Coun 223.

C. Comprehensive Exam

Graduation Requirements

Completion of all program requirements.
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work.

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